Foreign Student Organization at UIII was Finally Formed

UIII.AC.ID, DEPOK - On Friday, November 18, 2022, the International Students Association (ISA) of Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia hosted their first event. The Inauguration Ceremony event was held at the Faculty A Theater Room with an opening remark from the Rector of UIII, Prof. Komaruddin Hidayat and the Vice-Rector for academic affairs, Dr. Bahrul Hayat.

With this event, ISA officially became a student organization within the UIII campus. Previously, student organizations that have beeb already active at UIII are established in each faculty. On this occasion, several students from various countries gave their impressions and messages while at UIII and their hopes for the future.

Abdou Barou, an MA student at the Faculty of Education, officially became the President of the International Student Association. Abdou revealed that in a diverse environment it is necessary to have some structures whereby certain issues would be addressed immediately because this is a very crucial and complex situation.

“This organization, we have embraced it to be a base, a platform whereby the concerns and issues of international students in collaboration with local students and faculty members would be addressed. So, we believe in any diverse community. We need to have some structures whereby certain issues would be addressed immediately because this is a very macro and complex situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prof. Komaruddin Hidayat said that this organization was like his experience during his student years before. He stated that ISA will train students to gain knowledge that cannot be obtained in classroom.

Dr. Bahrul Hayat on his speech said that there are 7 functions of creating ISA:

1. To create and promote intellectual, social, and cultural opportunities, every student has the opportunity to be creative and to explore.
2. To act as a catalyst for the university, ISA is a vehicle for making changes on campus.
3. Become a means to convey interests and things needed for a better international student life.
4. To develop an awareness, an identifiable framework.
5. To develop soft skills, especially leadership skills and communication.
6. To develop collaboration skills to work with people, collaboration, teamwork.
7. To develop intercultural understanding, and carry out cultural activities between countries that increase cultural understanding between countries.

International Office Staff of UIII, Fachrul Rinaldi, said that ISA is a great initiative for the international students of UIII. He admits that the power of organization comes from every hardship each individual student has gone through while pursuing their education in Indonesia.

“They can use this opportunity to cooperate, help each other and improve their welfare until the completion of their study. With ISA, all international students can share their experiences with one another, and I believe in unity lies strength. The students may be from various backgrounds, hence they are on different boats, but they are facing the same storm, when the boats come together, they will safely pass through the storm,” he stated.

Abdou also believes that ISA will be one of the places to collaborate between students themselves. In fact, soon, ISA will collaborate to organize a cross-cultural event. "This cross-cultural event will be a very big event, in our view, so that students from different countries and practically share their culture and will collaborate with the students and also to diversify our cultures."

In the near future, a decree or legal document regarding the creation of an ISA will be made and it will become a permanent organization.

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