Disclaimer: The opinions expressed below are the opinions of the Editorial Board of Vox Populi and the writers, and theirs alone.
In retrospect, Vox Populi cited a leaked personal e-mail in the article that was intended to be private between a student and the DoSA. It was quoted without providing the entire context. This was a grave mistake and we shall strive to ensure that such an incident never repeats.
As the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic ravages the country, India reported 2,94,000+ new cases on the 20th of April. The very next day, the IIT Kanpur administration abruptly sent out an email, mandating all students residing in Halls of Residence to vacate their rooms and return home within five days of the order [1][2]. Clarifications issued later exempt those students under quarantine/isolation for suspected/confirmed Covid19 from this deadline. In his emails asking students to vacate their rooms, the Dean of Student Affairs (DoSA) cites the dismally overstressed situation of the healthcare systems, both on campus and in Kanpur city, as being the primary motivator for the decision. As of 22nd April 2021, there were 113 confirmed Covid19 cases on campus – 58 of whom were students. The administration deemed it impossible for IITK to handle a bigger outbreak of the virus. Compelling hundreds of students to return to their homes seems to be the only solution that was thought of.
As it stands, while the intention behind this decision will have been to minimize loss of lives, the administration’s actions pertaining to IITK students have been highly exclusionary and disappointing, besides being downright dangerous.
Interactions with and among students reveal valid concerns about returning home. Prior to the announcement of the decision, on April 20, the President Students’ Gymkhana held an online general body meeting with the PG students and stated that he had firmly requested the DoSA to avoid such a course, and only encourage students to vacate. The mail that arrived on the 21st, was thus, entirely unexpected. (Our report on the GBM can be accessed at [3]).
In response to the eviction order, a group of PG students conducted an online meeting on April 22 to discuss their concerns and chart out a better solution. The meeting had 400+ participants, with multiple faculty members in attendance. The primary concern that emerged was that travelling in these conditions would undoubtedly put students and their families at increased risks of contracting the virus, potentially creating multiple new clusters of infection. Many students had vulnerable family members with comorbidities and were unwilling to undertake such travel. In any case, the decision mandating students to return home, seemingly made without any consultation with student representatives, was thought to be at odds with the notion of students being full members of the IITK community.
Students’ attempts to engage the administration over these concerns were met with no response in several cases. After the meeting on April 21, the students drafted a letter [4] delineating their concerns and requesting a more equitable and inclusive solution to the situation. With over 370 signatories (consisting mostly of students, along with some faculty members), gathered via a signature campaign, the students emailed this letter to the Director, the DoSA, the DoAA, the Ombuds group, and the Chairperson of the BoG. At the time of writing this article, the email is yet to elicit any direct response from any of the addressees.
In every step of the administration’s response to the disaster, empathy – if any – appears almost as an afterthought. Following the objections from the students, the HoDs of some departments organised online meetings with the campus-resident students on April 23 and 24. Here, it was communicated that students with extraordinary circumstances precluding their travel (for example, a Covid19-positive member at home) would be exempted from the order and allowed to extend their stay on campus. The same was formally communicated via an email by the PSG only on the PG mailing list. Hence, many UG Y17s, who were also subject to the order, were not aware of this option – even though the exact same concerns applied to many of them. Furthermore, most students who eventually requested this temporary stay extension got their approvals on April 25— almost 4 days after the initial vacation directive, and merely 1 day before the deadline. By then, many of them had already left the campus. As a consequence of this heedless policy-making, many returned to households with infected family members.
Continued attempts made by students to engage the administration over the flaws in this decision-making process has been met with disguised hostility. On April 21, a PG student emailed the DoSA, criticising the decision[5]. The DoSA replied with a quote from the undertaking signed by the students prior to arrival: “I will fully comply with any measures/guidelines prescribed by the Institute in this regard” and argued that “by saying that you are against the decision, are you saying that you will not comply and thus go against the undertaking you have signed? (sic)”. The reply made no effort to address the several issues raised, instead circularly justifying the decision on the basis that students were legally bound to follow it. The DoSA then cc-ed the email to the student’s HoD and asked the HoD to “take note of the actions of the students”. Responsible dissent being met with responses that have veiled undertones of negative consequences: does this not go against the very spirit of an academic community?
Furthermore, news articles claiming to quote official IITK statements demonstrate a flagrant withholding and misrepresentation of facts on part of the Institute. On April 25, the news organisations News18 and The Indian Express released articles ([6] and [7]) quoting a purported IITK press release which states that reports of students being forced to leave the campus in the middle of the pandemic “are totally incorrect”. They go on to claim that only “fit students” have been “requested to leave”. On the contrary, the emails sent to the UG and PG students ([1] and [2]) use the word “mandated”: no part of this, in any sense or measure, appears as anything less than forced. Having talked to several UG and PG members who were on campus, we understand that it is a widespread notion that students are being unwillingly compelled to return. As of writing this article, the Institute has not issued any clarifications distancing itself from these quotes.
The blatant lies this statement then conveys, via obscuration of the full nature of facts, appears to be an attempt to prevent the institute’s decision from coming under scrutiny. In addition, the nature of these actions is utterly disrespectful of the attempts of students driven to desperation, to meaningfully engage with their Institution, asking for due agency and representation.
Let us now address the elephant in the room.
India has reported 3,52,991 COVID cases and 2,812 deaths on 25th April. An article published by the New York Times [8] claims that the reported numbers are a severe misrepresentation of the gravity of the pandemic and the true toll remains undercounted – the actual number of deaths and cases may be two to five times the reported statistics.
In an emergency live telecast, the prime minister requested all citizens of India to stay inside and avoid travel to contain the virus spread. Such is the ground reality in which students of the IIT Kanpur have been mandated to travel. Are they at a high risk of contracting and spreading Covid? Undoubtedly.
In the time of a nationwide calamity, the first and foremost responsibility of the institute should have been to ensure the safety and welfare of all the residents living on campus. Regardless of its intent, the actions of the administration have subjected hundreds of its students to life-threatening risks. Using public transport at this point is extremely unsafe: there are many students who need to travel via multiple modes of transport, over many hours, in order to reach home. The fear of getting infected, and in turn endangering the lives of one’s own family, would be a constant on their minds. The healthcare infrastructures of almost all Indian cities are failing, and multiple UG and PG students (who shall remain anonymous) who travelled back in the last few days have already tested positive for Covid19 after reaching their homes.
We understand the fear behind this decision. Many Indian colleges that reopened (e.g. MIT Karnataka) were severely affected and were declared containment zones. Amid the horrific second wave, such a situation may befall IIT Kanpur. According to the administration, the Health Centre does not have the capabilities to manage it. (detailed in our previous report [3]).
But if the concerns of both the administration and the students emerge out of a common fear of exposing the IITK community to the virus, why did the former allow itself to leave students with no option, other than to undertake travel during a pandemic, without paying any heed to their opinions? While the students did sign an undertaking, the unexpected nationwide surge of the pandemic is far worse than what could be envisioned when signing to it.
Does the legal validity of this signature solely justify the ethics and morality of the administration’s orders?
In unprecedented times like these, it is imperative to explore diverse solutions, while engaging the entire community in an inclusive decision-making process. It is evident that the lack of regard for students’ concerns has left them helpless, heartbroken, and feeling alienated from the IITK “community”. The pandemic has and continues to affect each of us in distinctive ways. We request the administration to acknowledge the plights and the opinions of students with utmost regard in all future considerations.
References:
[1] PG Mail: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16bGRZnlW3DfGuNEFWgK0ohaaBLq0twbL/view?usp=sharing
[2] UG Mail: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14odxW59IpmW58pcbsoCT6GdSmVAcN0rL/view?usp=sharing
[3] Report: https://voxiitk.com/students-asked-to-vacate-campus/
[4]Letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x-lJZlx4FrJ7q2WHy_Ck14Q_ED2YBCujcSeulJLThPc/edit?usp=sharing
[5] https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SSPiWzUs2T7-Zp7usk2Xitne9CcL9DlQ/view?usp=sharing
[6] News18 article: https://www.news18.com/news/education-career/iit-kanpur-denies-forcing-students-out-of-hostels-says-requested-voluntary-return-3675980.html
[7] Indian Express article: https://indianexpress.com/article/education/no-students-being-forced-to-leave-campus-amid-pandemic-iit-kanpur-7288575/
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-deaths.html
