The Way Senior Student Welcomes the Freshmen

The morning sun began to blister when a number of students who are members of the Student Council Department held a mat at the campus garden, precisely in front of the Central Academic Building, Tuesday (08/08/2017). Not only mats, they also equipped with notebooks and registration forms, including shade tents and other knickknacks.

In a shady campus garden, the students who are average college in semesters 3 and 5 are sitting in groups in every corner of the place. Smiles and greetings they are visible when one or two new students come to the simple booth of each majors.

As the stock market, the atmosphere of the day was noisy. Even the occasional shout of a student booth promoter promoting their department.

This welcoming tradition a is commonly done by seniors during the admission season and re-enrollment of new students on Independent Exam selection path (SPMB Mandiri). The difference is, when it was the  new student acceptance period a lot of seniors welcoming prospective student by offering tutoring (bimbel), while on the re-registration of new students period, the seniors welcomed the freshmen to follow the orientation period, named Introduction to Academic Culture (PBAK).

It was seen in one of the department booths where the seniors seemed busy serving the new students who came. In addition to processing registration and explaining PBAK, the freshmen are also directed on the requirements to be followed during the PBAK.

Interestingly, the welcoming of new students by seniors is not only for PBAK introduction, there are also those who receive while opening new major at once. Like what Department of Communication and Islamic Broadcasting (KPI) in the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication Science did, when they opened PBAK registration for new students, they directly separates them into two departments, namely Department of KPI and Journalism Department.

The splitting of the department is done considering the Journalism Department has not been an independent study program. At the time of admission of new students every year, the faculty only offers the Department of KPI while the Department of Journalism is not raised. However, in reality, the Journalism Department was subsequently raised and the solution of the KPI was made during the acceptance of the PBAK.

"This year the quota for the seat in the Department of Journalism provided from the majors are 120 students or as many as three classes with the capacity of 30 students in each classes," said Siti Fatimah, a student of Department of KPI semester 3 who was then in charge of attending the booth.

Fatimah also explained, the division of student in Department of KPI, is done early before the student has active classes. So, with the division of classes done in the period of PBAK registration, it ease us to know how many new students who are interested to enter the Department of Journalism from the total quota in the KPI. In such a way it makes it easier for the departments to accept new students who will take care of later.

“When the registration at the PBAK booth we prioritized the Journalistic Department first until the quota is met. After that new Department of KPI," he said. Therefore, he continued, when held PBAK is held, department of Journalistic already has students.

According to the schedule, the acceptance period of PBAK fornew students will be held until August 18, 2017. It is also in accordance with the re-registration of new students by the Academic Center. While the implementation period of PBAK will be held on 22-26 August 2017.

According to Vice Rector for Student Affairs Prof. Dr. Yusron Razak, PBAK for new students will be focused on the introduction of academic culture as the name of orientation in UIN Jakarta. The introduction of academic culture is expected to enable new students to know extensively about academic activities during their study at UIN Jakarta.

"The practice will be different from the previous orientation period. New students are now not allowed to wear unusual attributes or knick knacks, except for only white and black underwear and sling as their respective faculty identities, "he explained. (usa-rs)