There appears to be some unrest among the student community at TA Pai Management Institute, (TAPMI) Manipal, Karnataka. A couple of policies framed by the institute’s management seem to have irked its students lately. While some related posts were put up by TAPMI students on the PaGalGuY forums, we also spoke to a few students to know more.

Based on our conversation with TAPMI students, we emailed questions to the TAPMI management and also engaged in a telephonic conversation with them. All this so that we could write a ‘fair’ article with both the parties (students and management) equally represented. However, our questions met with no answers.

Which is why, below, we are only stating the complaints as conveyed to us. We have no idea what the TAPMI’s officials have to say.

Complaints

*Students are required to maintain a 100% attendance on campus at all times (beside the term-breaks).

Students told PaGaLGuY that they are okay with this rule. What they have an issue with is that when parents visit students over the weekend, they are not allowed to spend the night out with them even if there are no classes the next day. One student allegedly was not allowed to attend his sibling’s engagement party. On another occasion, a student’s brother met with an accident in Bangalore but the student was not permitted to visit the hospital.

*Students claim that all their professors are not fair with markings.

Apparently, a student emailed the director that he wanted to attend his sister’s engagement. He was given an ‘Incomplete’ in the subject (on the basis of the email). Incidentally, the student has completed all the assignments and projects in the concerned subject.

*Students allege that one of the professors once told the class that “students find love and sex and drugs after the 1st term.”

The professor also allegedly accused students of copulating in front of others. One student had the courage to stand up to him saying she was married and the professor was out of line. This incident occurred during an outbound session.

*First year students are not allowed to enter ‘b-school competitions’ unless management deems fit.

This causes partiality, say students. One student went to a b-school in Chennai and won the second prize, but in that time missed a test in spite of his leave being granted. As a result he lost out on 10%.

*TAPMI management has now allocated caps on subjects.

This prevents many students from taking majors they want, students told PaGaLGuY. Students were not informed about this earlier (when they joined). Students who come back in an inebriated state are video-taped by the security guards. This is especially true for females. On one occasion, a student asked the guard and the response she got was that he was ordered to do so by the director. The guard, allegedly, further told her to take up the matter with the director, instead of him.

*The institute actively prevents students from using their own transport.

No bikes are allowed on campus and from next year, no cars will be allowed to, so the students are told. “This seems fine if transport is provided to the nearest town which is 7 kms away. However, that remains a dream. The closest bus-stop is 2 kms away and the autos charge in 3 digits as they are aware of the management’s policies,” said a student.

We are also told that the student welfare groups in at TAPMI are aware of the issues but are not in a position to do anything.