Undana Student Allegedly Depressed After Being Asked to Change Thesis Examiner Hours Before Exam

A student from the Faculty of Public Health at Nusa Cendana University (Undana) in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, allegedly suffered from depression after being asked to change her thesis examiner just before her scheduled examination. A video showing the student, Jessica Sofia Tunardjo, in a state of hysteria and lying on the floor went viral on social media.

A narrative accompanying the video claimed that the examiner, Serlie KA Litik, suddenly contacted the student to request a change of examiner just hours before the exam. The post also alleged that the student had previously faced 12 cancellations of her proposal exam by the same lecturer. “My friend is about to have her thesis exam and suddenly the examiner contacts her to change the examiner right before the exam time,” the post read.

Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, Apris Adu, confirmed the incident. He stated that following the viral spread of the video, the faculty leadership immediately held a coordination meeting and visited the student at Wira Sakti Hospital in Kupang. “When we received the information, we immediately held a coordination meeting with all the leadership to check on this information,” Apris said. He added that the university is seeking clarification from the supervising lecturers and the examiner, noting that the examiner in question was currently in mourning.