Bengaluru: Discontent is brewing among students at two private universities in the city. Students living in S-Residences Hostel, Dayananda Sagar University (DSU) main campus, are protesting over inadequate facilities, while a section of students at St Joseph’s University (SJU) has raised concerns over convocation fee.Students at S-Residences Hostel in DSU’s Harohalli campus have been complaining about inadequate basic amenities and poor hostel conditions for nearly a month. The complaints led to protests on Aug 26 and Aug 31.Among the issues raised are unstable or non-functional Wi-Fi, frequent electricity fluctuations, lack of hot water during peak morning hours, poor-quality drinking water, inadequate cleaning, leaking or overflowing plumbing, mosquito-related hygiene concerns, malfunctioning lifts, and empty vending machines.The protest followed repeated complaints to hostel authorities that students alleged had not resulted in effective action. “On Aug 26, a girl approached the warden around 9.30pm regarding the lack of hot water and was allegedly dismissed rudely. Other students joined her, and the situation developed into a larger protest involving 300-350 girls,” said a hostel resident.“During the protest, the hostel management primarily focused on the girls being outside after the 9.30pm entry deadline, rather than addressing their complaints. Boys from the adjacent hostel later threw firecrackers and eggs towards the protesting girls, but the management did not take adequate action,” she added.Students were subsequently told that some issues would be addressed by Aug 30, and the remaining ones gradually. However, with little change by Aug 31, another protest was held, this time involving both boys and girls.Meanwhile, the DSU management told TOI that all the issues were being addressed. “The building is relatively new and the contractor was still getting things straight. We called for a meeting with representatives from all towers Tuesday. They raised their concerns and we are addressing each of them,” said a management representative.On eggs being thrown at the protesters, the management said, “It has got nothing to do with the management. It was some boys from the boys’ hostel behind it. Our faculty team is already in conversation with the students. We’ll also identify the culprits using CCTV footage.”Over Rs 5,000 for convocationA group of SJU students has taken to social media to protest the convocation fee. According to them, the university has charged Rs 4,500 in addition to another Rs 600. “We are also disappointed that our parents are not being allowed for the convocation. It is a lifetime opportunity for us,” said the students.The SJU administration said it has changed the rules and will allow parents to attend the convocation, scheduled for the last week of Sept. “It is a small group of 20 students from earlier batches who failed to pass and have been creating the issue on social media. Those from the current batch are fine. Meanwhile, there are costs associated with the convocation. Various types of certificates need to be issued, not just a convocation certificate. We’re providing snacks, attire etc.,” said the administration.
