»Do something and make changes!« – Campaigns for Student Office Begin
It’s that time again – the election period at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar began on 18 April 2023. Nominations can be submitted until 14 May and nominations for student committee representatives are strongly encouraged. Getting involved with university committees provides students with the opportunity to influence future decisions and actively help shape the university.
A communication campaign was initiated by a work group in the fall of 2022 to encourage students to volunteer. With the slogan »Do something and make changes!«, the campaign aims to encourage volunteer work, inform students on the various ways they can volunteer and motivate them to get involved.
The central information point for the campaign is their website www.uni-weimar.de/studierendenvertretung, where you can find clear information on all of the committees’ student participation opportunities. The website provides answers for questions on nominations, the elections process and committee work in general. It also encourages individuals to participate and run for positions. In addition to this, short interviews with current committee members are planned to be added to the site via social media channels with the goal of reaching as many students as possible. A carefully designed poster with an infographic will also be displayed and postcards and stickers will be available.
Personal encounters are also important: The »Student Volunteer Evening« will provide the opportunity to engage in conversation with current committee representatives on 11 May. Starting at 6 pm in the garden at M18, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar »Haus der Studierenden«, an evening event to honour current student volunteers will take place. With music, drinks and snacks, the university will be celebrating its student volunteers who make campus life in Weimar so special and without whom it wouldn’t be the same. All those interested are cordially invited to the event.
All information on student committee work can be found at: www.uni-weimar.de/studierendenvertretung.
»Student Volunteer Evening«
11 May 2023, 6 pm to 9 pm
M18 – »Haus der Studierenden«, Marienstraße 18, 99423 Weimar
The members of the »Student Committee Elections« Work Group are:
Emilie Susanne Brockhaus (Student), Elke Döhler (Election Office), Franziska Fischer (Student), Jonas Hülsmann (Student), Romi Klockau (Graphic Designer, University Communications), Nina Krug (Student), Nina-Marie Luderer (Social Media Editor, University Communications), Claudia Weinreich (Press Officer, University Communications) and Leonard Winter (Student).
Background:
For the past few years, student participation in student and university committees at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has been declining. It has become increasingly difficult to fill the seats intended for students. Active student participation is essential for student government at the university. In accordance with the Thuringian Higher Education Act (ThürHG), university committees, such as faculty boards, the Senate and the Equal Opportunity Advisory Board, must represent all status groups. This means that these committees must include not only professors, scientific and non-scientific employees, but also students. Students make up the largest group of university members. There are a number of reasons why participation is declining; the time it takes to finish a degree has been reduced, the demands of studying have increased, estimating the effort required to commit to a term in office is difficult, students were absent from campus for a long period during the pandemic — all of these factors play a role.