Traditions

The traditions of Kamchatka State University are very rich and various. Some of them have already become common for the students of all faculties, the other determine the originality of the faculty. The usual traditions are:

scientific traditions: teachers' and students' conferences, round-table conferences, seminars, exhibitions and competitions;

cultural traditions: different concerts, KVN (humour competition), teachers' concert parties;

sport traditions: students' participation in University, city and regional sport competitions.

Kamchatka State University cooperates with different scientific organizations and educational establishments of our city and region and also with foreign scientific centres. Close faculty interaction is also traditional for our University.

Numerous intercollege conferences give opportunities to their participants to realize themselves. Teachers' and students' works can be printed in University books of collections of scientific works.

New traditions also appear at the University. In spring 2002 “Busheleva readings” took place for the first time at our University. They were devoted to Beata Vladimirovna Busheleva. She was a very talented teacher, who had worked for more than 30 years at the University. The scholars of Beata Vladimirovna, teachers and students, took part in this conference.

Scientific life of the University is very interesting. The striking evidences of it are beloved teachers' concert parties and the section of humour. They are the best conclusion for the annual week of students' science.

Interfaculty KVN is one of the most popular University competitions and it is often a starting point to the city competition. The team “Vaganty” has been the first in KVN among institutions of our city for a long time. The team “Fifa” has become a member of the Far-Easten KVN league this year.

The complete information about students' life is well presented in the newspaper of the University “Alma Mater”. Students take part in the preparation and publishing of this newspaper. You can find much interesting information about students' life on the official web-page of Kamchatka State University.

Every spring our University gives an interview for candidates seeking admission. The deans, heads of the departments and senior teachers give all the necessary information and answer different questions of the candidates and their parents.

Sport life of our University has also its own traditions. During the academic year students' teams of the University participate in more than 30 competitions in different kinds of sport. Traditionally the University team wins the first prizes in Peace Relay-Race, devoted to the Victory Day. Annually students take part in ski competitions, Kamchatka ski-race and others. Basket-ball and volley-ball teams are always the prizers in city competitions.

Volley-ball, basket-ball, table-tennis, swimming, football, athletic clubs work in the University sportcomplex. Sport competitions are held at our University every year.

Students go in for sport regularly, following the example of their physical training teachers. Teachers participate in city and regional competitions in athletics, ski-racing, basket-ball, swimming. They also take part in the annual Avacha marathon.

Inspite of the fact that interfaculty connections are close enough, every faculty has its own customs and traditions.

PHILOLOGICAL FACULTY

Philological faculty is the oldest faculty in the University and it has rich traditions. The close communication of professors and students with the creative intellectuals of our peninsula is the tradition of long standing. The students of the faculty often meet with poets, writers and bards of Kamchatka. The club of poets and interpreters actively works at the faculty, where students recite their poems, interpretations and sing their songs. The traditional contests of reciters are held every year. The themes for discussions are various, as a rule, students suggest them. The last three contests were devoted to A.S. Pushkin, to the poetry of the Silvery century and of World War II. There are also contests of literary and linguistic tale, of students' interpretation, different exhibitions of illustration to literary texts.

The folk concerts of freshmen are very interesting. The professors and students dramatize folk tales and rituals, sing Russian songs and chastushkas (rhymed folk songs). Such unusual activity awakens students' interest to the folk culture and develops their creative abilities.

Students-philologists often meet people, who know and try to develop cultural traditions of the natives of Kamchatka. There are special classes of national languages at the University. The teachers are native speakers and their pupils are children, adults, students, post-graduate students and professors.

The most popular University tradition is KVN: the linguistic KVN of freshmen, interfaculty KVN and city KVN. The team “Fifa”, created on the base of all the faculties, took part in city KVN.

Special atmosphere of spiritual unity of students and professors at the faculty contributes to the realization of students' creative potential. Traditions of the faculty are always good beginning in development of personality.

HISTORICAL FACULTY

The best tradition of the historical faculty is creative unity of teachers and students. Spiritual unity became the peculiar feature of this faculty long ago. The motto of the faculty is: “Warm and sincere relations and democratic style of communication”. Active and voluntary participation of students in faculty life is not only a good tradition, but a way of life, the style of the faculty.

The faculty holiday “The Day of Herodotus” is one of the oldest traditions. It is an intellectual and intertaining show. It allows students to display their intellect, artistic abilities and sense of humour at the same time.

The humour of the students is subtle and intellectual. The KVN team of the historical faculty is one of the best at the University.

Archaeological practical work of the students after the first year of studying is not only an educational tradition, but also a cultural one. “He, who has never been to archaeological practical work he has never been a student of the historical faculty” is said at the faculty. Students have a good possibility to know each other in extreme situations, to sing songs at the camp fire. Difficult camping conditions help to form friendly relations and mutual responsibility. All the materials are analyzed after this practical work.

The faculty has close connections with Kamchatka Regional Scientific library named after S.P. Krasheninnikov. Traditionally professors and students take part in Krasheninnikov's readings. Students also cooperate with the museum of Military Glory.

One more tradition has appeared at the faculty recently. It holds the Regional contest on Russian history for pupils of senior classes of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Elizovo and Viluchinsk. Professors and students take part in the preparation of this contest.

THE FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND PEDAGOGICS

The faculty of psychology and pedagogics is the youngest faculty of our university. That is why its customs and traditions are only being developed.

The peculiarity of the faculty is its variety of creative activity. Students get a wide spectrum of creative tasks within the framework of educational courses. They paint, compose, design, play situations of life. “Rossip” is a research students' group, which has functioned practically since the moment of the faculty foundation. Young researchers take first steps in their scientific work, suggesting interesting and unusual hypotheses. There is also pedagogical cafe-club “Elite” at the faculty.

The tradition of the faculty is a joint participation in preparation of faculty holidays. “The Magic party”, held on New Year's eve, has already become a tradition. Life of the faculty is reflected in students' wall newspapers, which are regularly produced.

It is peculiar for this faculty that even first year students can be involved in their future professional activity. First- and second-year students work at boarding-schools or social adaptation centres voluntarily. This practice helps students to realize if they are able to work and communicate with people. Professional skills are worked out in senior years.

Traditional research work at the faculty is scientific methodological seminar, where actual problems of young researchers are discussed.

THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

The faculty of foreign languages is a special style of life with its traditions, culture and holidays.

A lot of traditions of the faculty are connected with culture of different countries. Annually on October, 31 one can see ghosts and hear loud cries at the University. It means that the Faculty of foreign languages celebrates Halloween. Students of the English-Japanese department have an opportunity to learn Japanese poetry, the art of origami, old and modern Japanese songs. The exhibitions and concerts of Korean culture, held by chair of oriental languages, are extremely popular with the students and professors of the faculty.

Students take part in New Year competition. They decorate their classrooms, and sing Christmas songs. Winners are determined in different nominations. The contest of love song in English takes place at the faculty every year in March. Students often sing their own songs.

There is one more tradition at the Faculty of foreign languages. It's well-known not only at the university. Every year the students of V.P. Tsurupa stage the plays of famous American and English playwrights. Beautiful playbills, suits, high level of actor's skill attract a lot of people. Students and professors of different faculties are the guests of this holiday. Students from different institutions are also invited. This holiday is one of the best and our University is really proud of it.

The contests in the English language for students and pupils are regularly held. Students, who study Japanese, participate in annual contests in the Japanese language, held within the framework of the Far-Eastern region. Regional contests in the Korean language have been held for 3 years.

Teachers of all the chairs of the faculty improve their qualifications regularly during practical studies at the Universities of Great Britain, USA, Japan, China or Korea. Some students also go abroad to study. So the chair of oriental languages keeps in touch with institutions of Japan, China and Korea. Owing to these connections students can have special courses of Japanese, Chinese or Korean abroad.

THE FACULTY OF PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS

The constant increase of specialities and its spectrum can be considered traditional. Every chair is interesting in its own way. Every speciality, forming individual trend, brings new traditions. Nevertheless there is something in common. The day of the faculty is celebrated every year. Teacher's day is traditionally one of the best faculty holidays: graduates are invited, school teachers are congratulated and so on. The faculty of physics and mathematics takes part in different poetic parties. The result of the last poetic party was collection of verses "Checked copy-book” (“Tetrad v kletku”). It contains poetic works of students of our University and other institutions. Faculty newspaper “Horizon” reflects news of the Faculty and University, information about students' achievements and different congratulations.

The chair of geography, geology and geophysics is a new chair. At the same time the field students' practice in the most interesting and remote places of Kamchatka is included in educational process.

Active students' participation in research work of the faculty is also traditional. Young researchers work in scientific laboratories, try to solve the problems of environmental protection and earthquake forecasting. They develop the centre of distant education of Kamchatka State University.