To the Director, Dean - Academics, Associate Dean - Student Affairs of XLRI,

This is to bring to your attention that the restriction of movement between hostels based on students’ gender is regressive, inconvenient and unconducive to the students’ academic, professional and personal development and we (students and alumni) hereby request you to roll back this policy.

The students of this esteemed institution are all legal, independent and consenting adults, and we strongly object to the attempt to impose restrictions on how they should interact beyond the confines of the classroom. Such practices are not only medieval in modern society, but also harmful for the development of the enrolled students and will have implications beyond their lives in XLRI. Such practices are also counter-intuitive to the reputation of the institution and embarrassing for a college that claims to nurture “global leaders”. No institute worth its salt engages in such practices. (Refer to enclosed screenshots)

Restriction of movement between hostels creates issues such as (but not limited to)--

Inability to successfully do Group Projects:

On average there are 15-20 group projects every term with each requiring at least 2-3 meetings. The current infrastructure provided is inadequate as has been explained to you personally on multiple occasions along with requisite analysis. We have a batch of 360 students and consequently have started making groups of one gender for assignments and case competitions.

Stunted personal & social development:

Due to the lack of co-ed spaces, students are unable to meet socially. Any outdoor spaces like Bishu da, the TFER mess or benches are unbearable in the winter (cold temperatures) and due to hordes of mosquitoes which pose a health risk to students (malaria and dengue). This effectively means men and women do not mingle together and this is harmful not only for individual growth but for society at large. Additionally, this does not adequately prepare XLRI graduates for working successfully in any professional setting, as organizations become increasingly diverse.

The students are given to understand that the restriction of movement has been imposed to:

Prevent/reduce the consumption of alcohol & other substances -- How restriction of movement addresses this issue is unclear and appears illogical. A far better and effective means would be to ensure adequate awareness among the student body about the ills of such practices and allow the students to decide for themselves.

Prevent students from fraternizing -- An institution of education should not be trying to govern the personal relationships among its students.

Prevent sexual harassment -- There is no evidence, whether academic or anecdotal, that preventing the mingling of sexes prevents sexual harassment. Rather, it leads to a lack of understanding of the other sex and often results in the shaming of women. It is the duty of the administration to prevent sexual harassment and it should do this by ensuring that the redressal mechanism of harassment complaints is robust and instills confidence in the students on campus. Regular POSH workshops, a fair and just process, and a no-tolerance policy towards offenders should be the way forward.

Keeping in the Social and Political Surroundings: Given that XLRI has been a leader in the world of management and eductaion for the past 70 years and such policies didn't exist prior to 2019, we hope that in our commitment to make global leaders we lead by example in what should be not what is.

Further to all the formal and informal conversations that the student body has already had with the administration we, the students and alumni of XLRI, hereby request you to roll-back the policy of restricted movement between hostels based on a students’ gender. We request you to allow partial mobility (i.e. movement of women into the men’s hostels) with immediate effect and work towards allowing full and free movement between hostels in the long term.

Signed,

The Students and Well Wishers of XLRI