Even students have faced with the financial problems resulted from the coronavirus pandemic. In some families, the monthly income declined sharply, so students and their parents faced dire financial straits. South Ural State University monitors this situation online to provide social assistance to every student who qualifies to apply for it. The university also collects vacancies from city enterprises, so that everyone can find a job.
The restrictive measures adopted in the Chelyabinsk Region affected the financial well-being not only in business, but also in the families of ordinary residents of the South Ural region. The financial situation of the workers who have not been paid their wages in full, who are forced to go on vacation, or are even relieved of their duties has deteriorated. The situation also affected students: some of the students who are dependent on their parents faced financial difficulties.
South Ural State University drew attention to such negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. The administration of the university decided to provide social support to students as soon as possible, including to those who had not previously received financial assistance.
"The legislation strictly regulates the cases of payment of financial assistance, so the university cannot introduce its own rules. But we understand that under the current conditions the financial situation of students and their parents could have changed. Therefore, we are conducting a survey to find out the real situation in the families of students. We are informing those who can apply for financial assistance," said SUSU Vice-Rector for Student Affairs Vyacheslav Burmatov.
Photo: SUSU Vice-Rector for Student Affairs Vyacheslav Burmatov
Data is collected online through a questionnaire posted in the SUSU Trade Union Committee group in VKontakte social network, so that students and university employees do not violate the lockdown. If the income in a student’s family currently does not exceed the subsistence rate for each family member, the university is ready to pay social scholarships. The student only needs to send an e-mail with an appropriate application addressed to the Rector (profcomsusu74[at]gmail[dot]com), and a scan of the passport and a certificate from the Social Security Department attached. The latter can also be obtained remotely. Detailed information on the certificate can be obtained from the Social Security Department at the place of residence.
"If for some reason students cannot get a certificate from the Social Security Department, they cannot apply for the social scholarship. But we understand that sometimes these payments are the only source of income for students. Therefore, we have allowed for a possibility of providing financial assistance. It will be provided to students who have received a social scholarship before, but temporarily cannot extend it. Students will be provided with financial support until restrictive measures in the region are over, and the opportunity to issue a certificate of state social assistance appears. We have not started to accept the documents for financial assistance yet, since remote procedures have not been agreed. But if the distance form of work is extended, we are ready to quickly respond to the situation and carry out all the processes remotely," explained Deputy Chairman of the SUSU Trade Union Committee Gennadii Budanov.
Students got the right to apply for a social scholarship in electronic form thanks to the order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
"In addition, in the near future a Student Employment Centre will begin to function at the Headquarters of the Student Labour Unions. This will be an electronic resource that will be replenished with relevant vacancies available both on the Campus and outside the university. Currently, these are working professions related to physical labour, but these comply with the market in terms of wages. The vacancies offered by the university are attractive in that international students can consider them as well, because they can work at the university they study in without violating the law. In the future, the list of vacancies offered by the university will be expanded," said Vyacheslav Burmatov.
In addition, students of South Ural State University can already apply for vacancies from various organisations related to the execution of municipal contracts. The Headquarters of the Student Labour Unions receive vacancies that involve work related to the sanitation of the city, mowing grass in summer, etc. Young people are quite capable of doing these jobs, which are paid and provided with the necessary funding in terms of the salary fund.
The position of the university on this issue is to accumulate the maximum number of various vacancies so that students have a good choice. They will only have to make a decision about their readiness to go to work.
It is important to note that social support measures are in demand among students. The number of applications to the Trade Union Committee has grown in the recent weeks. Students want to understand what they can count on, and granting social scholarships saves the financial situation of many of them during a difficult period of the pandemic.