In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, six FISIPOL UGM university students grabbed a prize in the Administration Fair 2020 national competition. The first place was held by Izul Fikri Amal, Ardi Muhammad Rifqu, and Brilian Priatmaja. Meanwhile the fourth place was held by Alifandi Tranggono, Abdul Qoyumm, and Bhram Kusuma. Those winners are from FISIPOL UGM’s Public Policy Management Department.The competition that was held by Hassanudin University Social and Politic Faculty was stymied by the physical distancing regulation in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The five grand finalist team that went through the paper selection and had to go through several other processes had to be cancelled. The whole process was supposed to be held in Makassar, but the method was changed so that it can be done online. “One of the reason why our team want to join this competition is because we want to have a trip to Makassar. But, what can we do. Sometimes, we can only make plans.”, explained Bhram about his disappointment. The committee of the competition finally decided to have the national conference and focus group discussion virtually.

Though the line of events was done virtually, the team expressed their excitement in joining the FGD and other events. “It was very pleasurable because the moderator of the FGD was from a policy study institution and they were like a mentor to us,” said Izul. The same thing was expressed by Brahm. According to him, even though the event is held online, the FGD still expanded their knowledge. “We start to see how the students from other university have a unique perspective on a certain issue,” Brahm elaborated. read more

Literature is going through rough times. Some might say that it is inching closer towards its doom. Mario Vargas Llosa, a Peruvian literature aficionado, said in its compilation of essay called “The Death of a Great Writer”, that literature in the modern era have lost its magical touch. This is ironic seeing how decades ago, literature was on par with religion; philosophers and literati from all across the world grows rapidly like wild seeds on earth. We know them as the giants of civilization; Sartre, his wife Simone, Zola, Borges, Chekov, Tolstoy, and many more. Meanwhile, now, finding writers on their level is close to impossible. read more

Since the beginning of the year, fears have been spreading like wildfire. The virus known to originate from an animal and fish market in Hubei Province, China spread and claimed victims all over the world. Novel Coronavirus (later referred to as Corona), the name of the virus, presented itself as a new year surprise and soon became calamity to the world. According to Kompas.com, up until the March 1^st, 86.986 cases worldwide have been confirmed, with 2.979 deaths and 42.294 successfully treated. The number might or might not continue to escalate in near future. Whether the numbers rise or not, the fact that worries have haunted not only Wuhan but also other cities in the world should not be called into doubt. read more

Working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a common dream for students in the Department of International Relations. However, not everyone can have this opportunity. Karina Devira, or better known as Ciput, a student from the Department of International Relations batch of 2017, is one of the lucky few to have this opportunity.

At the beginning, Ciput was still looking for the Indonesian embassy abroad that suits her best. In the end, she chose the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Bangkok. She chose Bangkok due to its proximity to Indonesia and its relatively affordable living cost. As the capital of Thailand, Bangkok also offers an abundance of tourist attractions. read more

Critical thinking is an important skill that everyone needs, including in the academic world. In addition to critical thinking, the ability to persuade people is also important. One of the ways to practice these two skills is by participating in a Model United Nations (MUN) conference. Aldyth Nelwan, a student from the Department of International Relations batch of 2019, has successfully practiced these two skills in MUN conferences.

Previously, Aldyth was an International Relations student in Universitas Airlangga. His friends suggested him to participate in MUN conferences. Afterwards, he registered himself to participate in an MUN conference due to his curiosity. His friends guided him when he was still new to MUN. read more

A good campus not only provides adequate space for its students for their learning process. An academic environment is necessary to stimulate their development and decent college experience. However, tensions instead would ruin everything. No room for students to rest for a while to relax and  – in certain places – having fun will only make them uncomfortable being in the campus. And FISIPOL UGM does not want that to happen. In UGM’s FISIPOL Campus, there are facilities for students to study, hold a discussion, or simply to mingle. For reading books and focusing on finishing one’s thesis, students can stit comfortably in Digilib for houts. If students want to work on college assignments while holding a discussion and eating, students can do it freely in Digilib Café or Fisipmart. For holding organizational meetings or group work, the West Hall (Selasar Barat), or the BC Hall can be utilized. Meanwhile, for those who likes to have discussions and mingle with friends, the chairs along SanSiro Park are ready to accommodate. read more

On 27-30 August, the 32^nd National Science Week for University Students (PIMNAS) was held at Universitas Udayana, Bali. Three Fisipol students from the batch of 2017: Maulida “Ifa” Afifatu Tsalitsi, Adhika Trisliantama (Department of Politics and Government) and Miftah Farid Mahardika (Department of Sociology), have successfully won silver medals in the Student Creativity Programme (PKM). On Friday (6/9), Ifa shared us her experience of participating at the 32^nd PIMNAS.

According to her, the process to participate in this competition was not easy, as PIMNAS is a prestigious competition for all university students from all across Indonesia. This is because, PIMNAS is organized by the Directorate General of Learning of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia. Furthermore, the results of this competition are one of the components of a university’s accreditation. In PIMNAS, she competed against 60 teams from all over Indonesia. Ifa and her team have prepared everything from November 2018. read more

A group of boys that likes to watch movies. Every time they see a barrage of scenes, they observe it to its small details, and sometimes think to imitate it in real life. In going through everyday activities, they have to do things that are effective, whether it is in dire situations or not. That type of obsession kept on going and meddles with their life quite significantly.

Things like that are what 3Tiga Films (“3Tiga”) face. They are comprised of Damar Jalu Purboyo, Agustinus Wibi Arya, and Selando Naendra Radicka. The three of them are students from the department of Communication Studies batch 2017. “3Tiga” spawns suddenly in their minds and became the name of the film enthusiast community that they made. In October 2018, 3Tiga won a film competition “Kinema” hosted by UPN Veteran Yogyakarta. read more

Muhammad Riza, a student from the Department of Public Policy and Management, travelled on an unplanned trip to Kudus in May. This trip led him to finish on the 3^rd place at the 32^nd National Science Week for University Students (PIMNAS) in Bali in August.

In this competition, which was held at Unviersitas Udayana, Riza finished on the 3^rd place in the essay competition in the non-student creativity programme category (non-PKM). This category is relatively new, as it was first held in 2018. The non-PKM category featured photography, videography, business case, technology innovation, and essay competitions. Riza’s essay was entitled “Gusjigang: Revitalisasi Pendidikan Karakter Berbasis Kearifan Lokal Menyongsong Persaingan Global” (Gusjigang: The Revitalisation of Local Wisdom-Based Character Education to Increase Global Competitiveness). read more

Name: Melkior Mirari Manusakrti

NIM: 15/386833/SP/27049

Many people might not know me, I usually go by my nickname, Dimel Mirari. I’m a student of Universitas Gadjah Mada, who is still pursuing my S.IP degree in International Relations, and I’m currently in my last semester. Two years ago, in my fifth and sixth semester, I was lucky enough to undergo a double degree program at Flinders University (Flinders) in Adelaide, Australia. I would like to share my experiences there, as well as a few tips and tricks for those of you interested in obtaining a double degree, or the International Exposure program in general. read more