USU PR - Preparing students to become champions in national competitions, the Indonesian Literature Study Program (Prodi), Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) collaborates with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in carrying out Technical Guidance (Bimtek) Essay Writing for National Competitions by presenting resource person Suyadi, S.Pd., M.Si., (BRIN Language, Literature and Community Research Center) at the Ridwan TA Building, FIB USU, Friday (Mar. 15)

Dean of FIB USU Prof. Dr. Dra. T. Thyrhaya Zein, M.A., in his remarks, when opening the event, appreciated the implementation of the Essay Writing Guidance held by the Indonesian Literature Study Program. According to him, this activity will encourage students to excel at the national level so that the target of the Main Performance Indicator (IKU) 2 target in the study program will increase.

"If the study program increases, automatically, FIB will also and will specifically contribute to the increase in IKU 2 at the university that we love. Therefore, students who take part in this Bimtek are expected to be able to absorb well what will be conveyed by the speakers because the essay writing competition is not just writing, but also must understand how the template, rules, and procedures for preparation, and no less important what ideas want to be conveyed, "said Prof. T. Thyrhaya Zein.

Prof. T. Thyrhaya Zein also emphasized that FIB USU is committed to increasing the number of student achievements in national competitions, especially those organized by Kemenristekdikti. Therefore, the faculty will always socialize information regarding national-scale competitions so that FIB USU students can participate.

"What the Indonesian Literature Study Program is doing is part of an effort to increase the number of achievements of our students. Thank you to Mrs. Kaprodi and Mrs. Sekprodi for holding this event; hopefully, the results will be in accordance with our common expectations," he said.

Chairperson of the Indonesian Literature Study Program at FIB USU, Dr. Dwi Widayati, M.Hum., said this activity was indeed intended to encourage and prepare students to be able to take part in essay competitions at the national level. "Essays combine facts and opinions and express the writer's ideas, arguments, and emotions in a personal and creative way," she said.

With this Bimtek, students are expected to listen and practice creatively expressing ideas in preparation for national competitions. "We hope that students who are participants in the Essay Writing Guidance this time can be more enthusiastic in competitions that are always available in USU programs, the Ministry of Education and Culture, or other agencies," said Dr. Dwi.

Secretary of the Indonesian Literature Study Program of FIB USU, Dra. Nurhayati Harahap, M.Hum., added that the Bimtek, with a resource person from BRIN, in addition to opening students' insights regarding essay writing techniques, was also able to motivate students to dare to compete in national competitions. "We hope that the resource person, Mr. Suyadi, is willing to provide continuous assistance to Indonesian Literature students in preparing for the competition later," she said.

Suyadi, S.Pd., M.Si., in his presentation of material, reviewed the technicalities of writing good and correct essays. The main point he conveyed was how students must be able to master the desired topic in essay writing. "Research and factual data collection are important to strengthen the argument," he said.

In addition, he added that students must understand the essay writing template provided by the committee. Pay attention to the standardization of the language used and the importance of applying a storytelling style so that the resulting writing can express strong arguments.

The students of the Indonesian Literature Study Program of FIB USU themselves were very enthusiastic about participating in the activity. Deputy Dean II of FIB USU Dra also attended the activity. Christina Dewi, M.Pd., Dean's Expert Staff who is also a Lecturer in the Indonesian Literature Study Program Dr. Dardanila, M.Hum., lecturers in the Indonesian Literature Study Program, including Emma Marsella, S.S., M.Si., Latifah Yusri Nasution, S.S., M.Si., Rachmad Fadillah Maha, S.S., M.Si., and others.