On February 25, the American Studies Students and Alumni Association (ASSAA) held a weekly online discussion to discuss this year’s Charity Act event. Every year, ASSAA holds Charity Act activities as one of the realizations of the Tridharma of Higher Education, namely in the field of Community Service by providing services to the community by utilizing the knowledge and skills gained during study.

In the last 2 editions, Charity Act activities have focused on environmental awareness and cultural development. In the ASSAA 2023 Charity Act entitled “Resilience of the Pandowoharjo Community through the Development of Culturally Based Integrated Tourism Villages”, in this activity, students focus on providing an overview and education to the Pandowoharjo community regarding insights and practical guidance in overcoming the challenges of developing environmental and cultural-based tourism villages in the era of globalization. In this activity, the Charity Act Team provides exposure and practical guidance related to aspects of Personal Branding in marketing tourist villages digitally, aspects of Social Media Utilization in creating content related to the theme of natural tourist villages, as well as aspects of Multi-Language Access in translating documents as facilities and marketing tools for tourist villages. Then proceed with the translation activity of the Pandowoharjo tourist village brochure document which is used as a marketing tool.

In the ASSA Charity Act 2022 entitled “Eco-Pesantren”: Instilling a Critical Mindset and Awareness of the 3Rs (Recycle, Reduce and Reuse) in Santri Pondok Pesantren Modern Tazakka. Aims to increase the awareness of santri of a healthy or environmentally friendly environment. This activity was carried out through a series of activities that focused on instilling a critical mindset and awareness of the importance of knowledge about the 3Rs: Recycle, Reduce and Reuse. The students are trained to solve real environmental and waste problems such as; the closure of the TPU because the waste collected has exceeded capacity. The results of the discussion, which are solutions to the problem, are then made into a mind-map and the activity participants present the solution ideas from each group in front of other activity participants.

This Charity Act activity is supposed to not only contribute the knowledge possessed by Master of American Studies students, but also make people aware of the importance of environmental and cultural awareness. It is hoped that this year’s Charity Act activities can be held successfully as before, and provide many benefits to the wider community.

On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) 2024 program organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) for students in Indonesian universities, announced the final selection of the IISMA 2024 selection process. Faculty of Humanities UGM in 2024 managed to produce 15 outstanding students who passed the final selection of IISMA 2024. The students come from a number of study programs of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, namely, Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Korean Language and Culture, Arabic Literature, English Literature, and Indonesian Language and Literature.

The Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program is a mobility scholarship program held by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) for higher education students for one semester to undergo lectures at partner universities abroad. The program aims to develop communication, experience international cross-cultural exposure, increase networking opportunities, and hone individual abilities through lectures and courses taken at partner universities. Faculty of Humanities UGM has successfully sent a number of students since the IISMA program opened in 2021 to various partner universities located in various continental regions and countries such as Great Britain, Ireland, Europe, and Asia.

In 2024, there were 15 FIB UGM students who passed the final stage of the IISMA 2024 selection, namely:
1. Annaylafayza Azizah Azzahra (Cultural Anthropology ’21) = Mahidol University
2. Grace Michelle Phoebe Halim (Cultural Anthropology’22) = National University of Singapore
3. Bernadien Pramudita Tantya Kirana (Cultural Anthropology’22) = Sapienza Università di Roma
4. Realino Arya Pradipa (Cultural Anthropology’21) = Università di Pisa
5. Ananda Ariyani Agita Barus (Archaeology’21) = Université de Caen Normandie
6. Jocelyn (Korean Language and Culture’21) = University of Zagreb
7. Khasan Maulani Kiromim Baroroh (Arabic Literature’21) = University of Zagreb
8. Benedicta Angie Azaria Prasetyo Rahayu (English Literature’22) = Korea University
9. In Kristi Tikam Tirani (English Literature’21) = Mahidol University
10. Angely (English Literature’21) = National Taiwan University
11. Neysa Nasywa (English Literature’21) = Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
12. Erlangga Satrio Bintoro (English Literature’21) = University College Cork
13. Azizah Putri Chandra Kusuma (English Literature’22) = Universita degli Studi di Siena
14. Raden Roro Rachma Amalia Putri (English Literature’22) = Vytautas Magnus University
15. Imtiyaz Putri Hanifa (Indonesian Language and Literature’21) = University College Dublin

On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM held an online socialization of the FIB UGM 2024 Work Outcome Targets (TCK) by inviting a number of heads of undergraduate and postgraduate study programs at FIB UGM, lecturers, Department / Study Program administrators, and part-time staff. The TCK socialization aims to determine the achievement goals in the performance of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. This TCK was developed into the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan which was then elaborated in the Strategic Plan Program (Renstra). A number of Renstra 2023-2026 programs include partnership cooperation in tridharma activities involving students and lecturers, development of an integrated innovation ecosystem, increasing recognition of study program excellence at the national and international levels, strengthening outstanding students, developing research resources and research that can be utilized by the community, and others.

The presentation began with remarks by the Deputy Dean for Finance, Assets, and Human Resources, Suray Agung Nugroho, S.S., M.A., Ph.D., who also explained to the invited guests about the overall Work Achievement Targets which included the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, Strategic Plan programs, performance indicators, and targets collected. The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan program also applies to be fulfilled for each study program and department at FIB UGM. The socialization of TCK FIB UGM 2024 is expected to provide important information about detailed steps and efforts to all parties involved to improve the quality of education and Tridharma at FIB UGM and Universitas Gadjah Mada.

On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, Archaeology students of Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM participated in an online workshop titled, “Borobudur World Heritage Site in Cultural Landscape Portrait” held by UNESCO Jakarta. This online workshop invited students from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Tidar University, and Atma Jaya University. This activity aims to enable students to learn more about the impact and influence of Borobudur Temple on the cultural landscape in the area around Borobudur Temple, both tangible and intangible in the scope of culture.

The digital workshop began with a speech by Ms. Moe Chiba, Head of the Culture Unit, UNESCO Jakarta. Followed by presentation sessions by Heri Setiawan from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education Indonesia, Cultural Heritage Museum, Panji Kusumah from the Eksotika Desa community, hosted by Hairus Salim, Anthropologist from Universitas Gadjah Mada. An introduction to the impact and influence of Borobudur Temple on the cultural landscape was reflected on the history and efforts made. The preservation of Borobudur Temple as a cultural heritage, whether for local, national, or international communities through the designation of world heritage by UNESCO No. 592 in 1991.

The uniqueness of Borobudur Temple in its designation as a world heritage site by UNESCO is in the criteria that have been achieved. Generally, a cultural heritage site is designated as world heritage by fulfilling one of the ten cultural criteria, but Borobudur Temple fulfills three criteria (criteria 1, criteria 2, and criteria 6). The criteria achieved build Borobudur world heritage in a historical narrative that represents the brilliance of the creativity of the Borobudur community in its history of building the temple along with the cultural traditions of local values that are still inherent. This uniqueness is also supported by the existence of rural areas around the temple area which also provides unique characteristics of Borobudur Temple.

Rina Kurana Awom is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Literature and Culture at the University of Papua, Manokwari. Coming from the Biak tribe in West Papua, Rina is currently pursuing her PhD in Humanities (Study of Oral Traditions) at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Her story reflects an academic journey filled with challenges and courage.

Rina’s decision to continue her studies at UGM is not her first time. After completing her undergraduate degree at Cenderawasih University in 2005, she immediately pursued her master’s degree at UGM, encouraged by her mother. Although initially intending to gain work experience, Rina received a scholarship from the Center for Education and Training for Women of the Evangelical Christian Church in Papua Land (P3W GKI), which further strengthened her academic journey to pursue her master’s degree. After successfully completing her master’s degree in 2008, Rina felt confident to return to UGM for her PhD due to its academic reputation and the comfort she felt in Yogyakarta. Additionally, the support of professional lecturers in her field of interest and the availability of the Humanities PhD program at FIB UGM were her main reasons.

After living in Yogyakarta, Rina feels very comfortable and safe. She has felt this comfort since her master’s studies in 2005. Although Yogyakarta is becoming more crowded, the friendliness of the locals and affordable living costs make her feel at home. Rina is glad to be able to worship peacefully in churches that are accessible. However, she experienced culture shock, especially in understanding directions and finding accommodation, as local people generally use terms like west, east, north, and south to show directions.

During her time at UGM, Rina focused more on academic activities. However, FIB UGM provided her with opportunities to participate in activities such as Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and local research with the Center for Policy Studies and Population (PSKK) UGM, enriching her academic experience.

Rina recommends FIB UGM as a study option for her friends in Papua. She sees many positive changes and developments at UGM, especially with the “Kampus Rakyat” slogan. The supportive campus environment, continuously evolving facilities, and competent lecturers make UGM an ideal place to pursue education. The affordable cost of living and the friendliness of the entire campus community add to the positive experience of studying at UGM.

With all the experiences and support she has received, Rina feels that Yogyakarta has become a “home away from home” for her, providing comfort and opportunities for growth amidst the challenges of living far from her hometown.