GIKI Uncovered

GIKI UNCOVERED a Veritas publication

Issue III

Inside this issue: 8-1

January 11, 2005 — February 6, 2005

Khokha, curfew timings

‘Admin determined for student betterment’

Jawad Warraich relives the painful memories of GIKI’s embarrassing loss to LUMS Restrictions in the sports meet last GIKI: The GIKI administration has semester claimed that all restrictions imPage 4 posed on students are for their own betterment, as their safety GIKI academia: and well being is the administration’s responsibility. This statealas! Platonic questions the wis- ment was made by Director Addom of the institute’s aca- ministration Col (r) Ghalib Sultan in an interview. demic policies Page 7 “Sitting at the khokha (Campus Hotel) is a waste of time. They GIK school for in- (the students) should be in their rooms studying,” he said. The fants Hasan Iqbal and Zain Kazmi director was speaking with referlament suffocation of indi- ence to a policy enforced by the vidual freedom in face of administration three years ago administrative restrictions whereby the khokha was ordered closed at midnight. Earlier, the Page 6 khokha used to remain open until

curb immoral activity, claims director admin By Hasan Iqbal

the wee hours of the morning. Col Ghalib claimed that if culinary spots were allowed to remain open all night, they would cause “academic disorder”. “We need to nip the evil in the bud,” he said, calling the khokha remaining open until late night evil. “If students don’t sleep at night and sit idle at the khokha, they don’t attend classes in the morning,” demanded Col Ghalib “Consequently, their attendance falls short of the set requirement, and they are not allowed to sit in the final examination. This (early closure of khokha) is for the students’ own good.” Continued on Page 3

Bhatti’s Clinic Our very own Prof Hameed A Bhatti advises students regarding various problems in life and academia. Page 5

Fare-collection without receipt illegal: Incharge transport section

Editorial

Students urged to approach authorities with transport problems

The woes of our academic system Stretching our resources Page 2

Editor: Saad Anis

GIKI bus ticket collection

By Fahd Faiyaz GIKI: It was recently discovered by GIKI Uncovered that the longestablished practice of collecting bus fare on the GIKI bus without providing a receipt in return is a clear violation of the institute rules. These revelations were made by Incharge Transport Section Dr Fazal Khalid in an interview. “Students must stop the practice of paying cash to the bus driver or any other official without receiving a receipt, as it is a clear violation of the rules,” he said. Without a receipt, the students could not be sure of how much, if any, of their money really went to the administration. Frequent passengers of the weekend GIKI

By Hasan Iqbal and Uzair Shahid GIKI: Cheating in examinations is as old as education itself. Wherever there has been some kind of an exam, man has tried to get around it the easy way, with ‘some’ help. In GIKI, cheating in academics is more or less

buses to Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Islamabad would be aware of the bus officials’ practice of demanding fare without providing receipt for it. Another serious issue is shortage of transport vehicles for Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The single bus allocated to each city is clearly inadequate, and results in around 50 students having to spend the entire journey standing. Calling this a violation of traffic safety laws, Dr Fazal Khalid said that it was the responsibility of the administration to provide necessary transport facilities to ensure comfortable travel for students. However, he blamed

Continued on Page 3

Continued on Page 3

Survey on cheating

Majority of gikians cheat

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GIKI UNCOVERED — January 11 - February 6, 2005

The woes of our grading system The grade point average, or GPA, is of considerable import in a student’s academic life. It is the measure of his skill, and reflects the extent to which he has succeeded in mastering his area of expertise. While it may not be the ideal measure of academic ability, and many will argue that it is not, it is nonetheless the best one available, especially in cases requiring expeditious judgement. Consequently, the GPA is the single most important standard of gauging individual academic ability the world over, for higher studies as well as the professional industry. A majority of companies, especially multinationals, shortlist job candidates based on GPA. Internship aspirants are picked out on basis of a similar consideration, while universities worldwide admit students for graduate school on a handful of criteria, of which GPA is one of the more significant. A high GPA is thus taken to be the mark of academic and professional excellence. Conversely, a low GPA is indicative of mediocrity, and does not augur well for an individual’s future. Furthermore, the standard of assessment of GPA is universal. Given this emphasis on it, most universities are excessively magnanimous in granting GPAs. They exercise laxity in their grading policy for the convenience of their students, to the unfair extent of handing out exceptionally good GPAs even to poor students. GIKI, on the other hand, lies at the other end of the spectrum. In accord with a tacitly sanctioned grading policy, all faculties of the institute observe stringency in grading. Some of the best students from all over Pakistan attend GIKI, and most match their potential with performance. Despite this, the average GPA awarded to a student here is lamentably low.

Apparently, the faculties intentionally award lower grades to students, even though a relative grading system is in place. Ample evidence of such a policy exists. The average GPA of a GIKI undergraduate is roughly 2.6, while that of institutes all over the country is well above 3.00. No student has ever graduated GIKI with a CGPA of 4.00, while the majority of universities in Pakistan hand out perfect CGPAs indiscriminately. The rationale behind such a grading policy could be perhaps to prevent complacency from setting in among the students. Moreover, t h e administration m i g h t also argue that GIKI graduates have done exceptionally well in the job market, in spite of the stigma of low GPAs. They hence draw the conclusion that GPAs are not really important. What the proponents of such a line of argument do not realise is that there is a lot more competition in the market today than a decade ago when GIKI was formed. Gone are the days when it was one of a handful of institutes, whose graduates were vying for employment in a market in need of engineers. Since then, universities and IT institutes have cropped up in every nook and cranny of the country, bringing about a saturation of employment aspirants in the market, with a handful of jobs available. With rising unemployment, cutthroat competition is the order of the day. Under such circumstances, most companies have no better criterion than the GPA to shortlist or even select candidates for jobs. GIKI is indeed a reputable name in the industry, but there is no certainty of a company overlooking the objective statistic of GPA in all instances to hire employees based on the mere repute of their alma mater.

Resultantly on numerous occasions, GIKI graduates have suffered due low GPAs in job applications, despite being more qualified for the job. A number of instances come to mind. Last year, Techlogix and TPS set a minimum GPA requirement of 3.00 for job applicants, due to which a majority of students lost out. A similar trend has been observed in case of i n -

L A I R O T I ED

ternships. Last year, Unilever, ICI, Shell, and Engro Chemicals set GPA requirements for internship aspirants. Perhaps even more importantly, this stringent grading policy adversely affects students’ chances for admission to prestigious graduate schools abroad. A foreign university scrutinising admission applications would make no distinction between a graduate of GIKI and one of Preston University Peshawar, and would logically prefer the latter if he has a GPA of 3.5 over the former with one of 2.5. Despite being better than the other applicant, the GIKI graduate loses out through no fault of his own, prey to an unreasonable grading policy. Such implied parsimony in grading is harming the students’ future. While blindly handing out high GPAs is unjustified, advertently lowering grades under the pretext of maintaining “standards” is equally unethical. The relative grading system is in vogue in educational institutes all over the world, with a large percentage of students scoring high GPAs. If the students of GIKI are a low-scoring exception, it is either because they are not competent enough or the system is not being implemented properly. As the former is a conclusion too unreasonable to draw for so large a body of students over so long a period of time, we an only arrive at the latter. The solution, simply, is to follow the system of relative marking, and grade on the curve rather than continue with the practice of withholding grades for maintenance of

fake standards. Enough damage has been done; it is about time that the administration washed off her sins.

Stretching our resources It is indeed heartening to observe swift progress in the construction of two new hostels on campus. It seems that the administration has realised the plight of students stuffed in the parents’ lodge, server rooms and the medical center. Until now, the overflow of student body into these buildings had thwarted their utilisation for purposes intended. However, sources say that a greater intake of students is on the cards in the next academic year in accompaniment with the inauguration of one of the wings of the new hostels. If these claims are true, the administration must think twice. Adequate living facilities are not the sole pre-requisite of an augmented batch. A greater number of students would require an improvement in numerous facilities, from labs to the ever-crowded cafeteria, to cater to their needs. Moreover, faculties are already understaffed, and bringing in more students without hiring more teachers will only aid the malady. FCSE and FEE do not have sufficient instructors to offer a respectable number of electives for its final year students. How increasing the size of the new class is even conceivable under such embarrassing resource constraints, is beyond comprehension. Increasing intake without drastically expanding resources would be catastrophic. GIKI was never meant to cater to the quantitative demands of the industry, but to provide fewer quality engineers to the market. Let that purpose not be forgotten for the sake of financial incentives.

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GIKI UNCOVERED — January 11 - February 6, 2005 Fare-collection without receipt illegal Continued from Page 1 students for not approaching the authorities with this problem. “I have never had a single complaint from any student related to overcrowding in buses,” he said “If they have a problem, they must step up. We have transport available to facilitate extra students, but it has apparently never been needed.” Sources in the Transport Section claimed that they had on numerous occasions, asked students left standing in buses to alight and use alternative transport arrangements provided by them, but the students had refused. Sources also said that plans were underway to acquire

new buses, and a tender had been recently floated. The final decision was yet to be taken, they said. The authorities have also taken into consideration the hiring of extra buses, but cite passenger fluctuation as the main hindrance to this measure. Editor’s Note: Since our correspondent approached Dr Fazal Khalid, there has been a marked improvement in the provision of receipts to students while collecting fare on the GIKI bus.

GCC tapeball tournament starts GIKI: The 16th Intra-GIKI Tapeball Tournament, commenced from February 1. A total of 14 teams are participating in the competition. Group matches will be followed by knockouts . 11-A are the favourites for the competition. Staff Report

‘Admin determined for student betterment’ Continued from Page 1 Furthermore, the director said that the decision had been taken in view of increased nocturnal security risks. According to him, wild boars and snakes abound on campus at night, and students would be safer indoors. Citing the example of a couple recently caught in the woods, he said that closure of the khokha would bring about a decrease in ‘immoral activity’ on campus. “If the khokha is open all night, girls would also get opportunity to roam around at odd hours, and what not can happen at night!”

New mess policy adopted GIKI: The new policy adopted by the Mess Office, with the consent of hostel supervisors, is quite complicated in function. It prohibits students from having meals or eatables on mess slips. According to the new rule, students cannot even have breakfast on the mess slip if they are signed out of the mess. Earlier, the students could have breakfast on the mess slip even if they were messed out. On inquiry, mess officials revealed that this policy had been implemented in view of efficient financial management of the mess. They said that if a student is messed out and takes a meal in the mess without signing in, he/she is charged for two whole days’ meals - for the day he/she takes the meal and for

1.

“Parton-in-Chief” GIKI Uncovered, Issue I

By Syed Zeeshan the next day as well. This is because students taking meals on any day without signing in are counted while ordering ingredients for the next day. If they do not take any meal on the next day, they are not charged further. However, upon investigation, the practice in hostels was found to be quite different. Students of different hostels claimed that in the event of a student taking a meal in mess without signing in, he/she is charged for every subsequent day until he/she again signs out the mess register, despite being already messed out. A student, on condition of anonymity, claimed that while being messed out, he had an odd

meal in the mess, and was charged for every ensuing day without being informed. It was only when a mess waiter, as a favour, explained the situation to him, that he signed out again. Extra messing is another enigma in the mess bill. A mess supervisor stated that extra messing includes breakfast, guests’ meals, milk and other beverages. It also includes charges for individual repairs in rooms, he said. Common area damages, such as those in the mess and common room, are incorporated as breakages in the mess bill, sources said. A 10 per cent surcharge is added to the arrear, while there is no surcharge during summer vacations.

The walls of GIKI

2. Inter-GIKI Tapeball Cricket GCC publicity 3 CDES induction conitues CDES induction A4

Majority of gikians cheat Continued from Page 1 rampant, from copying assignments to cheating in quizzes, midterms, finals and even internship exams. That it happens is an open secret. Recently, a survey was conducted on cheating in order to gain an insight into this perplexing issue. Interestingly, a large percentage of students admitted to cheating in one test or another. The bold among them defined cheating as their style of taking exams. Eighty per cent of the students polled said that they resorted to cheating when they felt threatened in studies or found themselves on the verge of academic probation. Some students with exemplary academic records said that they would do anything to climb the GPA ladder, deeming cheating an important tool for this purpose. Shockingly, everyone interviewed in the survey said that more than 90 per cent of their acquaintances cheat routinely. “98 per cent of students cheat”, remarked one interviewee wryly “while the other two per cent lie.” Most of those polled argued that cheating was so common that those not cheating paid the price for their honesty with low grades. Thus they found cheating necessary to maintain respectable grades. Ninety-five percent said that they were not proud of cheating, but had to do it as a matter of survival. The rest thought that cheating is justified if the instructor is incompetent. 6. “Hearties congratulations to the above-listed candidates” CDES induction results

4. "Gentlemen, and people of the other kind! Good evening." Overheard at a debate 5. "Hitler killed blacks because they are athletic, and used to win the Olympics every year." Overheard at another debate

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GIKI UNCOVERED — January 11 - February 6, 2005

along the way. The score line thus stood at 4-0 at the end of a day which most would have liked to forget. The first of Ramadan was the The second day started with new hope By Jawad Warraich auspicious date when sporting and a promise of revival. The first two ties between GIKI and LUMS This goal, coupled with the news that GIKI events were cricket and squash. In cricket, were revived after an unfortunate pause. had levelled tennis 1-1, served as a boost of the GIKI team batted first, but their inThe efforts put in by the Student Affairs energy and the GIKI strike force looked nings was marred by some dubious and Office and the GIKI Sports Society (GSS) to alive for the first time in the match. Balls highly controversial decisions in favour of resolve this issue are commendable. How- were chased with more vigour and crowd the home side. Jehangir played a fine ever, this article is concerned with the cheers got louder. There was a sense of knock before becoming the victim of a coordination in the team, but all this failed very controversial leg-before decision. actual fixture, instead of the prelude to it. to prevent LUMS from mounting a string of Other than that, the captain top-scored The fixture started with promising signs for attacks at the GIKI goal, one that produced with 29 runs in a somewhat tamed innings, GIKI, as we quickly took the lead in Bad- a defensive blunder and resulted in an ownand got out before he could mount an all minton by winning the first of five games. out attack. At this critical juncture of However, the home side had correctly We squandered a good start the game, some irresponsible batting anticipated our strategy and had pitted a resulted in GIKI’s failure to capitalise on mediocre player against our best, thus to a side better prepared. whatever start the top order had pronullifying whatever advantage we had in This would prove to be the vided. the contest. Consequently, in the rest of the matches, their players completely theme for the entire fixture, However, as the GIKI team took to the field to bowl, it became painfully clear outplayed us. The home side won Badminton 3-2. It was now 1-0 for LUMS in where we would start well in to all that while the football team had the overall fixture. We squandered a almost every sport but perhaps suffered from over-planning; the GIKI cricket team had fallen prey to good start to a side better prepared. This would prove to be the theme for would then be beaten by a a lack of strategy. Nowhere during the entire innings was there any sign of an the entire fixture, where we would start well in almost every sport but would side holding its nerve longer. attack. The players were just going through the motions. The GIKI team then be beaten by a side holding its nerve longer. goal. Chins dropped, shoulders drooped; overall seemed to lack the energy that was required to make a match of it at that Tennis and football were being held almost and it was there and then that the fixture point. Cricket had been neglected, and a simultaneously. By the time the football was lost. rather timid surrender was the best that match started, GIKI had lost the first of A demoralised and disheartened GIKI side could have been expected with the level three tennis matches in a very closely conceded a third goal to an impossible of effort put into it. The only hardball fought doubles’ match. It was at this junc- looking strike from LUMS, and the supportpractice that the players had had prior to ture in the fixture - 1-0 in LUMS’s favour ers started to pray for the time to run out, the fixture was in the form of nets, which and tennis going 1-0 for them - that the for the agony to be done with. Now this football match started. The match can be scribe does not know much about football, was clearly insufficient. summed up in the following quote by a but he does know that if football could Somewhere along the cricket match, we GIKI supporter at LUMS: “Every LUMS have been learned merely by watching the received news of the shock defeat in player played well, except for the goal English Premier League and talking endlessly squash. In a short while, an eagerly fought keeper because he hardly got to play at all; about it, then England with its football fa- table tennis competition was also lost, and and from our side, our right back (Bilal naticism would have dominated world foot- the score line stood at 7 – 0. Riaz) and goalkeeper (Hassan Abbas) played ball, or produced at least one player of the A whitewash loomed on the not-sowell because they were the only players calibre of Pele or Diego Maradona. I am distant horizon. It was at this moment of who got to play at all”. also aware that making strategies at the utter despair that the hockey team ‑ Despite relentless attacks, LUMS was kept khokha with teacups as players is all fine which had faced blatant external meddling, at bay by a combination of some out- and dandy, but to follow up those strate- whose shirt number assigning procedure standing keeping and defending, and poor gies, one needs to have players with ability, was questioned, whose players were ridifinishing. The first half was somewhat not to mention the stamina, to last the culed for “hitting their own feet with closely competed, but signs of fatigue began entire game. Skill is something innate; ability hockeys” ‑ came good and won the to appear in our players well before the is skill acquired with hard work, something hockey match from a goal by Zeeshan second half started. Fewer balls were found lacking in our side. Moreover, Hasan on an assist by Hassan Illyas. Finally, chased back by the strikers, and the mid- “knowledge of the game” and “ability to the curse was broken; GIKI had earned its field eventually gave up on returning to motivate on the field” are not primary cri- first sport. It was now 7 – 1. defend with the ball; when they did, they teria for selection in a team. It was due to Of winning the Volleyball ball match, the were completely outpaced by the luminite this complete disregard of merit, which led last event, there was never much hope. to the selection of a side whose opening wingers. The story of the second half was We were soon quashed by a three sets to one of complete domination by LUMS over lineup left many a jaws wide open with zero score line, and it was all finally over. an exhausted GIKI side. Nonetheless, the surprise on match day. defence somehow held on. The score line We soon got the news of our loss in tennis The final score line of the fixture was: was still 0-0 and was to remain so until the as well; LUMS now led the fixture 3-0. BasLUMS GIKI last 10 minutes of the match when LUMS ketball was the last event of the day. We 8 1 scored, thanks to poor marking by GIKI in started well again in conformity with the allowing the striker an open shot on goal. general trend, but ungraciously lost heart Outclassed and outplayed; but humbled? Definitely not!

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GIKI UNCOVERED — January 11 - February 6, 2005

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Prof Bhatti’s Psycho-clinic

We all have problems that we are reluctant to discuss even with close friends and relatives. Relationships, academics and countless other issues perplex us daily and are a cause of great anxiety. We bring to you, an expert’s advice on problems of the GIKI student body. Prof Hameed A Bhatti will suggest solutions to all your nagging psychological dilemmas. So please send in your problems to [email protected], Dear Prof Bhatti, I have a teacher who discriminates among his students on basis of class, ethnicity, sex and family background. His grading favours girls, and students who establish a rapport with him. I don’t want to flatter him to get a grade, yet will suffer if I do not. Please advise. Ethically Concerned Your concern is misplaced due to your misperception. The great and prestigious universities do not select faculty that lacks moral integrity and intellectual probity. Students irrespective of their background are treated like children by their teachers without any discrimination. Students who doubt their teachers should instead spend their valuable time on their study. Students who lag behind in academics usually develop anti-teacher perceptions. They suffer like careless chicks who do not rush to come under the wings of their mother-hen after she squeaks for safety at the sight of a swooping killer-bird. Dear Prof Bhatti, I am a student of the freshman batch, and confused about the prestige of societies in GIKI. Which society, in your view, is the best and which one should never have been conceived? Wannabe Socialite I would recommend you to join societies like Project Topi or some other public welfare society so as to alleviate the pains and sufferings of the underprivileged and also to educate the children of poor employees of GIKI. No society is useless. All societies are engaged in some constructive endeavours. Dear Prof Bhatti, I have a cat, Whiskers. I love my cat, but sometimes I want to hurt it. Why do I have these urges? Please help. Cat Lover You are suffering from love-hate relationship tendency. Psychologically speaking it is called masochistic sadistic behaviour showing an IQ

of 20. Students reflecting such a mark of IQ are normally found in Montessori and KG classes of an average village school. If you still persist in your intentions then consult any qualified psychologist. Dear Prof Bhatti, This might sound strange, but of late, I sleep at one place and wake up at another. People tell me that I walk in my sleep and even have conversations, but I have no recollection. How can I overcome this psychological abnormality? Confused Wanderer It is not a serious or dangerous problem. Any good psychologist can cure you of this aberration. Dear Prof Bhatti, I am very friendly with the girls of my batch. Because of this, all the boys call me names. Why do they harass me when my intentions are sincere? Guard Dog Your sincere intentions are utterly misaligned; please realign them along with the sincere intentions and high hopes of your sincere parents. You will see the sincere results. Dear Prof Bhatti, Before coming to GIKI, I was regarded as a prodigy by peers and teachers. However, I have been a consistent probationer here. I have tried everything; studying, not studying, cheating, not cheating. Nothing seems to help. Because of this, I have often thought of killing myself, but am too afraid of the pain. Please make the pain go away. Suicidal Probationer You might have been an excellent survivor in streams and brooks of your home town but GIKI is the tumultuous Atlantic Ocean whose depths you unfortunately could not foresee. There is no need of losing heart; just continue slow paddling your dingy along

the coast so as to reach your destination safely though belatedly. Dear Prof Bhatti, The social environment in GIKI is changing, especially the increasing female population and thus incidences of girls getting caught with boys indulging in immoral acts. Under such circumstances, how is a young, decent student, who is here in GIKI to study, supposed to react? Goody-Two-Shoes After doing your graduation you are very likely to rush to one of the Western university campuses which are a thousand times more flirtatious and seductive and at times lewd and lecherous. How you would concentrate on your studies in such campuses? I have been to many universities of Pakistan and can vouchsafe that the rate of character lapses in GIKI is lowest in Pakistan. Boys have equal responsibility of upholding piety, chastity and decency of character on campus. Dear Prof Bhatti, I am being hounded by a girl. She follows me around campus, calls me on my mobile at odd hours of the night and sends me emails and messages that I dare not mention here. I have told her that I am here to study and utilise my parents’ hardearned money, but she claims to love me and has even threatened to approach my parents. What should a decent girl like me do in such a situation? Victimised The story seems to be a concocted one and has a sleazy purpose behind it. GIKI campus is appreciated even beyond the borders of Pakistan for the piety, chastity, modesty and dignity of girls and righteousness and chivalry of its boys. Both belong to families who are imbued with Islamic traditions and values. Even making a story like this tantamounts to slander. If it is true then the victimised should see any psychologist for devictimisation and also for refitting her hinged mind.

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GIKI UNCOVERED — January 11 - February 6, 2005

The GIK institute for infants The essence of university education lies in the notion that it polishes an individual’s capability of realising his/her responsibilities and priorities in life ahead. It provides a platform for a transition from teenage to adulthood, and creates an environment wherein one can form one’s own decisions. This provides the atmosphere for a perfect breeding ground for the individual. The assertions made above are directly related to the environment that ought to be provided by an institute of excellent academic repute for an all on-campus student body. Apart from being afforded the finest academic education in their field of study, students at GIKI ought to be provided with opportunities to make decisions on their own and, more importantly, use the freedom of choice and action to their own benefit. This would enable the purpose of the institute to go beyond provision of mere academic courses, and extend to playing a role in students’ personality development. Consequently, the very purpose of a university is partially defeated when the extent to which the students can exercise their freedom of thought and choice is restricted. When rules and regulations infringing upon individual freedom are promulgated by the authorities, a hindrance is posed to the individual’s capability of developing a distinction between good and bad. The dilemma is that these strictly imposed regulations compel students to comply out of fear of the punishment, and so undermine the purpose of the entire exercise. The students fail to realise for themselves

By Hasan Iqbal and Zain Kazmi the importance of a specific activity. The reason for their involvement therein sadly degrades from a desire to acquire any good that the activity may serve, to a languid effort to escape what otherwise may result in administrational reprimand. Consequently, it fails to make the individual realise his priorities and soaks out the essence of the activity itself. An example of this deprivation of choice is the early closure of the campus hotel, popularly referred to as the “khokha”. The administration has issued orders to shut down the khokha at midnight, arguing that keeping it open after that would cause students to waste time at night instead of ‘sleeping on time’, and thus prevent them from attending morning classes. The khokha used to be a popular eatery in the later hours of the night. Now, students cannot eat anywhere on campus after midnight. According to rules, kettles, ovens, and microwaves are not allowed in hostels; so making one’s own food in hostels is not possible. A couple of questions arise at this point. Firstly, does the midnight closure of the khokha actually cause an improvement in attendance? Students at GIKI have different timetables; not everyone has a class at eight o’clock in the morning. Therefore, closing these places to “ensure” that all students are tucked safely in bed by midnight really doesn’t make sense. Moreover, this step has not brought about the drastic increase of attendance in morning classes that was expected by the paternal

administration. It must realise that it cannot prescribe, even indirectly, the time at which students should sleep or the classes that they should attend. For all we know, students who previously sat in common rooms after midnight now probably stay awake in their rooms or visit a friend instead of sleeping. Will the administration now impose “lights out” and “curfew” rules to curb these activities to ensure attendance? Where does it all stop? Where do we draw the line between administrative interference and individual freedom on issues as petty as these? Secondly, is ensuring that all students attend classes the administration’s responsibility? Shouldn’t attending classes be a choice resting with the student rather than be forced upon him/her by the administration? University students are not children; they are adults and should be given privileges that adults have. Freedom of choice should rest with students in matters such as these, so that they learn its exercise and consequences. Skipping classes does not tantamount to breaking a rule. If one chooses to skip class and risk suffering academically, that is one’s choice. In any case, attending classes just for the sake of attendance does not serve the real purpose of education. GIKI is not a school, but an institute where students are adults. Instead of imposing unnecessary restrictions to get students to attend classes, the administration should refocus its attention on improving academic standards.

The Literary Corner

Solitude and love between the colours By Dr Aurenz Littleman

for a one-time ride to the land

Seclusion, solitude, wilderness and

strangers of the hills running through each other with their shadows

of a yellow and red sun.

pain, bordered the web.

forming connections

Lost in the errors of the races. The fire worshipper girl took me

We saw the festivals, crowded streets, wax-covered plastic conversations,

gles.

lines of communication Storm of silence and the immense genera- all horribly delicate. tion of anxiety.

The veins in my arms have come out of the and people swinging in rhyme. skin making them look horrible and sick. We ate our sandwiches under an oak tree But nobody sees it. which had a huge population Lots of people strolling around in the penof crows. tagonal valley She said it is a pattern for us to walk in trianwhich is a universe within

One great thing you can experience the hour of greatest contempt the hour in which even your happiness grows loathsome and your reason and your virtue also

GIKI UNCOVERED — January 11 - February 6, 2005 The prestige of a university can be assessed based on numerous standards. Among these, the most important one is academia.

GIKI academia: alas!

7

fered by FME, further marred the credibility of instructors. The course instructor announced from the outset that he would allow up to 15 absences in his course. In the 15th week, the attendance status was demanded by By Platonic higher officials. They short-listed all students GIKI is one of the most expensive instirespite to students in the form of a 75 per with over 12 absences, and forbade them tutes of the country, and students here cent mandatory attendance. While the from sitting in the final. The list comprised 17 pay a substantial amount of money in the instructors at GIKI may be free to form students, including some whose graduation hope of acquiring good education. Howtheir own attendance policies, they must was at stake. Upon negotiations, the instrucever, the quality of education handed out cater to similar relief measures to accom- tor decided to relax the limit to 13 absences. is substandard at best. Consequently, 12 out of the 17 students were modate emergencies. In GIKI, teaching assistants given the green signal, but Final Recheck(TAs) play a pivotal role in Name of Final Rechecking the remaining five were not students’ education and Sr Shown ing Fee allowed to sit in the final. University Pattern evaluation. While the ma# The grading policy of FEE jority of them do a fine Students are given a time labs is another issue that job, a few are known for limit to go through final of needs the administration’s LUMS Yes Nil their lack of knowledge, 1 previous quarter and disattention. It is an open sepoor method of teaching cuss with professors. cret that in a recent course, and partial attitude toRecounted, final searched the professor graded the lab wards students. On a numfor unmarked questions. in correspondence with the UET Lahore No Rs 300 ber of occasions, they have 2 course grade. In his view, a been rude and indifferent student getting a respectable to their responsibilities. Final recounted by external grade in the course should For these few, the tenure professor also have the same in the lab, here is a paid holiday, to 3 NED University an assertion with no logical be utilised in preparation No Rs 400 feet to stand on. One is well for their GMAT/GRE exaware of the multitude of Final shown to student, Sir Syed ams and graduate applicastudents who do well in recounted in front of him tions, conveniently over- 4 University theory but falter in practice, looking courses and labs and vice versa. If a student Karachi No Rs 50 under their supervision. Many of them cannot be Student submits objection had a B- in the lab and an A in writing, and professor in the course, the professor found in their offices dur5 FAST Lahore Yes Rs 200 changed his/her lab grade ing office hours. There are discusses problem. from B- to A. Similarly, stufaculties, such as FCSE, dents faring well in the lab which have formal evaluabut not the course had their tion of their TAs at the Final shown to student and grades lowered for the sake No Rs 1000 Punjab end of every semester; 6 of a distorted coherence. rechecked in front of him thus the fine performance University of their TAs. This strategy Last year, the effective gradNot shown to student, is recommended for all ing policy of the Computer only marks recounted faculties, with special con- 7 Rs 2000 GIKI No for Rs 500 and final re- Architecture lab was that sideration given to critique checked by same profes- any group whose SAP (Simple As Possible comby students. sor for Rs 2000 puter) worked was given an Another issue that stands out is GIKI’s stringent rechecking policy, In Spring 2004, an instructor of FEE made a A straight away, while those whose SAP was which defies all logic. The given table com- policy whereby only the submission of an not completely functional had a 15-20-minute pares rechecking policies of leading insti- assignment and not its substance would viva. The vivas solely decided their grades, and tutes of Pakistan. As is evident, GIKI carry weight, under the excuse that he or not the least significance was given to circuitry stands out as unreasonably harsh in this his TA did not have time to check them. and hardware on which they had toiled for an That gave an ideal opportunity to our noble entire semester. In fact, the lab TA did not regard. Gikians to freely indulge in copying assign- even consider the implemented SAPs worthy Apart from institutional policies, grading ments. Almost the entire class submitted all of notice. Thus, only around 15 per cent of policies set by instructors for individual assignments. However, when the pre-finals the students - those whose SAP was perfectly courses are often incongruous and serve were put up, the teacher assigned marks operational - were graded on the 42-hour lab, to victimise a number of students. In according to whim, and increased the while the rest were judged on the basis of a Spring 2003, a professor of FES adopted weightage of assignments from five to ten mere viva. the policy of considering three quizzes out per cent. When the student who had been The institute must wake up and take notice of of five, making it a point to include those marked low on assignments approached the such inconsistency in policies implemented by in which the student had scored naught or instructor and reminded him of his submit- instructors at their caprice, and strive to dehad missed, notwithstanding the validity of only policy, he told them that they had not velop a uniform and fair system of evaluation. the reason for the student’s absence. even submitted their assignments, causing The standards of education at GIKI are falling Moreover, each absence was penalised by sharply, and will soon leave us at the ebb the deduction of half a mark. All this, de- an angry outburst. spite the fact that even the PEC allows Another incident in 2003, in a course of- unless remedied soon.

8

GIKI UNCOVERED — January 11 - February 6, 2005

Advertorial

Project Topi: the virtue of charity GIKI: Human nature is strange. The things which are hardest to do are usually ones which make us feel best. Charity is one such thing. Nothing compares to seeing a poor child smile when you hand him even a small piece of candy. But while that smile may well be worth it, it is difficult to give up what one cherishes, for someone else. This is one of the many reasons that we find charity hard. In the same way, we all feel for the poor in Topi. However, very few, if any, of us would hand over our expensive jackets and sweaters to a child shivering on the street. Indeed! Charity is difficult. Nonetheless, if we could help those people while still not having to give up anything ourselves, wouldn’t it be easy? And it would be even easier if we were saving ourselves from wastefulness at the same time. Project Topi is a student organisation established by Batch seven. Its primary purpose is to provide education to the poor and underprivileged children of Topi. Members go to Topi to teach basic mathematics, English and science to school-going children. The joy that

the children express on seeing them there cannot be explained in words. Project Topi is a non-profit organisation and generates funds from student donations and various sponsors. But how can you help Project Topi? The apparent solution is to join them in going and teaching the children, but now you can help while in your room studying. Project Topi has started a paper drive. All used papers, notes, registers etc are welcome. We must remember that even a small amount of paper represents a large number of trees, which took decades to grow and are swiftly decreasing in number. The paper will be recycled and the proceeds will go to educating children. It is not difficult, and doesn’t require giving up anything. It is a simple and easy way to gain the virtue of charity. It may be just an old register to us, but the amount of joy it will bring to children on the other side of the fence will be immense. It will provide them with education, a chance they would never have had otherwise. So lets all pitch in, because these kids aren’t looking for a hand out, but just need a hand up.

Crossword

DOWN

ACROSS

2. Job fair in GIKI

1. Latest technology in GIKI

11. Most popular studying

3. Books and dates

6. Barbecue spot

4. Largest GIKI all Pak event

8. Mohaa, Need for Speed, all nighters

12. GIKI terminology for

technique

5. What Batch 13 is gearing up for 7. Biggest luxury in GIKI rooms is your very own __

9. Assignments at GIKI 10. What FCSE is famous for

“extreme” 13. GIKI terminology for “good”