Page 2: The fest as seen by a
CoStAAn and a participant
Page 4: Review of the Rajasthani
traditional music and dance night
Page 3: A Review of the first
iteration of the ARC held on Tuesday
Shyam Kalita, the coordinator of the Placement Unit, is a happy man. The second
semester placements that began in mid-December 2013 and ended in February this year
“exceeded expectations” according to him. From behind a monitor, sitting amidst piles
of documents, files, and job applications, he doles out stats and analysis on the
placements that happened on campus this season.
A significant change in the placement system was the centralized placement system that
has been in the buzz for quite some time. This came about as a remedy to the woes of
students who were off-campus in the first semester and consequently would miss a shot
at the better jobs that their on-campus counterparts often landed. The students of
Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering reaped rich dividends, with all the students
of the latter getting placed. Chemical Engineering, however, was below par, probably as
a result of the situation in the industry.
Average and Maximum Pay
Average and Maximum Pay
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
A5 A1 A2 A7 A3 A8 A4 AB C6 C7
A5
A1
A2
A7
A3
A8
A4
AB
C7
C6
Ave (LPA)
9.68
Ave (LPA) 5.885.88 6.39 5.6412.15 7.82 7.43 5.87 5.82 8.038.03 9.68
6.39 5.64 12.15 7.82 7.43 5.87 5.82
Max (LPA)
11.8263.24 15 11.82 11.5
9.78 16 16
Max (LPA) 9.789.78 1211.82 63.24 15 11.82 11.5 8.78.7 9.78
12
Overall, out of the 110 people who showed up for the December-January window
placements, 65 were hired.
385 of the 432 students who sat for placements were placed. While Computer Science
surprised none with a 100% placement record and an average of 12.15 LPA (up from
12.05 LPA in last year’s second semester), Manufacturing Engineering (average of 5.82
LPA) and Information Systems (average of 9.68 LPA) saw 100% placements too. One
but can’t help noticing that in EEE though, the percentage placed fell to 87% from last
time’s 94%. Shyam says it’s because most EEE undergraduates are keen on joining
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) companies. Numbers have fallen, he says, because
of more company pull-outs and a job freeze in the sector. He assures us however, that
the other fields which hire EEE graduates, i.e. the instrumentation and process control
industries, have recruited many BITSian graduates. He opines that a good placement
season for the PU is not measured just by the number of people that have been placed,
but also by the number of people that have been hired per company.
Percentage Placed
105
100
95
90
85
80
% Placed
A5
95
A1
93
A2
90
A7
100
A3
87
A8
95
A4
93
AB
100
C7
89
C6
100
By the end of February, around 26 companies had recruited people from Mechanical
and Manufacturing Engineering, two disciplines that have fared even better than IIT
Bombay this semester. Also, over 130 students were placed in the non-core sector
(consultancy, finance, analytics, etc.)
A chat with the Director of BITS, Pilani, Prof. G. Raghurama about the various transformations occurring on the campus.
Our chancellor, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, on his visit to Pilani in November 2011,
announced a Rs 400 crore modernization plan for BITS Pilani, making it the single largest
infrastructural modernization plan in the history of India. One of the key motivations
behind working on a project like this was to see BITS among the top three colleges in the
country and top 25 colleges in Asia by the year 2020. Faculty development, curriculum
development and research along with emphasis on infrastructural development were seen
as the key domains, working on which could make these dreams come true. The EPC got
to talk to the Director of our campus, Prof. G. Raghurama, to get an insight into the
various aspects and phases of the modernization that the institute has planned and the
tentative deadlines for the same. Given below are the details that he shared with us on
these aspects in an interview that lasted close to forty-five minutes.
Hostel Renovation: A key aspect of infrastructural development is the renovation of the
hostels students live in. Ram Bhawan, being the oldest constructed hostel on campus, was
chosen as the first to undergo a major overhauling – something which was long due. And
it’s not the just the walls being white-washed or the exterior being beautified, the flooring
of the entire Bhawan has been broken and will be reconstructed, the old electrical wiring
has been removed and replaced by a newer one, new plumbing has been installed and
even the furniture in the Bhawan is set to be remodeled. On being asked about the
internet connection in the Bhawan, this is what the Director had to say - “Ram Bhawan
will have a wireless internet connection and if this proves successful, we may consider
implementing it in other hostels as well.” It is estimated that work on Ram will go on till
December this year, and it will be ready for occupation by January, 2015. Once this is
done, all other hostels will be subsequently dealt with and by 2017, 90% of the hostel
Faculty and Student Development: Currently, there are close to 280 professors on renovation work will be over. Although, we might have to do a lot of moving around in
campus, a number that the institute would like to take up to 400 in the next couple of the coming years since not all the work can be completed during the vacations.
years. “We have been recruiting faculty members aggressively over the last two years, and
it’s not just professors that can teach but those who can contribute to the quality and Academic Blocks: The New Academic Block is easily the most attention grabbing
quantity of research being carried out on cam W2F