On November 14-25, 2022, UIN SATU (Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung) resumed online courses following the issuance of Rector Circular Number 477/Un.18/11/2022. The announcement of the online lectures was delivered to students on Friday, November 11, 2022 via Instagram and WhatsApp groups.



However, the reason why the previously face-to-face lectures became online was not explained in the circular. According to Ulil, the Public Relations of UIN SATU Tulungagung, this reason was omitted because it had been conveyed through other channels, such as social media, and because of the busy schedule on campus. This schedule included significant events such as the Dema (Executive Student Council), graduation, and the PMII (Indonesian Islamic Student Movement) National Leadership Conference.

However, some students disagree with this reason, arguing that the busy schedule on campus is not a valid justification for online lectures. Some students also feel that organizational activities should not be a reason for conducting online lectures.

Regarding this matter, the responses from lecturers vary. Some professors claimed that they were unaware of the exact reason for the lectures being held online, some believe that the reason is a matter of privacy for the university, and others suggest that the information needs to be clarified to avoid any confusion.


Reasons for Online Lectures


Recently, Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Satu Tulungagung held a National Leadership Conference for two weeks. This event affected the lectures on campus, although the impact was not significant. FUAD lecturer, Fiona, stated that online lectures did not affect the quality of the lectures since the students were already accustomed to online learning.

However, according to FASIH lecturer, Yusron, face-to-face lectures are more optimal than online courses because issues such as network and gadget problems can disrupt online learning. Several students also felt disadvantaged by this online lecture policy, such as Ayu and Sabrina, who experienced difficulty in understanding the material during the ten-day online lectures.

In addition to its impact on the students, the National Leadership Conference also affected the activities in the UIN SATU ma'had. The ma'had building was used for the accommodation of conference participants, resulting in the cessation of ma'had activities. The students were instructed to return home while bringing all their belongings, although the information regarding this sudden instruction felt abrupt. Many students had already returned to their hometowns on Friday morning, thus they had to go back to the ma'had to pack their belongings on Friday afternoon.

Some UIN SATU students complained about sudden information stating that the dormitory had to be vacated because it would be used as the location for the PMII's National Leadership Conference. This forced those students who had already left to return to the dormitory to clean up their belongings. This also affected students who came from outside the region since they could not go home due to the sudden notice.

However, there was a facility for students who could not go home; they could stay at one of the lecturers' houses by paying a fee of 50 thousand per week. The dormitory management also confirmed the existence of this facility. Meanwhile, the ma'had muadzin and mosque caretaker were also impacted since their rooms were used to store the goods for the conference. This made them feel undervalued by the takmir and ma'had authorities since they were not given enough time to prepare themselves.