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Choices and Obligations: To undertake a sense of responsibility

1Sep

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Op-ed, Opinion

Choices and Obligations: To undertake a sense of responsibility

By: Mohammad Basit Khan“We have a moral obligation. We have an ethical obligation. We have a legal obligation. We have a ... human obligation to be caretakers and gatekeepers of your welfare and your wellbeing, and we take that very seriously and we want you to be with us in this enterprise,” said Vice Chancellor LUMS Dr. Arshad Ahmad, during his address at the Town Hall Meeting held on Friday, August 21.When Dr. Arshad first addressed the burning question of campus reopening and declared the ethical standpoint the university had assumed during the 3- hour Zoom call, students were optimistic about having their demands heard at the Town Hall. After all, in the age of COVID, there is no doubt that the need of the hour is for compassion to be our guiding principle and to walk together to over...

Q & A with Malala Yousafzai | On College, Education, and Role Models

31Aug

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Features, Profiles

Q & A with Malala Yousafzai | On College, Education, and Role Models

By: Maira Asaad“Right now, the country is walking with one foot. When the other foot joins the walk, the walk becomes easier. When women are empowered, have equal opportunities, and you give them more space in different sectors, from politics to education, they help the country progress.” – Malala YousafzaiEarlier in June, it was announced that the keynote speaker for the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Class of 2020 would be Nobel Laureate and education advocate Malala Yousafzai. On 23rd July 2020, LUMS hosted a virtual panel discussion, moderated by Adeel Hashmi, with Malala Yousafzai, Chief Programmes Officer of the Malala Fund Dr. Maliha Khan, LUMS Vice-Chancellor Arshad Ahmad, and Founding Pro Chancellor LUMS Syed Babar Ali. During the session, Malala Yousafzai answere...

28Aug

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Campus News

What A Relaxation in SOPs Tells Us About Campus Reopening Prospects

By: Manahel Ayyaz KhanAfter active social media, press, and in-person campaigning, the student body and the administration came together to the table to discuss a phased reopening, with strict implementation of standard operating protocols (SOPs). A Zoom town hall, moderated by the Student Council, was held on 21st August to discuss the possibility of a hybrid reopening of the campus for the Fall semester. The result of the dialogue led to the decision of having a phased reopening with 160 students coming in the first phase. As of the third week of October, an additional 311 students were brought back to campus after a recent announcement. Moreover, additional students, including Masters students, are expected to return in November if things go well. At the start of Fall Semester, a ...

30Jul

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Campus News

From Sudden Partings to Online Graduation And Beyond: A Quarantine Timeline of the Class of 2020

By: Manahel Ayyaz Khan“If this pandemic has taught us anything then that would be that technology is today’s truth”. – Waqas Manzoor M.Phil’20On 25th July, LUMS and the Class of 2020 saw an unprecedented online convocation ceremony. With Malala Yousafzai as the keynote speaker, and a heart-touching tribute by the Music Society, the convocation left a bittersweet taste for not only the graduating class, but for all of its 1500 live streamers. I sat teary-eyed through the entirety of the convocation in front of the screen as my parents accompanied me to get a glimpse of what could have been my own graduation. My Dad watched all the high achievers excitedly as their faces lit up the laptop screen and my mother gleefully noted how the majority of these high achievers were female students, “You...

14Jul

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Campus News

Covid-19 and LUMS’ Financial Blues

By Abdul Wasay Ali KhanStudent skeptical of campus finances as LUMS continues online learning When Dr. Arshad Ahmed claimed at the Open House earlier this summer that LUMS was losing out financially with operating online, his comments left many students bewildered. Repeatedly, skepticism in the student body prevails despite a recent email from Dr. Arshad where he elaborated on the financial setbacks that come with operating online. Many students believe that LUMS would have had to incur a lot more costs had the semester been hybrid and has taken a cost effective approach by going online. The logistics involved with a hybrid semester account for many more expenses than they have incurred for a totally online mode. In an attempt to gain some insights into the finances of LUMS, The Post reach...

5Jan

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Campus News, Features, Investigative

LUMS Gears Up For Energy Conservation In The New Decade

By: Humza Siddique and Mohammad Basit Khan“Stagnation is not the answer” were the words of Dr. Nauman Zaffar, the head of the LUMS Conservation Committee. According to him, conservation of energy, water and the lush lawns has always been a top priority for LUMS. The Post sat down with Dr. Zaffar on a Saturday morning to discuss past conservation projects and the initiatives for the upcoming decade.Lighting infrastructure has seen the most development since 2016 with the change from fluorescent tubes to LED lights. The Engineering School has motion sensors installed in most instructor offices, particularly in the Electrical Engineering Department’s wing, to prevent wastage by forgetting to switch off. LUMS has also been able to secure a reliable vendor for the LED lights and the benefit ach...

31Dec

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Op-ed, Opinion

Digitising the Library

By: Mohammad Basit Khan and Wasay AliAre physical books really a thing of the past? In an era dominated by technology, e-books are all the rage, especially in academic institutions. Fears of obsolescence exist, yet libraries continue to be an integral part of university campuses. Instead, the inevitable has surfaced, in the way of collaboration, as a growing number of reputable universities all across the globe move towards digitization of libraries. At LUMS, the Gad & Birgit Rausing Library continues to thrive as printed books remain at the core of its services. A digitization project has been spotted at the horizon. However, budget constraints, infrastructural limitations, and user preferences on campus appear to be some major hurdles.The merits of digitizing the library make the cas...

Zumba Classes: Girls Drop Out Due To Discomfort

18Dec

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Campus News, Sports & Travel

Zumba Classes: Girls Drop Out Due To Discomfort

By Mohammad Basit KhanThis October, many female students dropped out of Zumba classes, taking place in MainHall, Sports Complex, due to the discomfort felt with its open venue. Zumba, conventionally, is practiced in closed, private settings.Notably, other unenrolled students are allowed access to the Main Hall and partake in their individual activities, during campus class hours. “It was majorly uncomfortable because there were too many people in the sports complex – mostly boys playing basketball or some randomly standing watching,” Huda Ahsan Khan ‘23 said.Saman Khan ‘22 was a regular at the Zumba sessions held in LUMS last year, yet this year she hasn’t returned after attending the first few sessions. “We used to be just nine to ten girls. It was a very relaxed environment last year,” s...

18Nov

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Arts & Culture

Frescoes in the Time of Smog

By Syeda Aiman Zehra and Hammad Bilal“Aik nukta, everything starts from it and ends at it,” says curator Madam Noor Jehan Bilgraumi as we embark on a journey she started in LUMS. The nukta she speaks of is the same nukta that we see at the center of many of the art pieces she has installed around campus—from the VC’s house to his office to the faculty lounge to the walls and domes of the HSS building. It is the same nukta that she sees in the heart of the university—the Academic Block—where the campus community finds itself at least once a day, passing by, taking shortcuts, rushing to classes.Two years ago, Madam Bilgraumi paid a visit to LUMS to see the building her dear friend, Habib Fida Ali had designed. What she saw was a bare courtyard at the center: “No one wanted to cross it, the c...

1Nov

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Features, Profiles

Liaqat Ali: Everyone’s Friend

By Maira AsaadLiaqat Ali has been working as part of the classroom staff at LUMS for the past three and a half years. These days, you will often catch him in the SAHSOL Building. When he shows up for his interview outside Bombay Chowpatty, he has his warmest, interview-ready smile on. Early into the conversation, he shares that he’s getting married in another two months. While most people will be the recipients of congratulations and well wishes, Liaqat Ali has the added benefit of being asked, in good spirits, which celebrities he’s going to be inviting to the wedding. This isn’t odd, given the fact that when you open his Facebook profile, a picture of him and Shahid Afridi is the first thing one sees. This picture is only one from the collection that he has with Pakistan politicians, cri...