ABOUT PUSUC

What is the Presidency University Students' Union? What does it do and how is it formed?

The Presidency University Students' Union is a democratically elected student body, consisting of five directly elected posts constituting the Presidency University Students' Union Council (PUSUC), viz. President, Vice-President, General Secretary, Assistant General Secretary and Girls' Common Room Secretary, as well as 101 Class Representatives. Students from all three UG and both PG years can contest the elections for any of the PUSUC posts and every student from all 5 years is eligible to vote. Class Representatives are selected from each class, and only students of that particular class are eligible to vote for their respective CRs.

The purview of the Union's responsibilities are, roughly, as follows:

  1. As a lobby for student interests in the decision-making of the university.
  2. As a mouthpiece for the students on issues both academic and non-academic.
  3. As an official channel of communication between the authorities and the students.
  4. As a facilitator of independent student initiatives.
  5. To celebrate the diversity of cultures, ideas and the freedom of expression that make Presidency what it is.
  6. As an agency to facilitate the fufillment of every student's obligation to society to make a positive contribution to it.

Vision of the PUSUc

The PUSU believes in the politics of ideals and self-improvement, not the disease-ridden apparatus of strong-arming, violence and oppression. We strive to create an atmosphere on campus where dissent and constructive criticism are not only tolerated but encouraged. The Union belongs to all of us and we all contribute to make it succeed or let it fail. As such, we invite the active cooperation, suggestions and ideas from every single Presidencian, with regards to anything the Union does or plans to do.
We are in staunch opposition to violence, intimidation, harassment or discrimination on campus - whether it be based on caste, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation or political affiliation.

Revolution begins at home and it is our fervent hope that every Presidencian will carry forward the ethos of open cooperation, inclusiveness, consideration for others and free thinking that characterise Presidency at its best, into their lives outside the University as well. A harmonious society built on tolerance and empathy and unconcerned with the disruptive notions of class and race beckons just around the corner - will you dream this dream with us?

What is a UGBM?


The Presidency University Students' Union firmly believes in participatory democracy. As such, before taking any major decision, the Union calls a meeting which can be attended by any student of the University, to find out the opinion of the students. At these union general body meetings or UGBMs, students are encouraged to put forward their views on the issues under discussion (which are called the agenda of the UGBM). All suggestions, grievances, ideas and opinions voiced by the students are noted down, and the meeting ends with the adoption of a number of resolutions related to the agenda.
The quorum or minimum attendance for a UGBM is not met, then the UGBM is not held. In such cases, to gauge student opinion on important issues, either another UGBM is called for, or if the matter is judged to be of pressing urgency, a referendum is organized.
The UGBM is the basic building block of our idea of democratic student politics. Every democracy is made strong by the people who constitute it, which, in our case, are the students of Presidency University. A UGBM is the primary platform to voice your concerns about important issues related to our University. Such meetings are not called for trivial matters, but only for broad concerns and questions about the functioning of the Union and the values embodied by it as well as the University.

What is the CR council?


While the PUSU believes that participatory democracy is the best form of student politics available to us, we are not oblivious to the demands of pragmatism. In a university of thousands of students, it is not always possible for the entire student body to be consulted for every administrative matter that the Union is involved in. As such, every class elects one or two class representatives (CRs), based on the numerical strength of the class involved. The CR Council is composed of the entire body of 101 CRs from every department across all three undergraduate and both postgraduate years, as well as the five PUSUC members.
For issues which concern particular departments rather than the entire student body as a whole, or for streamlining logistical efficiency, and in general, for keeping track of the state of every department, the CR council is indispensable to the Union. If you have any questions about academic regulations, union functioning, opportunities for extra-curriculars, or simply Presidency as a whole, your class representative is the person you can always ask. Even if they don't know the answer to your question, they will certainly get you in touch with someone who does.