International students at AltSU: “We feel protected in the university dormitories!”

29 April 2020 Department of Information and Media Communications
In all dormitories of the flagship Altai State University, the necessary measures of protection against the Covid19 pandemic have been taken.

Altai State University has created the necessary conditions so that students who stay at the dormitories during the pandemic feel protected. Quarantine was introduced in each dormitory, sanitary cleaning is carried out every two hours in elevators, halls, and common areas, sanitizers are provided at reception desks for cleaning hands, students are given masks. Many international students, although they had the opportunity to go home for a period of self-isolation, decided to stay in dormitories.

Vyacheslav Belov, 2nd-year student, Institute of Geography, AltSU:

“I came to study at AltSU from the village of Kamyshinka, Borodulikhinsky district, East Kazakhstan region of Kazakhstan. When the pandemic started, there was an opportunity to go home, but together with our parents, we decided that it would be safer to wait until the end of the pandemic. Moreover, I do not want to waste time: after all, all those who return to their homeland are sent to quarantine for two weeks. Here I am on self-isolation in a dormitory. There is everything you need, including the Internet for distance learning, a relaxation room. The entrance to the hostel is closed to outsiders, every day we sanitize the premises. In addition, I can communicate with those guys who stayed in the hostel. And we are not divided from the outside world: we learn the latest news from university life, we regularly contact with teachers. By the way, at the very beginning it was very difficult to study remotely, because this is a completely unusual format for us! This is a new schedule, and staying at home was relaxing.

But now everything is fine - the Moodle system works faultlessly, video lectures and consultations are organized. In addition, I have debts. There are few of them, but it takes time to pass everything. Therefore, I decided to completely concentrate on my studies - I’m learning new material, completing current tasks and gradually catching up with everything. I am glad that AltSU not only made it possible to continue training, but also ensured our safety. We are having an exam session soon, we need to prepare for it, because exams and tests online are not a reason to relax!”

Daria Samotugitina, 1st- year student, Institute of Social Sciences, AltSU:

“My parents live in the city of Semipalatinsk, but I decided it was safer to stay in Barnaul. I really like our new AltSU dormitory. It’s safe here like in a fortress! We were given a detailed briefing on what safety measures to observe during the pandemic, sanitizers and antiseptics are everywhere in the dormitory. In the daytime I devote most of my time to studies, and in the evening, film screenings are organized for us. So even in quarantine we are not bored”.

Nurzhan Ushchalov, 3rd-year student, Institute of Digital Technologies, Electronics and Physics, AltSU:

“There is a session around the corner, so I decided not go home, although I really wanted to: in the city of Shemonaikha a large family was waiting for me. I stayed here to  study quantum physics, NMR and EPR spectroscopy. They are difficult subjects, especially quantum theory. Because of the pandemic, student life, in my opinion, has not changed much, masks and disinfectants are just given in the dormitory, and the session will most likely be held online. For example, I am now more concerned with tuning the oscilloscope - a device designed to study the amplitude and time parameters of an electrical signal supplied to its input. If you give the wrong voltage, the oscilloscope will burn. But this is in theory. In practice, I have not tested it yet! I generally like medical physics, I hope to get practice in the regional oncology center "Nadezhda", to probe the medical equipment. Actually, I want to become a medical physicist!”

It is important to note that regardless of the decision made by international students of AltSU to return to their homeland or stay in Barnaul for the period of restrictions associated with the pandemic, they all continue to study remotely and will finish the academic year on time. The maximum extension of the examination session for a number of educational programs, caused by the announcement of one-week vacation by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, is one academic week. Graduate students will be able to remotely complete their studies, pass the state academic assessment and receive their diplomas. This year foreign applicants have the opportunity of remote entry; for this, all the necessary digital services have been created and launched on the site abiturient.asu.ru.

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