"Blink": Over the years

 

Taking a Stand: The Department of English and it's Anti -Ragging Policy 

White hairbands, rubber slippers, plastic files, thel bedima, bucket eka, card eka—the undergraduates of the University of Kelaniya are all too familiar with the notorious practices and terminology that constitute the so-called process of initiating new undergraduates into the university. This practice of initiation, in other words, is known as ragging.  Ragging is considered to be a rite of passage for all new entrants; it is seen to be a practice that fosters close bonds between first-year undergraduates and their seniors; and an intrinsic facet of the subculture within institutions for higher education—by some. The Department of English of the University of Kelaniya, however, does not see eye to eye with such claimants. It recognizes ragging as an ‘act which causes or is likely to cause physical or psychological injury, fear or mental pain in an undergraduate’ (University of Colombo) (n.d), and thereby endorses a strong anti-ragging policy.

Over the years, the department has successfully cultivated its own signature style of welcoming new entrants, without subjecting them to the humiliation and trauma of the rag. One component of this process is embedded within the pedagogical principles of the department wherein students are trained to become critical thinkers who constantly question the world around them. Provided with tools in the form of theoretical frameworks and literary texts, students begin to see that ragging is a practice that imposes uniformity and stifles individuality; propagates patriarchal power structures; generates passive subjects who will unquestioningly reproduce those power structures in society—simply put, it produces citizens who will- in the words of Pink Floyd- go on to become another brick in the wall. Hence, seeing through the practice in such a way strongly deters senior students of the department from ever exercising it and encourages them to collaborate with lecturers to create a secure space for the new undergraduates who walk through the department doors.

It is the process of creating this designated safe space that constitutes the second prong of the process. The department strives hard to dismantle the rigid hierarchy that raggers so strongly advocate, by consistently treating its first years with the equality and respect that all human beings deserve. This helps them to form bonds that are based on mutual respect and trust with their lecturers and senior students. The small scale of the department contributes to the process because lecturers are often able to get to know their students individually. It is to sustain and strengthen these bonds that the department organizes an annual welcome for the first years and the ESA Bash. Whether it is offering them advice on the selection of subjects or helping them navigate the physical landscape of the university, the strong sense of belonging that the department has instilled in them, guides senior students into helping their first years feel that they too belong. In this way, every new batch is gradually groomed into responsible undergraduates who will uphold the department’s anti-ragging policy.

This is what makes the Department of English such an extraordinary place: it empowers students to pursue their respective hopes and dreams while simultaneously instilling in them the firm belief that 'I am my sister's/brother's keeper'. Hence, students are free to explore their individual identities and still come together as a family in solidarity, love and support. 

Therushie Botejue