CHANDIGARH, July 19 — Following administrative turbulence in its last session, Panjab University has released a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for the Dean Students Welfare (DSW) office, clearly demarcating roles of the DSW, DSW (Women), Associate DSW, and wardens.
The SOP follows the stepping down of the former DSW and the constitution of a committee by the vice-chancellor to examine the office’s functioning. With the recent appointment of Dr. Namita Gupta as DSW (Women), university officials acknowledged that overlapping responsibilities had previously caused friction between offices.
Under the new SOP, while responsibilities are more defined, the final authority on all decisions will rest with the DSW. Matters concerning girls’ hostels — including allocation and infrastructure — are to be routed through DSW (Women), and those concerning students from reserved categories will pass through the Associate DSW. These include SC, ST, OBC, PWD, EWS, and sports quota students.
Despite the routing process, a senior official confirmed that “final clearance on all matters will come from the DSW.”
This centralisation has raised concerns among student leaders. Former PUCSC vice-president Archit Garg, referring to recent interactions with the DSW (Women), said, “It’s unfortunate. There were many questions raised last year over the DSW’s role in mismanaged university fests and even inaction during a student’s murder on campus. Giving more power back to the DSW only strengthens those concerns.”
Though the university held an inquiry and cleared DSW Amit Chauhan of wrongdoing, questions over administrative accountability remain. Chauhan said the SOPs have been shared with all relevant offices, including wardens and fellow DSWs. “We will discuss these SOPs with the newly elected PUCSC before formal implementation,” he said.
The SOP also outlines specific duties for wardens, who must now be available in hostels for at least one hour daily, meet residents’ parents twice a year, and ensure the welfare of hostel staff.
Other aspects of the SOP pertain to the functioning of purchase and technical committees and organising awareness programmes across campus.
For now, the document seeks to enforce clearer lines of communication and responsibility within PU’s student affairs framework — but some say it may do so at the cost of decentralised functioning.
