An email alert received by me from a 2020 batch alum of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Indore has forwarded a mail received by this person regarding "concerns of the current students towards the top business institute's Indore branch's authorities' alleged "disregard" towards the management of the Covid-19-related situation on-campus.
The email alert states, "I am writing this to you on behalf of students who do not wish to disclose their names fearing administrative action. I request you to respect their and my request for complete anonymity in this disclosure."While I have no means to verify what all has been said on behalf of IIM-Indore students, I am reproducing it to being to light what seems to be the students' concern:
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This disclosure is with reference to the "The Ken" article that highlights the abuse of administrative power in the midst of a covid-19 outbreak at IIM Indore.I am writing this to bring to light the present conditions and abuse of administrative power that is happening at IIM Indore in the midst of a Covid-19 outbreak on the campus that is being denied by the administration in a bid to ensure that online examinations do not have to be conducted.
A) Instance 1: The end-term examinations for PGP-1 were scheduled for the period 25th March - 2nd April. On 26th March a batch email was sent to the PGP 1 batch that stated that all exams of PGP-1 were going to abruptly conclude on the 31st of March (this entailed a sudden change of schedule whereby there were 2 end term exams scheduled on each day). This email was sent soon after there were reports of students testing positive on campus. The administration continues to falsely deny the occurrence of the Covid-19 outbreak on campus.
B) Instance 2: Over the course of the past few days, nearly 50-60+ students reported symptoms - fever, cough, running nose - etc. These students have been quarantined basis their symptoms and the institute has taken little to no effort to conduct contact tracing. Furthermore, many of these students who had symptoms were present in several packed exam halls during the start of the end-term examinations. The institute has taken no steps to ensure contact tracing of other exam writing participants.
C) Instance 3: In certain instances, students who had been shifted to quarantine were not provided with online examination links and as such these students were forced to walk out of their quarantine blocks to answer the examinations and then were asked to return to their quarantine block post writing the examination.
E) Instance 5: The PGP-1 batch was sent a forwarded email which stated that due to the "present circumstance" in Indore city, it is not possible to get lab technicians to the college to conduct any tests for people who want themselves to get tested. Some students then asked for names of labs that had supposedly declined to come to campus and if it was possible to bring a government lab technician to campus. To this, there has been no response or clarification.
F) Instance 6: On 12th March, the PGP-1 batch was sent an email stating that weekly excursions to any place outside the campus would be banned and that if any student were to visit any place outside campus that they would be required to be quarantined for 5 days upon their return to campus. Immediately after this email was sent, the Placement Committee of IIM Indore, along with the Director and other members of college administration went out of campus to a restaurant, following which they returned to campus and are visible in a group photo where no one is wearing masks or practising social distancing. None of these people (students or Director or administration) who went out, were quarantined upon arrival. Following this, there were Placement Committee members who were quarantined due to symptoms, and some of them have tested positive as well.
Throughout the entire duration of the past few days, the administration of the college has been completely opaque in their communication and has not replied to any public student query emails. At the same time, the college refuses to contact trace or even allow students to get tested citing 'non-availability of technicians. The college still maintains an official stance stating that only 4 students are positive, whereas the reality is very much different.
In communication with certain members of the student bodies, the administration has said that they will not care about what the students have to say since they know what they are doing is correct.
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