The Flooding that Lasted for Days Disrupted Daily Productivity and The Assignments of Unissula Students

NINDYA IENAS TS. (3080230018)

Heavy rains have recently hit several areas of Indonesia, including the city of Semarang. Semarang has many districts, one of which is East Semarang. In East Semarang, there is a university that is always flooded whenever heavy rains fall. Many students feel anxious when the rainy season arrives, especially those whose campuses are close to the sea, such as Sultan Agung Islamic University. Continuous heavy rains in the area surrounding the campus have caused severe flooding. These flood conditions have hampered their daily activities. Even though they are on the same campus, each student faces different challenges in maintaining their concentration in the midst of this situation. However, many of them admit that they find it difficult to concentrate on the online classes held by their lecturers and complete their assignments. This is because they are distracted by the high-water levels, fear of power outages, difficulty in accessing shops, and so on.

Zulfa is a fifth-semester medical student. Her boarding house is in Kaligawe, where the water level in the area is very high. She admits that since the flood, many activities have been hampered. "Medical students have a lot of practical work, going back and forth to campus. So, it's difficult and very risky to go to campus. I tried going home, but it turned out to be even harder because the house was crowded, so my assignments often got neglected. So, I went back to my dorm when the flood had subsided a bit and did my assignments there, even though it was still hard, but not as hard as at home," said Zulfa.

Meanwhile, Talitha, a third-semester student from the economics faculty, who lives in Genuk, at that time water surrounded his boarding house, which even almost entered her room. She also admits that during the floods, her productivity in attending lectures and completing assignments was hampered. "It was very difficult to complete assignments that required practical work because we had to wade through the high floodwaters. Thank God, attending classes was safe, and some lecturers understood the situation during the flood. I was a bit lazy in doing my assignments because the atmosphere in the boarding house was quiet, and I thought that the flood would last for a long time," said Talitha.

From the experiences shared by Zulfa and Talitha, it is clear that the flood disrupted their concentration in attending classes and completing assignments. The unfavorable environmental conditions, difficulty accessing the campus, and the atmosphere in the dormitory can affect students' focus. Despite this, they were still able to complete their assignments and remain productive despite the difficulties amid the high floodwaters surrounding their area. They also hope that faculty members can provide broader support, such as extending assignment deadlines, rescheduling laboratory sessions, and assisting students severely affected by the floods. Through collaboration between students, faculty, and the university administration, it is hoped that academic activities can continue smoothly despite the challenging conditions caused by the floods.