Policy approved in Meeting of Board of Governors under Agenda no.41 held on 18-03-2023

Sub.: Policy on Sensitizing & Remedial Measures for Indiscipline Cases of Students.

A new Policy on the above subject has been on the anvil for quite some time now & has been adequately deliberated upon in different meetings as an alternative & enduring reformative policy with lesser focus on punitive measures. The same is placed here as under for application to all student indiscipline cases of the campus & the hostels.

Rationale:

The indiscipline issues have been, for quite some time, engaging the attention of the management & the administration. During functions such as Carbuncle, etc., indiscipline raises its ugly head even more.

In the ultimate analysis, enrollment (which has an essential element of happiness) into a possibility, rather than registration (which has an element of pressure) into a possibility is important. The possibility being created via this policy is indiscipline-free campus. Towards it, a five-pronged attack on the menace of indiscipline is proposed.

The offence / act of indiscipline can be reported by anybody & even the punishment can be recommended by any teacher/ staff/ HoD/ section head, but the quantum & ‘combination’ of remedial measures to be finally taken in each case shall be decided by the ‘Proctorial Board’ for the indiscipline cases in the Campus & by the ‘Hostels Discipline Committee’ for the indiscipline cases in Hostel premises, & approved by the Director.

The ‘guiding principle’ for the Proctorial Board or for the ‘Hostels Discipline Committee’ is reformation via ‘enrollment’ processes but ‘deterrence’ may also be called forth in seemingly incorrigible cases less amenable to instruction or taking too much time of enrollment.

1) Running For Resilience Or Alternative Sports Activity:

Each defaulter will be evolved as an athlete / player by giving him/her the ‘game’ of running 100 metres, increased by 200 m or more on successive days (in a graded manner, the intensity of the game will be increased without causing injury, cramps, etc. on the player) till he/she attains, over a reasonable period, a target running of 5000 m (3000 m for females) in a day.

Running is a great stress-buster, leads to detoxification of body & mind, it makes one acutely present about poor fitness level (due to various reasons), enables one to attain freedom from drugs, and improves bodily & mental resilience. Besides running, the defaulter/ player shall also be sensitized on the benefits of running via counselling by Sports Officer & via the attached article (Annexure-1) on ‘Reading the Mind and Jogging the Brain’.

Rather than allowing it (running) to be task-oriented, it can be experienced as a game, if it is performed in camaraderie (healthy friendship) with a senior student mentor &/or under the supervision of a sports officer/ expert.

If, owing to health condition such as asthma, injury, heart-issue, etc., the defaulter is unable to undertake running, then suitable alternative sports activity / yoga / pranayama, etc., for the duration & target level as prescribed by the Sports Officer, shall have to be performed by the defaulter.

To impart sustenance to above reformative steps, the defaulter may be prescribed (by the Sports Officer) to participate in some tournament(s) also.

NOTE: If the defaulter isn’t convinced about the innumerable & immense benefits of prescribed running / alternative sports, he/she can opt out of this activity & in lieu thereof opt for twice of the next three activities (i.e., making two Precis of different texts, twice the Probation Period, two Community Services) & Rs. 5000/- fine additional to the punishment / fine awarded to his/ her case.

2) Precis as a Means to Invoking Dormant Neural Network:

Precis-making has long been conceived as a mind-sharpening exercise. Brevity is the soul of wit. In weighing the given material (of which precis is to be made) to identify the chaff from the content, one has to necessarily invoke one’s mental faculties. In so doing, the human neural system strengthens itself.

To this end, the defaulter shall be called upon to read one prescribed book from the following list or prescribed pages (not less than approx. 10) & make one-page precis of the same within 2-5 days, however, the precis should not match with that of other / previous defaulters, else the authority (awarding the punishment) may prescribe different pages or books beyond the list below:

• Spencer Johnson, “Who Moved My Cheese”, Publisher: Vermilion Press.
• 10 or more pages (as selected by the evaluator) of the book: Dr. L. Hardayal, “Hints for Self Culture”, Pub.: Khosla Publication (earlier Jaico Pub.).
• 10 or more pages (as selected by the evaluator) of the book: Zbigniew Pietrasinski, “Art of Learning”, Pub.: Pergamon Press.
• 10 or more pages (as selected by the evaluator) of the book: David Goggins, “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds”, : ‎ Lioncrest Publishing.
• 10 or more pages (as selected by the evaluator) of the book: James Clear, “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones”, : Avery.

 The precis shall be evaluated for whether the defaulter has proper comprehension of the book/ specified pages (as may be assessed by brief interview of the defaulter), for originality, for completeness, etc. by the senior-most teacher of English (& reverted back for needful action, if lacking). In case two precis of the different texts are prescribed, the authority may choose different sets of pages or more than one of above books or other substantial books (of similar nature & rigor as of above books) of not less than about 10 pages.

3) Subjecting To Probation:

Fear of punishment is more important than the punitive action itself, as having lived through the rigours & trauma of punishment, one now knows how to tolerate it or what it takes to go through it, thus likelihood of growing obstinate.

As experience goes, it pays off to put defaulters under probation for specific periods. So each defaulter, depending upon the extent / severity of default, shall be put on ‘probation’ for a specified period or for the rest of his stay in the Institute, & if he/ she defaults again in the probation period, he/she shall be expelled from the College or will be awarded punishment higher than that deemed fit to his/her case as per Table-1.

4) Community Service:

Community Service has often been hailed as a low- cost reformatory step in less-serious offences. It is an unpaid service to be rendered by offender for prescribed hours, usually under the supervision of a Probation Officer (appointed by Chief Proctor/Proctorial Board or Chief Warden/Hostels Discipline Committee, as the case may be). It has to be an appropriate service intended to benefit the community / system in or against which an offender has committed an offence, & the work should typically be connected with antidote of the offence. For example, a person found guilty of vandalism may be ordered to clean public spaces. Thereby, the offender can reflect on the offence committed & gain an understanding of the consequences of his behavior & actions. Other examples: Organize fun activities for children/ aged persons with cancer, Gather used sports equipment & / or used clothes to give to needy families, Hold a donation drive for winter outfits, Launch a social media awareness campaign, Offer cost-free landscaping services, etc.

Punishment facet of Community Service is meant to serve as a deterrent to other potential offenders. With these considerations, the Proctorial Board/ Hostels Discipline Committee shall decide the community service tasks, if any to be awarded in each case.

Important: In no case, the Probation Officer should bend over backwards to accept excuses of offender in not completing the tasks in prescribed manner in given time-frame, else it will counter the very aim of community service orders.

5) Fines & Other Punishments Pertinent To Severity Of Default:

Depending upon severity of indiscipline, along with other measures (tasks to be undertaken by the defaulters) as deemed fit to the case, the Proctorial Board/ Hostels Discipline Committee shall suggest fines & / or punishments to be imposed as per following suggestive list (Table-1), or even more than the minimum in these punishment rules. For the cases not covered in the list, the Director shall be the final authority to impose the punishment /fine on the recommendation of Proctorial Board/ Hostels Discipline Committee.

Table-1: Punishments/ Fines to be imposed against Default/ Offence.

(**): Each pass shall be superscribed with a warning, “Misuse of pass will lead to black-listing of Guest”, Gradually, the issue of passes shall be minimized / discontinued. The inviting person &/or his/her authorized person shall usher the guest from the Institute Gate & remain responsible for all actions on behalf of the concerned Guest.

Notes:

1. In cases warranting the attention of parents, the parents of defaulters shall be called to the office of Proctor/ Registrar/ Dean / Director to apprise the parents about the gravity of the case and to seek their intervention in the remedial / correctional course(s) of action. Also, parents’ affidavit, guaranteeing good behavior of their ward in future, shall be taken by the office of Chief Proctor / Chief warden/ CoE. The defaulters may also be put on probation for specific periods deemed fit to their case.
2. In all severe cases, intervention of mentors, relevant officers, resp. HoDs / Deans / Registrar / Chief Proctor / Chief Warden/ CoE/ Sports Officer also to be taken.
3. To serve as deterrence to even others, all Notices about imposition of penalties on defaulters shall not only be placed on the Notice Board of the concerned Dept., but also on the Notice Boards of other Depts., and also copies thereof shall be marked to all concerned quarters such as Head of concerned Dept., Dean Academics, Dean Engg., Dean Students Welfare, Controller of Examinations, Finance Officer, Registrar, Director. In cases warranting intervention of District Administration / Police etc., as per the case, copies shall be marked accordingly.
4. As attendance defaults are generally dealt with at the fag end of semester with extra / make-up / remedial classes, so “suspension from classes for specified periods” doesn’t seem to serve as adequate deterrence, thus this measure may not be resorted to.
5. Repetition of the act(s) of indiscipline are to be treated seriously & may attract higher punishment or even termination from the College.
6. In case of expulsion from the Institute, no Character Certificate shall be issued to the defaulter.
7. Fine will be collected either through direct receipt with Institute cashier/ Accounts Branch or through adding in Sem. Fees.
8. The Director shall be the Competent Authority vested with the power to add to these rules or delete or amend any of the existing rules from time to time. The Director shall be the final authority to approve / award the punishment/ fine & to make the interpretation of these Rules & Regulations, in case of any dispute or ambiguity.
9. The jurisdiction shall be confined to Panipat only.