College union polls: meeting at CU on September 12

A meeting of students’ organisations has been called on September 12 to discuss proposals related to the conduct of students’ union elections in colleges affiliated with the University of Calicut (CU). Last year, the union elections were held on October 10.

Key officials, including the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Dean (Students’ Welfare) and Director (Admissions), would attend the meeting scheduled on its campus at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district, officials said. The meeting is also likely to discuss ways to address recurring student protests on the main campus.

There has been a demand from the students to have separate unions at the university’s satellite campuses, such as the Institute of Tribal Studies and Research at Chethalayam in Wayanad and the Dr. John Matthai Centre at Laloor in Thrissur. The John Matthai Centre has a Department of Economics, School of Drama and Fine Arts, School of Management Studies, Centre for Computer Science and Information Technology (CCSIT), Calicut University Teacher Education Centre, and an Inter-University Centre for Financial Economics/Financial Engineering. There is also a proposal to merge self-financing centres on the university’s main campus, such as the CCSIT, Centre for Physical Education, and the Department of Food Science and Technology, with the departmental students’ union there. The CCSIT at the John Matthai Centre could be merged with the students’ union there.

Meanwhile, research students on the university’s main campus and research centres in affiliated colleges have reportedly sought a separate union for themselves, similar to the one at the University of Kerala.