The orientation program for new students at Universitas Gadjah Mada (PPSMB) will take place starting from July 31 to August 12, 2023, under the new name PPSMB Pionir and the theme “Gadjah Mada Initiative, Accelerating the Nation’s Civilization.”
“The previous PPSMB Palapa, which aimed to introduce the academic culture at UGM while ensuring no violence from senior students to junior students, has been going on since 2012. So why now, we call it ‘Pionir?’ We want to focus on building initiatives among students,” said Director of Student Affairs, Dr. Sindung Tjahyadi, on Thursday (20/7).
One fundamental difference between PPSMB Palapa and PPSMB Pionir is the elimination of assignments. All activities will be maximized during the event, so Gamada (new students of UGM) will not have to bring any tasks home.
“The internalization of values will be through games and activities that Gamada will participate in. PPSMB Pionir applies the initiative to study happily and without assignments,” added Dr. Tjahyadi.
It covers activities conducted at the university level, faculty level, soft skills training, and action plan. The program is focused on introducing academic culture to Gamada through interesting methods that do not exert pressure.
“These students are just about to enter and adapt. We designed this learning process as gently as possible, without any violence, enabling the easy absorption of material by students. Through joyful atmospheres, we hope that creative ideas will emerge, and they will become initiators,” said dentist Dr. Hendri Susanto, chair of the PPSMB Task Force.
The culture of seniority and violence has been built for years during student orientation. PPSMB has been striving to eliminate this culture for the past ten years, emphasizing more in-depth material exploration without pressure from seniors.
Though this effort cannot immediately produce significant results, through consistency over the years, PPSMB has finally presented a pleasant and non-violent learning method.
After six days of learning, Gamada will implement UGM values by directly engaging with the community through the action plan.
This program round has been initiated in the last four years as an advanced learning experience for the new students to interact with the community.
“In simple terms, it is considered a Mini Community Service. Gamada will be grouped into one team and provided with facilities, with the hope that they can build interactions with the community. This also becomes a learning platform for Gamada,” added the chair.
Author: Tasya