Undana Kupang Student Suffers Depression After Thesis Proposal Exam Cancelled 12 Times

Jessica Sofia Tunardjo, a student at the Faculty of Public Health, Nusa Cendana University (Undana) in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, has gone viral on social media. Reports indicate that Jessica has suffered significant psychological distress, requiring medical treatment in a hospital, following the cancellation of her thesis proposal examination on 12 separate occasions.

A video shared via the Instagram account @kabarmahasiswa.id depicts Jessica in a state of hysterical distress, allegedly due to the repeated cancellations. The video narrative suggests that the cancellations were caused by the same examining lecturer. The 31-second clip shows a woman attempting to calm Jessica, who remained inconsolable.

Furthermore, the student’s family has reportedly issued an open letter to the Rector of Undana, expressing deep disappointment. ‘To the Honourable Rector of Undana Kupang, we apologise in advance. This is an expression of our disappointment as a family, particularly within the Public Health Study Programme and its staff, where there are still lecturers whose actions are very troubling, causing students to suffer from stress and depression,’ wrote Marina Djelil, a Facebook user claiming to be a family member.

Other social media narratives allege that the examiner abruptly cancelled the session on the day of the exam. One post claimed, ‘My friend is about to have her thesis exam in the Public Health Study Programme, and suddenly the examiner contacted her to change the examiner just hours before the exam. Is the intention to cause hardship? She is now under significant stress and is being cared for by her family.’

The Vice Rector IV of Undana, Professor Philippi de Rozari, confirmed that Jessica Sofia is indeed an active student in the Bachelor of Public Health programme. However, the university is still investigating the matter to determine the facts. ‘Regarding the viral information, we are currently conducting an investigation to understand the actual situation,’ Professor Philippi stated during a press conference at Undana on Thursday.