Math Fair is the largest annual event organized by the Mathematics Student Association (Himatika) of Universitas Syiah Kuala (Unsyiah). In 2019, Math Fair was held for the 13th time, with preparations beginning in March. Various arrangements were made by the organizing committee to ensure the smooth implementation of the event. According to the Chairperson of Math Fair 2019, Muhammad Reza Subakti, one of the main challenges faced by the committee was funding.
In response to this challenge, Himatika initiated collaboration with the Mathematics Alumni Association (HAM) of Unsyiah. The HAM management provided several alumni contacts to be reached by the Math Fair committee. A number of alumni responded positively by directly transferring financial support to the committee’s account, including alumni working in West Java and those residing overseas. In addition, several alumni even invited the committee to visit their workplaces directly. Zulkifli (Mathematics Class of 1995) and Alfisyahril (Mathematics Class of 2002), for example, invited the committee to the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of Banda Aceh City. Mahfuzah (Mathematics Class of 2002), who previously served as Chairperson of Math Fair 2005, also invited the committee to receive support in person.
To date, the total amount of support collected has reached nearly five million rupiah, including contributions in the form of goods. This amount is expected to continue increasing as more alumni participate in supporting the event. Reza, representing the organizing committee, expressed his happiness and pride in the strong support from alumni. According to the student from the 2016 cohort, communicating and meeting with alumni provides additional motivation to study harder and strive for success similar to that achieved by the alumni.
Marzuki, an alumnus who also serves as a lecturer in the Statistics Study Program at Unsyiah, stated that alumni contributions not only help students carry out their activities but also serve as an added value for the future accreditation of the Mathematics Study Program. This is in line with Standard 3, particularly point 3.4, which emphasizes alumni participation in supporting the academic and non-academic development of a study program.
Math Fair was initiated based on the idea of Dr. Hizir Sofyan, Head of the Mathematics Department during the periods 2004–2009 and 2009–2011, who is currently entrusted as Vice Rector IV of Unsyiah. The program was first conceived in 2004. After being suspended in 2005 due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Aceh and other regions in late 2004, Math Fair has been held annually from 2006 to 2014. The chairpersons of Math Fair from 2004 to 2017 were Hendra Darmawan (2001), Mahfuzah (2002), Jamilul Fikar (2004), Munzir Umran (2005), Alim Misbullah (2006), Ahmad Mauliyadi M. (2007), Riza Juniardi (2008), Eko Budi Purwanto (2009), Fathul Firtrah (2010), Adri Syakir (2011), Erwanda (2012), and T. Raja Ahmad Alfaruq (2014).