I. Liz Rives: "Hot Take: Not a Fan of Zoom"
II. Mira Wroblewski: "Mira's Melodies № 1: Mumiy Troll, Sea"
III. Ryan Klopp: "Russian House Experience"
IV. Fallon O'Malley: "RPSS Research"
V. Rodgrio Arias: "The Situation on Campus"
VI. Undra Tsend: "Adventure at Home"
Hot Take: Not a Fan of Zoom
Liz Rives
Students, professors, and faculty members everywhere have spent countless hours on Zoom and online since they cannot physically meet for regular classes. This has forced a great change in education, leading many students to take more independent approaches to learning without the normal classroom environment. Personally, I prefer in-person classes and the “normal” learning experience, but it seems that everyone is missing our regular college days. At this point in time, it can definitely feel daunting to think about our college experience continuing on Zoom for the rest of the year. However, these strange times appear to me as an opportunity for growth and a better understanding of how I learn individually under this out-of-the-box educational experience.
If there’s anything that I’ve learned in college so far, it’s that a positive, all-in approach to learning curates a more fulfilling educational experience. One of my goals that I set for myself when quarantine began in March was to use my newfound freetime to immerse myself further into Russian culture. I found myself changing habits when I changed my mindset; I found myself choosing to learn and watch segments of shows such as “Лучше Всех" ("Best of All") rather than choosing to watch some Netflix series that I overheard а student in the adjacent Swem cubicle speaking about. I replaced my old unproductive habits with ones that have greatly improved my Russian listening skills.
It’s important for me to urge younger RPSS students, especially those who have missed out on our past wonderful RPSS events, to try and truly engage with your course material and expand with what you’ve learned at your own pace. Learning does not have to be defined by Zoom if you don’t want it to be!
Mira's Melodies № 1: Mumiy Troll, Sea
Mira Wroblewski
Мелодии Миры №1: Мумий Тролль, Морская
Альбом: Морская (1997)
Группа: Мумий Тролль
Избранная песня: Время тепла
The band Мумий Тролль (Mumiy Troll) was founded by Ilya Lagutenko in Vladivostok, the морская столица (sea capital) of Russia. True to its origin, the band’s debut studio album in 1997 was called Морская and covered what it is like to be young in Vladivostok in the 90s, with song titles including Морская болезнь (Seasickness) and Владивосток 2000. The genre of Russian rock was considered by many to be “dead,” but Мумий Тролль took inspiration from their predecessors while incorporating stylistic aspects of Britpop, creating something unique and interesting for young listeners to latch onto. Their style in Морская has been referred to as both “rockapop” and the seemingly contradictory “Russian Britpop,” partially due to the influence of producer Chris Bandy who had also worked with bands like The Cure, Duran Duran, and Tears for Fears.
The release of Морская was a massive success and put Мумий Тролль the map for years to come. Some fans were so obsessed that they described themselves as having “Mumiy-mania.” Music videos from this album were among the first to appear on Russian MTV, further spreading the group’s popularity. They even represented Russia at the 2001 Eurovision contest (where they claimed 12th place), and have won many musical awards in Russia, including the Golden Gramophone. Ilya Lagutenko continues to make music today under Мумий Тролль’s name, and though his ensemble has changed, his legacy lives on.
I’ve selected some lyrics from a song on this album entitled Время тепла (Time of warmth). The song reflects on how beautiful moments in time are, how quickly time passes, and how it directs the flow of life.
Избранный текст песни Время тепла
Время тепла, время любви, время мягких дождей.
Настоящие или из сна, время старых друзей.
Незаметно за край, и оставит меня время
Словно не знает, где такая мечта
…
Время обмана там, где любовь, время верить в себя,
Настоящее время для нас.
Жизнь проста, как стрела
…
Высоко в небесах, где одни небеса
Время хватит на всех
Небом станет земля.
…
The time of warmth, time of love, time of soft rains.
Real or from a dream, the time of old friends.
Imperceptibly over the edge, time will leave me
as if it doesn’t know where such a dream is.
…
A time of deception is there, where there is love, the time to believe in yourself
The present (time) is for us
Life is simple, like an arrow
…
High in the heavens, where the heavens are alone
There is enough time for everyone
The earth will become heaven.
Цитаты:
"О Группе". Мумий Тролль, 2020, https://mumiytroll.com/about.
"Группа Мумий Тролль Состав, Альбомы". Узнайвсё.Ру, 2017, https://uznayvse.ru/znamenitosti/gruppa-mumiy-troll.html.
Russian House Experience
Ryan Klopp
Coming into this year at W&M, one of the things I was most looking forward to was the opportunity to live in our new and improved Russian House. I first experienced the Russian House during the 2019-2020 school year, when we were still located in Pleasants Hall. The community I found there was something really special- small, but vibrant. The actual physical House, however, left a bit to be desired, and I know I wasn’t the only one excited to be moving to Hardy Hall, one of the best dorms on campus. Of course, that was before it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic would continue unabated into the school year, with far-reaching consequences. The loss of our beloved tutor Alexandra Orlova due to COVID-related budget cuts and the ban on in-person events felt like a cruel joke. Once we finally had a home worthy of the Russian House, our legs were suddenly cut out from under us.
As we’ve progressed further into the semester, however, I’ve found that things aren’t nearly as bad as I imagined. While it’s true that we can’t hold the in-person events that used to be a mainstay of the Russian House, the community’s response to this scenario has been nothing short of remarkable. From moving movie nights online to hanging out with friends on the Sunken Gardens and Jamestown Field, I’m reminded every day of just how unique and wonderful our Russian program is. Amidst all the chaos of this semester, our department has been a shining light in my eyes, and I would encourage everyone to take the time to reach out to their friends and classmates. After all, the bonds we build here will last a lifetime.
RPSS Research
Fallon O'Malley
Since the beginning of my freshman year, I was interested in learning more about the Russian department because one of my friends had mentioned the many fun events that the department hosts, like the Russian language Olympics and activities at the Russian House. She had conducted research within the Government department related to the Russo-Georgian War the year prior and would tell many stories about her travels to Georgia in the summer of 2019. During this summer research trip, she and another William and Mary student traveled to the Republic of Georgia to conduct interviews and collect data for their research project about the varying successes of e-petition platforms based in the region. The process of collecting in-person data was complete after the conclusion of their travels, however, much of the writing and processing of the data still needed to be begun.
During the 2019 fall semester, the students needed extra help with extracting data from online Tbilisi-based petition sites and plugging the retrieved data into RStudio. I had volunteered to help over the course of that semester and then received RPSS credit for working with the team in the spring of 2020. The two students who conducted the original research ended up presenting their final paper at the 2020 Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference in Washington, DC. It was incredible being able to see their hard work and passion for the project come to fruition. I had never imagined being able to assist other students in research related to a field I am interested in, but it ended up being possible. I gained experience with data science and in working with a team of student researchers through the process.
I highly encourage those who are interested in the RPSS department to reach out to professors about various opportunities that are available to students. Some professors within the Government department are also interested in the Eastern European region and may be able to provide more information about region-specific research. Other than research, there are many ways in which students can contribute to the RPSS program as well, like through Gazeta submissions or by participating in Russian House events and film screenings. Generally, however, professors are always willing to help students find opportunities that align with their interests and I found a very welcoming community within the RPSS department.
The Situation on Campus
Rodrigo Arias
Because of Covid-19, 2020 has not been a pleasant year. During this pandemic, social distancing, mask wearing, and isolation have become the new norm. While the current plans to keep William & Mary open is good news to many tuition paying students, many others are not pleased with the execution of that plan. In order to provide students with some semblance of the college experience the College has enacted strict and sometimes controversial measures to limit the spread of the virus.
Before students could come back to campus, the College required that they be tested by a company called Kallaco. Many students were troubled with the College’s decision to go with this relatively unknown company over more established firms. Students were concerned in particular about the overall reliability of Kallaco’s tests as well as the logistics of mailing them in. Many worried that since the testing kits were not FDA approved for in-home testing that there would be a substantial number of inaccurate results. One fourth year student speculated that results could come back as false negatives as a result of test samples sitting for hours in a hot metal drop box. Heat can cause the coronavirus to transform into something inert and thus not be picked up by Kallaco’s labs. In addition to that, many students have complained that their tests have taken too long to arrive or have been destroyed in transit to Kallaco’s lab. The College has tried to address students’ worries but to no avail. That being said, however, the College has decided to institute another round of testing with another company in order to catch new cases as well as regain student confidence.
Communication between the College and the students has not been the best. Many students believed that the College’s memos about the situation were not sufficiently clear and were overly optimistic. This of course caused a lot of headaches for students who were unsure about coming back. One biology major was alarmed about the College’s lack of communication with a resident epidemiologist about how to safely open up. Another student believed that the reason why the College was not going to accept full responsibility for an infected student is because they do not believe that they have complete control of the situation. Some believe that the College cares more about protecting themselves from liability more than protecting its students.
A chief concern among students now that campus is open is the situation regarding hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. While many academic buildings have sanitation stations near the entrance as well as places with a lot of foot traffic, there is simply not enough of them to be effective. Swem library, for example, has at most four sanitation stations per floor which can be easily missed. One student complained that this was too low of a number considering how big Swem is and in addition to that some of the disinfectant wipes at these stations were dry. There are also no sanitation stations near the study rooms and many desks so students could not wipe down tables and seats. Another major concern among students, especially those living off-campus, is the number of available places to eat on campus. While students who live on-campus have the ability to eat at the dining halls, students who live off-campus don’t have as many options of eating while on campus. Of course while there are some designated eating spots, such as the courtyard at Sadler or Swemromas, they are too few in number and too far away from many academic buildings for students to make the trip for a quick bite.
Despite the many critiques of the situation, one positive thing that many students have pointed out is how well organized and prepared the student recreation center is. In order for students to exercise they have to reserve a time slot. This helps the rec center keep count of how many students are using its facilities so that way they can adequately prepare. The rec center also does not operate under its normal hours because it gives the staff ample time to sanitize all the pieces of equipment. That being said, however, it is evident that social distancing is not always observed since students tend to crowd the doors just before the rec opens up.
A lot has changed since the reopening of the College. While the student outlook of the situation has significantly improved since the beginning, many are still skeptical of the College’s ability to protect its own students from the virus. That being said, some things the College could do to improve the situation are: sending out detailed weekly updates, adopting a more realistic tone rather than optimistic one, increasing the number of sanitation stations in buildings, increasing the number of eating spots on-campus, and perhaps most importantly is to have more testing. In order to continue moving forward the College must continue to do its best to protect the health of its students and students in order to protect each other must follow the health guidelines.
Adventure at Home
Undra Tsend
Although numerous summer study abroad dreams were subdued just a few months ago, it’s not to say that there were no opportunities left to attain Russian-themed knowledge to fulfill the period of a relatively short summer. I tried to offset this sentimental loss, in a way, by enrolling in summer session classes and interning virtually. In a way, these pursuits did allow me to better myself. Refraining from overworking did remain a priority since I had previously envisioned the coming summer to be a relaxing, eye-opening adventure where we got to navigate St. Petersburg and experience life as it is. Although the adventure part was missing, I did manage to go on trips revolving around nature and hiking nearby, which were excellent activities considering the amount of time looking at the computer during this pandemic has been quite unprecedented.
While visiting a bookstore a few years back right after I was done with my freshman year, I had the chance to skim through an informative book about the city of St. Petersburg. You can say that RUSN 101 enticed my study abroad prospects. Mentally, I was there. Fast forwards to this summer, I’d occasionally go on Google Maps and then insert the words “St. Petersburg, Russia” in the search bar just to get a better snapshot of the infrastructure, monuments, and the local style. What would I have worn if I was there? Would it have rained more than the sun would’ve shined? But that wasn’t the only Russia-related knowledge I absorbed this summer, of course. I had the opportunity to take a class named “Putin’s Russia through Cinema” that was taught by an amazing RPSS faculty who delivered informative and engaging lectures based on the historical realities encompassing past and contemporary Russian cinema. The course was taught in English and the book “Cinemasaurus: Russian Film in Contemporary Context” was utilized to provide analysis full of breadth on films, their themes, and even properties of cinematography. Being a fan of films, this course enriched my knowledge of shot properties and exposed me to excellent films that I continue to recommend to friends.