Institut Teknologi Bandung

BANDUNG, itb.ac.id- On Wednesday (23/7), itb.ac.id visited the ITB Bumi Ganesha Hostel, no. 35 Cisitu Lama Road, not far from ITB’s campus. We were greeted well by several of the hostel residents among who were Rahdian Adisepta (Product Design 05), Asra (Physics Engineering’ 05) and Fahmy (Mathematics’04), all ITB students. The boys’ hostel of ITB Bumi Ganesha was the topic discussed that evening. ABG was built in 1983 upon the country’s request for ITB. Since 1987, its management was given upon students, ABG residents. The hostel’s operational fees were paid by several little businesses including a 24 hour telephone stall, catering, dry cleaning, convenience store, private bureau and laundry. The revenues of this businesses were used for several things, among which were also subsidies on room rental, employee salary and also electric and water bills. It is no surprise that ABG’s room rental is only Rp 115.000, -/ month, far cheaper than other hostels in Bandung that ranges from Rp 500.000 – Rp 1.000.000, or maybe more. Even with cheap rental fees the facilities are not few. As Asra described, there are 90 rooms in ABG, each room has a bed, a study desk with a chair and also a cupboard. Other facilities offered are sports facilities. When we visited ABG, we saw several students shooting hoops. Besides this, internet access is also provided for those who need it. “Those who need internet in their room, we provide for them,” Asra said. There was also a living area and a mini library. Maximum capacity of the hostel is 110 people, all residents are ITB students and first year students are giving preference. In ABG, a management hierarchy exists; first years are resident candidates, second years are managers, third years are ’ministers’, fourth year students are ’meeting council’. Each level has its own obligations in the hostel management. With a limited capacity, every year when the students register, they undergo interviews to inform them of the preparation required to live in the hostel. Afterwards, the new residents are introduced to the hostel for several months and placed in the suitable with their capabilities. Familial values, discipline, organization and societal values are maintained well in ABG. New residents are brought to meet one other with socializations. Good relations with the alumni are also maintained well. With the organization activities in the hostel, including business management, hostel members still excel in their academics. Several hostel alumnis have become lecturers in ITB. Hostel residents on an average are active in ITB organizations, whether in student activity units or student unions of their study programs. When asked about the good points of living in ABG,”cheap, organizational skills are learnt and even have unit businesses”, Asra said. Plus, as new members –first year student-, tutorials are held during the exam period. With business units like private tutoring for SMA students, hostel residents have experience teaching SMA students in some subjects and also get extra allowance. 15% of income is used to pay hostel operational fees. Besides having good relationships among hostel residents, ABG also developed a good relationship with the community around them. “I won the August 17th race held by the community last year,” Fahmy said. ABG members are sometimes asked to help the community around them to solve the problems of the environment around their home.