We have already told you about the student design bureau "Computer Innovative Creativity" at the SFedU ICTIS, introduced you to the Polytechnic Museum, which is located on the territory of the SFedU Academy for Engineering and Technologies, highlighted the work of the anechoic chamber located in the SFedU Institute of Radio Engineering

Systems and Control, and made an issue about the Winter Garden at the SFedU Academy for Engineering and Technologies. On the eve of the annual Student's Day ball in Taganrog, we are talking about the SFedU Student club, another vibrant corner of the university in the IT capital of Russia.

The student Club of the Southern Federal University in Taganrog is a place where university life goes beyond classrooms and schedules. Here, students sing, dance, play on stage, rehearse late into the evening, and learn how to be part of a team. For many, it is from this space that the real feeling of student life begins — lively, intense and common.

A space with a story

The building of the future SFedU student club on Chekhov Street was completed in 1941 as the second academic building of the Taganrog Institute of Agricultural Mechanization and Electrification (TIMSH).

When the Taganrog Radio Engineering Institute (TRTI) was founded on the basis of this institute in 1952, the new university got only two buildings. The first was the former main building of the TIMSH— a historical building built in 1916, called Building "A". The second is the 1941 building, which became Building B.

In the 1960s, after the commissioning of the new large-scale buildings "G" and "D", the need to use the old building for study disappeared. It was then that the rector of TRTI Anatoly Vasilyevich Kalyaev decided to transfer the building "B" to student amateur activities. So it officially became a Student Club.

In the 1970s and 80s, the club was the main cultural center of the campus. Meetings, folk orchestra rehearsals, and concerts for public holidays were held here. It was a universal platform for teamwork.

The era of the 1990s radically changed the atmosphere. The BAZ Club (a large Auditorium) has become the main dance floor of the city. The legendary discos attracted hundreds of students.

Since the early 2000s, the active life in the club began to fade. Discos and major concerts have stopped. The premises, which were not in demand by creative teams, were empty. It seemed like the era of this place was over.

A new rhythm

The student club got its second wind in 2010, with the arrival of a new head, Alexander Ashikhmin. The club gradually began to regain its main role — to be a place of attraction for students and their initiatives.

New traditions have also emerged. Since 2015, on the initiative of the then rector Marina Borovskaya, a solemn student ball began to be held on January 25 on Tatiana's Day. The ball marks the end of the winter session and the beginning of the student holidays.

Not only the program is important here, but also the general atmosphere. A significant part of creating such an atmosphere lies with the student clubs. According to Danil Kulikov, a 4th-year student at the SFedU  Institute of Radio Engineering Systems and Control, participation in the club's life presupposes constant involvement in the process and understanding of the common task.

The club's work begins in September: the festival for first-year students starts the creative season, followed by themed concerts, competitions between institutes, New Year's Eve "skits" and preparations for spring festivals. There are rehearsals in the club every day from morning until late at night. The audience is occupied by vocalists, dance groups, theater—goers and acrobats - the space lives according to the schedule for which it was created.

A separate line in the recent history of the club is the revival of discos. Since 2025, students have been going back to parties here on Saturdays. Modern discos have inherited the energy and fun of the legendary parties of the 1990s, but they are held within the framework of new rules — strictly without alcohol and cigarettes. This is a conscious choice in favor of a healthy and safe atmosphere, where music, communication and dancing are the main things.

A club created for students

Today, the SFedU student club in Taganrog is more than 2,000 square meters of creative space. A large concert hall with 430 seats, 2 dance halls and 3 rehearsal rooms with huge mirrors, a professional rehearsal point for musicians with sound insulation, a modern stage, a beautiful lobby and an excellent disco hall for 200-300 people - all this is used not only for events, but also for the daily work of students.

"I don't interfere in the production of numbers or concerts. But I always keep an eye on the atmosphere in the club, my task is to create conditions in which the guys can work, rehearse and take the initiative, but at the same time not forget about the main thing: studying comes first. I remind you that creativity is very important, but it should not interfere with your studies. In addition, I teach the guys responsibility, organization and respect for each other, so that they understand that participating in the club is both creativity and fulfilling their obligations to the team," added Alexander Ashikhmin.

Among other things, the SFedU student club has created all the necessary infrastructure for the preparation of events. There are rehearsal rooms with mirrors for dance numbers, small rooms with a piano for vocal numbers, a costume room for storing props and costumes, as well as a stage with professional lighting and sound equipment.

This is how the student club becomes a place where students not only go on stage, but also learn how to work with the auditorium, equipment and event management, gaining experience that remains with them outside the university stage. One of the key principles of the student club is openness. They do not expect ready-made artists and do not require experience. Each academic year opens with a bright concert "You are a student now " — a collection of the best numbers of the year and winners of regional and All-Russian student springs. Senior students show it to about 500 freshmen in the auditorium, igniting a spark of creativity in them. And already on September 3, enthusiastic beginners go to introductory trainings, where they try themselves in several directions at once in a few days.

Pyramid of Ashikhmin

In the office of the student club director, there is a simple but succinct diagram — a hand-drawn pyramid. In the first and main place, there is "Health", on the second step — "Study", and only on the third is "Creativity". It's just a wall decoration, but the essence of the philosophy of Alexander Valentinovich and the whole club.

"I remind you that creativity is very important, but it should not interfere with studies. Study comes first. The SFedU Student Club in Taganrog is not a conveyor belt for the production of professional artists. This is a socialization laboratory for future scientists, engineers, IT specialists and managers - those who will determine the development of the country tomorrow," explains Alexander Ashikhmin.

For such students, creativity cannot be an end in itself. If it distracted from lectures, labs, and sessions, it would become harmful. But here it works as a powerful tool for developing a different kind of emotional intelligence, courage, and teamwork.

"In addition, I teach the guys responsibility, organization and respect for each other, so that they understand that participating in the club is both creativity and fulfilling their obligations to the team. There are deadlines here — concerts, teamwork and a common goal, where personal success is inseparable from the success of a common cause," adds Alexander Ashikhmin.

As a result, a graduate of SFedU Academy for Engineering and Technologies is not a stereotypical programmer who "can't connect two words" and is afraid of people. He is still a talented specialist, but he knows how to present his ideas, argue reasonably, build relationships in a team and boldly take the stage — whether it's defending a diploma or presenting a report to investors. He becomes versatile.

Club teams

The life of the student club boils around dozens of amateur groups, which are updated with each new course. But there are two fundamental pillars in this creative cycle, whose history is measured in decades: The O. A. Alekseev Folk Orchestra and the Studio 32 Plastic Theater.

The history of the orchestra began in 1972, when Oleg Alekseevich Alekseev, a design engineer at the Taganrog Radio Engineering Institute and a former combat navigator of aviation, gathered the first musicians. Already on April 4, 1973, their debut performance took place — this date is considered to be the orchestra's birthday. In more than half a century of history, the team has gone from a student circle to a recognized professional level. In 1984, he was awarded the honorary title of "National Amateur Band", and in 1998 the orchestra received the name of its founder. Since 1993, the band has been led by Elena Vasilyevna Kalmykova, a graduate of the Taganrog Music College. Every year in May, the orchestra gives traditional annual concerts, which gather in the hall of the folk music lovers club. For engineering students who pick up dombra, balalaika or bayan, this is a unique bridge to the world of classical musical heritage and a school of the highest ensemble discipline. The orchestra is an unshakable tradition, a resounding symbol of the continuity of generations in student art.

A completely different, but equally important energy is embodied by Studio 32, a unique plastic theater, the only one of its kind in the south of Russia. Under the guidance of professional actress Marina Dren, non-professional students create holistic, deep performances here, where body movement becomes the main means of expression. Working in the studio requires complete dedication and immersion: rehearsals before the performance last for hours, and the participants strive not just to play, but to live their characters' lives on stage. The band's repertoire speaks to the seriousness of its artistic quest — these are complex, philosophical works such as "Flowers for Algernon" or a play based on "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. Studio 32 has long outgrown the framework of amateur university activities, becoming the hallmark of the club at the national level. The team has repeatedly represented SFU at prestigious festivals, from the "Russian Student Spring" to the Moscow "Point A", proving that student creativity is able to rise to the heights of real art.

The SFedU Student Club in Taganrog is a very convenient workplace where students can try, make mistakes and create. They gain practical experience here, which will be useful outside of the university: from teamwork to organizing events.