::Loyola College::

Under Special Grant

Loyola College, Chennai conducted a five days workshop on “Self-Discovery and Self-Enhancement” from the 7th to 11th of January 2006 for the FAEA scholars of north Tamil Nadu.

There were 49 participants, 25 boys and 24 girls from 27 educational institutions spread across the state of Tamil Nadu. Of these, 6 were pathway students (girls) from Loyola College, Chennai. The workshop was residential in nature and vegetarian as well as Non-vegetarian food was made available.

Yoga session between 6-30 and 7-30 A.M. was held on all days of the workshop. The various aspects dealt with during the workshop were, Indian Constitution, Right to Information, Environmental Issues, Memory Enhancement, Concentration Improvement, Impressive Handwriting, Goal activation, Effective Communication, Body Yawning and Good Manners.

The inauguration of the workshop was held on the 7th of January 2006 at 10-30 A.M. in the Lawrence Sundaram Auditorium, Loyola College. The program started with a prayer by pathway students of Loyola College. The dignitaries, guests and the participants were welcomed by Prof. S. Santhanam, the Vice-Principal of Loyola College.

Felicitations were offered by Fr. Boniface Jeyaraj S.J., the Rector of Loyola College, Fr. F. Andrew S.J., Secretary of Loyola College, Dr. P. Nagabooshanam, FAEA – State Coordinator, Tamilnadu and Ms. Taru Khubani, college coordinator FAEA, New Delhi.

The chief guest of the day, His Excellency Dr. A. Padmanaban, Governing Council Member of FAEA and formerly the Governor of Mizoram State delivered the inaugural address.

A talk on “Indian Constitution and Right to Information” was delivered by Dr.P.Nagabooshanam, FAEA – State Coordinator, Tamilnadu.

For a “Walk Through Nature”, the participants were taken to the “Tamil Nadu Agri and Horticulture Society” in Chennai. Student volunteers from Stella Maris College under the guidance of Dr. (Ms.) Geradette Mary, Dean of Students, Stella Maris College explained the importance of eco-balance and the need for an eco-friendly environment. The participants were divided into eight groups with one volunteer from Stella Maris College explaining to the group the intricacies of nature as they walked through the garden. It was indeed a memorable experience for all the participants.

A documentary on the impact of pollution on Taj Mahal and it’s reverse impact in the life of common man was screened. This was followed by a talk by Dr. (Ms.) Geradette Mary on environmental issues.

After the talk, the eight groups were given newspapers, charts, scissors, sketch pens and glue to prepare presentations on environment with articles and pictures taken from the newspapers. The groups were given 5 minutes each to make their presentation. It was a wonderful show by all the groups and the group adjudged to have made the best presentation was awarded a prize. It was 8-30 P.M. when the session came to an end.

After dinner, the ice-breaking session was conducted, where the FAEA scholars of Loyola College organized some games for the participants. All the participants could learn a lot about each other.

From the 8th to 10th of January 2006, the sessions were held from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. in an air-conditioned auditorium in Citadel. There were two breaks for tea, one in the morning and the other in the evening. The lunch break was from 12-30 P.M. to 1-30 P.M.

Dr. J. N. Reddy and his team handled all the four sessions of these three days. The students were exposed to techniques relating to body yawning, brain activation, enhancing memory, effective communication, confidence building and a lot of tips were shared on how to be set goals and achieve them effectively.

On the third day of the workshop, Ms. Taru Khubani visited Citadel and interacted with the participants. She also spent some time clearing their doubts on issues pertaining to their scholarship. The participants were very happy to have the chance of interacting with her in person.

At 10-30 P.M. on the second and the third days, there was an hour of sharing by the participants on what they liked most of the topics covered during that day. This gave the students a chance to have a rerun through the day’s activities.

On the 4th day seven laptops of Loyola College were given to the groups of participants to prepare their presentation for the valedictory session.

On the last day of the workshop, after breakfast, the participants were taken on an industrial visit to Lucas TVS. It was a wonderful experience for all. The participants were touched by the work culture in the industry, the cleanliness of the campus, the safety measures implemented, the eco-friendly environment, the welfare measures for the workers, the quality initiatives and above all the wonderful rapport between the workers and the management.

Just before the valedictory session, the feed back session chaired by Dr. P. Nagabooshanam was held in the Lawrence Sundaram Auditorium, Loyola College. More than ten participants came forward on their own to share their experiences during the days of the workshop. They were all very positive about all the aspects. Many more students also wanted to share their feelings but we could not provide them the opportunity for want of time.

The valedictory function was held in Lawrence Sundaram Auditorium, Loyola College at 3-30 P.M. on the 11th of February 2006.

Dr. Sr. Annamma Philip, the Principal of Stella Maris College was the chief guest.

Fr. A. Albert Muthumalai S.J., Principal of Loyola College welcomed the gathering and also thanked the FAEA scholars for taking their time off to participate in the workshop. He also appreciated the sustained assistance extended by FAEA to promote quality and equal access in the field of higher education.

All the eight groups of the participants presented their group feedback which was well supported by the PowerPoint presentations they had prepared the earlier day. It was a heartening session indeed for FAEA and Loyola College to hear the feedback, after all the pains they had taken in organizing the workshop.

Dr. P. Nagabooshanam, FAEA – State Coordinator, Tamilnadu delivered the special address in which she encouraged the participants to participate in as many such capacity building programs as possible. She also asked the participants to make use of the facilities made available by FAEA to the maximum extent possible.

Dr. Sr. Annamma Philip, in her address stressed the importance of hard work to become successful in life. She also appreciated the initiative of FAEA and Loyola College in organizing the five days workshop.

Participation certificate, a copy of the group photo and a copy of the address book were distributed to all the participants.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Prof. Joe Jesudurai, FAEA Coordinator, Loyola College.
He thanked FAEA for the financial and moral support extended for the conduct of the workshop. In particular he thanked His Excellency Dr. A. Padmanaban, Governing Council Member of FAEA, Dr. P. Nagabooshanam, FAEA – State Coordinator, TamilNadu and Ms. Taru Khubani, FAEA Delhi for their presence and support during the workshop.

He also thanked the Loyola College management for the encouragement and for providing all the logistical support needed to conduct the workshop.

He asked the participants to keep practicing the skills they had acquired during the workshop to get the best benefits. He also thanked them all for actively participating in the workshop and making it a useful and pleasant experience for all concerned.

The function came to an end with National Anthem.

Under the Regular Grant

During the academic year 2005-06, the following special programs were conducted for the students of Loyola College, with the grant received from the Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access.

1. English Remedial Program: Loyola College streams the fresh undergraduate students upon admission to the college based on their proficiency in English language. This is done through a placement test which every student is expected to take at the beginning of the first semester. The students who lack the very basic communication skills in English are grouped under “C” stream. This year, 120 students belonging to the “C” stream, mostly hailing from rural background and first generation learners were admitted to the English Remedial Program. They were divided into three sections of forty students each. The teaching staff of the department of English, Loyola College, Mr. Love Joy and Mr. Jeyadass and Mr. Renganathan, retired Lecturer in English handled the classes for these sections. We are happy to acknowledge the tireless services of Mr. Renganathan during the last three years in conducting these remedial classes with a deep sense of dedication and commitment. The classes were conducted from 1-45 P.M. to 3-15 P.M. on four days in a week. Three students who were very regular in attending the classes were presented with a copy of the Oxford Dictionary. The program was very useful to the students and it has helped them in gaining confidence to communicate with others in English without fear. This was very evident through their feedback during the valedictory session.

2. Computer Literacy Program: Forty students of the first year undergraduate program who had very little or no exposure to computer skills were admitted to the computer literacy program. Mr. Rajesh, Lecturer in the department of Computer Science, Loyola College, handled the classes. The students were taught the basics of computer operations. They were exposed to the features of the Windows XP operating system. Study materials prepared by the course teacher were provided to all the students. The students were also taught the use of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. All the students were given five hours of free Internet browsing and were taught the use of the Internet, e-mail, browsing the net, chats etc. The students were also given a book titled “A First Course on Computers” authored by Sanjay Saxena. The course has helped these students, most of whom had not even touched a computer earlier, to use it with confidence and enthusiasm.

3. IT skill enhancement Program: With a campus wide intranet facility and access to the internet available in every department, the need was felt by some of the teaching staff to get initiated in the use of computer for self-enhancement. Hence a seven-day workshop on “IT Skill Enhancement Program” was conducted for the teaching staff of the college. Twenty-five members of the teaching staff benefited from this program. Mr. Ashok, Head of the department of Computer Science, Loyola College, handled the classes. The participants were taught the use of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. They were also taught the use of the intranet facility to send e-mails within the campus. They were also given hands on experience on Internet browsing, web-mail etc. Many of the senior staff who attended the program felt that the program had helped them in overcoming their inhibition in the use of IT.

4. Handicraft Basics: This year we were able to conduct this program for two batches of students. The first batch consisted of twenty-five girls from the postgraduate programs. Mrs. Meena Devi, a fine arts teacher handled the classes for these students. Mrs. Elizabeth Samuel assisted her. The second batch consisted of twenty-four boys from the undergraduate courses. Mrs. Ponmani Davis a government-recognised trainer handled the classes for these boys. Mrs. Elizabeth Samuel assisted her too. Students of both the batches were taught the skill of clay modeling, pot painting, fabric paining, foil embossing, card making, bouquet making, letter holder making, etc. All the students were able to pick up the skills very well. An exhibition cum sale of the articles made by the students was put up on the College Day. The proceeds from the sale were donated to the free meals scheme for the poor students of the college. We have plans of expanding this project further and establishing tie-ups with commercial agencies to market our products. This project is aimed at enabling students hailing from rural background to establish self-help groups in their villages.

5. Tailoring and Embroidery: This program was offered to twenty women students of the final year postgraduate courses. Mrs. Ponmanai Davis handled the classes for the students. Mrs. Sarah Kalaichelvan assisted her. We have purchased ten sewing machines for conducting this program. The students were taught the intricacies of cutting and stitching most of the inner garments, churidhar sets, nightwears etc. They were also taught the skill of drawing and embroidery. The students felt that the program was very useful as it would pave the way for forming self-help groups. The garments stitched by the students were also put on show on the College day.

6. Seminar on “Women’s Reproductive Health”: A one-day seminar on “Women’s Reproductive Health” was organised for the women students of the college. More than one hundred and twenty women students attended the seminar. Dr. Niveditha delivered the talks. She highlighted the importance of reproductive health of women and mentioned the common problems faced very often by women and the preventive measures to be followed. The interactive session which followed the lecture, was well utilised by the students.

7. Women’s Voice: For the second year in succession the women students of the college successfully brought out the biannual newsletter “Women’s Voice”. The pathway projects and the activities of the Women’s Forum were covered in the newsletter. Many women pathway students utilised the opportunity to write articles and poems. It helped in bringing out the hidden talents possessed by many of the students.

8. Computer Hardware: A course on “Computer Hardware” was conducted for fifteen final year undergraduate students. Mr. Joe Jesudurai, Lecturer in the department of physics and the FAEA coordinator, handled the course. The students were taught the basics of computer hardware, assembling a personal computer, installation of operating system, installing application software, simple trouble shooting and maintenance. The students were given a lot of handouts on computer hardware and software. They were also provided with a book titled ”PC Hardware – a Beginer’s Guide” authored by Ron Gilster. The students were given a large number of assembling and installation sessions so that at the end of the course, every student was confident enough to assemble a personal computer all by themselves.

9. Workshop Basics: A course on “Workshop Basics” was conducted for fifteen undergraduate students. Dr. Jerome Das, Lecturer in the department of physics handled the course. The students were taught the techniques of bending, cutting, drilling, buffing, welding and painting. They were also trained in the methods of making accurate measurements. They were exposed to the simple uses of lathe and power saw too. As some of the students found it difficult to pick up some of the techniques, extra practical classes were conducted to help them. At the end of the program, the students were able to perform all the operations with confidence. In future we have planned to give these students training on plumbing and house wiring also.

10. Personality Development: Four one-day workshops were conducted for two students from every class of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Mr. Eugine, Lecturer in the department of Economics and the Director of the Student Service Center of Loyola College handled the sessions. The students were very appreciative of the program and asked for many more such sessions to be conducted in future. A total of one hundred and twenty eight students benefited from these workshops.

11. Complete Self-development Skills: Two students from all the classes of the first year undergraduate courses were selected based on their academic performance and given a program on “Complete Self-development Skills”. A total of forty students benefited from this program. Dr. J.N. Reddy, former lecturer of the department of chemistry, Loyola College and presently the Director of MAX Academy, handled most of the sessions. The students were trained in enhancing their memory, body yawning, relaxation, concentration, personality enhancement, building one’s confidence and above all improving ones handwriting. It was a real wonder to see the dramatic changes in the handwriting of all the participants. Most of the students who were shy at the beginning of the program were found to have picked the confidence to come on stage and demonstrate the various skills they had picked up during the program. The highlight of the program was the fact that two of the participants were physically challenged students from the department of English. The way these two students demonstrated the memory skill they had picked up during the program, at the valedictory function was a heartening sight for all those present. They were a source of inspiration for their fellow students through the sheer determination and confidence they exhibited all through the program. In future we would like to handpick a few students and train them for making or breaking some Guinness Records.

12. Scholars Exchange Program: Five FAEA scholars of Loyola College visited St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi for a week on a scholars exchange program. In return, seven students from St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi spent a week with us. It was indeed a very good exposure for both the group of students. The students from Ranchi were accommodated in the guest rooms of the college hostel itself. During their stay, the students were educated on the various academic options in the college. Arrangements were made for them to interact with the top officials of the college and they spent one day with the staff and students of their respective departments. They were also taken on an educational cum informational visit to places like the University of Madras, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Anna University, Birla Planetarium, Snake Park to witness the extraction of snake venom etc. It was a pleasant and useful experience for not only the scholars who participated in the exchange program but for others too.

13. FAEA Scholars Meet: A meet was organised for the FAEA scholars of North Tamil Nadu. A total of twenty four FAEA scholars attended the meet. Fr.A.Albert Muthumallai S.J., the Principal of Loyola College welcomed the dignitaries and the scholars. Prof. Metha, Member Secretary FAEA, Dr. A. Padmanaban, Member FAEA, Mr. Subash, Finance Manager, FAEA and Dr. P. Nagabooshanam, Tamil Nadu State Coordinator for FAEA interacted with the scholars and motivated them to become achievers in their chosen field of study. They also emphasised that the assistance they were receiving from FAEA for their higher education should instill in them a sense of responsibility towards the underprivileged sections of the society.

14. Teaching Aids: During this financial year, we purchased one Laptop and five LCD projectors to enhance the effectiveness in conducting the various programs. They will definitely help the teachers to communicate more effectively and we are sure that it will make the teaching – learning a more pleasant experience for all concerned.

15. Placement Cell for Scholars: In principle, Loyola College has agreed to assist the FAEA scholars of Tamil Nadu to begin with in finding placement through the placement cell of the college. Work is on to finalise the modalities to be followed by the placement cell in assisting the FAEA scholars of Tamil Nadu.

During this academic year we have admitted two FAEA scholars of Loyola College, who completed their undergraduate program into M.Com. and M.Sc. Computer Science respectively. In addition, we were permitted to select three additional scholars from the students of the undergraduate program. We are happy to mention that all three Scholars selected this year are single parent children having lost their father very early in life. The total number of FAEA scholars in Loyola College as on date is eleven. We thank FAEA in a very special way for providing so many scholarships to Loyola College.

Loyola College is very grateful to the Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access (FAEA), New Delhi for the financial assistance and the support they have extended all through this year. We are confident that working in tandem there are greater heights to be scaled together in the common quest of equity and excellence in the higher educational scenario.

We place on record our special thanks to Prof V. R. Metha, the Member Secretary, FAEA, New Delhi for the encouragement he has been showering on us. This has motivated us to do better and better with each passing year.

We thank wholeheartedly Mr. Subash, the Finance Manager and Ms. Taru Khubani, the College Coordinator, FAEA New Delhi for all the help they have extended to Loyola College, the FAEA scholars, the Pathway students and all the projects we undertook during this academic year.

We also thank Dr. P. Nagabooshanam, Tamil Nadu state coordinator for FAEA, for the guidance and support she has been extending all through this year.

We also take this opportunity to congratulate the foundation and in particular Prof. V. R. Metha for initiating and sustaining this movement, which we are confident will keep gaining momentum to create a positive attitudinal change in the youth of this great nation, to make the dreams of FAEA and our Honourable President Dr. Abdul Kalam a reality in the near future.