Campus Life
Rules, Regulations & Policies
St Mary’s College has stated policies, regulations, and guidelines on many aspects of campus and academic life. The material given here does not form a contract but provides information on certain policies and guidelines that are in place on the college campus. Policies, and their interpretation by the College’s academic and administrative leadership, are subject to change as circumstances warrant. It is the responsibility of the stakeholder to check with the appropriate office for updates and current application of any policy. When it comes to students admitted to an institution such as ours, admission (and entry to the campus) is a privilege granted on the assumption that the student who has voluntarily enrolled in the institution shares the College’s values and educational goals, and is agreeing to be compliant to the discipline and policy framework of the institution. If it becomes evident that such an assumption was misplaced, then the College reserves its rights to take appropriate actions in line with what the student had agreed to in the declaration made in her/his application at the time of admissions and such actions needn’t be constrained by what are mentioned below. The umbrella rule at all times would be that when no stated policy or rule exists, students are expected to follow the directions or decisions of the highest official of the institution present at the place.
Anti-Ragging Policy
There is a total ban on ragging in St Mary’s College. All students are prohibited from engaging in any form of ragging. On the directions of the Honourable Supreme Court of India, the UGC framed the ‘UGC Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009’ and St. Mary’s College is fully compliant to the regulations.
The Regulations are implemented in letter and in spirit:
To prohibit, prevent and eliminate the menace of ragging in any form, including any conduct by any student or group of students:
- by word (spoken or written) or by deed, which may have the effect of teasing or treating with disrespect, or handling with rudeness, a fresher (any student who hasn’t yet completed one academic year in St Mary’s College) or a junior or any other student who is associated with a fresher or a junior;
- by indulging in any activity that cause or are likely to cause annoyance, apprehension, fear, hardship, distress or harm (physical and/or mental) in any fresher or junior or any other student who is associated with a fresher or a junior;
- by asking, persuading or forcing any student to do any act, which a fresher or a junior or any student associated with a fresher or junior will not in the ordinary course do and which may cause or generate a sense of grief, shame, or trouble or embarrassment to a student or a group of students;
- by initiating or involving in any activity (or activities) that adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior or any other student associated with a fresher or a junior;
whether or not there was a real or perceived intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by a student over any fresher or any other student associated with a fresher in St. Mary’s College.
Any student found to be indulging in ragging as defined above is liable to be punished. A student against whom there is prima facie evidence of ragging in any form will be suspended from the college immediately, pending enquiry. Subsequent to the enquiry, punishment from the College could include expulsion or suspension from the College for a semester (or for an announced duration of time), or any other punishment decided by the Anti-Ragging Committee. The punishment from the College does not preclude legal action against the culprits under the State Act (Act 26 of 1997) prohibiting ragging in educational institutions under which punishments range from imprisonment upto 6 months to imprisonment upto 10 years and with additional fines upto Rs. 50,000. If a student is convicted under the provisions of the State Act, then the student will be dismissed from the College, even if he was only suspended from the College by the Anti-Ragging Committee. A student imprisoned for more than six months under the Act will not be admitted in any other colleges within Telangana.
Students can email to ARC to complain about ragging or contact any of the HoDs. The Principal is the Chairman of the Anti-Ragging Committee.
Attendance Policy
A student opting for full-time, regular, taught, classroom-based courses in St Mary’s College ought to make that choice fully conscious of the fact that the key skills needed for a world in which information is generally free are skills acquired through interaction – softskills, persuasive skills, teaching skills and interpersonal skills. Success in a world in which skills and contextual knowledge are valuable require not just attendance, but also active class participation by students. Classroom interactions and student activities significantly contribute to developing people skills and a nuanced understanding of concepts and subjects. Recognizing that attending and fully participating in classes in each subject makes a difference, in St Mary’s College, attendance will be recorded and considered subject-wise for each semester and for each period of time considered for internal examinations. Attendance in class necessarily implies that the student is physically present in class throughout a session with the required textbook / study material / writing material /calculator etc and with adequate preparation and constructive involvement as required for the teaching-learning process to be beneficial for self and others involved.
Some absences from class or activities are unavoidable. An absence due to illness or doctor’s appointment will be counted as ‘excused absence’ when there is timely information with documentary support (Eg. Medical certificate). An absence in which the parent/guardian takes a student out of College with the prior permission of the Class Mentor/HoD/Principal will be counted as ‘explained absence’. An absence could also be because the student is officially representing the College in sports/cultural/extracurricular activities or participating in field trips or other College-approved events, which (with timely documentary evidence) would be counted as ‘Absences on account of extracurricular activities’. Any other absence would be counted as ‘Unexcused absence’, which would be counted as ‘Truancy’ if it is found that there was no parental consent for such absence.
In general, being absent for more than 25% during the relevant period will result in the student forfeiting the opportunity to write both the internal exams AND the End-Semester Examinations. However, for students who have 65% attendance in the relevant subject, excused absence or absence on account of extracurricular activities may be counted, if such counting results in less than 25% unexcused absence. Such students may be allowed to write the respective subject/paper in the concerned examination. For students who have less than 75% attendance, but the shortfall in attendance is because of explained absence, then such students may be, at the College’s discretion, allowed to write the End-Semester Examinations, but not the Internal Exams in the relevant subject.
On what counts as timely, relevant, excused, explained, condoned, or accepted, the decision of the College and the Principal would be final. As per policy, students who do not have a minimum of 75% attendance in a particular subject have no right to appear for internal or end-semester examination in that subject.
Policy on Class Room Management
Teachers in St. Mary’s College are the final arbiters in matters related to Class Room Management. The teacher is in-charge of the Class and gets to define what is acceptable/appropriate and what is not-acceptable/inappropriate in his/her class on any matter on which there is no stated policy of the College. Teachers and students are expected to comply with the stated policies of the College.
The classroom environment ought to be conducive for learning. The entire teaching-learning process in the classrooms of St Mary’s College are focused on ensuring learning outcomes. Any behaviour that distracts teachers and/or students from focusing on learning outcomes would be considered as indiscipline. Such behaviour would first result in the student being warned by the Teacher. Any student who continues to indulge in such acts of disruption or indiscipline, who infringes upon the right of other students to have undisturbed access to the teaching-learning process in class, and who is causing nuisance or discouragement for others, can be sent out of the class by the Teacher without granting attendance. Any student who indulges in such behaviour repeatedly (i.e. in more than two sessions) may be restricted by the Teacher from entering his/her subsequent classes, but the teacher must, on the same day, with specific information to the concerned Programme Coordinator, refer the matter to the Disciplinary Committee. The final arbiter in such cases would be the Disciplinary Committee.
A student who, even after repeated warnings or action taken by the Disciplinary Committee, continues to disturb a teacher or teachers and/or a student or students, and is seen as an obstacle to the teaching-learning process or as preventing teachers/students from performing their duties, may be suspended or dismissed from the College. The decision of the Principal in this regard will be final.
It is reasonable for teachers to expect their students to come prepared for their classes. Students are expected to complete and submit their records, assignments or any homework on time. It is also quite natural for the teachers to be disappointed when students come unprepared to class or when they fail to complete and submit their records, assignments or any homework on time. Teachers are expected to announce the consequence of non-compliance well in time. These consequences may include reasonable restriction of entry to class until the task has been completed. However, a student who is present in class must not be denied attendance for not writing notes or for not answering a question or questions. But the Teacher is well within his or her rights to give additional homework to a student who is regularly coming unprepared to class. Teachers may do so and inform the parent or the guardian of the student. A student who repeatedly fails to do his or her part of the teaching-learning process and fails to submit any assigned task or homework may be denied entry to subsequent classes and the parent may eventually be advised to withdraw the student from the College.
While the College does not have a stated dress code for students, any attire which is deemed inappropriate or vulgar, or offensive to most, may result in the student being asked to return without being allowed to stay back on campus. The teacher is the final arbiter in this matter within the Classroom and the concerned Programme Coordinator, outside the Classroom.
Policy on Campus Entry and Exit
Students applying to St Mary’s College for admission to any undergraduate degree programme are opting for full-time, regular, taught, classroom-based courses. Full-time courses call for discipline and regularity, which may not be a concern with self-paced courses. With plenty of learning resources available online and offline, opting for a full-time regular College is indeed a choice that is made by the student. That choice comes with a commitment to attend classes regularly and on all possible occasions, from the first session of a day to the last.
The College gate will close at the commencement of the first session, unless otherwise informed. (Eg. on regular days, the College gate will close at 8:25 am sharp). The College gate will not be opened again until all sections or specific sections are allowed to leave on completion of their classes for the day. (The gate will NOT be opened at the end of the first session or the second). Each student with no pending dues will be given 5 Late Entry coupons at the beginning of the Semester. Each coupon allows the student to enter the College late once during the semester, subsequent to they submitting the mentor copy of the coupon at the Security Gate and entering their details on the relevant registers. Late Entry Coupons are valid only when they are presented along with the College ID card. No student will be allowed to enter the College campus late without a valid late entry coupon. There could be days on which NO LATE ENTRY is permitted even with valid coupons and the same will be informed latest by the previous evening.
While Late Entry Coupons allow entry to campus for a student during any time of the day, the same does not guarantee entry to classrooms. Students are allowed to enter a class up to 5 minutes late for any session, which will be considered as Grace Time. For sessions involving two continuous periods (Eg. 2-hour labs), mid-session entry after the first period is not allowed. Teachers are instructed to strictly not allow entry of students to classrooms after the Grace Time.
Even when a student is entering the College late for purposes other than attending classes (Eg. Attending an event/interview, to pay fees, to get records signed, to submit assignments), entry will be allowed only with a valid Late Entry coupon. Any attempt to circumvent the system by forging a coupon/signature or any other document will result in severe disciplinary action.
Students may be permitted to leave early on any day only with the Early Leaving Permission Slips signed by the Class Mentor/Programme Coordinator. The Class Mentor/Programme Coordinator may sign a permission slip only after communicating with the parent/guardian.
Students are usually allowed to remain on campus till 4:00 pm on working days. Student activities and sports continue on campus after class hours till the campus closing time. However, there are days when the campus may be open only half-day or so. When the College closes early, students and staff too may have to vacate the campus as directed. The decision of the Head of the Institution on matters related to opening and closing of the campus is final and binding.
Student entry into campus at all times will be strictly restricted to those carrying a current and valid College ID card. If it is found that a student without her/his College ID card has entered the campus, the student will be asked to move out of campus. Any attempt to impersonate someone else or use another student’s ID card will be treated as an act of indiscipline and the same will be referred to the Disciplinary Committee.
Guests entering the campus will have to enter their details in the Visitor Register and will have to comply with the directives of the Security and Admin staff regarding their movement as long as they are on campus. Any unauthorised entry into the campus, either forced or unforced, irrespective of the person’s connection(s) with the institution’s staff or students, will be treated as trespass and will be dealt with accordingly.
Policy on Fee Payment
Annual College Fee is collected in two terms or installments. Each term fee must be paid in full and in advance, ahead of the announced term and ahead of each semester, in single installments. College fees can be paid online through the IRP (payment gateway charges vary for different modes) and by card or cash, at the fee counters on campus. All receipts are generated through the IRP irrespective of how the payment is made. The College charges LATE FEE for fee payment after the specified due date. If the student/parent so desires, the second-term fee of the same academic year can be paid along with the first-term fee. Beyond that, there is no provision to pay College Fee for the subsequent academic year(s) in advance. A student who does not pay the term fee even after the last date for payment with late fee may be considered as having withdrawn from the specific undergraduate programme in order to prevent further accrual of fee dues in the student’s account. Consequently, such students may not be included in subsequent lists of current students submitted to the University. No-Due Certificates will be issued only after all dues already accrued are cleared by the student.
St. Mary’s College is a self-financed institution, which does not receive any aid from the government or any other body. The college is fully funded by the fees paid by the students. Hence, it is important to note that a student joining St Mary’s College is doing so voluntarily and in full acceptance of the institution’s fee policy.
Students seeking EMI options to pay college fees can visit FINANCEPEER website (https://www.financepeer.com/) for more details. Annual fees of St Mary’s College can be converted into zero-interest 6 advance EMIs through FINANCEPEER. 9 EMI and 12 EMI options are available at low interest rates for St Mary’s College students. Financing is completely at the discretion of FINANCEPEER. St Mary’s College has no responsibility for or control over any processes or actions of FINANCEPEER or any other NBFC or Bank providing such facilities. Students and parents are advised to use their discretion at all times. To be contacted by a representative of the company, students/parents may visit the company’s website or make a request at the college fee counters.
Policy on Issuing of Letters of Recommendation
Many students and alumni request letters of recommendation or reference from teachers and leaders of St. Mary’s College every semester. These are usually to help secure admission to a programme of higher studies or because a prospective employer has sought a reference. While members of our staff are happy to help, given the multiple demands on their time and to optimise resource usage for maximum effectiveness as well as to maintain the credibility of the institution, issuing of any Letter of Recommendation/Reference (LOR) on the College Letterhead will be subject to the following guidelines:
- To receive a Letter of Recommendation is a privilege and a favour, and not a right. No one can be compelled to issue an LOR. By virtue of having studied in St. Mary’s College and having been on the rolls of the College, one is entitled to receive a bona fide certificate but not an LOR. To recommend a student, the staff member needs to know the student well enough. Since a good LOR should mention about how long have the recommender known the student and in what capacity have s/he interacted with the student, whether as Guide, Mentor, Course teacher, Project supervisor or Leader, the student should approach only someone with whom s/he has had consistent interaction for at least a semester during her/his period of study.
- Members of the College’s Leadership Circle, given the number of requests for LORs they receive, will write recommendations only for those who have worked closely with them or with whom they have had close interactions on campus. Familiarity will not be sufficient, and they should have had continuous opportunities to directly observe the student at work.
- When it comes to seeking letters of recommendation from teachers, students should approach those who know them well and can speak about both their academic and personal strengths, especially if verifiers cross-check over a call or seek clarification about what has been given in writing. Since students grow and student interests change over the course of time, students should ideally seek recommendations from their recent teachers.
- If a student finds himself or herself in a position where no teacher knows them well enough to give a recommendation or no one is willing to give them an LOR, then it is not the responsibility of the institution to find someone who can somehow give an LOR. Current students, keeping their future plans in mind, should factor in the need for later recommendations and seek an early consent from those with whom they are working together on campus. Having mentors who can both advice and recommend them regarding higher studies can be of immense value.
- St. Mary’s College encourages its staff members to give honest and fair recommendations and that would be possible only if the student, while s/he is/was a student, makes/made sure that the staff member got adequate opportunities to directly observe her/him at work. The College discourages its staff members from issuing LORs to students with inadequate attendance, who have not performed reasonably well in academics, against whom disciplinary actions were taken (especially for acts of violence, ragging, harassment of any kind) and who have consistently violated College policies. Individual members of the staff may and can have additional criteria to govern their personal policy related to issuing letters of recommendations and to recommend a student or not is ultimately a matter of individual choice.
- Once a staff member has consented to give the student a Letter of Recommendation, the student should share with her/him relevant information about their academic history, including specific experiences and achievements, any record of student activities, leadership accomplishments, projects, internships, papers published or volunteering, challenging academic experiences they have had and how they grew during their years in College, their latest CV, their plans for the future, their SOP, application deadlines and so on, including anything specific the recommender may seek to know for writing a particular reference.
- Students should approach a staff member for recommendation between 3 months to 3 weeks of when they need to have the LORs in hand. Staff members can deny a letter of recommendation to a student otherwise eligible simply due to lack of sufficient notice. Please also note that some teachers will commit to writing only a certain number of recommendations each year and they are well within their rights to do so. Students who wait for too long to ask may find that the teacher who they approached have already exceeded their set limit in terms of number of LORs.
Policy on Parking of Student Vehicles
St. Mary’s College may, on the basis of availability of space and at the discretion of its Management, allow (in as-is, where-is basis) the parking of student vehicles (2 and 4 wheelers only) on its premises in places decided by the security staff on duty (or their superiors) on any given working day or days, exclusively during class hours and only for the benefit of those students on current rolls and who are attending all classes scheduled during the given day. Any student who is availing this optional facility on any given day is availing it completely at own risk. The College, its Management and members of the staff are not responsible for the safety or security of any vehicle or material kept inside any vehicle. Any student who causes an accident or any damage while operating a vehicle within the premises is solely responsible for the same and the total liability is to be borne by the owner of the vehicle causing such a damage, and such matters are to be settled as per the law of the land, without any involvement of the College or its staff.
Within the overall policy defined as above, students may be allowed to park their vehicles on the cemented Basketball or Volleyball courts as well, but in terms of priority of usage, sports will always take precedence over parking in these spaces, and this would be even more true after regular class hours. Students parking their vehicles on sporting facilities are deemed to be choosing to do so, knowing and accepting the risks involved in parking vehicles in such spaces. Students must remove their vehicles from the Sporting facilities within ten minutes of the completion of regular class hours on any given day when the parking facility is made available to them.
Given that the parking facility is purely an optional and temporary facility and not a right given to any student taking admission, all students may kindly note that the facility to park student vehicles on campus may not be available at any given day or time.
The College is also well within its rights to deny this optional facility to any student who is not attending classes on a regular basis or who is misusing the facility in any manner or is not following the directions of the Security staff (or their superiors) on duty or is found operating the vehicle during class hours (Eg. opening the doors or windows, sitting inside or allowing others to sit inside or playing music or any other act involving the vehicle) or if the vehicle or its driver is found non-compliant with the law of the land. Two-wheelers whose riders are not wearing a helmet or vehicles which are in violation of noise-pollution norms will not be allowed inside campus. The College also reserves its rights to inform the Police about any legal non-compliance that comes to its notice.
St Mary’s College encourages its staff and students to use public transport or pool their vehicles and do their bit to act against climate change. With the metro station at Yousufguda becoming operational, Hyderabad Metro provides a cleaner and energy-efficient, comfortable, transport option to many of our staff and students. In this context, the College is likely to occasionally announce vehicle-free days on which students and staff members would be asked to avoid travel to and fro by personal vehicles.
Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another person’s work, words, manner of expression, or ideas as one’s own without appropriately acknowledging the source, even when it is done with the consent of the person concerned. Plagiarism is stealing, is unethical and is against the fundamental values of integrity, fairness and respect that St Mary’s College holds as paramount.
Whether it is a research paper or an assignment or project work, or any academic or non-academic work, this policy necessitates that the ideas, observations, findings, data, statements (in full or part), quotes, and any already created material that any member of the staff or student community of St Mary’s College use/refer/cite be attributed to their original source adequately and appropriately. For example, direct quotations must be within quotation marks and can only be used along with the author name(s) and details of the original publication. In addition, the same must be included in citations and references as appropriate. Even where there is significant paraphrasing, the material should be attributed to and appropriately cited including author name(s) and details of publication. Any failure to adhere to this policy will have severe consequences for the member of the staff or the student indulging in plagiarism, in accordance with the UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION (PROMOTION OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PREVENTION OF PLAGIARISM IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS) REGULATIONS, 2018.
The inclusion of material which is ‘purchased’ from another source inside or outside the college in an assignment or term-paper, or an attempt by a student to present as own work, the work of someone else or work dishonestly performed or done by improper means will be considered a breach of discipline resulting in the entire work/submission being disregarded and the student being warned. Any damage from any violation of copyrights is to be fully borne by the student involved. It is the responsibility of the teacher concerned to detect plagiarism in order to prevent acceptance of plagiarized student work(s) submitted to him/her in whatever context.
Any student or staff aiding/abetting a dishonest academic practice that may be deemed plagiarism will also be treated on par with one involved in plagiarism. Any stealing of work from another student or staff, especially one that sabotages the original author’s credentials or work, will result in serious consequences for the student or the staff member perpetrating it, which depending on the severity of the act, may even include suspension or termination.
The Departmental Academic Integrity Panel (DAIP) chaired by the Head of the Department will attempt to prevent any plagiarized work from being forwarded for publication or presentation. When plagiarism is found in drafts, the DAIP will return the draft for removal of plagiarism, before the work can be resubmitted. Despite the efforts of the DAIP, if any staff member is found to be indulging in plagiarism, then s/he will first be denied access to incentives for research and publications for one full year and warned for breach of discipline. The person will not be allowed to represent the College in any Conference or Seminar or Workshop during the year. Further punitive actions will be in line with the UGC Regulations. Any damage from any violation of copyrights is to be fully borne by the individual(s) involved and the College will not bear any liability in this regard.
It is the responsibility of the DAIP to ensure that all papers published or presented by their department colleagues are free of plagiarism. Facilities offered to staff members for presenting papers in Conferences / Seminars etc and for research will be valid only after the Head of the Department concerned (as Chair of DAIP) has recorded his/her satisfaction about the absence of plagiarism in the paper / work involved. The Research Committee will function as the Institutional Academic Integrity Panel (IAIP) of St Mary’s College.
Scholarship Policy
St. Mary’s College, directly and through the St Mary’s Foundation, offers several scholarships and fee concessions for meritorious and deserving students. The Scholarship Policy is intended to encourage students to consistently do the right things towards all-round development and attainment of learning outcomes, to attract the right kind of students to St Mary’s College and to reduce the cost of quality education for the most deserving students. What is given here are excerpts from the Scholarship Policy and the rules mentioned here do not form an exhaustive list. Details of the policy are periodically updated and interested students and parents need to get in touch with the Scholarship Committee or Programme Coordinators for all applicable rules.
Sportspersons, who secure admissions in pure merit and who produce evidence of having officially represented the country at an international sporting event organized by an international sports body (Eg. ICC, FIFA, IOA) in the preceding two years, are eligible for 20% fee waive-off in the first-year. On similar lines, sportspersons who secure admissions in pure merit and who produce evidence of having represented their state at a national sporting event organized by an official body (Eg. BCCI, SAI etc) in the preceding two years are eligible for 10% fee waive-off in the first-year. Merit-based fee concessions are available for BBA students in their first-year. For those having 95% and above (i.e. Marks ≥ 950/1000 or a CGPA ≥ 9.5) in the qualifying examinations (Class XII), 15% of the first-year fee may be waived-off. On similar lines, for those having 90% and above, 10% of the first-year fee and for those having 85% and above, 5% of the first-year fee may be waived off. Merit-based fee concessions for BBA students and sportspersons’ fee concessions are available only for those who have no gap in their studies after Class XII. Such concessions on the full year fee will be adjusted against the amount due as second-term fees in the first year.
The following St Mary’s Scholarships are available for students in their second and third-year:
- St Mary’s Scholarship for Excellence
The topper in the first year and the second year of each UG programme in St Mary’s College, subject to having secured a minimum of 9.0 CGPA and 85.0% attendance in both the semesters combined, can get a scholarship amounting to 50% of his/her annual fee, and each of the next two students can get a scholarship of 25% of his/her annual fee, in the subsequent year and the scholarship amount would be adjusted against their second term fees. The number of scholarships in this category are based on the number of sections.
- St Mary’s Scholarship for Sportspersons
The best four sportspersons (two from second year and two from third-year) among all undergraduate students in St Mary’s College, as decided by the Scholarship Committee based on evidence submitted of their previous-year performance in international and national sporting events, subject to having secured a minimum of 6.0 CGPA and 60.0% attendance in both the semesters combined, would get a scholarship amounting to 25% of his/her annual fee and the scholarship amount would be adjusted against the second term fees.
- St Mary’s Scholarship for the Needy
St Mary’s Scholarship for the Needy is available for those meritorious students whose family income is less than Rs. 1.5 lakh per annum. The top four students (two from second year and two from third year) in terms of the previous year’s CGPA from among those whose family income is less than Rs 1.5 lakhs, subject to having secured a minimum of 8.0 CGPA and 80.0% attendance in both the semesters combined, would get a scholarship amounting to 50% of his/her annual fee and the scholarship amount would be adjusted against the second term fees.
- St Mary’s Scholarship for Christians
St Mary’s Scholarship for Christians is available for those meritorious students who belong to the Christian community. The top four students (two from second year and two from third year) in terms of the previous year’s CGPA from among those who belong to the Christian community, subject to having secured a minimum of 8.0 CGPA and 75.0% attendance in both the semesters combined, would get a scholarship amounting to 25% of his/her annual fee and the scholarship amount would be adjusted against the second term fees.
- St Mary’s Scholarship for Attendance
St Mary’s Scholarship for Attendance is available for those meritorious students who attend classes regularly and has a minimum CGPA of 7.0 in the preceding year (both the semesters combined). Any current student with CGPA of 7.0 having 100% attendance in the preceding academic year (both the semesters combined) would get a scholarship amounting to 25% of his/her annual fee and the scholarship amount would be adjusted against the second term fees. On similar lines, a 98% attendance would get a scholarship amounting to 15% and a 95% attendance would get a scholarship amounting to 5%.
Except in the case of the St Mary’s Scholarships for Sportspersons and Attendance, the best student or topper (winner) is decided by CGPA as on date. In case of a tie in CGPA, the tie will be broken using attendance data, by placing the student with higher combined attendance in the previous year above the one with lower attendance. In case of a tie even after attendance is factored in, then the scholarship amount is shared without providing for the candidate following next. For the purpose of scholarships, excused or explained absence will not be considered. Only students who have paid their fees on time (i.e. without late fees) till date will be considered for St Mary’s Scholarships for Excellence, Sportspersons, and Attendance.
Note: CGPA stands for Cumulative Grade Point Average and even a single backlog remaining would result in the CGPA being 0 (Zero).
Based on the recommendations of the Scholarship Committee as endorsed by the Principal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) approves the Scholarships as per the stated policy of the Institution. The CEO of St Mary’s Educational Society is the final arbiter on matters related to Scholarships.
Policy Against Sexual Harassment
Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)
As per UGC (Prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and students in higher educational institutions) Regulations, 2015 and Vishakha guidelines given by the Honorable Supreme Court on Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, St. Mary’s college has constituted an Internal Complaints committee to provide protection against sexual harassment of female employees and students in the Campus
According to the Supreme Court guideline, Sexual harassment can be defined as “unwelcome” sexually inclined behavior, whether directly or indirectly, including but not limited to:
- Physical contact and advances;
- Demand or request for sexual favors;
- Sexually colored remarks;
- Showing pornography; and
- Other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal sexual conduct.
Any complaint concerning sexual harassment should be raised immediately to the Chairperson of the Internal Complaints Committee in writing, or by sending an email to ICC, by mentioning the details of the incident including date, names, witnesses and evidence, if any. Complaints will be kept confidential.
On receipt of the complaint, the committee will conduct an inquiry and on completion of the inquiry, ICC will submit a report of its findings to the Principal. If the allegations against the accused are proved, then the committee shall recommend the action to be taken as per legal provisions. If a complaint is found to be false and with malicious intent, then the complainant may be penalized as per the rules of the institution.
The actions by the ICC and the College do not preclude legal or police action against the accused. The College will not attempt to interfere in or influence any due legal process and will fully cooperate with the law-enforcing authorities to maintain law and order in and outside the College campus irrespective of who is involved.
Policy Against Violence
St Mary’s College is committed to maintaining a safe learning and work environment free from violence and the fear of violence. Any intentional use of physical force or power, threat, or attempt to terrorise or cause fear in another person or group of persons, which has the potential to result in bruise, physical injury, death, psychological harm, or trauma will be seen as an act of violence, categorisable as crime. Irrespective of what the cause is or who instigated it, violence is not acceptable and will not, under any circumstances, be tolerated by the College. Any report of violence will be taken seriously, fully investigated and dealt with appropriately and as expediently as possible. In deciding the right course of action, the College may utilise the services of the police as appropriate. This policy on violence is essentially a framework in place to enhance the safety and security of the staff and students of the College. It also deals with how the institution responds to situations involving threats and acts of violence on campus and at college-related events.
The College has a Disciplinary Committee that is chaired by a senior faculty member and with adequate representation from different departments. Any act of indiscipline that involves an allegation of violence will be referred by the Principal (or the Vice-Principal), or the Head of the Department concerned, to the Disciplinary Committee. The Disciplinary Committee will investigate all reported incidents of violence to the best of the committee’s ability and in a manner that ensures due process. The Disciplinary Committee may suspend the student or staff accused pending enquiry. Within the notified time-frame, the Disciplinary Committee will submit its recommendations to the Principal, based on which the College will take appropriate punitive actions. Any suspension (that was pending enquiry) will get revoked if the accused is found innocent and the record of suspension will not go into the file records of the student or staff concerned. However, if found guilty, any suspension of a student or a staff beyond 24 hours will go into the records.
The actions by the Disciplinary Committee and the College do not preclude legal or police action against the accused. The College will not attempt to interfere in or influence any due legal process and will fully cooperate with the law-enforcing authorities to maintain law and order in and outside the College campus irrespective of who is involved. The Disciplinary Committee also reserves its rights to take punitive action against any other student found guilty during further enquiry even if that student was not in the initial list of accused.
St Mary’s College has a zero-tolerance policy against physical violence. In any incident of violence involving a student or staff member of the College, irrespective of whether the incident was on campus or off it, if an FIR is filed by the police under relevant sections of the CrPC or a criminal case is filed under relevant sections of IPC against a student or students or member(s) of the staff, then the person(s) accused of crime will be suspended indefinitely from the College pending police investigation as soon as the College is provided with a copy of the relevant documents such as FIR. If the accused is charge-sheeted, then the suspension will remain in place and if the accused is convicted in a court of law, then the accused will be expelled from the College. Whether suspended or expelled, the accused will not have any claim on academic processes or fee paid and all rights as a student or as a member of the institution will be forfeited without recourse to any internal grievance redressal mechanism.
The Shantaram Award for the Best Student Citizen
The Shantaram Award for the Best Student Citizen will be given every year to a graduating student of St Mary’s College, who best embodies overall excellence among all graduating students in that year and whose contribution to the common good is undisputed. An ideal awardee will be one who has positively and significantly impacted the life of others in the College, in one’s local community and beyond during the past three years and has meaningfully spoken up, participated in decision-making processes, and has embraced her or his leadership potential. Such a person’s track record could be assessed in terms of academic, co-curricular and extracurricular achievements, meaningful community service, development of a sense of social responsibility among the peer group, articulation of a global (non-parochial) view of society and a demonstrated passion for helping others. The winner of the Award will be given Rs.10,000/- as cash prize, a medal and a citation.