Varsha Vemkatraman is a 1st Year student of JSIA currently pursuing Bachelors in Global Affairs. She is contesting for the post of General Secretary. Here is the excerpt of an interview she gave to Nickeled and Dimed:

1. Can you explain your sports policy a little bit in detail, and how will you ensure “more representation” of JSIA students in  the competitions?

• We have many students among our student body who profoundly excel in the sphere of sports but are often demotivated by varies external factors such as family and faculty that streamline their priorities into academics leading to a lack of representation. This paternalistic behaviour must be withdrawn through emphasising on the student’s individuality and recognising their skills set within said spectrum. Spreading awareness is imperative to reduce the power of decision making that is stripped from the individual itself.  Furthermore, the student body requires higher spirits and turnout during student-faculty sports events that facilitate interaction and de-widen the prevailing gap. I aim to fulfil this clause by adding credibility to the value of such events through conversation.

2. Your policy on healthcare seems very interesting. Can you throw more light into it for our readers?

• My clause on strengthening the health care system with regards to my manifesto calls for the need for new and more staffing (student-staff ratio) at the Medical Centre keeping in mind the prospective influx of students for the new academic year. It emphasises on the value of record keeping through digitalisation that is already set into motion but still needs to be worked upon meticulously. It also touches upon accessibility of the Medical Centre that can be questioned for the boys of the SH8 hostel while there has been an establishment of a mini health care room at the girls hostel. Evaluating the rise of cases the past semester regarding the inefficiency of the implementation of prescriptions and delay in procedures, I propose a more robust feedback system specifically pertaining to the services provided by the Health Center.
• Addressing the inefficiency of the ambulance service by reducing the response delay and expansion of the SH8 working hours timeline that is also often found to be closed.

3. You talk about a “fight for a unified JSIA body”, how do you plan to achieve this? How do you plan on giving more powers to the Class Representatives?

• Diversity is a fundamental element of the JGU community. This feature however almost always brings about divide and conflict. The student body, in order to achieve change in unison must stand together irrespective of color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, political ideologies or beliefs. As a hopeful member of the prospective JSIA student council with your support, I aim to encourage school spirit and unity by placing our fight for the bigger picture of change in various aspects of the spectrum as OUR priority. The student body must also be moulded, aware and sensitized to respect the differences of every individual and make Jindal University a more inclusive environment to thrive in.
• The credibility of the role of the CR is often deemed as little while the post requires a lot of hardwork as they function as the backbone of the class and bridge the gap between the faculty, student council and the class. With that being said, as the prospective General Secretary, I propose having regular meetings with the CR’s in order to cater to and address the class specific needs. Individuals holding the post likewise must recognize the importance of their work and uphold the required work ethic dutifully. This aspect will be monitored through continuing the CR feedback system that is already in place and acting on the same.

4. In the transport part, you said to negotiate with private vendors to reduce the fares, how will you convince the college authorities to negotiate with them? 

• The administration needs to recognise the already heavy pocket expenditure of a college student and work towards breaking the cartelization of the off-campus vendors. An ideal proposition for the same is to sign MOUs with companies with flexible pricing, approached and acted upon by the university authorities. The student body in unison must get the admin and authorities to vouch for the safety of THEIR students on and off campus.