ADVENTUURE EVENTS CAMPUS CULTURE THE GOOD SAMARITANS OF DU

Volunteers at the on-campus help desks of DU colleges share their experiences and reasons of taking up this task

Aspiring to get into Delhi University (DU) with the second cut-off ? As you rush to campuses to get hold of that coveted seat, these student volunteers, stationed at the college help desks are working to assist you to beat the chaos.

Set up by student political parties or college authorities, it’s also an opportunity for seniors to interact with the fuchhas. Volunteers, who get surrounded by hoards of students, leaving them baffled and emotional, share their experiences.

“We have set up help desks in some colleges of North Campus and South Campus of Delhi University. Our volunteers help freshers, who are unaware of the locations of different colleges, to choose relevant courses,” says Shauryaveer Singh, a student of Campus Law Centre, who is also associated with National Students Union of India (NSUI). There’s also an empathy factor that leads seniors to help the newbies. “As a fresher, youngsters face a lot of difficulties. I know this because I’ve gone through this same process. During my time, my seniors had helped me through the entire admission process. I don’t think I’m doing something great. It’s my responsibility,” says Aman Yadav, a final year student of Hindu College.

Mayank Aggarwal, a final year student of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College has been effected so much by his volunteering experience in the past that he made it a point to be a volunteer this year too: “I’ve seen students crying during the admission process. Sometimes, they don’t even have their original mark sheets because most of the state boards release their certificates later than CBSE and coming from far-flung areas of India, the students cannot stay long in the city. Once a Keralite student, who had scored a complete 100% in Economics, was brought to the Principal’s office only to make him understand that he should get his mark sheets in order to get admission. Communication at times, becomes an issue here.”

Moreover, there are students who get fed up at home and volunteer to help. “I am here to past time. I can’t spend my whole day lying on the bed for the entire summer break. Therefore, I thought of indulging in some good work. Initially, it was to just for fun, but now I believe that every student should be a part of this activity. There are many outstation students who have no clue about the campus, its rules and regulations. They need our guidance,” says Kartik Shrivastav (name changed) from Hans Raj College.