Where on earth is WDC ?
Mirror reporters spent two hours on Gujarat University campus, asking girl students where the Women’s Development Cell (WDC) was. But none knew what WDC was, forget where it was located. In such a situation, how does GU expect a student to lodge a harassment complaint with the cell?
Yogesh Avasthi and Dhwani Pathak Dave
Posted On Thursday, March 10, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News - City§id=3&contentid=2011031020110310031535698dfd7bb75)
If Gujarat University ever organised a treasure-hunt event, the Women’s Development Cell (WDC) would be an ideal place to hide the treasure. No one can easily find this place out. Not even the girl students for whose benefit it was set up.
A Mirror test drive on Wednesday found out that girls on GU campus have no clue where WDC is located. Forget the location, they don’t even know what WDC is.
But one really cannot blame them. WDC was first set up in 2005 in Bhasha Bhavan to look into complaints of harassment, including sexual harassment, in the university and colleges affiliated to it. Later, GU shifted it to a cottage near the guesthouse. Today, an almost obsolete WDC operates out of the statistics department.
In the past two years, the cell registered eight cases of harassment in which the complainants were either teachers or principals. Officials say they’ve not received a complaint from a student so far.
It is also mandatory for colleges to have their own cell, the convenors of which are associated with GU’s WDC. But even that cannot be said for sure. On Monday, a third year student of New L J College accused a lecturer of sexually harassing her. But the college, as Mirror had reported on Wednesday, does not have its own grievance redressal cell.
On Tuesday, the WDC celebrated the International Women’s Day at GU’s senate hall. Ironically, none of the girl students in WDC’s vicinity knew such a cell even existed, when reporters met them. “Is it a department? We have no clue,” said Pooja Jain, standing right outside the statistics department where WDC operates out of.
Kanchan Chawla, an MSc student, said: “I don’t know. You can enquire at the information centre.”When the cell was established, in pursuance of the directions of the Supreme Court, English professor Ranjana Harish was made the chairperson and vice chancellor A U Patel was the president.
Within a year, the WDC was shifted from Bhasha Bhavan to a cottage near the guesthouse. They even had a drop box on the premises so that women could post their grievances in a sealed envelope.
‘NEW OFFICE SOON’
However, in 2009, Prof Harish was removed from the post and Dr R G Bhatt was appointed the chairperson after differences reportedly cropped up between her and VC Parimal Trivedi. WDC office at the cottage was shut down.
Six months ago, the cottage was given to Yogic Science department. The WDC now quietly functions out of the statistics department. There is no signboard outside the department or on the campus to indicate where WDC is located. It was a male lecturer who showed these reporter the way to WDC office. But not before they had spent a good two hours on GU campus looking for it.
Chairperson Bhatt said: “Within three months, we will be shifting to our new office being constructed above the consumer store. We keep in touch with the convenors of the collegiate women’s development committee through mails. I think most people know where WDC is located.”
The change in address has, however, not been incorporated in the WDC letterhead. A letterhead, circulated a couple of days ago, still bears the old address — WDC Cottage, near GU guesthouse.
Yogesh Avasthi and Dhwani Pathak Dave
Posted On Thursday, March 10, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News - City§id=3&contentid=2011031020110310031535698dfd7bb75)
If Gujarat University ever organised a treasure-hunt event, the Women’s Development Cell (WDC) would be an ideal place to hide the treasure. No one can easily find this place out. Not even the girl students for whose benefit it was set up.
A Mirror test drive on Wednesday found out that girls on GU campus have no clue where WDC is located. Forget the location, they don’t even know what WDC is.
But one really cannot blame them. WDC was first set up in 2005 in Bhasha Bhavan to look into complaints of harassment, including sexual harassment, in the university and colleges affiliated to it. Later, GU shifted it to a cottage near the guesthouse. Today, an almost obsolete WDC operates out of the statistics department.
In the past two years, the cell registered eight cases of harassment in which the complainants were either teachers or principals. Officials say they’ve not received a complaint from a student so far.
It is also mandatory for colleges to have their own cell, the convenors of which are associated with GU’s WDC. But even that cannot be said for sure. On Monday, a third year student of New L J College accused a lecturer of sexually harassing her. But the college, as Mirror had reported on Wednesday, does not have its own grievance redressal cell.
On Tuesday, the WDC celebrated the International Women’s Day at GU’s senate hall. Ironically, none of the girl students in WDC’s vicinity knew such a cell even existed, when reporters met them. “Is it a department? We have no clue,” said Pooja Jain, standing right outside the statistics department where WDC operates out of.
Kanchan Chawla, an MSc student, said: “I don’t know. You can enquire at the information centre.”When the cell was established, in pursuance of the directions of the Supreme Court, English professor Ranjana Harish was made the chairperson and vice chancellor A U Patel was the president.
Within a year, the WDC was shifted from Bhasha Bhavan to a cottage near the guesthouse. They even had a drop box on the premises so that women could post their grievances in a sealed envelope.
‘NEW OFFICE SOON’
However, in 2009, Prof Harish was removed from the post and Dr R G Bhatt was appointed the chairperson after differences reportedly cropped up between her and VC Parimal Trivedi. WDC office at the cottage was shut down.
Six months ago, the cottage was given to Yogic Science department. The WDC now quietly functions out of the statistics department. There is no signboard outside the department or on the campus to indicate where WDC is located. It was a male lecturer who showed these reporter the way to WDC office. But not before they had spent a good two hours on GU campus looking for it.
Chairperson Bhatt said: “Within three months, we will be shifting to our new office being constructed above the consumer store. We keep in touch with the convenors of the collegiate women’s development committee through mails. I think most people know where WDC is located.”
The change in address has, however, not been incorporated in the WDC letterhead. A letterhead, circulated a couple of days ago, still bears the old address — WDC Cottage, near GU guesthouse.
