Preparation for the Field Practice Course for Years I and II, 2018

Dear First- and Second-Year Students! Field practice is an integral component of the academic curriculum. Practice is conducted at the biological station in Haidary. On the one hand, this is the most important part of your study plan, and you are required to complete it. On the other hand, according to the recollections of many graduates of the Biology Faculty, field practice at Haidary is the finest part of their university education (and student years are, quite often, the finest part of their lives). The field practice course for Years I and II will take place in 2018 from 15 June (Friday) to 13 July (Friday). From midday of one Friday to midday of the Friday four weeks later — 28 days. Please note! The Year I practice programme comprises 4 separate subjects: botany of lower plants and lichenology (taught by Associate Professor A. B. Hromakova), mycology and soil science (Associate Professor O. Yu. Akulov or Associate Professor A. S. Usichenko), hydrobiology (Associate Professor A. Yu. Utevskyi), and entomology (Senior Lecturer V. V. Terekhova). Each subject occupies one week; the order in which subjects are covered will differ between student groups. The Year II practice programme includes botany of higher plants (Associate Professor Yu. H. Hamulya or Senior Lecturer K. O. Zvyahintseva) and vertebrate zoology (ornithology with theriology — Associate Professor T. A. Atemasova, ichthyology — Associate Professor H. L. Honcharov, and batrachology with herpetology — Professor D. A. Shabanov). Zoology and botany each occupy two weeks. Students pass separate credit assessments in each subject and receive an overall practice credit. The final grade is influenced both by the knowledge demonstrated and by the research assignments completed. Requirements for vertebrate zoology research assignments are set out here; within each subject these requirements have specific features. Meals during practice are provided centrally. The cost is 65 hryvnias per day; the total cost is 65 x 28 = 1,820 hryvnias. Of this amount, state-funded students will receive 30 hryvnias per day (i.e. 30 x 28 = 840 hryvnias) as a per diem allowance. If state-funded students complete the travel-order paperwork on time (and submit the outstanding balance of 980 hryvnias), they will receive the per diem in advance, before departure for practice. If they do not manage to do so, they will receive the per diem either in July or in September. Contract-funded students must unfortunately pay the full 1,820 hryvnias out of their own pocket (as no alternative is provided by the contract they concluded with the university). The per diem will be transferred to the bank card that students were required to open for receiving scholarships. If no such card exists, one must be opened. If the card exists but is blocked, a visit to UkrSibbank at 6 Darvin Street will be necessary in order to collect the funds by presenting a passport. Why do students receive 30 hryvnias per diem rather than 60 (the per diem rate for staff)? This is related to a Cabinet of Ministers resolution still in force: "for the period of practical training conducted outside the location of the educational institution: students are paid a daily allowance at 50 per cent of the rate established for employees of state enterprises, institutions, and organisations." If you consider this unjust (as, incidentally, do the practice supervisors), ensure that your representatives in student self-governance bodies compel the Cabinet of Ministers to amend this provision. Those who have documentary grounds for doing so (single-parent family, documented low income) may apply for financial assistance from the trade union committee. Contact the head of the student trade union committee, Danyla Starovoitov, who will explain the procedure. In order to undertake the practice, you must: — by 1 June, undergo a medical examination at the university health centre and submit a fluorography certificate; only students included in the health centre's clearance document will be permitted to attend practice; — between 21 May and 1 June, visit the practice director, Professor of the Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology Dmytro Andriiovych Shabanov (room IV-12, telephone 050-343-82-73, email shabanov [at] karazin.ua), in order to submit the payment (980 hryvnias for state-funded students and 1,820 hryvnias for contract-funded students) and to complete the travel-order documentation (your tax identification number and passport details will be required); — by 14 June, state-funded students must submit the full amount (ideally after receiving the per diem advance). As I have been informed, rumours are circulating among students that practice can be "completed" in Kharkiv. This is misinformation (decide for yourselves who is spreading it and to what end). Field practice takes place at field practice bases. The university is not and cannot be a field practice base. Any attempt to conduct "practice" on university premises would constitute a gross violation of regulatory requirements; neither I (D.Sh.), as practice director, nor the Dean would agree to such a violation (if only because we have no wish to bear responsibility should someone, for instance, sustain a broken leg during unauthorised excursions). What should you do if, for whatever reason, you are categorically unable to be present at the biological station? If a student, for some valid reason, is unable to attend lectures, no one delivers lectures at his or her home, and no one relieves him or her of the obligation to complete the course under the general requirements. The most that can be arranged is an individual study plan. In such a case, the student receives methodological guidance, independently masters the material, and sits the examination under the standard conditions. The same applies to practice. Practice will not be conducted in Kharkiv, and the credit requirements will remain unchanged. If your reasons are genuinely valid, a Dean's order may grant you permission to study under an individual plan. Bear in mind: inability to complete the practice creates a great many problems for you. In order to receive a credit, you will have to expend considerably more effort than those who go to practice, and the unique experience gained by your fellow students will remain inaccessible to you. Those who, due to certain medical conditions (serious diagnoses), are unable to undertake the practice, must: — obtain from the Dean's office a letter addressed to the head of the student polyclinic, specifying the types of load you will encounter during practice (accommodation at a fully equipped biological station with hot showers, fixed toilet facilities, and a medical post; time spent outdoors; organised field excursions; classes in equipped laboratories; meals in a student canteen in accordance with a standard full-value ration; the possibility of restricting certain forms of activity in accordance with medical contraindications); — apply to the student polyclinic and undergo a medical board examination; — by 1 June, obtain a medical certificate specifying which of the practice activities are contraindicated for you and on the basis of which diagnosis; — by 1 June, submit a written application to the Dean requesting the arrangement of an individual practice plan; — subsequently, independently master the practice programme and pass all credit assessments (written tests, research assignments) in accordance with the general requirements. A general assembly of students departing for practice will be held a few days before departure. Based on experience from previous years, the following items are recommended for students to bring to the biological station for field practice: — identity documents (grade book, student card, passport); — tableware: deep plate and shallow plate (or bowls), spoon, fork, cup; — dishwashing detergent, dishcloth or sponge; — bed linen (sheet, pillowcase, duvet cover; optionally a sleeping bag, blanket, etc.); — mosquito and tick repellents (fumigators, sprays for excursions); — a padlock for the cabin (room) — one per 4-5 students from the same group; — toiletries, comb, razor, etc.; separate towels for the beach, face, and feet; personal hygiene products; — swimsuit or swimming trunks; — necessary medications and first-aid supplies (noting that a medical post will be operational at the biological station); — a small-format notebook (field diary), 10-15 sheets of A4 paper, pens, pencils, rulers, thread, needles, scissors, PVA glue, a magnifying glass (loupe) with 4-5x magnification; — for Year I students: lidded containers, small plastic jars or glass coffee jars, boxes, and other receptacles suitable for collecting live specimens; footwear suitable for wading through water and mud, preferably rubber (canvas shoes, etc.); — for Year II students: thick paper in A3 format (5 sheets per student), washing line (10 m per group for tying herbarium nets), newspapers for drying herbarium specimens; — a small rucksack (any kind — child-sized, cloth, etc. — for excursions), a small flask or water bottle; — a raincoat (rain cape); an umbrella if desired; — a sun hat — any type of hat, cap, or headscarf; — footwear: trainers or other comfortable thick-soled footwear for excursions (canvas shoes and other thin-soled footwear are unsuitable!), light footwear for use around the station, organised trips to the beach, the shop, etc.; flip-flops; — waterproof footwear for rain — rubber boots, galoshes, ankle boots, or similar; — clothes pegs, paperclips, drawing pins, etc.; toilet paper; window curtains; — warm clothing: a light jacket, a warm jumper, a windbreaker, warm socks; thick trousers or jeans (also useful as protection against mosquitoes); — several sets of socks, T-shirts, and other clothing; — a thick plastic bag for a camera or telephone (protection from moisture during excursions in the event of rain). A torch, camera, laptop, power strip, extension lead, and binoculars (for Year II students) will also be useful during practice. If you have questions, they may be asked in the comments to this post. You may register on batrachos.com or log in via Facebook, etc. UPD. Students departing for practice are to assemble on Thursday, 14 June, at 12:00 in room III-15. A health and safety briefing will be conducted, outstanding meal payments (where applicable) are to be submitted, and all urgent matters resolved. Departure is on 15 June: Year II — at 9:30, Year I — at 13:30. Assembly with luggage in front of the main building; the bus will collect students directly from there. Only students who have undergone a medical examination, as confirmed by the health centre, will be permitted to depart for practice! The practice orders for Years I-II and III, as well as the practice budget estimate, have been signed. Documents for the disbursement of per diem allowances to students who have submitted payment and completed the assignment forms have been forwarded to the accounts department; funds are due to be transferred from the beginning of the week.