Immaturity causes student brawls<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Student brawls are often associated with junior high school and
\nhigh school students, still too young and immature to control
\ntheir emotions and deal with problems in a mature, nonviolent
\nmanner. However, this social phenomenon has also become a problem
\non the city's college campuses.<\/p>\n
"I witness a student brawl (on my campus) almost every month,"
\nsaid Jusuf, a student at the Christian University of Indonesia
\n(UKI).<\/p>\n
Jusuf, who was involved in a brawl in April, said in most
\ncases the violence was sparked by a trivial matter like a quarrel
\nover a girl or a parking space.<\/p>\n
Just like high school students, Jusuf said, college students
\nare often ready to fight over a small argument on a bus.<\/p>\n
Ahmad Gimmy Prathama Siswadi, a psychologist at Padjadjaran
\nUniversity in Bandung, blamed a dearth of lecturers for many of
\nthe conflicts on campuses.<\/p>\n
"As a result of the wide ratio (between lecturers and
\nstudents), many problems experienced by students on campus remain
\nunresolved. This situation is very stressful for students trying
\nto pursue their studies," Ahmad said. "Ideally, the ratio
\n(between lecturers and students) is 1:15. But in reality many
\nlecturers must oversee more than 60 or even a hundred students."<\/p>\n
Besides, he added, many students have the emotional burden of
\nbeing forced to take a major they dislike because of the
\ncompetition to get into the more popular majors.<\/p>\n
Ahmad was speaking last week at a seminar on the role of
\nlecturers in coping with conflicts on campus. The seminar was
\nheld at Trisakti University, which had to shut down for a week
\nlast month because of a brawl. Three students were injured and
\nsix cars were damaged during that incident, which was sparked by
\nan argument over a parking space.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Adrianus Meliala, a criminologist at the University
\nof Indonesia, remarked that student brawls could be minimized if
\nlecturers were more skillful at spotting and preventing potential
\nconflicts before they occurred.<\/p>\n
"Lecturers must master ways to resolve conflicts, including
\nthrough negotiation, mediation and arbitration in accordance with
\nthe respective situation and the case," Adrianus said.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, he said, a small conflict could eventually turn
\ninto a brawl.<\/p>\n
Adrianus added that there were so many fights on campus
\nbecause university officials failed to impose stern sanctions on
\nstudents involved in violence.<\/p>\n
"The universities must also impose stern sanctions on those
\ngroups to which the fighting students belong. If the brawls
\naffect the groups, then the groups will in turn stop rewarding
\ntheir members for being involved in the brawls," Adrianus said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Dadan Umar Daihani, a lecturer at Trisakti
\nUniversity, said the university often failed to apply proper
\npunishments because of a common misperception about the students.<\/p>\n
"We lecturers often treat (the students) like children, not as
\nadults who should be held responsible for their actions," Dadan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said the university should gather together students and
\nlecturers to seek solutions to conflicts on the campus.<\/p>\n
Endon, a student at Trisakti, agreed, saying all parties on
\ncampus must work together to prevent brawls.<\/p>\n
"Brawls must be stopped because they disrupt the activities at
\nthe university and keep students from their studies," said Endon.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/immaturity-causes-student-brawls-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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