Initiation program should continue, say academics

Initiation program should continue, say academics

JAKARTA (JP): Despite mounting protests against the university
initiation ceremonies that often end in tragedy, academics in
Jakarta said on Thursday the ceremonies were necessary for
incoming freshmen.

Initiation ceremonies are good for freshmen to get some
knowledge about many things concerning university life, such as
the school system and curriculum, a lecturer at the University of
Indonesia, Tri Budi, said

"As long as the goals of the events are clear and they are
conducted without any physical abuse, then the initiation
ceremonies should be held," she told The Jakarta Post, adding
that the ceremonies allowed freshmen to get to know older
students.

Another lecturer from the University of Indonesia, Soenawan,
said the ceremonies were important in unifying the visions of the
students and their lecturers, as well in building their
friendships.

"When an initiation ends tragically, it is because of
a lack of control from the university concerned," he said, adding
that university officials should be stricter in controlling their
students during the ceremonies.

Students from a number of universities in Jakarta voiced
similar views.

"To gain respect from the younger students, the older students
should never impose the so-called 'revenge' on freshmen during
the initiation ceremony," said Miko, a third year student at Atma
Jaya University.

Revenge refers to the practice of older students venting their
anger on freshmen for the mistreatment they received during their
initiation ceremonies.

Miko, an initiation organizer at Atma Jaya, said it was
important for the organizing committee and university officials
to control the ceremony to ensure it did not violate regulations.

He also said the presence of alumni at an initiation ceremony
could result in physical abuse, because organizers were often
unable to control some alumni.

"Controlled initiations should continued to be held, since
they are a forum for encouraging freshmen to be more aware of
their community," a student at private Tujuh Belas Agustus
University, Sarbini, said.

He said that to prevent fatalities, the agenda of the
initiation ceremonies should be geared more toward educating
freshmen.

He also said past fatalities were purely accidents.

"Clear rules that are understood by both younger and older
students are obviously needed to avoid possible fatalities during
the hazing," said Ari Wibowo, who is a member of the University
of Indonesia initiation steering committee.

"The hazing is exhausting," Trian Octaviana, a student
at LPI Academy of Foreign Languages in Central Jakarta, told the
Post. However, she is in favor of initiation ceremonies because
she believes they can teach freshmen to be disciplined.

A student at Tarumanegara University, Andri, said his
university was cautious in holding initiation ceremonies because
of an incident in 1997 when a freshmen died during the hazing.

"We tightened the rules and the control from the university to
avoid a repeat of the incident," he told the Post on Thursday. An
initiation ceremony at the university was held earlier this month
without incident.

A lecturer at Atma Jaya University, Agung Nugroho, said
universities should think of better way to conduct the
ceremonies. "Psychological approaches involving group interaction
could be introduced to replace the initiations."

The death of Suryowati, a freshmen at a private university in
South Jakarta, during an initiation ceremony on Tuesday has
triggered mounting public pressure to ban the events.

South Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Satrya Harry Prasetya told
the Post on Thursday the police would investigate the incident.
"We are coordinating with the university to unravel the case."
(04/asa)