On September 6 and 7, the annual Successful SUSU Festival, organized by Extracurricular Activities Department together with the United Student Council, was held at South Ural State University.
The Successful SUSU Festival is held for freshman students, but students of other years of study participate as well. Every year, each of student communities present their opportunities and invite students to join the organization. A ceremonious opening of the event took place at SUSU’s Activity Hall. Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Youth Politics, Vyacheslav Burmatov, delivered a welcoming speech.
“I congratulate you all on the fact that you are now a part of one big and close-knit family – the SUSU family. Each of you chose the specialty in which you would like to succeed as a professional, as well as be a successful person. SUSU can give you everything so that all your dreams came true. What is left for you to do is to select the sphere in which you would like to fulfill yourself.”
One of the main organizers of the event was Chairman of the United Student Council, Viktor Froidenberger.
“Without a doubt, all students got enrolled to SUSU in order to study, but we would like to tell them about additional opportunities provided by the university. This year, we’ve changed the format. In the previous years, we only talked about student government; but this time, we also told students about art, sport and science. We involved the Young Scientists Council, the Physical Culture and Sports Complex, the SUSU Art Center and the United Student Council, which presented student communities. Previously, we only made presentations from the stage. This year, we decided to focus on interactive venues, where freshman students can learn about all spheres of activity at the university.”
Supervisor of the Center for Sociocultural Adaptation, Dina Valeeva, presented one of such venues to freshman students and talked about the Center’s activity.
“We represent ILIC’s Center for Sociocultural Adaptation, and deal with adaptation of international students at SUSU. Today, we came with our volunteers, who help presenting our organization at the Festival of student communities. Our Center provides assistance not only to international students, but to volunteers themselves: they develop their skills, meet new people, and become more communicative and tolerant. Right now, freshman students themselves need adaptation. They will need to find themselves, find their calling, and therefore, we think that involving them into our organization to be important and necessary.”
Aside from student communities, there was a venue represented by hockey players of the Polytechnik Hockey Club – the main hockey club of SUSU. Student of the Institute of Law and hockey player, Maksim Antoshkin told freshman students that sport is an inseparable part of his life.
“Today we presented our Polytechnic ice hockey team. We displayed our cups and medals so that other students got inspired as well and came to watch our games. It is important to show by a personal example, that at a university, it is possible not only study but also play sports.”
The year 2018 was announced the year of volunteer, therefore, volunteering is a topical activity at South Ural State University. Student of the School of Economics and Management, Anastasia Ershova presented the SUSU Volunteer Center.
“On a stand, we listed the upcoming events in which we are going to take part; we also presented accreditations from the events that have already passed. Today, we offer all SUSU’s freshman students join our Volunteer Center. Volunteering helps developing, meeting new people and practicing foreign languages. Personally, I’ve been working as a volunteer for about four years.”
One of the largest venues was the venue of SUSU’s Headquarter of Student Labor Unions (HSLU). There, freshman students could learn about sphere of activity of this organization and chose the one that suits them most, as noted a member of the Headquarter, commissar of the Tankograd construction brigade, Artur Khaliullin.
“All types of activity at HSLU are divided into several areas: we have car attendants, constructors, camp counselors and service personnel. Camp counselors go to camps where they work with children. Young men frequently choose the sphere of construction where they learn physical labor. The guys who want to go to the seaside choose the sphere of service and work as waiters, cooks, or other service personnel in resort regions of our country. Everyone who wants to see the vast expanse of Russia, from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, can become car attendants. By joining the Headquarter of Student Labor Unions, students not only raise money, but also get new skills and emotions.”
Also during the Festival, a venue was organized by the Young Leader School – the massive youth project for development of students’ organizational skills. In total, 20 organizations of SUSU presented their activity within the Festival.