USU PR - The Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) won first place for the Men's Poetry Reading and Comic Strip Contest Stages and second place for the Vocal Group Contest Stages category at the 2022 XVI National Student Art Week (PEKSIMINAS), which was held at Brawijaya University, Malang City, East Java. The competition itself was held from October 25, 2022, to October 28, 2022.

Vice Rector I Dr. Edy Ikhsan, SH, MA who came to Malang with the Director of the Directorate of Student Achievement and Alumni Relations of USU Doli Muhammad Jafar Dalimunthe SE., M.Si and his Secretary Rahma Yurliani, SPsi, MPsi, Psychologist congratulated the champions who had brought the good name of USU, appreciation was also expressed for the skills and maximum performance that USU students had done in each tangk tangkai competition.

“This is a good start, and in the future, the development of our students' achievements will continue so that the achievements of our students can continue,” he said.

Edy Ikhsan explained that in the future, there will be a value-based coaching pattern from study programs to faculties and universities, which will be coordinated directly by the USU Directorate of Student Achievement and Alumni.

“So later there will be a Puspresnas at the faculty level, so that coordination will be built and from there we hope that there will be sustainable achievements achieved by USU,” explained Vice Rector I.

Director of the Directorate of Student Achievement and USU Alumni Relations Doli Muhammad Jafar Dalimunthe SE, M.Si added that giving USU students the opportunity to appear in big events is the Tupoksi of Ditamawalumni so that it will focus on fostering student creativity in order to change the paradigm and improve the character of USU students.

“Our focus in the future will continue like that. As Mr. Vice Rector said earlier, there is a University National Center. There is a faculty level. We also hope for support from the Rector and Vice Rector for next year we will be able to increase the volume of sending student delegations even more,” said Doli.

Official USU Coordinator Prof. Drs. Mauly Purba, M.A., Ph.D., explained that BPSMI North Sumatra itself sent 36 participants from 5 universities for 17 competitions. USU became the largest delegation with 27 students to compete in Black and White Photography, Dangdut, Seriosa, Vocal Group, Dance, Monologue, Male and Female Poetry Reading, Poetry Writing, Script Writing, Comic Strip and Painting.

BPSMI North Sumatra besides bringing home the champions for poetry, comic strips and vocal groups also won 2nd place for the dangdut category competition represented by Polmed students and 2nd place for the short story writing category competition represented by Unimed students.

In addition to 27 delegates, USU also dispatched coaches and officials, including Arifninetriosa, S.ST., M.A., Bambang Riyanto, S.S., M.Si., Rahayu, S.Sos., Mukhlis Win Aryoga, S.S. and Rizal Tatarang, S.S.

For information, PEKSIMINAS XVI was attended by a total of 838 students from 123 universities across Indonesia. Prof. Abdul Hakim, Head of the BPSMI (BPSMI) East Java Province said that the independent campus policy encourages students to not only excel in academics but also creatively or soft skills.

PEKSIMINAS is a forum for students to improve their abilities in various fields of art. For example in literature, dance, singing, and other creative fields. Through this activity, he continued, students can improve their achievements to enrich the nation's culture based on Unity in Diversity.

He explained hundreds of these students were selected students who had passed a similar event at the level of their respective provinces. There are 15 competitions held in this PEKSIMINAS. These included poetry reading, poster design, black and white and color photography, painting, comic making, dangdut singing, keroncong, pop singing, seriosa singing, monologue, short story writing, play, poetry, dance, and team vocal. Students from various universities came from 32 provinces.

Author: Bambang Riyanto - Public Relations

Interviewee: Dr Edy Ikhsan, S.H., M.A. - Vice Rector I USU

Photographer: Public Relations - Public Relations