HA: [SEELANGS] Experience of African-American Students in Russia

[Renee Stillings | Alinga]

It has been my observation that the race-related violence is generally not
taking places at universities that host US students. Most instances are in
the inexpensive medical and technical schools that attract significant
numbers of African and Asian students. These are schools with very poor
facilities, especially the dormitories, where students really are packed
together. These settings also lead to considerable "non-academic" activities
taking place in the dormitories, which I believe can also lead to various
forms of dispute settlement. People's Friendship University also has
historically had skinhead problems due to the very large concentration of
these foreign students and while academically a reputable university in
Russia, I would generally advise students to not attend that university, and
to also avoid going to parties there.

Dorms at universities such as MGU, SPGU, etc. do not seem to attract the
same violence because there is not the same concentration of African and
Asian students that would cause skinheads to hover about.

There definitely has been an increase in general street crime (in comparing
the level of incidents this past summer with prior years) in Russia. Not
race-related, but other general pick-pocketing, attacks, etc. General
targeting of tourists, it seems. This seems to so far have been a summer
"spike" and perhaps with so many more militia on the streets actively
checking documents after Beslan there might be a slight decrease in street
crime.

Renee

****************************
Renee Stillings
Director, SRAS
renee at sras.org
www.sras.org

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