Saratov University has hosted a presentation of a special edition of the SGUshchyonka magazine dedicated to the anniversary of the Student Club. The concert under the 60 years at home motto was held in the main SSU building on December 21. The students, graduates, and employees of the university, journalists and performers of the university were invited to it.

The host of the festive press conference was Professor of the Department of Political Sciences, Chair of the SSU Arts Union Vladimir Mitrokhin. He commented on the history of the magazine creation and invited SSU Rector Aleksei Chumachenko.

Congratulating the performers of the Student Club on the anniversary date, Aleksei Chumachenko note, ‘Due to the pandemic, we, unfortunately, cannot violate the restrictions and celebrate the anniversary as widely as we would like. However, we know that happiness and joy do not depend on abundance. Remember, in childhood, in order to feel the coming holiday, one tangerine was enough. May this event be the first present for all of us on the eve of the New Year.’

Following the rector, the floor was taken by one of the main heroes of the celebration – Director of the Student Club Mark Pinkhasik. ‘The jubilee tagline is 60 years at home. While working on the magazine, I was interviewed and asked the following question: ‘If a club is home, what is its foundation?’ The foundation of the club is people, these are its employees, leaders of different club teams, creative students. Over the 60-year history, there have been all sorts of things, ups and downs, victories and defeats, but one thing was strong and unchanged – this foundation. I was and will always be confident in those people who work in the Student Club,’ Mark Pinkhasik emphasised.

In response, the performers of the Student Club, the singers of the very first folklore ensemble in the history of the club admitted, ‘If you get into Mark Pinkhasik’s hands, you are incredibly lucky! After 45 years, we, the students of past years, have realised that once upon a time all the stars came together in order for us to be in the club. It was here that our abilities were revealed. From ordinary schoolchildren in some 5 years we grew up.’

Head of Priority Projects and Programmes Elena Yelina, who became the editor of texts in the new edition of the magazine, spoke about the role of the Student Club in student lives. She compared the activities of the Student Club with its peer – the Club of the Cheerful and Witty, which this year also celebrates its 60th anniversary. Also, she noticed that Mark Pinkhasik was one of the first to take part in the creation of the “club” movement in the country.

‘For the performers of the university, the Student Club is not just concerts and stage work. It's about being a team player, developing flexible skills, and growing both creatively and personally. The club helped some to find not only freedom of expression but also a completely new profession. Many words have been said about this by the students themselves on the pages of our magazine. There are stories in it of those to whom the club gave true friends and true love, which over the years has grown into a strong and happy family. All this, perhaps, would never have happened if one day the permanent head of the club had not enthused over the idea of ​​creating this warm and cosy house,’ Elena Yelina said.

The final chord of the gala evening was a press conference participated by Director of the Student Club Mark Pinkhasik, Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Alexandra Golovachyova, and authors of the publications – Arts Director of the club Mikhail Vinogradov, and Head of the Cultural Sector of the Faculty of Law Anna Rudneva. They answered questions from readers and invited journalists and also talked about the headings of the special edition and the process of their creation.

The festive atmosphere during the concert was created by the performers of the club – Deputy Director of the IPhTS Olga Yefimova, a vocal ensemble of SSU graduates and students, and the COOL K! DS band. They showed musical performance items and also presented a congratulatory video where the SSU graduates expressed their love for the university stage.