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13th Global Leadership Program: Empowering Young Leaders to Build Sustainable Future

(All the delegates and team of GLP 2023 (taken by: Lin Che Chi, documentation section of GLP 2023))

Taiwan hosted the 13th Global Leadership Program from August 20 to August 26, 2023. The 2023 Global Leadership Program raises significant concerns regarding the ocean and sustainability. The delegates were encouraged to engage in conversations and learn as a group on how to address one of the most crucial aspects of existence—primarily the oceans, which are beginning to get polluted.

The Global Leadership Program is a yearly no-credit course offered by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities – Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP). Sanata Dharma University from Indonesia, Fu Jen Catholic University from Taiwan, Sogang University from South Korea, Sophia University from Japan, and Ateneo de Manila University from the Philippines are the five Jesuit universities that have joined this program. With an emphasis on emerging global concerns, GLP allows students to enhance their international and interdisciplinary leadership skills. “Our Blue Planet – Ocean and Sustainability” was the 13th Global Leadership Program’s subject and focal point. 

The week-long Global Leadership program is conducted. GLP’s implementation focuses on a number of key goals, including the development of Ignatian leadership through lectures, presentations, fieldwork, and cultural performances. The entire delegation from each university left for Taiwan on August 20 and the program’s activities began on August 21 with the opening ceremony and program introduction. Dr. Hung-Chun Liu’s keynote address covered the transnational exchange program for marine education and ocean sustainability as the activities progressed.

(Erica Rafaella, one of the delegates of Sanata Dharma University, was doing the presentation (taken by: Chen Mark, documentation section of GLP 2023))

Following the keynote address, each university’s delegation will provide a report on the country in line with the subject. Each university sent six delegates, divided into three teams based on three sub-themes: 1. Ocean and Environmental Protection; 2. Ocean and Indigenous People; and 3. Ocean and Migration. To discuss the sub-theme, all of the delegates engaged in pair discussions. 

The delegates from each country were then divided and required to join friends from other nations who shared the same sub-theme. On August 22, according to their sub-theme, delegates then go on separate field trips. The day after the first field trip on August 23, the presentations were delivered, and the delegates from the three sub-themes learned from one another. 

The cultural exchange was one of the activities that came after the presentation. Each delegate should exhibit their particular culture. The closing ceremony occurred that day, and all delegates received certificates afterward. 

(All the delegates and team of GLP 2023 at Farewell Dinner (taken by: the restaurant’s staff))

“Since this is my first time representing the college while traveling abroad, I am so proud. The activities held there were really well-planned. We learned, got lectures, gave presentations, and created projects out of sea waste, and also the knowledge I got there was amazing and had a positive impact on my life and those of my friends,” said Merry Christiana, the team leader of Sanata Dharma delegates. 

The “Ocean & Sustainability” theme of the 2023 Global Leadership Program introduces their participants on how to address global issues. Furthermore, delegates took part in a DIY project using sea waste that is anticipated to reduce waste sustainably.

Velisita Depista, one of the delegates of Sanata Dharma, said that it was a pleasure getting to know other university delegates and learning about other perspectives and cultures. Global Leadership Program taught commitment and duty to the student representatives who represent Sanata Dharma University. GLP was only held for one week, but it was an extraordinary experience that will not be forgotten.

On August 25, together, the delegates took a field trip to Heping Island Park. The delegates then went sightseeing at several spots. A farewell dinner brought the event to a close. The delegates split up on the seventh day to return to their countries. 

 

Journalist: Erica Rafaella

Editor: Desca Geovani Kristi & Ruth Tirza Arina

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Journalispeak 2023 Guides Young Writers Against Clickbait and Misinformation

Mr. Simon Arsa Manggala (Vice Head of the English Letters Department) & Dulce Cicilia Sariri (Master of Ceremony) on the stage of Journalispeak 2023 taken by Erica Rafaella

September 23, 2023 – The annual Journalispeak has finally returned in 2023, with this year’s topic being “Beyond Clickbait: Countering Misinformation Through Responsible Journalism.” This year’s Journalispeak aims to teach young and upcoming journalists to understand the dangers within the world of clickbaiting and how it can misinform people around them.

Not only that, Journalispeak 2023 discussed some interesting matters that are currently circulating in the world of journalism and the consequences of clickbaiting. With the media constantly battling each other to get more clicks per rate on their pages, more media are mass-producing inaccurate information that may have consequences for those who read the article and digest the information.

Journalispeak 2023 answered the questions and even provided theories on why clickbait is getting more common in today’s era. 

Many participants were interested in the topic of this year’s Journalispeak. Some participants asked questions such as “How can I identify clickbait easily?” “Will my boss realize that I have made clickbait in my article?” and “What consequences will people receive upon breaking the rules and committing clickbait?”

Gregorius Beryl (Chairperson of Journalispeak 2023) is giving the certificate of appreciation to Mr. Ahmad Mustaqim (Honored Guest of Journalispeak 2023) in the Journalispeak 2023 stage. Picture taken by Erica Rafaella

An interview was also conducted, and we asked the Chairperson of Journalispeak 2023, Gregorius Beryl, some of his thoughts regarding this year’s event. One important question we asked was about this year’s theme and why it was chosen for this year. He explained: “We chose this topic because, in the digital age, there is lots of misinformation being spread through the internet. So, we decide to use this as the topic is that we, as journalists, have a grasp on what kinds of clickbait are and go back to the basics of becoming a responsible journalist.”

 

Journalist: Putu Beryl Putra Widyadhana

Editor: Nanda Pratama Putera Tomasila, Vonna Meisya Saputra (QC)

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The Friendly-Neighbourhood INSADHA: Is It Really Friendly or Nah?

Source: Documenta INSADHA 2023

Sanata Dharma University. On August 18, an Instagram post went viral in which INSADHA (Inisiasi Sanata Dharma) was the main focus of the topic. The headline of that post – “Emang boleh ospek kampus tapi seniornya seramah ini?” – made netizens wonder about the friendliness of INSADHA itself. Many doubted that the seniors were only friendly in front of the camera. Others believed that it was just for content and clout.

August 7, 2023, marked the beginning of INSADHA 2023 until the Inauguration Day on September 9. INSADHA has been known for the friendliness of the committee since back then. INSADHA was also known for taking care of the new students. While initiations at other universities are often done outdoors under the blazing sun, INSADHA was mainly held inside the iconic Driyarkara Auditorium.

Compassion is one of Sanata Dharma University’s core pillars, which is why it is deeply ingrained in the students’ selves. Not only that, every Sanata Dharma committee event must prioritize compassion in both mind and spirit. INSADHA has opened its doors to new students with warm smiles and laughter. Even in batch 4, which was not as intense as the previous batches, the INSADHA committees still happily welcomed this year’s students.

The history of Indonesian university initiation events has been a dreadful one. Many initiation events were rife with bullying and seniority. There were cases of seniors ordering new students to stand still under the sun for extended periods of time or shouting at them to instill fear. As such, many students were traumatized after the initiation ended. More importantly, they did not feel welcomed by the big family of their university.

On that note, it’s understandable why people have been doubting how sincerity of the INSADHA committee. Were they only being friendly in front of the new students and then talked about them behind their backs? Were they just acting nice for the camera? How much care and thought does the INSADHA committee really put into their work?

Azel, an English Letters 2022 student, recounted her experience as a group companion for this year’s INSADHA. “We were told to see the new students as our friends. We try to get rid of the seniority mindset. Like, that is the one thing we are always reminded of and always emphasized in our training sessions.”

Group Companions of INSADHA 2023. Source: Documenta INSADHA 2023

She also noted how the committee, mainly group companions, must always be joyful, even when they’re feeling low and dreadful. When asked about faking that happiness, she said, “It was hard to maintain that happy feeling on D-day, but when I met them – the new students – it felt like all my bad moods were gone. I would be cheered up again, especially if they happily greet me. So, for me, it’s not truly faking our emotions constantly.”

Helen, an English Letters 2023 student, reminisced about her experience as an INSADHA 2023 participant in batch 3. She smiled and shook her head when asked if the INSADHA committee had ever done something awful to its participants. “No, I have never seen any discrimination directed towards us by the committee. They’re all nice to me and the others. Although, I saw one of my group companions being too exhausted. Even then, he was never mean to us. Yes, he sometimes has quiet moments if he’s tired, but he tried to maintain that happy feeling throughout the event.”

Another INSADHA committee member from the security division, Ana, an English Letters 2022 student, shared that before INSADHA began, the 3rd vice chancellor gave all of the committee advice on remembering Sanata Dharma’s vision on humanism. “Humanism ideology is essentially the core of INSADHA,” Ana said.

It was hard to erase the stereotypical idea that university or school orientations always left a sour taste in people’s lives. It was logical for people to think that way if we track the records of bad orientation history in Indonesia’s institutions. However, despite people’s doubts about INSADHA being “too friendly” or “faking their friendliness,” INSADHA is a friendly and joyful (albeit exhausting) orientation based on the facts from the experiences of both the committees and new students. 

 

Journalist: Kenar Syalaisha Kanayana

Editor: Nanda Pratama Putera Tomasila, Vonna Meisya Saputra (QC)

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What Happens in the Waiting Room: Teater Seriboe Djendela’s Opening Performance Ruang Tunggu

(The performance of Ruang Tunggu actors and actresses. Left to Right, the Prisoner, the Prostitute, the Muslim Woman, the Husband, and the Wife; taken by Abraham Samuel Kalauserang and Josef Andi Setiadi)

Ruang Tunggu is the first public performance comeback of Teater Seriboe Djendela (TSD) since a hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This play was held on Sunday, September 10th 2023 at 17.00 o’clock. About 70 students from different study programs came to watch their jaw-dropping opening performance in K.22 room, Campus 1, Universitas Sanata Dharma. 

Through this play, TSD’s comeback has made its name famed once again. This could be proven by the enthusiastic applause of the audience after the curtain closed. Apart from that, what made this performance more special was that one of the scriptwriters also played as an actress in Ruang Tunggu. 

This opening performance was greatly accepted by the TSD’s audiences. The performance itself was terrific, as it left the audience stunned by all of the aspects of the performance, whether its actors and actresses, its story, or its settings. Vimala Shella from the Economic Education Department and Kenar Kanayana from the English Letters Department proved successful as scriptwriters in presenting Ruang Tunggu as a new performance adapted from a short film entitled Parlour Game by Denny Sangra. 

Ruang Tunggu tells a story about a group of people (the Muslim Woman, the Prostitute, the Husband, the Wife, and the Prisoner) stuck in a waiting room together in which the Game Master explained the possibility that one person can either have their wish come true or die by the end of the wait. As an inspired work, some minor changes were applied to its character backgrounds, such as the Husband and the Wife in which they are missing their departed instead of longing for a child they never had like the original one as explained by Kenar Syalaisha Kanayana as one of the actresses and scriptwriters.

(The QnA session of  Ruang Tunggu taken by Abraham Samuel Kalauserang and Josef Andi Setiadi)

Ayu Aprilia Dewi as the Wife and Skolastika Putri S. W. as the Prisoner, with Agnes Seraphine reading the opening and closing poem. All actors and actresses starring in the Ruang Tunggu performance went through a selection process and have undergone training to support their performance.

Even though the performance itself ran smoothly, it cannot be ignored that there were some obstacles in the making process. “The preparation took around a month. During that time, we experienced obstacles. For actors, the hardest part was trying to get into the character. Other difficulties involved technical and artistic issues,” stated Maria Vionitha, the Social Media Manager and Lighting Operator of TSD Performance.

A lot of challenges were faced in the scriptwriting process. The differences between film and play script format made it difficult for the scriptwriters to adapt. It did not stop there, there was more to it. It was a play adapted from an open-ended film which made it difficult for the audience to interpret the meaning. Kenar Syalaisha as one of the scriptwriters had to anticipate this possibility and worked harder to make the delivery as clear as possible. She hopes that the audience can interpret the meaning and the moral of the story on their own.

All in all, TSD’s first opening performance after the COVID-19 outbreak is hoped to open the path to rise again and continue the old TSD tradition established by its predecessor before COVID-19. This performance was proof of TSD’s existence with unquenchable spirits that will always be brave to hit the stage through its stories and characters.

 

 

Journalist: Valentina Pascalia

Reporter: Dulce Cicilia Sariri

Editor: Desca Geovani Kristi, Ruth Tirza Arina (QC)

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Kucing Sadhar Community: Formed to Improve Cats in Sanata Dharma University

[Photo taken by Agnes Seraphine on Friday, 23 June 2023]

[23/6/2023] Sanata Dharma – A brand-new nonprofit community named Kucing Sadhar has been formed to preserve and improve the welfare of cats inside the Sanata Dharma campus, spanning from campuses 1 through 5. This community has been developed to address the concerns of Mr. Harris Setiajid, the founder, who noticed the dilapidated condition of cats on campus and has a strong interest in animal welfare.

Kucing Sadhar’s activities are carried out by two divisions: street-feeders and well-being. The main goal of the street-feeders division is to regularly feed the cats found on campus. This crew actively engages in street feeding activities and identifies these cats by giving them collars and names. On the other hand, the well-being division prioritizes the health of ill cats by arranging for their transportation to the closest animal hospital and carrying out sterilization procedures.

Kucing Sadhar has come a long way since its founding. In order to get advice and experience for their work, the organization has already established committees and held meetings with members of the Universitas Gadjah Mada’s cat rescue community. They have also been effective in saving cats and facilitating open adoptions to place them in loving homes. 

Kucing Sadhar has planned a number of initiatives to inform the public about cats and cat care in the future. Their upcoming project includes producing educational material on Instagram, covering subjects such as correct cat feeding methods and the first actions to take when coming across a sick cat. Kucing Sadhar aims to promote ethical cat ownership and reach a larger audience through social media. 

The leader of the Kucing Sadhar community, Anya Keisha Natalie, is eager about continuing to produce learning materials on cat welfare. “The community’s objective is motivating people to actively take part in enhancing animal care, both on campus and in the larger community. Through our outreach programs, the Sadhar’s Cat Community hopes to have a long-lasting influence on how people view and treat animals,” she said.

The Kucing Sadhar community wants to inspire people to act on improving the welfare of animals by educating and encouraging them to share their knowledge and views. The community is dedicated to extending its educational activities outside of the campus, realizing the need to do so.

The community does, however, face certain difficulties, with member commitment being a major concern. The people that make up the Kucing Sadhar community must continue to be committed and diligent in their work because it is a non-profit organization. Anya Keisha Natalie emphasizes the value of maintaining a steadfast dedication to the cause in order to make sure that the community’s objectives and activities can be successfully sustained. 

Furthermore, according to Jessica Ninda Kalistya Putri, a member and the social media editor for Kucing Sadhar, the student’s awareness of cats has increased significantly. “As for the impact, I saw there were some students feeding stray cats in the Realino Field.” In addition, Anya said, “We don’t want to affect just the members of the community, but also all students of the Sanata Dharma Campus through our Instagram account.” She then added, “Knowing the existence of the cats in Sanata Dharma Campus is fair enough for us.”

As a member of the Kucing Sadhar community, Jessica stated, “I like cats, for sure, but I have become a member of this community. Therefore, I have to be responsible with my job description to take care of the cats, especially for some challenges I face in this community.”

Lastly, Anya and Jessica hope that through this community, the awareness of the cats, especially for the stray cats can grow within the members and the students. In addition, they also hope that the well-being of the cats can be maintained and students and cats can coexist together.

Journalist: Erica Rafaella

Editor: Nanda Pratama Putera Tomasila & Ruth Tirza Arina (QC)

Reporter: Dulce Cicilia Sariri

 

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Harsa 2023 Honest Review: Discussion with Teater Seriboe Djendela

The cast of Harsa 2023 (taken by Ina Galuh Susetyawati)

Sanata Dharma University – The eagerly awaited yearly event of the English Letters Department finally returned for the second self-produced musical play performance, Harsa 2023. Taking the motto “Happiness doesn’t always come around,” Harsa 2023 follows the story of the prestigious and “happy” Harsa family whose members are each facing internal conflicts in their own stages of life. The oldest daughter in the family, Dira, is the most distant member of the family and becomes the center of this year’s play performance. 

Departing from the Moon at Noon 2022 review, our journalist team wants to continue capturing the progress of the play and envision its future potentials. Together with the team of Teater Seriboe Djendela (Pakde Agathon, Sean, Deska, Vero, Ida, and EB), we held a post-performance discussion to the following honest review of Harsa 2023. First, we would like to mention that these critiques should not be taken at face value, but should be filtered and considered along with the realistic limitations that the committee went through during the preparation of the play (e.g., money, time, human resources, etc.).

Let’s begin with the good.

THE GOOD

To start off, we should very much applaud the genius paradoxical and symbolic concept written by the scriptwriters of the play. The word “Harsa,” as mentioned by the masters of ceremonies, is derived from the Javanese Sanskrit word that means happiness. However, the story is filled with unhappy occurrences, such as facing gender stereotypes, sexual identity, poverty, infidelity, divorce, break ups, and the loss of a loved one. 

This may represent the existential issue that the audience widely feels with names. Names hold expectations to be fulfilled even though it does not always fit who we truly are in reality. When it comes to the limit, these expectations may become a burden or even “ammunition” that hurts us in return.

Compared to last year’s play performance, an improvement can be seen through the selection of a theme that is more focused on one element: family. This results in a deeper significance of the story. The depicted ups and downs of the Harsa family are also relatable to the audience as it explores the issues experienced by each member of the family and their point of view toward each other’s issue. 

For example, each child has a different response to the divorce of Ayu and Indra, the Harsa parents. Janu tries so hard to mend his parents’ relationship and hopes highly that the divorce will not happen. Naraya becomes gradually pessimistic and silent as she is overwhelmed by the whole situation. Dira chooses to burst out her anger and escape through drinking. The dynamic between them represents the similar struggle that we might feel in facing the different personalities of our own family members.

Aside from the main story, the all-out energy of the actors and actresses in the play is also worth acknowledging. Their stamina and endurance to act, sing, and dance throughout the performance shows just how much practice they had in the 9 months of preparation.

Lastly, our appreciation also goes to the property and setting team for their attention to detail. In the scene of Apollo band practice, we almost thought that the speakers, amplifiers, and guitars were all real! Only when we took a closer look did we realize that they are made of styrofoam. From this, we can also see their effort to provide a realistic experience of the play.

THE BAD

The pacing of the story and the characters’ development felt unearned and seemed lacking in effort. They were trying to tackle many issues within the span of approximately one-hour performance, and it was reasonable for them to try to include each of the characters’ issues. But in the end, all of those issues weren’t solved evenly. Everything felt very rushed. The issues could be explored more if the story only focused on one or two conflicts, for example, the reason Dira distances herself from her family or the rocky relationship between Ayu and Indra.

Another impact of the rushed storyline was Dira’s death in the end. The loss of Dira felt dull because there was no conclusion to her character growth. It felt like Dira’s characterization changed 180° in a second, from a distant, selfish, and self-centered person to suddenly a kind and caring one, and her death didn’t resolve anything. The music and the actors’ acting were good, but Dira’s death felt like it existed just for the sake of the story being sad without nuance behind it.

Even though Harsa 2023 is a musical performance, unfortunately, the musical aspect was not the strongest element. The music only served as an ice-breaking moment in between scenes. When there was a full dialogue scene, it’d be better to use instrumental music to emphasize the emotions. The tense arguing family scene, or the ones where Dira and her friends had a fight, could have a short riff of a guitar or piano being played over and over.

The choice of music genre throughout the play could also use some improvements. One minute the audience was immersed in the chilling and mystique moment of the opening, where they saw the spirit of Dira and her family frozen in the background in a grieving state, and suddenly all hell broke loose with The Greatest Showman, a thundering and grandiose song, being performed. It can also be noted that not all actors should be singing even if it’s a musical performance. It was quite unnerving when Dira’s mom held the spotlight in the Born This Way scene, where the spotlight was supposed to be about Naraya and Dira.

One common knowledge about theater is to over-dramatize everything. Aside from being expressive, the actors need to make big gestures on stage so the audience can understand their emotions based on body language. Though, the dramatization in Harsa 2023 was overdone. When the actors try hard to sell strong emotions, it can be quite hard to connect with them because it isn’t realistic.

The ending scene, where all the characters aside from Dira, were crying hard was a bit difficult to watch. The scene took a really long time and was too dramatic. Not all people grieve by crying hard. There are many ways for people to show their grief. For example, they can suddenly feel numbness in their body, their brain can’t really catch up with all that’s happening, and they just stare at everything and everyone with hollow eyes.

Continuing about the over-dramatization, it was worth noting that the choreography in Harsa 2023 was solid. However, musical theatre is not about actors acting and singing separately. Harsa 2023 felt like a concert sprinkled with acting in the way, grand choreography, and solid singing from the actors.

Musical theater is a theater that has musicality as the element. However, it is still theater in essence. The narration has to be well built between the narration and the music. Music and acting should go hand in hand in harmony. It was okay not to use choreography for musical scenes. A scene in which the Harsa family gathered around the dinner table after The Greatest Showman performance could be played differently by having the characters talking casually on a singing note.

As for the technical aspect, it was unfortunate that in some scenes, the microphones were not working properly, though kudos to the actors who still continued to wonderfully sing and act!

Apart from the microphone problem, a few lights were also being turned on out of nowhere, and the sudden brightness from those lights was not pleasant. Nevertheless, the lighting work in Harsa 2023 looked absolutely glamorous overall.

In the end, all appreciation and praise should be given to the entire Harsa 2023 team. This year’s performance showed a huge improvement from the previous one. The details in the properties were absolutely brilliant. The make up, hair, and costume were good, and the lighting made the performance look even more grand. All in all, the talent, passion, and dedication of the entire Harsa 2023 team will be acknowledged forever. 

 

Journalist: Agnes Seraphine, Kenar S. Kanayana

Editor: Nanda Pratama Putera Tomasila, Ruth Tirza Arina (QC)

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Sastra Spotlight Vol. 1:The Shine of The Rising Star

The performers and crew of Sastra Spotlight vol. 1 (taken by: Farrel, documentation section of Sastra Spotlight vol. 1)

Sastra Spotlight, the first-ever platform for literature enthusiasts under the Lit Collective Community first formed in May 2023 at the Beringin area Student Hall, Campus I. Sanctuary of Unease was chosen to be the theme of the Sastra Spotlight held on June 9, 2023. The topic encourages people to communicate their discomfort, anxiety, and other challenging emotions that they have felt safe and confident enough to share.

Angel Tevina Santoso, the Vice Person of the Lit Collective community, stated, “This event was made as a safe place for participants to express themselves in any form, and we hope that many people will appreciate literature more and the future events will run smoothly.” At this event, the atmosphere was enjoyable and informative, which made the attendees’ enthusiasm for literature grow just as the hope of the community.

Alexander Deska Pedestrian, one of the performers, described the event’s surroundings as energetic but added that everyone who participated in it—both audiences and performers—applied appropriate restraint to ensure nothing untoward occurred. The Sastra Spotlight Vol. 1 crew did a great job planning the event so that everything went well and was enjoyable.

Seanpaul Lapudooh, one of the performers, performed spoken word poetry “Hope” in Sastra Spotlight vol. 1 (taken by: Farrel, documentation section of Sastra Spotlight vol. 1)

The event opened with special performances by ELMO and Bengkel Sastra. The performers enlivened the event with their performances. The performances ranged from spoken word poetry, poetry reading, story-telling, and monologues, to musical performances, which added a colorful way to express themselves. Moreover, there was a “Tirta Session”, which allowed anyone to leave anonymous stories later read by the MC, adding to the event’s excitement. 

The performers displayed their best selves, and the whole thing was thrilling. “This is an excellent forum for people who have a passion for literature so they can express themselves. Our hope is never to stop pursuing what makes you happy, no matter how difficult it can be,” said Sean Lapudooh, who performed a spoken word poetry titled “Hope” at the event. 

In the event, the audience was free to show their support, took some documentation, and were allowed to munch in addition. They were even suggested to swing by the Elite Fundraiser tenant to grab some snacks and drinks while watching the performance. Along with the presence of the students, several lecturers joined in attending the performances and enlivening the audience’s mood.

 

 

Journalist: Erica Rafaella 

Reporter: Dulce Cicilia Sariri

Editor: Yohana Satvika Wahyuveda & Ruth Tirza Arina (QC)

 

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JDF Open: The Collaborative Debate Competition with EDS

(The JDF Open winner announcement. Picture was taken by Dulce on 28 March 2023)

May 28, 2023 – After the last two years being held online, the JDF Open debate competition is finally held offline in collaboration with Sanata Dharma’s English Debate Society (EDS). The collaboration between both institutions has become the reason Sadhar Open this year is quite different from previous years. Together, the two institutes merged into JDF OPEN, a debate contest open to the public. 

Natasha Mariana, project manager of the JDF OPEN and the president of the English Debate Club (EDS) of Sanata Dharma University, explained that the collaboration between EDS and JDF happened since JDF was looking for an institute that would hold their upcoming event, and together both institutions merged as one. 

The JDF Open has brought a lot of excitement from the participants and judges who attended the event. Around 24 teams have participated in this event so they themselves can be crowned the debate winner of this year’s JDF Open. Lots of students came from universities such as the University of Indonesia (UI), UNIR, and the University of Gadjah Madha (UGM). Not only that, the judges that attended the exchange

came from prestigious universities such as Krisantus Danu Risanto representing Sanata Dharma, Astri Agustina representing UGM, and Hezron Kowardi representing UI. 

The teams are also given the liberty to name their team and make an alias for themselves. interesting teams that appeared on the rosters, such as team Anjing, I Want Fischl to Zap me 🥵⚡️, and 米秦 冰淇淋🍦. However, in all seriousness, the competition winner is from team 米秦 冰淇淋🍦, whose two members are Jeffrey Prawira Assaji and Desarnado Bagas Ellasa.

In this year’s event, JDF Open has no particular theme, except for the themes for each round, such as technology, relationships, and many more interesting and philosophical topics. Therefore, the participants are free to choose which topic to cover for this upcoming debate competition. The participants are given freedom for their theme, so they can debate as their heart desires. The judges will rate the winner based on their presented argument on the topic they have chosen for themselves, how it can be used in real-life scenarios, and how they elaborate their arguments on stage.

The event itself was a success, and the top two finalists were crowned in first and second place, respectively. From this joint event, EDS hopes that they can further improve their event, doing more collaboration with more debate institutions all over Indonesia, and can be a stepping stone for them to be known and proliferate outside of Sanata Dharma University. 

This event has brought a lot of valuable lessons for the EDS Club itself since all the members acted as coordinators for the event rather than the ones who are participating. The only suggestion they hope to realize for the next event is for the event proposal to be much quicker so they could use their time much more efficiently.

One of the participants from the public category Muhammad Zufar Farhan Zuhdi revealed that he was able to take part in this event because the marketing promotion team has used media broadcasts and the previous JDF Open WhatsApp group competitions as their promotion media. After registering himself, Farhan, as his nickname, was doing some preparation for the competition, such as practicing, reading various current issues in the media, and watching debate competitions that have done it before. 

In addition, when answering the opposing team’s arguments, Farhan said, “I don’t have any specific strategy. It’s just that if the opponent says A, then we have to reply with A minus. The important thing is we can search for detailed and structured answers so that the judges could understand.”

As a participant from outside Sanata Dharma University, Farhan stated, “I’m satisfied with the debate competition this year. I can get excited about this year’s debate.” Farhan also expressed his happiness at attending the event, he added, “Especially since this is the first year of offline competition after the previous years it was held online.”

For instance, he has taken part in the event each year and is impressed by how the Sadhar Open has grown and transformed from an online competition to an offline competition. According to him, the debate motions this year were quite challenging, so it made him obtain new insights from the answers of the opposing team and feedback from the judges. 

Although Farhan did not have big hopes for this year’s tournament because he just wanted to enjoy the occasion since the excitement of the offline debate could be felt again this year. He was also delighted with his accomplishment of placing second in the competition. Overall, he is pleased to be there for the accomplishments as well as the event’s dynamic and enjoyable atmosphere. He also praised this year’s debate competition that was held by the EDS Club, “This event was pretty well executed even though I understand that the organizer of this event is still in college and doesn’t have much experience because lately it’s been so much online.” He also praised the committees’ efforts in terms of the room arrangement, welcoming participants, logistics, and various supports for the participants and judges.

Farhan’s suggestion is that next year’s debate competition will be livelier, and he also hopes that there will be more teams that will take part so that the competition can be more exciting. “Even though there were 24 teams–and that was quite a lot–if you can add more, maybe up to 40 teams, the event can be even more exciting,” he said.

 

Journalist: Putu Beryl Putra Widyadhana

Reporter: Dulce Cicilia Sariri

Editor: Nanda Pratama Putera Tomasila, Vonna Meisya Saputra (QC)

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Avis Puppet Show: Puppet Making Back in Action

Four members of Avis Puppet Show from left to right: Ajeng, Tata, Putri, and Sandra (picture taken by Putu Beryl P.W.)

Sanata Dharma University. Lounging around the third floor of the Faculty of Letters building, four members of Avis Puppet Show were spotted preparing for their new puppetry project this year. 

Ajeng Suci Hati, the leader of Avis Puppet Show, confirmed that this year’s puppet show theme would be summertime. The storyline would follow the puppets going on a vacation to the beach. Unfortunately, during the trip, rain starts pouring down, so the puppets are forced to take shelter until the rain dies down. After that, the puppets continue their trip and have a nightly campfire.

As for the idea that inspired her to make the story, Ajeng mused, “I just thought of the very warm weather of Jogja lately, and I also like the idea of rain in the evening.”

According to her, the puppetry project used to be held at least once a year. The only difference between this year’s and last year’s puppet shows was the making of the puppets. 

“Last year, we just bought already-made puppets and made a video project with them,” Ajeng said. Last year’s theme was the biblical-themed Samaritan story. “You can watch last year’s puppet show through our YouTube channel, Avis Puppetry,” she added.

Ajeng noted that puppet-making could take around two weeks if Avis’s members worked on the puppets every day. Since college is a priority, alongside other non-college stuff few members need to do, they could only make puppets when they have the time, so two months is more or less the planned duration for making the puppets.

“For this year’s setting, we already have an idea. Last year we used spray paints. Now, we want to use acrylic paint to try to save some time making the setting,” said Ajeng.

The struggle of making the puppets so far was the recent Avis members’ lack of knowledge of puppet making. “Avis is an underrated student activity unit in the English Letters Department. “A few of our members, who mainly are already in their last semester, aren’t active anymore in Avis’s activity. So, there isn’t much knowledge passed down to us about puppet making,” Ajeng said.

Even though the lack of members also caused the lack of labour in making the puppets and sometimes caused inconsistency, Ajeng was glad Avis’s activity was still organized.

When asked about what she is hoping for this year’s show, Ajeng wishes that this project is going to be a success and end up as well as they expected.

 

 

Journalist: Kenar Syalaisha Kanayana

Editor: Nanda Pratama Putera Tomasila, Vonna Meisya Saputra (QC)

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Current News

Lustrum: Literary Person, Faculty of Letters, and Global Citizen

Faculty of Letters’ Lustrum Webinar

In commemoration of the 30th Dies Natalis, the Faculty Letters of Sanata Dharma conducted a webinar with the theme “Tanggung Jawab Insan Sastra Sebagai Global Citizen dalam Merespon Permasalahan Dunia” on April 3rd, from 09.00-11.30 a.m. The webinar has two sessions and was moderated by FX. Risang Baskara, M.Hum. and was attended by more than two hundred participants.

In the first session, the webinar was opened by a speaker from Gadjah Mada University Prof. Heddy Shri Ahimsa-Putra, M.A., M.PhilPh.D. who discussed the connection between ethnography and literature. He explained how ethnography could be continuous with literature and recommended a book on the development of literary ethnography by Claude Levi-Strauss.

The second session was led by a lecturer of Sanata Dharma Prof. Dra. Novita Dewi, M.S., M.A. (Hons.), Ph.D.  The theme of her segment was “Mencintai Indonesia, Merawat Sastra.” Discussions about genres in literature, periods of literature in Indonesia, and Indonesian authors were some of the key points to summarize the second segment.

In her discussion, she recommended five books that are considered mandatory for literary persons.  Those books included:

  1. Aku by Sjuman Djaya
  2. Orang-Orang Bloomington by Budi Darma
  3. Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk by Ahmad Tohari
  4. Dari Ave Maria ke Jalan Lain ke Roma by Idrus
  5. Bumi Manusia by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

 

Rm. Heri Setyawan, S.J., S.S., M.A., the Person in Charge (PIC) of this webinar, stated that the selection of this theme was raised from our awareness as people who studied literature and who were sensitive to issues in the world. We needed to respond to these issues in a way we could channel our abilities and understanding. 

“The process of selecting the theme of this 6th Lustrum is by searching for a contextual theme. This theme was chosen because this theme reflects our role as a literary person as part of the Faculty of Letters and also as a global citizen,” Rm. Heri Setyawan stated.

The significance of this webinar’s theme as a part of the Lustrum series is a reminder that a literary person is also part of a global citizen with the same responsibility to contribute knowledge to solve global concerns. This topic was selected with the hope that literary people can realize their position and presence as global citizens to have the responsibility to contribute in solving global concerns with an academic and educated point of view.

 

Journalist: Valentina Pascalia & Erica Rafaella

Editor: Yohana Satvika Wahyuveda, Ruth Tirza Arina (QC)