“Empathy, Care and Compassion to our Students”: DSA Tells Parents as AUSG Continues to Urge for Student Deliberation

In the aftermath of the release of new Residence Life and Disciplinary Proceedings Policies and mandatory signing of the accompanying declaration, the Ashoka University Student Government (AUSG) sent an email to Pramath Raj Sinha, Chairperson of the Board of Management, on Monday, 11th August 2025. 

Following emails to the administration “requesting justification and reconsideration of these provisions,” the AUSG requested an open meeting with Sinha before or on Wednesday, 13th August. They wrote that these policies were formulated and implemented without prior consultation from students, parents, and faculty. 

With the Monsoon’25 semester soon approaching and fee payments underway, the AUSG expressed concerns that the policies are being given precedence over students’ right to education, as returning to campus is being made contingent upon signing the declaration. The mail also highlighted that parents were not sent copies of the revised versions of these policies, calling it “a serious breach of the trust that parents place in the administrative bodies that support the university’s operations.” 

The AUSG requested that the board and administration postpone the deadline for signing the declaration and implementing the revised policies until student consultation takes place, while ensuring that students’ return to campus is not contingent on the declaration. They also urged for an in-person town hall led by the Vice-Chancellor during the first week of the Monsoon semester to address concerns. 

The same day, the AUSG forwarded an email they had received from the faculty members with more than 40 signatories, requesting that “per the Vice Chancellor’s earlier assurance, future changes to these policies and other policies that directly affect students be made only after due consultation with the student government.”

The AUSG also held an open meeting at 8 p.m. on Monday, August 11th, to discuss its plan of action. They urged the student body to hold off on signing the declaration until the end of the day on 12th August. AUSG noted that if they do not receive any reply by the end of 12th August, students should sign the undertaking to protect their academic standing while simultaneously signing the petition AUSG has circulated. This will be to highlight that the petition’s signatories signed the said undertaking to avoid academic disruption rather than to convey genuine consent to the policies.  

On Tuesday, 12th August 2025, at 2:29 p.m., the AUSG sent an email to the student body noting this plan of action and circulating the petition. The petition states: “This declaration is a blatantly undemocratic and coercive document that threatens students’ access to education. I sign under coercion and to avoid disciplinary action. I do not consent to all policies and reserve my legal rights.” They also shared an email template for students to share a standardised message to the Registrar or relevant authority expressing “disagreement with the undertaking and reserving legal/administrative recourse.”

On the same day at 2:44 p.m., parents and students across batches received a mail from the Dean of Student Affairs (DSA) Dheeraj Sanghi, seemingly responding to student voices around the policy changes —“These policies are meant to create a safe, comfortable, and vibrant residential experience for all students during their time at Ashoka.” Sanghi added that the revised policies “reflect inputs received from various stakeholders of Ashoka” and were updated after a “detailed review of specific incidents and situations on campus over the last year.” 

The email also stated that the policies “incorporate the concerns some parents have expressed about the mental health of their children.” Sanghi claimed that the updated policies seek to “involve parents more directly” when students face health issues or have committed serious violations of university policy.

The AUSG also shared over 100 responses they received from parents on the policy changes through a previously circulated feedback form. Nearly 68% of parents did not agree with the policies, and 60% opposed signing the declaration. When asked about the parts of the policy they were concerned about, they highlighted issues such as invasion of student privacy, infringement of rights and loss of autonomy. 

Describing the new measures as “authoritarian,” parents also expressed concerns that the university has “lost sight of its original vision,” noting that the policies are at odds with “the very fibre of the essence of a university whose selling point is a liberal arts institution.” Referring to the forfeiture of financial aid now added in disciplinary consequences as “a threat humiliating parents as well,” a parent noted that student selection to the university is based on their ability, not on the parents’ financial status. 

Several parents specifically raised issues with the room inspection policy. A parent wrote that the guidelines on room inspections by wardens, even in the absence of occupants, are “unlawful, illegal and inhuman,” another called the prohibition on the use of electronic devices unacceptable as students “do not have the opportunity to show proof” if required. They also questioned the disclosure of medication prescriptions for mental health, saying that it might lead to students self-medicating off campus and discourage them from sharing their mental health issues. 

The AUSG also sent a follow-up email to Sinha regarding the request for an open meeting at 1:54 p.m. on Tuesday, 12th August. Later, at 10:24 p.m., AUSG notified the student body via email that the deadline for signing the declaration had been extended till 15th August “after deliberations between the Dean of Student Affairs and the Student Government”. The mail said that the postponement would allow “the DSA to further deliberate the policies with the SG in the next two days.”

(Edited by Somansh Sarangi and Fatema Tambawalla)