Friday, August 21, 2026, marked the final day of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's Academic Culture and Student Orientation program (PBAK). From early morning, the Multipurpose Building was filled with thousands of new students from every faculty. This last day still carried plenty of energy before students finally returned to their respective faculties for good.

Inside the building, new students were treated to informational sessions alongside a range of performances from UIN Sunan Kalijaga's Student Activity Units (UKM). At the event, the young Kalijaga students got to witness the many forms of student expression that have long been part of campus life.

Some performed music, others martial arts, sports, dance, and more. For new students, the stage became a kind of small window into campus life from a different angle. The classroom remains the heart of academic life, but the journey through university also opens up a much wider world.

There are organizations that can become spaces for learning. There are communities that bring students together with new people. There are talents and interests that can be developed. And there are experiences students may never encounter simply by sitting in a lecture hall.

That same spirit carried through the various competitions held alongside PBAK. New students from every faculty sent delegations to compete in ideas and creativity through debate, scientific writing, and scientific oratory competitions.

These competitions gave new students a chance to practice speaking, building arguments, expressing ideas, and finding the courage to perform in front of an audience.

The Faculty of Sharia and Law took first place in both the debate and scientific writing competitions, while the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication placed first in scientific oratory. The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, meanwhile, took second place across all three competitions.

The spirit of togetherness also had its place. The Faculty of Da'wah and Communication received an award for best and most cohesive cheer.

That same day also became a stage for students to showcase another side of campus life through an inauguration performance. The UKM Communication Forum presented a collaborative show bringing together performances that reflected each UKM's own character and field. These varied forms of expression came together into one dynamic performance, showing the many colors of student life at UIN Sunan Kalijaga.

Yet that same stage wasn't only a space for artistic expression. It was also where the Student Council and University Student Senate delivered addresses to the new students. Where students had earlier been invited to enjoy a performance, this time they were invited to listen to ideas and critical reflections on the issues currently facing Indonesia.

That shift in tone revealed another side of student life: a space for expression, but also a space for putting forward ideas and reading the issues around them.

From that stage, new students were reminded once again that campus life isn't only about seeking out enjoyable experiences. There's a sense of responsibility that will gradually become part of their new identity as university students.

Amid the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the ability to think critically has become more important than ever. When technology can help find information and produce answers within seconds, students still hold a task that can never simply be handed over to a machine: to question, to weigh, and to take a stand.

But the grandeur of the PBAK experience over these three days didn't come together on its own. Behind the stage, the applause, the performances, and the series of competitions, countless hands worked to make sure every part of it ran smoothly.

Dozens of committee members at the university level, and hundreds more at each faculty, were involved in preparing and running the entire PBAK program. They worked under the coordination of the Vice Deans III at each faculty and the university-level committee, coordinated by Vice Rector III, along with many other parties involved.

As they stepped forward, applause rang out for the people who had given their time, energy, and attention to make new students' first days at UIN Sunan Kalijaga a memorable experience.

Once the full program at the Multipurpose Building came to an end, new students returned to their respective faculties, where PBAK formally closed, marking the end of three days that introduced them to academic life, student life, and the values that will accompany their journey through university.

The various parts of PBAK served as an initial foundation for 5,711 new students as they head into the real experience of university life, one that will be filled with learning, discussion, organizations, creativity, friendship, and the many challenges that will push them to keep growing.

PBAK may have come to an end. But their journey as students of UIN Sunan Kalijaga has only just begun. The three days they went through became their first foothold, to get to know their campus, find space to grow, build courage, and take on a role of their own. (humassk)