UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga Help Center has been helping all UNAIR academicians in dealing with their problems since it was officially established by UNAIR Rector 2010-2015 in 2014. Although not many are familiar with the Help Center, here are some reasons why UNAIR academicians can use the Help Center as an alternative to solve their problems.
Talk to the expert
Riris Diana Rachmawati SKM., M.Kes, or Riris, one of the UNAIR Help Center administrators, explained that the Help Center is a unit to help the academic community in solving problems by listening to the complaints and their anxieties.
“For example, there are academicians who experience sexual harassment, bullying, culture shock, changes in lecture dynamics, they can confide in the Help Center,” she said.
Furthermore, the administrators of the Help Center are lecturers from representatives of all faculties in UNAIR. Therefore, if students or other academicians are not comfortable telling the story to the administrators from the same faculty, they can ask to be directed to the administrators from other faculties.
“In FKM (Faculty of Public Health, ed), there are three Help Center administrators, myself, Mrs. Muthi, and Mr. Pulung,” she continued.
Unlimited space and time
There are several ways for the academicians to consult the UNAIR Help Center, by meeting in person, via Whatsapp messages, e-mail, or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/help_centerunair/ . If you want to meet in person, the location for consultation is not limited to the Help Center office located on the 1st floor of UNAIR Student Center. However, it depends on the comfort of the requesting academicians.
According to Riris, the Help Center management tries to allocate 24 hours for the academicians. However, it also adjusts to the schedule of each administrator.
“Usually, if someone confides through WhatsApp, we always try to answer immediately. However, sometimes, some messages have to wait, depending on how busy we are,” explained one of the Faculty of Public Health lecturers.
Recommended solutions
The Help Center management also tries to provide recommendations for solutions to the academicians in dealing with their problems, not only for venting. For example, if there are community members who have economic constraints, the Help Center will try to find information about scholarships that they can try.
“When it comes to psychological problems, we also work with RSUA if the academicians or students need help from a more professional expert or need certain drugs,” said Riris.
Privacy protection
One of the Help Center’s codes of ethics is to maintain confidentiality or privacy. Therefore, help Center administrators may not share information with parties outside the Help Center. So, the academicians do not have to worry about the confidentiality of their privacy when they want to vent.
“Privacy will definitely be maintained because one of our codes of ethics is maintaining privacy. We are not allowed to tell lecturers other than the Help Center regarding the problems of the consulting academicians,” she explained.
Free of charge
Consulting at the Help Center does not need money unless it requires special handling such as psychological treatment or drugs.
“Consultation to the Help Center is free of charge unless it requires certain handling,” she continued.
Riris hopes that the Help Center can continue to help the academicians, especially students, make campuses and academic communities healthier socially, physically, and mentally. (*)
Author: Galuh Mega Kurnia
Editor : Binti. Q. Masruroh
