Student Welfare and Publishing Activities

Doc. Ing. Ivan Vágner, CSc., MBA
Vice-Rector

Accommodation Services

At the beginning of the academic year 1997/1998 there were 3,598 beds in halls of residence for MU students. Another 52 beds in the Dru?ba building at Kounicova 50 were used for short-term accommodation owing to the implementing of general repair work on the electricity distribution system.

Before students moved into student accommodation, Masaryk University closed a contract with PBS a.s. for the renting free-of-charge of the "India" building at Sladkého 13 with a capacity of 365 beds. Because the building needed some renovation work, at the beginning of the academic year there were only 205 beds available for students. In the course of November, the University succeeded in the securing of another 68 beds, so that by December 31 1997 Masaryk University had at its disposal (owned and rented) 3,871 beds in 12 buildings. Thanks to an agreement between Rectors, VUT Brno provided Masaryk University with another 200 beds, and hence the total capacity for whole-year student accommodation reached 4,003 beds at the beginning of the academic year 1997/98, and 4,071 beds by December 31 1997.

Of the total number of 12,576 full-time degree students, by the end of 1997 32.4% had been provided with accommodation. Criteria for the assigning of hall-of-residence accommodation remained unchanged.

The accommodation fee had increased by 66% by September 1 1997 owing to growing inflation and economic measures imposed by government, so the average accommodation fee per month was CZK 567 (until the end of 1997).

In terms of facilities, the quality of properties administrated by MU has increased. Most significant in this regard are the reconstruction of a gas-boiler room and the building of new playing fields for students in the Vinaoská residence complex (connected to the building of the Faculty of Economics and Administration) and landscaping on the site of the hall of residence at Mánesova (funded jointly by VUT and the Municipal District Office of Brno-Královo Pole).

Table 1 - Developments in Accommodation Capacity for MU Students

CCD - Czech Congregation of Dominicans

MA - Military Academy

  

Table 2 - Structure of Total Accommodation Capacity for MU students

Table 3 - Demand for Accommodation

CATERING SERVICES

The number of servings in 1997 rose in comparison to 1996 figures by 6.2%. Efforts to improve the situation as regards the availability of hot meals in the refectory on Veveoí street in the November 17 - December 19 period saw the opening of a luncheon service on the ground floor of the Dru?ba building.

Note: In comparison with 1996, there was a reduction in the number of ÚSKM staff in spite of the fact that accommodation capacity increased (the Komárov 1 building was used throughout 1997; use of Komárov 2 started on September 25 1997).

Tab. 4 - Number and proportion of servings in University canteen

Note: Index 100  for year 1992


Tab. 5 - Sources of Income for the Implementing of Accommodation and Catering Services as Parts of 1997 Main Activity (in thousands of CZK)

	Subsidy	Income	Total
student's canteens	17 319	21 472	38 791
halls of residence	33 230	17 244	50 474
depreciation	4 800	-	4 800
Komárov I Komárov II	631 1 817	-	631 1 817
Cikháj	308	-	308
Total	58 105	38 716	96 821

Tab. 6 - Economic results in the Management of ÚSKM (in thousands of CZK)

	Subsidy of Ministry of Education	Earnings	Costs	Economic result (MA + BA)	Economic result (MA)
1993	42 191	37 193	74 116	5 268	1 175
1994	37 030	48 704	84 878	856	856
1995	44 626	47 374	91 620	380	380
1996	54 227	53 216	107 004	439	439
1997	58 105	59 672	117 053	724	724

MA - main activity

BA - business activity

Table 7 - Calculation of No. of ÚSKM Employees

	Halls of residence	Student's canteens	Total
1993	143,3	87,8	231,1
1994	146,3	88,8	235,1
1995	139,2	78,5	217,7
1996	145,1	83,2	228,3
1997	143,6	76,9	220,5

Note: In comparison with 1996, there was a reduction in the number of ÚSKM staff in spite of the fact that accommodation capacity increased (the Komárov 1 building was used throughout 1997; use of Komárov 2 started on September 25 1997).

Publishing activities

In 1997, publishing activities received CZK 1.2 million from the University budget university-wide. This was spent on the publication of two periodicals, six non-periodicals, and - based on a contract of joint activity and joint funding - one publication. Four publications part-financed by individual faculties are being completed for publication in 1998.

In 1997 the contract on publication cooperation between Masaryk University and its faculties came into effect. In connection with this document, a description of the position of faculty editor was issued.

Amended University Directive 4/97 "Principles of Publication Activities at Masaryk University Brno" came into force on July 1 1997.

The MU Publishing Centre prepared a selective exhibition of books issued by the Publishing Centre in 1996/7 in the foyer of the Faculty of Law on the occasion of the University Day.

According to the publication plans of faculties and the MU editorial board, the Publishing Centre issued 287 titles of the non-periodical type in 1997, 63% (181) of which were lecture notes and 37% (106) academic publications. The Publishing Centre produced 62% (179) and external printers 38% (108) of all printed matter.

In 1997, the Publishing Centre achieved positive economic results and this by the full covering of depreciations of investment properties which it administrates. 83% of all Publishing Centre income came from its main activity, with 17% coming from other economic activities.

According to the fact that, in economic terms, the Publishing Centre is an independent section of MU, it has to consider changes in input prices in the calculation of its procedures. Inevitably, this is reflected in the price of its services. The Publishing Centre, however, respects the requirements of MU by maintaining that its prices for services in its main area of activity should not exceed 90% of the prices quoted by comparable competitors.

Tab. 8 - Economic Administration of the Publishing Centre in 1997 (in thousands of CZK)

	Costs	Returns	Economic outcome
Main activity	4 712	5 164	452
Economic aktivity	643	903	260
Total	5 335	6 067	712

Tab. 9 -Numbers, sources and types of publication 1995-1997

	1995			1996			1997
Faculty	Student texts	Research publ. .	Total	Student texts	Research publ.	Total	Student texts	Research publ. .	Total
FM	24	2	26	20	3	23	22	9	31
FA	22	20	42	24	31	55	33	28	61
FL	24	14	38	24	19	43	23	19	42
FS	37	22	59	25	12	37	24	23	47
FE	28	9	37	42	10	52	39	6	45
FEA	20	4	24	23	8	31	33	9	42
FI	1	-	1	2	-	2	2	-	2
CCE	-	3	3	-	2	2	-	1	1
RMU	3	11	14	2	5	7	1	13	14
Total	159	85	244	162	90	252	177	108	285

 

The Counselling Centre of Masaryk University (PCMU)

focused on the providing of services in the fields of study and profession and legal and psychological counselling. The 3rd Graduates Fair, in which more than 700 students took part, was one of the most important events organized by PCMU. The Centre was also involved in the Perspectives data base project (providing help to students investigating career options and looking for contacts through the Internet) and worked closely with the Academica student centre in Pardubice, which operates an e-mail advice service on legal matters connected with work. The 4th sociological enquiry "Completion of Studies at MU - a Retrospective and Prospects" was conducted together with the processing and defending of the "Masaryk University Graduates in the World of Work" grant project. The random selection of respondents for both enquiries contributed to the objectivity of their results. The Counselling Centre - together with the Faculty of Medicine - was involved in a grant project addressing prevention of student drug-use. The involvement of PCMU in the TEMPUS-PHARE project also continued in 1997, and Centre staff went to Denmark and Great Britain in connection with their professional development. These visits proved particularly successful in terms of the help they provided for the developing and modernizing of the student database and mutual communication via the Internet. Influenced by the British example, the staff of PCMU started to create a file of customers of the counselling centre for personal matters.

In 1997, 98 personal counselling sessions took place in the Centre, and group sessions were held addressing the removal of communication barriers and the creation of a live carrier in which 92 students participated.

In terms of study/careers counselling, 578 students visited the Centre, 138 of whom were interested in the including of their data in the Centre's database and asked for an analysis of their personal profile. Other information provided by the Centre concerned study options at Masaryk University and other institutes of higher education, advice in applying for a job (self-presentation during interview, writing a curriculum vitae, etc.). These services were supported by the showing of video materials.

Tab. 10 - Users of study/careers counselling by MU faculty (personal consultation)

Faculty		v %
FM	17	2,9
FA	42	7,2
FL	97	16,5
FS	24	4,1
FI	10	1,7
FE	37	6,3
FEA	65	11,1
Total	292	49,7
Others	295	50,3

 

Table 11 - Users of personal counselling by MU faculty

Faculty		v %
FM	5	5,1
FA	22	22,4
FL	19	19,4
FS	5	5,1
FI	3	3,1
FE	10	10,2
FEA	14	14,3
Number students of MU	78	79,6
Others	20	20,4
Grand total	98	100