I don't know about the present day, but here is how ballsy my alma mater, IIT Bombay, was when I was a student (1991-1995):
One of my seniors spoke the following words to a girl student in a fit of anger: "I will rape you on the streets."
He was suspended in two days flat and packed off home. There were no endless committee meetings, no appeals and re-appeals, no pseudo compassion, nothing. A never-to-be-breached line was breached and the hammer came down firmly.
And it was the same in all disciplinary matters. We were young too, we had fun too, there was always plenty of harmless mischief all around, but everyone knew that there were limits to simply not be crossed in any situation - else the hammer *would* come down, no question about it.
That's what we need on college campuses even today. College life is to grow, not waste. And there is a massive difference between the two.
There is good reason why I feel immense pride in being an IIT Bombay alumnus. It gave us every opportunity we could think of to grow. And at the same time it made sure we didn't go astray. It had that balance worked out beautifully.
PS: A lot of my colleagues often bemoan that maintaining discipline on college campuses is like trying to keep a dog's tail straight. It feels like an impossible task! And here's how I respond: Think of a steel pipe of the same diameter as the tail. That's discipline. The tail will stay straight alright. Get it 😏?
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