Yogyakarta, 20th of May 2024 – Wayang kulit, a traditional art recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Human Cultural Heritage, has high historical, philosophical, and artistic value. The art of puppet is considered one of the pinnacles of Javanese culture, so it is important for the younger generation to recognize, understand, and preserve this noble heritage.

In order to deepen the understanding of shadow puppets, the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program organized a field study for the Puppet Literature course on May 16, 2024. This activity was held at the Sonobudoyo Museum in Yogyakarta, giving students the opportunity to see puppets and manuscripts related to puppets.

This field study was attended by students participating in the Puppet Literature course and guided by the lecturers, namely R. Bima Slamet Raharja, S.S., M.A., and Dr. Rudy Wiratama, S.I.P., M.A. During the activity, students had direct access to observe various puppet collections and manuscripts related to wayang kulit. The enthusiasm of the students was visible throughout this activity, showing their interest in knowing more about the cultural wealth of the nation.

The output of this field study is not only a presentation of what has been learned but also an introduction and growth of love and pride for the nation’s culture. In addition, this activity is expected to add experience and become a means of developing the scientific competence of the participants. Thus, the field course is in line with the fourth point of the sustainable development goals, namely improving the quality of education within the scope of the preservation and development of the nation’s culture.

Friday, June 7, 2024, as part of the routine activities held by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Friday Ceria, FIB Sehat again accompanied educators, lecturers, and academic community to undergo a healthy life routine. This routine morning activity as usual has five types of activities available: Line Dance, healthy gymnastics, table tennis and badminton, Fitness/Gym, and healthy walking.

On a Friday morning full of excitement and the good feeling of exercising together, the academic community and teaching staff of FIB UGM were eager to pursue their respective sports that they liked. Activities such as table tennis and badminton on the Open Stage and Hallway of Prof. Dra. Siti Baroroh Baried Building (Building A), added to the excitement of Friday Ceria, Healthy FIB on Friday, June 7. This activity is also part of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM’s commitment to implement work-life balance to increase the happiness and welfare of teaching staff and academic community as well as increase productivity that is mentally and physically healthy.

Friday, May 31, 2024, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM held a routine activity of Cheerful Friday, Healthy FIB held in the yard of FIB UGM. The routine activity in the morning was attended by all teaching staff and lecturers of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM with five types of activities available: Line Dance, healthy gymnastics, table tennis and badminton, Fitness/Gym, and healthy walking.

Starting at 07.00 WIB, the academic community with an atmosphere of enthusiasm underwent various types of sports activities available with joy. This activity is not only to improve health and physical fitness, but also to strengthen relationships with the extended family of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. Exercising together is a commitment to promote physical and mental health and well-being among the academic community.

On Monday, June 3, 2024, Public Relations of Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM had the opportunity to interview one of the students of Faculty of Cultural Sciecnes UGM, Haybah Shabira, who successfully passed the Semifinal selection of Student Debate League organized by PT IDN Media on May 31, 2024. The Student Debate League competition was held to celebrate the tenth anniversary of PT IDN Times as well as an initiative to encourage students’ ability to think critically and express their opinions and aspirations as a young generation. The competition invited a number of universities such as Diponegoro University, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, Telkom University, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Mataram University, Bogor Agricultural University, Padjajaran University, and others, to participate in the debate competition.

As a student of Archaeology UGM Class of 2023 from Aceh, Haybah has been involved in the world of competitive debate since the beginning of the first semester through participating in the Gadjah Mada Debating Society (GMDS) UGM and has participated in various English debate and Indonesian debate competitions. At the Student Debate League competition, he was initially interested in registering for the competition, but because the quota of representatives from the debate organization he joined was filled early, he was unable to register directly. Fortunately, one of the representatives withdrew and Haybah immediately took her place to have the opportunity to run as a representative.

As one of the representatives of the GMDS UGM organization, Haybah joined a team consisting of two different faculty students Nawfal Aulia Luthfurrahman from the Faculty of Economics and Business Class of 2023 and Meira Davina Jasmine from the Faculty of Law Class of 2023. Despite being from different faculties, they were still excited to compete together.

During the competition, they conducted research on debate motions that had been used in previous debate competitions as a learning reference. After conducting research, they will compile arguments and divide their respective work roles such as the role of the first speaker who presents the basic direction of the debate, followed by the next speaker who presents problem identification, and the last speaker who provides a solution presentation.

“So, we have a solid and clear structure for our debate and until the preparation for the final, nothing has changed, except maybe coaching from our seniors at GMDS UGM,” said Haybah explaining the preparation for the final stage.

With the final stage held on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at IDN Media Headquarters, DKI Jakarta, Haybah and members of the Student Debate League team are now representing Gadjah Mada University to compete with Bogor Agricultural University.

“I want to prove that, you know, the result of UGM’s upbringing and make UGM proud and inspire my friends, especially from my neighborhood in Aceh to encourage the courage of my friends that if you lose it’s okay, because you will reach the level that you are capable enough to reach that level.” Haybah answered about her hopes and enthusiasm to share inspiration for her friends and students to dare to try to jump into the competition.

n Sunday, May 19, 2024, the Directorate of Students Affairs UGM held an activity to develop and empower the management of student organizations of Universitas Gadjah Mada through a series of two-day activities, namely the “Leadership School of UGM Student Organization Management”. The leadership school, which was held on Saturday, May 18, 2024 and Sunday, May 19, 2024, provided an opportunity for representatives of organization administrators to gain knowledge on how to become a leader as a student and proper communication and governance of student organizations. The two-day event was held at Auditorium Mandiri 4th floor, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM.

On the second day, Sunday, a student of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM representing the Gadjah Mada Debating Society UGM, I Putu Adhimas Radiansyah Aryawan, participated in the Leadership School activities which began with the initial material, namely Event Management and Sponsorship by the two speakers, Bambang Paningron and Berchman Heroe. In this material session, both speakers explained the importance of structured and planned event management, because some of the successful events began with careful and thorough planning. In the next presentation session, the Code of Student Activities was presented by Mrs. Desi Yulianti, S.E., M.Acc., Head of Subdirectorate of Student Organizations, Facilities, and Welfare, together with Mr. Mugiyarto, S.IP., Coordinator of Student Organizations and Activities, Directorate of Student Affairs UGM. This was followed by a session on Innovation, Creativity, and Curriculum Development and a closing session on SME Internal Quality Audit.

At the end of the event, the participants were given a group quiz to answer ten questions about leadership, organizations, and UGM official institutions. As a representative of the organization, Radiansyah hoped that the Leadership School would be a place of knowledge and a new beginning for student organizations and leaders who are the originators of innovation and creativity.