Vikaas – The Student Counselling Centre

As students embark on a journey to personal excellence and empowerment, Vikaas – The Student Counselling Centre of WCC is well equipped to offer students a plethora of services that aim to develop in them a will to win, an urge to learn and a desire to grow towards reaching their full potential. 

About Vikaas

Vikaas, the Sanskrit equivalent for “overall development” is the Student Counselling Centre of WCC.  The unit was started in 1985 as a Project of the Department of Psychology. The counselling services at Vikaas are aimed at enabling students to lead a fulfilling, fruitful and responsible life and to be effective contributing members of the society. 

Mission

To provide professional counselling services in a confidential setting for the psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing of students as they pursue academic goals and explore personal growth.

Objectives of Vikaas

The goal of Vikaas is to provide students with holistic development through academic, career and personal counselling and is achieved through the following objectives:

• To help students identify and attain their educational and career goals
• To promote personal growth and social development of students
• To guide students in becoming active, responsible and self-disciplined citizens
• To encourage and assist students in making informed personal and professional choices
• To equip students with essential skills such as personal independence, confidence, self-sufficiency, motivation and resilience through developmental workshops

Hours and Location

The counselling services are offered to students of  Shift I and Shift II from 9 am to 12.30 pm and 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm respectively.

The counselling services are offered in a place which is not associated with the Psychology department to avoid the stigma associated with seeking counselling.

It also ensures anonymity to students. The counselling room is a large well-ventilated room, with comfortable seating arrangement. Privacy is maintained as the entry to the room is regulated. Counselling is usually offered by appointment; except in cases of emergency.

Activities of Vikaas

Orientation Programmes

The first years of UG and PG courses from the Aided and Self-Financed streams are given an orientation programme about the counselling services of Vikaas. The counsellor meets with the respective departments of the Aided and Self-Financed streams of the College to give the induction programme. Students are encouraged to visit the centre and make use of the services provided at Vikaas. They are given a brief overview about the various activities of Vikaas. 

Individual Counselling

Psychological Counselling is offered to individual students relating to issues like concentration, time management, study habits, shyness, insecurity, self-confidence, exam fear, communication skills, interpersonal relationships, family, career and health. 

Workshops on Life Skills

Workshops on Life Skills are conducted on a regular basis for students on personality development with the aim to equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills and values that would enhance their overall functioning 

Psychological Assessments

Psychological Assessments on personality, intelligence, vocational interest & aptitude are available at Vikaas. The centre is equipped with 12 such assessment materials and students are encouraged to take these tests to be more aware of their skills and attributes. Psychological assessments serve as an instrument for students to achieve self-improvement and personal growth. 

Library

Vikaas has a small library that has about 255 books on self-help. Students are encouraged to borrow these books and be benefitted by them. 

Email: [email protected]

The Career Guidance Cell has been developed in WCC with the primary objective to provide career counseling and employment guidance which assists students to make informed decisions regarding shaping their own future.  It helps the students realize their own potential by instilling soft skills, managerial skills, the ability to communicate and enhancing their personality, all of which will make them better employable.

Since its inception, the Career Guidance Cell has placement coordinators from Shift I and Shift II who collaborate with various corporate firms and training agencies to facilitate training needs, internships and on- campus/ off-campus recruitments. This is done by interfacing with student representatives from each department for all the students of WCC, which encompass a diverse population.

The Career Guidance Cell conducts recruitment drives with Corporate firms. Every recruitment process incorporates the following:

• Pre-placement talk about the organisation
• Aptitude test (online or written)
• Group discussion
• Telephonic interview
• Technical interview
• HR interview

Over the years, students have been successfully placed in the following companies through the campus recruitment process. The list of companies include Deloitte, Cognizant, Wipro, Infosys, Ernst- Young, Sutherland, HCL, Zoho, Amazon, YES Bank, ICICI, Standard Chartered, Kotak Mahindra, Indian Public School and  DOMEX.

The Career Guidance Cell caters to the needs of students by conducting Workshops and Seminars on Personality Development, Interpersonal Relationships, Communication Skills, Interview Skills and Presentation Skills to encourage the holistic development of individuals.  Students have also participated in Education Fairs which create awareness about the importance of higher studies abroad.  

Reports

Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) of Women’s Christian College has been established to encourage the culture of Innovation among the students across various disciplines of the Institution. The Ministry of Education, Govt. of India has established an Innovation Cell in all Higher Education Institutions. The focus of IIC is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by supporting them to work with new ideas and transform them into prototypes. IIC is established to promote innovation in the Institution through multitudinous modes leading to an innovation promotion eco-system in the campus.

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Certificate Courses

1. Certificate Course in Quantitative Aptitude offered by the Department of Mathematics 
2. Certificate Course on Traditional Dyeing Methods – Tie & Dye and Batik offered by the Department of Chemistry
3. Certificate Course in Plant Dyes offered by the Department of Plant Biology & Plant Biotechnology
4. Certificate Courses in Christian Counselling, Dyslexia, Foundations of Music Therapy and Art Therapy offered by the Department of Psychology
5.  Certificate Courses in Spanish, German and Mandarin Chinese offered by the Department of Languages
6. Certificate Courses in Spanish, German and Mandarin Chinese offered by the Department of Languages
7. Diploma in Computerized Accounting and Certificate Courses in Logical Reasoning for Competitive Exams and Tally offered by the Department of Commerce
8. Diploma and Certificate Courses in Capital Markets and Risk & Wealth Management offered by the Department of Commerce

Swayam

Women’s Christian College established a Local Chapter for SWAYAM-NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) a project funded by MHRD, Government of India, in 2016.

NPTEL is a joint initiative from IITs and IISc to offer online courses and certification in
Humanities, Basic Sciences, Computer Science and Management. It enables the students to
directly engage and learn from the best faculty in the country which strengthens their subject
knowledge and also provide them an opportunity to explore new areas of interest. Women’s
Christian College has been rated as one of the ACTIVE Local Chapters.

Register for the courses using the link: http://swayam.gov.in/

Contact

Dr. V. Narmadha

SPOC

[email protected]

Scripture

Holistic Value Education

Leadership among students is facilitated by providing them an opportunity to be an  elected member of a student committee, known as the Student Senate. The Senate, is a responsible and dynamic body that nutures decision-making and leadership skills in students. Students elect their representatives in a democratic manner. This healthy practice has been in existence right from the inception of the Institution.

In the early years, the choir poured forth their soul into song under the watchful eyes of music-loving faculty, Miss Bertha Corfield and Miss. L Choweller, even as their deft fingers flew over the piano keys. Today the choir is greatly enhanced in number while the harmony remains. Under the able direction of Mr. Tony Davids, the Choir enchanted its listeners on every special occasion. Today, the Choir continues to enthrall listeners under the expert direction and training of Ms. Sarah Sruti Lall and Dr. Juanita Saroj.

A unique tradition of WCC, the Annual College Play is a much awaited event for theatre enthusiasts. Be it musical, Shakespearean, mythological, issue-based or a play delving into children’s literature, WCC plays have often merited good reviews from critics. This yearly in-house production and fund-raiser was directed by the faculty of WCC for many years. The present day College Plays have been directed by eminent theatre professionals and past and present students of the College. “Alice” directed by Ms. Amrita Fredrick, “Letters to a Student Revolutionary” by Shruthi Abraham and “Our Town”, by Jisha Menon were well appreciated. Students are encouraged to enhance their theatrical skills and help in various committees as members of the cast and crew. The team works for months into the late hours of the day, without weekend breaks to stage amateur plays with a great deal of prowess. 

Campus life in WCC was enriched by the activities of a number of clubs from its early years. The Literary Society of WCC, the Debating Society and the Lotus Dramatic Society were active even as early as the 1920s and 1930s. Literary discussions, extempore speeches, debates, story reading sessions and staging of plays were an integral part of the campus experience. 

These clubs (renamed now), along with many more, continue to contribute to the variety and experience of student life in WCC.

• Literary and Debating Club
• Quiz Club
• Indian Music Club
• Western Music Club
• Indian Dance Club
• Western Dance Club
• Fusion Dance Club
• Arts Club
• Dramatics Club
• Photography Club

Extension activities are community outreach-oriented activities that are a compulsory part of the curriculum in the undergraduate second year program, earning the students one credit. Most of the extension activities will be outside the campus in keeping with the norms laid down by the University of Madras. All second year students should complete the required 50 hours in order to earn the compulsory credit. Registration for the EA clubs will be online. As some clubs have restraint in the number of student intake, the registrations are based on early bird entry. 

If a student fails to complete the compulsory 50 hours at the end of her second year in UG, she will have to re-register in the third year with repayment of fees. In the event of re-registration, if the student has more than 20 hours and above in the second year, she may carry them over. If she has less than 20 hours (less than 40%), she has to repeat the entire 50 hours from the beginning. Failure to complete 50 hours in the third year after having defaulted in the second year will entail in the degree certificate of the student being withheld and the student will have to come back in the subsequent year to again re-register with fee repayment and complete her number of hours as per the aforementioned stipulated norms to obtain her degree certificate.

The first and third year students may also enroll themselves in any one of the extension clubs although it is not compulsory for them.  They earn an extra credit if they fulfil the 50 hours. 

Following are the extension clubs from which the students may choose to enroll.

NATIONAL CADET CORPS (NCC)

Email ID : [email protected]

The Army Wing at Women’s Christian College was started in 2007 under the regiment of 1(TN) Girls Battalion NCC with the sanctioned strength of 54 cadets and 2016 they enhanced the strength to 108 cadets. In 2015 open vacancy was given by 1 TN Air Sqn to enroll cadets for Air wing and in 2016 open vacancy was given by 1 TN Naval Unit to enroll cadets for Navy wing.

The main aim of NCC is to instill qualities like nationalism, patriotism, comradeship, discipline, team spirit, esprit-de-corps, leadership, sportsmanship, self-confidence and promotes overall personality development and also to motivate the youth to take up a career in the Armed forces. Apart from these basic training cadets involve in social service activities

NATIONAL SERVICE SCHEME (NSS)

Email ID : [email protected]

National Service Scheme has three units that is comprised of volunteers from the Day college and Evening college. The units are funded by the NSS of the University of Madras. The Programme officers help organize the various projects and events for the NSS volunteers. They encourage the students to participate in one or more of the projects offered. NSS – WCC has for its motto, NOT ME BUT YOU, and it encourages its volunteers to extend help to society, the nation and mankind.

ROTARACT CLUB

Email ID : [email protected]

Rotaract – is a rotary based service organisation that focuses to develop the skills of leadership and communication among the youth. The Rotaract Club of Women’s Christian College has been a vast platform successfully inculcating these skills, paving way for outstanding services. The Club, better known as RCWCC, was chartered on 25th May 1995. It is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Madras Metro. They function under Rotary International district 3232.

RCWCC has been functioning through four different avenues namely Professional Service, Community Service, Club Service and International Service, conducting various projects, pertaining to these avenues. The club also has notable star projects like ‘Stree Suraksha’, ‘HI-V’, ‘Phoenix’ and ‘Tangled’, which cater to the varied needs of the current population. The Club aims to provide services to society at its best and promises to overcome all obstacles and get through every venture successfully.

YOUNG INDIAN (Yi)

Email ID : [email protected]

Young Indian (Yi)  is the Corporate Social Responsibility wing of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) which was established in the year 2002. With its aim to create a platform for Young Indians to realise the dream of a developed nation, it encourages youth from schools and colleges to be actively engaged in nation building, community service and preparation for entry into mainstream Indian Industry. The Yi Student Net of WCC comprises student members representing the various undergraduate departments of both the Aided and Self-Financed streams. Ever since its inception in 2011, the Young Indians Club of WCC has actively engaged itself in various activities that are oriented towards social causes, personality development and nation building.

The activities of the club begin with the signing of an MoU between CII and the WCC followed by the orientation. Meetings are held from time to time by the staff and student coordinators to ensure passing of information and updation of attendance.

ECO-CLUB

Email ID: [email protected]

From its inception in 1992, the Eco Club has been involved in increasing knowledge, creating awareness and interest among students in all aspects of the environment.  The motto of the Eco club is “To give each their space”.

From 2003 under the Choice Based Credit System, the Eco Club is considered as one of the units of the Extension Activities on campus.  As part of the curriculum, a student can earn one compulsory and two extra credits by enrolling in the Eco club.

The Department of Physical Education focusses on building the ‘whole person potential’ of the students by developing their physical fitness and honing their sporting skills. To help students excel in sports, they are offered training in Basketball, Volleyball, Throwball, Handball, Football, Ball Badminton, Cricket, Badminton, Table Tennis, Chess and Athletics. Support and facilities on campus equip players to participate in Zonal, Inter – Zonal, University, District, State and National level tournaments.

To promote health and an active lifestyle, physical fitness activities like Aerobics, Yoga, Silambam, Taichi, Karate, Zumba, Traditional Dances and Basic Functional Training are designed and offered to students. These cater to their individual needs and interests.

All students have to compulsorily participate in physical fitness activities offered by the department during the first year as a part of their course requirement.  An attendance of 40 hours is mandatory and a student will not be eligible for her Degree if the credit for the physical fitness activity is not earned.  Students who join NCC are exempted from physical fitness activities.  However if a student withdraws  from NCC in the first year due to some reason, she has to take up physical fitness activities and complete the required 40 hours.

Provision will be made to meet attendance and other academic requirements when the student represents the College, the University, the State or the Country for any sport.  An official letter duly signed by the organising agency, Director of Physical Education and Head of the Major Department has to be submitted in the Principal’s Office along with a letter from the parents within a week.

To discover and develop the latent talent of students, the Department organises a Freshers’ Meet at the beginning of each academic year. This helps induct interested and talented players into the college team. Well trained coaches are assigned to hone the skills of players. To encourage and motivate players, the college provides 50% – 80% scholarship to students who excel at State, National and University level competitions. This scholarship is also extended to those who are economically weak and have achieved success at the Zonal or Inter Zonal matches. 

To nurture sportsmanship at all levels of competition, Intramural and Extramural matches (WCC trophy tournament) are conducted annually.

The Annual Sports Day is a grand event where players are honoured and those who have won laurels for the college at various levels are felicitated. It is also an opportunity for students to showcase their skills and talents and especially the ones learnt by first year students during fitness training.

At the end of the third year the best outgoing player is selected based on her achievements and she receives the Winfred Rogerson Award in Shift I and the Renuka Somasekhar Mukherji Award in Shift II.

The Department of Physical Education, through the regular physical fitness activities and the sports training, acts as a catalyst in enabling students to pursue sports and fitness as a career, while also equipping them to lead a healthy life style and learn a fitness skill that will remain with them throughout their lives.

To make this possible Women’s Christian College provides necessary facilities for various sports and games as well as the fitness development.  The college has a large, well-maintained playfield for outdoor games like volleyball, throwball, handball, basketball, cricket, ball badminton, football and athletics.

The Eva Arrowsmith Indoor Sports Training Centre has the facility to train students in tennis, badminton, volleyball, basketball, handball and other fitness activities.

The Buck Sports Building houses a well-equipped gym for staff and students. There are also spacious halls for table tennis, chess and carrom and an airy hall for yoga practice.

Facilities on campus equip players to participate in various tournaments, which in turn keep the college banner flying high.

Assembly Programme

An Assembly hour is included in the regular timetable as a weekly feature. A special committee arranges interesting and meaningful programmes in diverse fields to provide students an overview of social, cultural, political, environmental, and global issues. Students are expected to attend all programmes. 

Advisor – Advisee System

Faculty Advisors are assigned to groups of students to counsel them on curricular, co-curricular and personal matters.