17 February — Russian Student Society Day

The first student societies at Leningrad (St Petersburg) University were formed by students as early as 1949. At that time they were involved in the construction of small or ’collective’ hydroelectric power stations — Shulginskaya, Mikhalevskaya, Pozharishchenskaya and Tresnovskaya. Today, the headquarters for SPbU student societies is home to 10 societies that focus on physical labour in one way or another.

"The University preserves and develops the fine traditions of student societies. For over 75 years, our students have worked in a variety of fields that are vital to our country. I congratulate all members of student societies — both current students and the University’s alumni — on this wonderful holiday, Russian Student Society Day," said Alexander Babich, First Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions.

Over time, they expanded the scope of their work — from pedagogical teams to passenger train conductor societies — as has their geography, with students spending summers at major construction sites across the country and abroad.

The University currently has five pedagogical societies (Skazka, Unison, ROS, Granat, and Perspektiva), an archaeological team (Thor), an agricultural society (Povidlo), a train conductor society (Merkuriy), an environmental society (Mozhzhevelnik), and a medical society (Neiron).

Today, future educators work as camp counsellors during school holidays, while archaeologists participate in excavations. Members of the agricultural society take part in the annual harvest, and conductor societies accompany passengers on 15 routes across Russia. Medical students are in high demand at regional hospitals, while SPbU ecologists are welcomed in nature reserves, where they care for animals and plants.

The University’s History Museum has prepared an online exhibition titled "Student Construction Societies". 

The SPbU archaeological team Thor was founded over a decade ago, on 17 February. In 2024, Thor was recognised as the best archaeological team in St Petersburg. The team is made up of SPbU students from different academic backgrounds who have chosen to delve into history and dedicate their summers to excavations.

Maria Zhitnukhina, a fourth-year student in the Programming Technologies bachelor’s programme and leader of the archaeology team, gave an insight into their work: "Every summer we support archaeological expeditions by spending a month on excavations. In the summer of 2024, our team joined the South Belarus Expedition of the State Hermitage Museum, working in the Rechitsa district of the Gomel region in Belarus. There we conducted research on burial sites dating from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD, belonging to the Zarubintsy culture. We discovered ceramic pots, remains of burnt bones, rings and metal clasps — fibulae — used to fasten clothing. 

Last year, the team worked in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, in an unusual location called Punsi. "We lived on a sandbar surrounded by swamps, far from civilisation. In summer, the only way to get there is by helicopter or a local vehicle called a ’buran’, a snowmobile adapted for swampy terrain," Maria added.

However, it’s not just work that unites the members of different student societies. In their free time, they participate in creative, sports, and intellectual events at both University and city levels. Members are also actively involved in University life, city-wide initiatives and volunteer work.