Rector meets with the International Student Club Council

The meeting with the Rector was attended by members and activists of the International Student Club Council, including: Dmitrii Trubetskoi (Kazakhstan), a second-year bachelor’s student in the Journalism programme and Chairman of the ISC Council; Adel Zamanova (Kyrgyz Republic), a third-year bachelor’s student in the Journalism programme and Deputy Chair of the ISC Council; Nargiza Ruslanbekova (Kyrgyz Republic), a fourth-year specialist’s student in the General Medicine programme; and Radmila Abrambekova (Uzbekistan), a first-year bachelor’s student in the Journalism programme. The ISC activists in attendance included: Otabek Abdukhalilov (Uzbekistan), a second-year master’s student in the Management programme; and Daniel Detkovskii (Kazakhstan), a first-year master’s student in the Advertising and Public Relations programme.

Dmitrii Trubetskoi, Chairman of the International Student Club Council, spoke about the activities and events organised by St Petersburg University’s ISC and outlined the Club’s goals and objectives for the 2024/2025 academic year. He explained that the International Student Club operates at St Petersburg University to support international students, helping them with social, psychological and communicative adaptation, during their studies at the University.

Currently, St Petersburg University has 4,939 international students, all of whom are eligible to join the International Student Club. The ISC Council, comprising 11 members, together with the ISC activists, analyses the needs of international students, contributes to improving their living conditions, and offers advice and support as needed. The ISC Council is assisted by 42 mentors at the Institutes and Faculties — from the University’s staff and senior students who share their experiences with international students. The ISC Council has already begun working with first-year international students who started their studies at the University this year.

The meeting participants highlighted several major events they had recently organised, including: New Year celebrations in Peterhof; an autumn ball; Navruz celebrations; a musical bingo game; and a football tournament with students from other universities in St Petersburg. The International Student Club plans to host a legal lecture for international students focusing on changes in the Russian migration legislation. Additionally, the Club would also like to collaborate with the St Petersburg University Admissions Committee.

Rector Nikolay Kropachev supported the initiatives of the International Student Club Council and offered assistance. For instance, academics from the Faculty of Law and staff of the University’s Passport and Visa Support Department can deliver lectures to international students on changes in migration legislation. Meanwhile, ISC members will gather questions from international students to be addressed by the University experts. The Rector also suggested that the ISC Council prepare a memo for international students, outlining how to handle challenging situations. The ISC activists shared their plans to develop such a guide and even to create a special chatbot to provide relevant information to international students. The Rector explained that creating a new website or a new section of the website is unnecessary, as an effective tool is already in place — the Virtual Reception of St Petersburg University. International students can ask questions not just in Russian but in any language and receive prompt responses from authorised University officials regarding various issues, such as studies, accommodation in the halls of residence, health concerns, etc. Nikolay Kropachev requested that ISC members inform international students about this resource and ensure they can also contact the ISC leadership through the Virtual Reception for matters related to the ISC’s work. The Rector assigned Mariya Gusarova, Acting Vice-Rector and Head of the Rector’s Office, to address this issue.

Rector Nikolay Kropachev raised the issue of increasing the visibility of the International Student Club. He asked the ISC members if they were satisfied with the current ISC regulations. The Club’s members highlighted difficulties in the election process for the ISC Council, as elections are held at the academic and research unit level, but not all international students attend these meetings. Also, the ISC members noted that they lack a complete list of international students, making it challenging to disseminate important information. Aleksandr Babich, Acting Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions at St Petersburg University, explained that due to the requirements of the Federal Law ‘On Personal Data’, the University cannot share information about international students with third parties. However, Vladimir Savinov, Acting Vice-Rector for Educational Activity at St Petersburg University, suggested a solution: the ISC Council members can relay information to the Department for Youth Affairs staff, who can then inform international students via their University email addresses, directing them on where to address any questions.

Rector Nikolay Kropachev requested that the ISC leadership draft amendments to the Regulations on the St Petersburg University International Student Club. These amendments should clearly define the responsibilities of specific University officials in assisting the ISC Council with organisational issues. Once the ISC Regulations have been amended, the relevant changes will be incorporated into the job descriptions of the University employees. Additionally, Professor Nikolay Kropachev and the students reviewed the work plan of the Department for Youth Affairs. The Rector emphasised that, moving forward, such plans should be developed collaboratively by the Rector’s Office and the International Student Club.

During the discussion on the visibility of the International Student Club of St Petersburg University, it was noted that the Chairman of the ISC Council is also a member of the Student Council of St Petersburg University, whereas the Student Councils of Institutes and Faculties do not consistently include members of the ISC Council. The Rector suggested addressing this issue with both the Student Councils and the ISC Council to increase the ISC representation in line with the actual proportion of international students at the University, which, according to the meeting participants’ estimates is up to 20%.

Additionally, the following issues have been discussed:

• providing real assistance to international students who need help studying the Russian language;
• promoting events that involve international students and establishing necessary channels of interaction;
• analysing queries received from international students through the Virtual Reception by the ISC Council members;
• establishing direct contacts between the ISC and the Office of the Vice-Rector for International Affairs to engage international students in events with international participation, including those held at St Petersburg University branches, representative offices, and overseas centres and more actively disseminating relevant information among international students;
• involving international students in federal projects on the ‘Russia is a Land of Opportunity’ platform, such as: ‘I am a Professional’; ‘Bolshaya Peremena’; and ‘Flagships of Education’;
• encouraging more active participation of students from China and Latin America in the ISC activities;
• forming national sports teams to participate in inter-university tournaments and competitions;
• engaging international students in the work of the St Petersburg University Admissions Committee.

Rector Nikolay Kropachev invited the meeting participants to continue working with international students even after graduation from the University — as employees of the relevant services at St Petersburg University.