Page 3: A monthly column devoted to
timely updates on the SU’s progress
Page 4: The Fine Print’s take on
the pressing issues on campus
Page 6: A review of EA Sports’ latest
offering
THE FINE PRINT
ENGLISH
PRESS
CLUB
PRESENTS
SEMESTER I
ISSUE IV
PILANI
OCTOBER 2014
Activities Club and the Department of Art, Design and Publicity at the forefront.
Money has been especially set aside for this purpose, so a more holistic carnivalThe ‘90s. Cartoon Network, Nokia 3310, tacky overalls and cassettes - we wear it like feel is expected. Collaboration with DU Beat, DU’s publication will mean
all proudly like a medal. With Oasis ’14 set to the theme ‘That ‘90s Show’, the that their reporters will cover our fest. The Department of Visual Media has
feeling of nostalgia has hit a new high. The English Press Club attempts to bring created an interactive website centered on the ‘90s. The Oasis English Press is
to you the various facets of this year’s cultural gala.
maintaining a blog that has articles about Oasis, its history, and more.
This year, Oasis presents a plethora of events, designed to fulfill your every whim Other new features this Oasis include the replacement of ID cards for outstation
and fancy. This year, there are new ones in store, with a cappella and Bhangra participants with the Oasis Passport, which also contains the rulebook, map and
making their debut as Pitch Perfect and Clash of the Lions respectively. Despite the schedule of events. All the teams will also be provided with a team photo.
poor acoustics, some equipment will be brought in and events will be held in the
(...continued on page 2)
Rotunda. Almost all the quizzes will be held in the NAB Auditorium, so as to
consolidate this genre of events. FD3 venues have been shifted to the NAB.
For the first time in three years, Oasis has a title sponsor, Lava. Around 40-50
companies are expected to come down for Oasis, among them are old favourites
like RedBull and newer ones like Sennheiser.
Campus decoration has been given emphasis this time, with the Creative
As much as one may like to believe otherwise, there is a growing need for a system in
place which can identify and prevent the occurrence of mishaps on campus. This is
evident from the shocking accidents that have occurred during the past year.
With this objective in mind, the Safety and Medical Advisory Council (SMAC), under
formalization, has been instituted with the collaborative efforts of the Students' Union
and the administration. It was formed with the initiative of a few senior students who
had prepared and submitted a report to the Deputy Director on the poor state of
emergency readiness in the campus, which came to the forefront after the unfortunate
swimming pool incident. While studying the campus thereafter, and brainstorming on
recommendations, they realized the necessity for such a council. The main idea was to
collect a comprehensive feedback on different issues and make available critical information, which was not done hitherto. This will facilitate timely action by the administration in order to prevent accidents or to deal with them effectively.
SMAC is an advisory and vigilance body, surveying medical facilities and safety issues.
Naturally, laboratories and sporting locations are an important area of focus for the
council. It will not only formulate parameters and guidelines to monitor safety (in consultation with faculty members and external experts), but will also review and assess
them periodically. This way it will provide regular feedback to the Institute in the form
of reports to aid the implementation of these suggestions. The members plan to create
awareness by sensitizing students, teaching and non-teaching staff on relevant issues.
SMAC will thus act as an interface between the student community and the authorities.
As far as possible, it will try to redress the grievances of different stakeholders by creating suitable forums. However, the scope of these issues will be strictly limited to
campus safety and will not include matters pertaining to academics, food or the mess
system.
Considering a history of accidents in the past, where outstation participants as well as
BITSians have been involved, SMAC plans to begin its work during this edition of
Oasis. It will prepare lists of precautionary measures for different events, based on the
level of activity involved and the venue.
(...continued on page 3)
It was around 9:20 am on the ninth of October when the unfortunate
chemically-induced fire accident occurred in FD-III. The flames, initiated by
an old sample of phosphoric acid that caught fire, damaged numerous rooms
on the ground floor and the entire first floor was engulfed in smoke.
Following this, at 11:20 am, an explosion took place aggravating the fire and
intensifying the smoke.
The primary concern, undoubtedly, was the safety of the students, faculty
and other people present inside the building at the time of the incident, the
number being pretty high due to the ongoing mid-semester examinations.
Luckily, no casualties were reported and nobody was seriously injured.
The Chief Warden, Prof. C.B. Das, stated, “When the fire broke out initially,
the examinations scheduled to be conducted in the morning slot were
concluding and by the time students submitted their answer papers, the
corridors were already filled with smoke. I appreciate the way in which the
security guards, faculty members and the students themselves, co-operated
and acted swiftly, while staying calm throughout the whole evacuation
procedure.”
Following the incident, entry to FD-III was forbidden and a committee of
experts has been set up to assess the extent of damage to the building and
equipment. While no ballpark has been made, Dr. Anshuman, the Chief of
the Estate Management U