The Students’ Senate 2015-16, in its 3rd meeting on 28th July, ratified the 5 pool structure for General Championship(GC) – transitioning from the standard 4 pool structure. With the new policy in place, girls will now participate independently as a separate pool. The pool has provisionally been named ‘Mastani’.
The proposal was unanimously accepted by the Council of Students for Hostel Affairs (CoSHA) in its 2nd Special Meeting on 26th July, which had then sent the proposal to the Students’ Senate for consideration. CoSHA has representatives from all hostels, along with senate nominees. The new policy is borne out of recommendations made by the Students’ Gymkhana last year.
| Pool | Hostels |
| Rajputs | Hall 2 and Hall 8 |
| Mauryans | Hall 3 and Hall 7 |
| Mughals | Hall 5 and Hall 4 |
| Marathas | Hall 10 and Hall 11 |
| Mastani* | Hall 6 and GH-1 |
Speaking to Vox Populi, Richa Agarwal, Cultural secretary of GH Tower, said, “The primary purpose for having a separate pool is to increase female participation and establish our culture. By pooling up with a boys hostel, we do not get apt recognition for our efforts, which ultimately leads to a decline in motivation among girls”.
Earlier, female residences were clubbed with either of the four pools – Rajputs, Mauryans, Mughals or Marathas. As female presence in a pool adds to its diversity, GH allocation has always been a center of debate. In cases when consensus couldn’t be reached in CoSHA, the proposed pool allocations were either put to vote or were decided by lottery.
“We have seen a great response in intra-hall activities – leading to a sense of bonding among hostel residents. We hope to see that on a larger scale with independent participation in GC”, adds Richa.
A 2 pool structure has also been discussed in the past. While some believed that it will reduce the burden on Hostel HECs, others were concerned that it might lead to reduced PG participation, and that ‘fight for GH’ will continue. According to the then President Students’ Gymkhana, Himanshu Pandey, reducing the number of pools will lead to lesser participation from individual halls. In light of these arguments, the 2 pool structure was rejected.
With the new pool structure in place, the organization of Inferno, the inter-hall sports championship, is not very clear. The General Secretary of Games and Sports Council will come up with a proposal in the pre-conduction report.
Pool Allocation Policy for GC 2015-16
Discussion on 2 pool structure
Written by Samarth Bansal
