The Masa Ta’aruf (Mataf) activity is an agenda that must be followed by new students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) as an orientation event to get acquainted with the campus environment. Unlike previous years, the implementation of the Mataf for the 2020/2021 school year was held online or online for 3 days, Monday – Wednesday (28-30/9). This is because the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to carry out Mataf offline, considering that UMY’s new students came from various regions in Indonesia from Sabang to Merauke.
Mataf’s activities, which were carried out through the Microsoft Teams platform and Youtube, were broadcast live from the AR Fachruddin B Building, UMY on Monday (28/09) while still implementing the properhealth protocols. The event was officially opened by the UMY Rector, Dr. Ir. Gunawan Budiyanto, M.P., IPM., Symbolically pinning the alma mater to two new student representatives from Yogyakarta. In his speech, Gunawan welcomed the new students. “Students must have the skills to survive and become a bright future generation. All the changes in the world that have occurred recently are a challenge for students to become agents of change, “said Gunawan.
On the same occasion, Prof. Dr. Haedar Nashir, M.Si, Chairperson of Muhammadiyah Central Board of Leadership also gave messages to the new students. “Be intellectuals for Muhammadiyah, intellectuals of the ummah, and intellectuals of the nation who are able to follow in the footsteps of figures with moral integrity who have noble morals and have faith in piety,” he said to the 5711 new UMY students directly from his domicile.
With the theme Solidarity of Intellectuals with Integrity, this Mataf activity also presented Prof. Dr. Muhajir Effendy, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, and H.E Dr. Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey as a talkshow speaker online. The chief executive of Mataf, Hasan Nopremon, explained in his speech that the theme raised meant that students should have a critical, creative, innovative, objective, and communicative and responsible attitude. (ays)
