Dear all, A few days before, we all have read this news and mails on MLOSC and leading newspapers, "For the second time, a Mumbai University registrar has found himself in hot water over senate elections. The furore over the tampering of the electoral rolls just days before the university senate elections to the teacher’s constituency in 2005 cost the then registrar Jayant Dighe his job. And now, four days ago, the recently elected governor of Maharashtra and chancellor of Mumbai University K Sankaranarayanan has passed an order calling for action to be taken against registrar K Venkataramani over irregularities in the 2008 senate elections. The recent order also implicates the former pro-vice chancellor A D Sawant who was acting vice chancellor at the time of the 2008 elections. The matter involves the nomination of Subhash Athavale, a librarian at CHM College, Ulhasnagar, for senate elections. Athavale’s nomination was challenged by two teachers from colleges affiliated to the University — Balasaheb Salve and V S Sekhade — both vice-presidents of the Bombay University and College Teachers’ Union on the ground that, according to the Maharashtra Universities Act, only teachers with not less than five years teaching experience were eligible to contest elections. They pointed to the fact that though librarians were included in the definition of a teacher, they could not contest elections unless they had the requisite teaching experience. Their objections were overruled by Sawant and Venkataramani, and Athavale was elected to the senate, prompting Salve and Sekhade to move high court over the matter. " Librarian is a Teacher, Work done by Teachers is Teaching experience, but the work done by Librarian is not teaching experience... how? A=B and B=C but A not = C... How? we must strongly protest this decision... LIS professionals related to Library Associations, Please do something or the day is not far that Librarians will be transferred to non- teaching staff... All Librarians, Sitting idle at your place and thinking "Association will do something, why should i worry?", will not work... Wake up before its too late... and when u will wake up u will come to know that your position is also affected by these decisions... we got overwhelming response on this mail from all over, we also received phone calls from some colleague professionals over this issue... *Hence we have arranged a meeting on this issue at JhunJhunwala College Library, Ghatkopar(W), Mumbai on Sunday 21st March, 2010 at 11.00 am.* I request all the active and non-active members of BUACLA and MLOSC to be present at the meeting..... -- Ajay M. Kamble Librarian Annasaheb Vartak Arts, Commerce, Science College, Vasai Road (W), Dist. Thane - 401202 www.mlsc.co.nr www.ajaykamble.co.nr -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.