Students keep on writing against the odds

Students keep on writing against the odds

A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Members of the editorial staff of the Viaduct tabloid listen
attentively to the explanation of their general manager, Lamgiat
Siringoringo, on the planned publication of their bimonthly
tabloid.

Sitting on the floor in Viaduct's nine-square-meter office,
Lamgiat asks his friends to be more active in raising funds for
the publication of the 16-page tabloid, which is run by students
of Atmajaya Catholic University's law school.

"We don't want the bureaucracy of the university to intervene
in the tabloid. So, we decided to rise funds from friends and
alumnae. It has been almost a year (since we started looking for
the funds)," Lamgiat, a student, said.

He said it only cost Rp 1.5 million (US$153) to print 1,000
copies of the tabloid.

Chief editor Marlon Hutajulu said the tabloid used to appear
regularly, but started to face problems this year after it was
affected by internal problems, such as poor relations between
students and lecturers, high cost of education, etc. The
university has since withheld students' activity assistance funds
for the paper.

"Although we apply a 'cover-both-sides' principle, the
bureaucracy still disagree. We have rejected their demands to
supply draft copies of articles before publication," the student
said.

But Viaduct is not alone. Many publications run by students
across the country face similar obstacles.

Former chief editor of Didaktika, Epung Saifudin, confirmed
that the magazine, which is run by students of the Jakarta State
University (UNJ), confronted similar prohibitions.

"We often postpone publication due to lack of funds. We used
to publish the magazine three times a year," said Epung, who is
student of UNJ's political and social sciences department.

The universities' officials could not be contacted for
immediate comment.

The winds of change, especially in terms of freedom of press,
after the downfall of the authoritarian regime of Soeharto, have
apparently not yet touched educational institutions.

Although there have been no reports of students actually being
expelled for their writings in campus publications, such
restrictions have caused concerns among some press freedom
advocates.

Media observer Atmakusumah Astraatmaja called on officials of
universities to give more freedom to their students in expressing
their opinions.

"The student magazine is not aimed at maintaining the image of
a university. It is a medium for students to learn journalism,"
the former chief of the Indonesian Press Council said.

Atmakusumah suggested that the universities facilitate
training in journalism in order to improve students' skill in
reporting and writing, instead of attempting to restrict them in
expressing their opinions.

He proposed that the press council could mediate if a dispute
arose between students and universities related to their opinions
in the publications.

Despite the restrictions, students' enthusiasm for journalism
and expressing their opinions through writing remains strong.
More and more students, female and male, have been attracted to
managing student publications despite funding difficulties.

Student publications often organize journalistic training to
improve the skills of members of their editorial boards.

Marlon said his tabloid often invited alumni, including former
chief editor of Suara Pembaruan daily, Cyprianus Aoer, who is now
a legislator for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, to
give training sessions.

Similarly, Epung said that many 'graduates' of Didaktika, who
have since become professional journalists, also contribute their
knowledge to their juniors.