The Great Reporting, Digital Room Plans, and Support for Veganuary
Reports were the focus of the third meeting of the Student Parliament last Thursday (16 January). Two motions were also discussed.
Many colourful activities
When there is as much going on as there is in the Student Representation, it is not always easy for the active members to keep track of everything. The Speakers’ Council therefore asked the working groups and student councils to summarise what has been done and achieved this semester. This includes, for example:
- a reading with the author and activist Jakob Springfeld as well as contributions to the ‘Unboxing Discrimination’ project by the Anti-Discrimination Office from the working group for Anti-Fascism and Anti-Racism,
- a series of events on the Bundestag elections, which the Student Parliament is currently organising and about which more details will follow shortly,
- a social bot for Mastodon and Bluesky, which posts the current food offerings in Bamberg’s canteens and cafeterias and is managed by the WIAI Student Council,
- several discussions for a more sustainable canteen with the Studierendenwerk and the university management, in which the Ecology working group, the Bamberg Green-Left Student Initiative (BAGLS) and the Juso University Group Bamberg (Jusos) were involved,
- a Christmas craft activity and a hike with the Ecology working group,
- numerous lectures at the free uni bamberg,
- many projects by the four official student councils and the Teacher Education working group, which bundles the student council work for student teachers – for example, they are currently planning a university cinema together.
A number of people from committees such as the Certification Commission for Degree Programmes and the Academic Advisory Board of the Language Centre also reported. A total of nine people were newly delegated to work on a further four committees.
No rejection of vegan campaigns
Both motions of the evening came from the Ring Christlich-Demokratischer Studenten (RCDS). With regard to the canteens and cafeterias, they called for ‘measures such as a vegan Friday or Veganuary to be dispensed with and for students to be given a choice between meat-based, vegetarian and vegan dishes.’
For the overwhelming majority of students who do not follow a vegan diet, such restrictions represent a disproportionate and unnecessary restriction.
From the explanatory statement to the motion ‘Diversity instead of coercion – no paternalism in the choice of food’
The RCDS considers campaigns focussing on vegan food to be disproportionate and potentially discriminatory towards other diets. Instead, at least one meat-based, vegetarian and vegan dish should be offered in all canteens and cafeterias.
There was no debate on this item on the agenda because a procedural motion by the Human Sciences Student Council for an immediate vote was successful. The RCDS motion was rejected with three votes in favour and four abstentions.
Digital room plans for orientation
The RCDS’s second motion met with more approval. It calls on the university administration to make digital room plans of the individual university locations ‘available online in the location directory on the university website.’ The proposers hope that this will lead to improvements, especially for first-year students. The student parliament voted unanimously in favour of the motion with one abstention and has already passed the request on to the university administration.
