Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
January 25th is Students' Day in Russia. This holiday has a long history, connected to the founding of Moscow University in 1755. In those years, students celebrated their day boisterously and joyfully. However, after the 1917 Revolution, the holiday almost faded away.
Since 2005, Russian Students' Day has been officially recognized. And today, we congratulate all Polytechnic students on their day! Coincidentally, it falls near the end of the winter exam period, so it won't be long before we can relax and truly unwind.
In the meantime, let's remember what Polytechnic students were like at the dawn of its history. Times change, but do the students?
First of all, in the late 19th century, universities were all-male institutions. Women were not allowed to study at higher education, and when the ban was finally lifted in the early 20th century, they were only accepted as auditors. At the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, women studied in the economics and electromechanical departments. However, auditors were not allowed to live in the dormitory. This was important at the Polytechnic Institute, as the university was located on the outskirts of the city.
The dormitory opened five days before the institute itself, on September 25, 1902. It was located in what is now the 1st Academic Building. A single room cost 80 rubles per year, while a double room cost 120 rubles per year. 270 students enrolled in the first year: 61 in the metallurgy department, 63 in the electromechanical department, 129 in the economics department, and 27 in the shipbuilding department. Admission was without examinations; the selection criterion was the average grade point average in Russian, mathematics, physics, and Latin (or another foreign language) on the school certificates. If there were more suitable candidates than available spots, their certificates were drawn by lot.
So, out of 500 applicants to the shipbuilding department, only 27 were accepted. And eight of them dropped out before the end of the first semester. It was a shame, after all, they had taken someone else's place. The dean of the faculty, K. P. Boklevsky, deeply regretted the loss of one candidate who hadn't been accepted. The young man was the heir to shipping companies and two shipyards in Nizhny Novgorod and Tyumen, and he needed an education. Fortunately, the future shipowner was accepted the following year.
Despite the fee-based education—it cost 50 rubles per semester—there were plenty of people willing to study. As always, parents and the young people themselves tried every possible way to get into the institute: they wrote letters of petition to the Institute Council, the director, the Minister of Finance, and even the Tsar. Sometimes, this worked.
Before the Revolution, wearing a uniform was mandatory even outside the institute. After the events of 1905, this became dangerous: the Black Hundreds beat students, identifying them by their uniforms. Fortunately, there was no need to leave the Polytechnic unless absolutely necessary—fortunately, there was an independent water supply, gas, a power plant, paved roads, and an outpatient clinic. It had two doctors, two paramedics, and three pharmacists. Students received medication at half price.
And the young people had no time to be bored in their leisure time. Throughout its history, the Polytechnic Institute was vibrant with cultural, athletic, and social activities. The institute boasted regional associations, professional societies, and over 120 clubs: philosophy, chess, psychology, sports, sailing, aeronautics, music, literature, balalaika, piano, a jazz band, a symphony orchestra, and much more. Opera and ballet evenings, ideological debates, and meetings with interesting people were also held.
The Institute Council oversaw all university affairs. But the most active students also wanted to participate in governance. On September 19, 1906, at a regular meeting, they decided to adopt a charter for the Council of Heads of School. The professors were wary of the newly formed self-governing body, but eventually accepted it.
One day, students learned of a significant overspending in the cafeteria. The Council of Heads of State demanded that the Institute Council conduct an audit. Failure to comply threatened a boycott and strike. The Institute's director, Prince Gagarin, managed to calm the unruly youth. A joint student-faculty commission was soon established to discuss various issues.
In general, the students enthusiastically addressed many pressing issues within their institute and even beyond. They were concerned with the everyday needs of Lesnoye residents: paving and lighting streets, electrifying homes, providing affordable tram fares, and providing entertainment for families.
The prevailing mood among the student population can be judged by the bold and emotionally charged articles on their worldviews that students published in the newspaper "Polytechnic." "On Academic Topics," "Where Are We Going?", "The Death of Students," "The Invasion of the Huns," "The Terrible Hun," and "Heroes of Timelessness"—these were the titles under which the polemical articles and responses to them appeared.
The student mutual aid fund played an important role at the institute. Established in 1903, it not only raised funds and provided benefits to those in need but also conducted a wide range of activities. The fund owned a publishing house and a bookstore, a chemical glassware warehouse, a drawing supplies store, a bathhouse (which students had been using free of charge since 1908), and three refreshment rooms (including a night bar). The fund supported the operation of service and retail businesses within the institute and assisted students with employment.
Immediately after the 1917 Revolution, the Soviet government opened the door to higher education for absolutely everyone: admission was not only free but also without exams or certificates. This, of course, led to a sharp decline in the standard of education. The experiment was discontinued, and faculties for working youth (rabfaks) were established at universities to prepare for admission.
Student sports at the Polytechnic University have always been at the forefront, both in terms of the number of sections and the athletes' performance. For example, in 1934, the LII took first place in the All-Union University Spartakiad in Moscow: gold in volleyball and the all-around; silver in track and field, basketball, and the Swedish relay; fourth in aquatics; and sixth in gymnastics. In 1938, our gymnasts won gold at the All-Union Competition in Kyiv. In 1939, the LII won the Leningrad Checkers Championship.
After the Great Patriotic War, the core of the Polytechnic University's student body consisted of veterans with combat experience. They were distinguished by their discipline and diligence in their studies—and set an example for others.
There were 78 people in our class, divided into four groups. Each group contained two or three veterans, mostly former officers. At that time, they were appointed group leaders because they were mature individuals who had consciously chosen their profession and were eager to learn. We feared the group leaders more than the dean's office. We asked them for time off from classes; they didn't tolerate tardiness, and we tried to help them remember the school curriculum. For ten years after the war, this constellation of veterans had a beneficial influence on the spirit of the Polytechnic students, recalled SPbSPU President Yuri Sergeyevich Vasiliev in an interview with the Politechnic newspaper on April 8, 2009.
In 1948, the country's first student construction team was formed at the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. They set off to build the Alakus Hydroelectric Power Station in the Leningrad Region, pledging to bring power to collective farm workers' homes within a month. Student B. Shapiro wrote in the Politechnik newspaper on July 29, 1948: 330 Polytechnic students installed approximately 2,500 power line poles, strung over 300 kilometers of wire, and wired 900 collective farm homes. Within a few days, electric lights would be turned on in 11 collective farms in the Rautovsky District of the Leningrad Region.
The same issue quotes Bazhenov, Secretary of the Rautovsky District Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks): "When meeting with collective farmers, I often heard words of gratitude to the students of the Polytechnic Institute. The electricity from the Alakus Hydroelectric Power Station will help collective farmers reap the new harvest more quickly. Re-equipping agricultural machinery with electric drives will shorten the harvest time and make the collective farmers' work easier."
Soviet students also helped collective farmers with the harvest. Every September, they traveled to sponsored state farms in the Leningrad Region to harvest carrots and potatoes, and the school year began a month later than for their descendants today.
These days, students no longer travel to state farms, but the student work brigade movement hasn't disappeared; on the contrary, it's become more diverse and widespread. This summer, 25 student work brigade teams from the Polytechnic University set out on their 77th work shift. They worked on construction sites, in children's health camps, on long-distance trains, on archaeological expeditions, in hotel complexes, and at agricultural enterprises. So, much has certainly changed over time, but much (the best) has remained and continues.
Dear students! For many years, Polytechnic University has been nurturing generations of thoughtful, highly professional, and worthy individuals—and you continue this glorious tradition. Today, you are a vibrant, talented generation of Polytechnic students: you combine courage and openness, cheerfulness and ambition. You are unafraid of the challenges of the times, find the strength to overcome obstacles, and confidently move forward. Your achievements are impressive—in your studies, in scientific research, in athletics, in creativity, and in community service.
May your university years be filled with events, meaning, and good deeds. Believe in yourself and in the power of the Polytechnic University.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.