Structure
Three large ballot papers and 21 votes: The structure of Student Representation is no trivial matter. On this page, we explain the most important bodies and how they are connected.
TL;DR
You have …
- 2 votes for your Student Council
- 17 votes for political groups in the Student Parliament
- 2 votes for the student representation in the Senate
The chairpersons of the Student Parliament, the Speakers Council with chairpersons and the student representatives on other committees are elected indirectly. Non-elected persons can also participate directly in Student Councils and working groups.
The Student Councils
Each of the four faculties has a Student Council that all students will have encountered at some point. They organise everything from introductory days (EETs) and daily student counselling to faculty celebrations. Most Student Councils meet weekly to discuss current issues and coordinate their work.
Depending on the size of the faculty, the Student Council consists of seven to nine elected members. The two members with the most votes sit on the Faculty Council, the highest body at faculty level. This is where, among other things, changes to examination regulations are decided and teaching assignments are approved. Four further members of the Student Council are delegated to the Student Parliament.
In addition to these committees, there are many other places behind the scenes in which student representatives have a say. For example, they are involved in the selection of new professors in the so-called appointment committees. In addition, a financial commission is made up of an equal number of students and professors. They decide on the allocation of funds for many tutors, teaching assignments and some of the language centre and library services.
In the elections, you have a total of two votes for the Student Council members. You can therefore either tick two different people or combine both votes for one person.
The Student Senators
The two senators represent us in the Senate and the University Council. These are the highest decision-making bodies at the University of Bamberg. Among other things, the Senate decides on the establishment or cancellation of degree programmes and sets research foci. As almost everywhere, professors, students as well as academic and non-academic staff are represented. The Equal Opportunity Officer also takes part.
In addition to the members of the Senate, the University Council also includes ten external members. They are supposed to diversify the opinions by introducing views from industry, culture, and other Bavarian universities. The internal and external members jointly elect the (vice) presidents, for example, and decide on changes to the university’s constitution.
The student senators therefore also have a close relationship with the University Executive Board. Usually, two lists of university political groups run for the office of senator.
For the senate, you also have a total of two votes in the elections. Distributing your votes across several lists is permitted.
The Student Parliament
The Student Parliament (StuPa for short) is made up of the two student senators, four members from each Student Council and seventeen directly elected members from political university-related groups. This makes it the largest student body and the metaphorical heart of student representation. Ideally, this is where all committed students come together.
The political university groups currently represented in the student parliament include the Bamberg Green-Left Student Initiative (BAGLS, greens), the Bamberg Juso University Group (Jusos, social-democrats), the Ring Christlich-Demokratischer Studenten (RCDS, Christian democrats), the AStA list (independent) and the Liberal University Group (LHG, liberals).
The 35 members debate current student issues in regular meetings and take a stand on various topics. They approve the student representation’s budget and delegate students to various committees. We regularly publish reports from the Student Parliament in our blog.
The meetings are organised and moderated by the two chairpersons. These are elected from among the members of the Student Parliament. The chairpersons take care of forwarding the resolutions passed to the right people. As the university management is not bound by parliamentary resolutions, the chairpersons negotiate with those responsible. By persistently following up, they ensure that resolutions are nevertheless implemented.
You have a total of 17 votes for the directly elected members of the Student Parliament, i.e. for the representatives of the political university groups. You can accumulate a maximum of three votes for one person. Distributing votes across lists is permitted.
The Speakers Council
The executive body is the six-member Speakers Council (SpRat for short). This is made up of the two student senators and two representatives each from the Student Councils and the political groups. They appoint two chairpersons among themselves. Apart from the senators, the members are elected by the Student Parliament.
The Speaker’s Council represents the Student Representation. It organises regular discussions with the University Executive Board and the student union. At the university general assembly, it collects feedback from students on the work of the Student Representation. One of the most important tasks of the Speakers Council is to monitor the budget passed by parliament. In this capacity, it is also the formal employer of the support staff in the Student Representation’s office.
The Student Parliament’s Working Groups
The Student Parliament has set up working groups for various topics in which all students can participate directly. You do not have to be a member of the Student Parliament to get involved. On the contrary: all working group members automatically become advisory members of the Student Parliament. They are encouraged to attend and contribute to the parliament debates.
Anyone who wants to get involved may join. On topics like sustainability or equality, you will find the right contacts in the working groups. They are always happy to hear from interested parties. If you are interested in a topic, don’t hesitate to contact the relevant working group directly. These are the currently active ones:
Arts
The Arts Working Group was newly established in 2023 and acts as an unofficial Student Council for art education students. It offers an open studio on Thursdays.
Contact: kunst.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de or via Instagram.
Communal Affairs
Local politics concerns us too! The Communal Affairs Working Group would like to take on the task of creating a greater understanding of and interest in municipal issues among students. Through events such as panel discussions or personal meetings with local politicians, the flow of information between students and city politics is to be maintained. If you are interested in joining the department, please send us a short email. We are always happy to welcome new active members!
Contact: kommunal.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
Communication
The Communication Working Group was founded to ensure that the student representation has a stronger presence in the student media and at the university locations. The department designs and runs the Student Representation's blog, collects information and press releases from the working groups and publishes them. The Student Representation's Instagram account (@stuve_bamberg) and its own podcast are also available. The working group is the first point of contact for (student) media journalists.
Contact: pr.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
Culture
The Culture Working Group organises various cultural events. It is the cradle of kontakt - the cultural festival that takes place once a year in Bamberg and is no longer only organised by students. The Culture Working Group has also organised events such as neoclassical music by Poppy Ackroyd, Carlos Cipa and Lubomyr Melnyk in the Irmler Saal. In the 2017/18 winter semester, the Culture Working Group is participating in the machbar project at the Lagarde Kaserne and organising an evening of readings and music.
Contact: kultur.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de or on the kontakt festival's website.
Ecology
The Ecology Working Group is part of the Student Representation and has set itself the goal of promoting sustainability at the University of Bamberg. To this end, we want to create offers that favour an ecological lifestyle for students. We are committed to incorporating sustainable ideas into teaching, everyday university life and leisure activities. Our commitment is not only focussed on students, but on all members of the university. We want to draw attention to ecological issues and encourage active change.
Our areas of action are diverse and can be organised by ourselves. So far, we have already financially supported a seminar on bees and beekeeping and are cooperating with the university gardening project. We are currently working on the purchase of bicycle repair pillars at the university campuses and are planning panel discussions and excursions on ecological topics.
If you are curious and would like to support us in our projects or would like to realise your own ideas with us, then we look forward to hearing from you (email, Facebook or Instagram) to invite you to our meetings.
Contact: oekologie.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
FairTrade
The FairTrade working group is led by students who are committed to the topics of critical consumption, human rights, labour rights, especially women's labour rights, justice between the global South and the global North and sustainability. The topics are as diverse as the campaigns we plan and organise each semester.
In past campaigns, for example, we organised a fair breakfast with products exclusively from the Weltladen as part of the sustainability month. We also organised fair waffle and coffee sales at cafeteria locations. Thanks to the initiative of the FairTrade working group, the UniCup footballers have been playing with fair balls since last year. The aim of these campaigns is to raise awareness of decent labour rights and make the FairTrade movement visible.
What's more, the University of Bamberg is a FairTrade university. This means that FairTrade products are offered in the canteens and that we are also in dialogue with other FairTrade universities and the FairTrade Town Bamberg. The Sustainability Office of the University of Bamberg supports the FairTrade working group in these endeavours.
Everyone is welcome! We would be delighted if you would like to join in, help shape and contribute your own ideas. There are regular meetings. If you are now curious, then talk to us or write us an email or a DM on Instagram (@fairtrade_referat_unibamberg).
Contact: fairtrade.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
freie uni bamberg
freie uni bamberg (fub) offers alternative events to the university's official course catalogue. The aim is to broaden horizons and realise the idea of free education for all. Therefore, all citizens, pupils and students - in short: everyone - are invited to take part in the events. Participation is of course free of charge. The fub organises its events in the Balthasar multipurpose room.
Contact: fub.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de or on the freie uni bamberg's homepage.
Gender Equality
We are the equal opportunities working group of the University of Bamberg's student representation and deal with various issues of feminism and equality from a feminist perspective. Topics include Gender inequality; sexism; the construction of social roles, stereotypes, gender; inclusion; the interweaving of levels of discrimination such as race, gender and class etc. In our various programmes and in our reading circle, we offer space for discussion, critical knowledge acquisition and personal exchange. In the reading circle, we deal with queer*feminist, intersectional topics from politics, history, psychology, education and sociology at an academic level. And our other offers include workshops, films, discussion evenings and lectures.
If you would like to get involved, participate in our programmes and get input, you can find our email and Facebook page below. The programmes are barrier-free and no prior knowledge is required - everyone is welcome! New dates are arranged each time. If you would like to take part in the unit, visit us on Instagram.
Music
We are the still young "Music Working Group" at the University of Bamberg and are here to help you with all aspects of your music studies. Whether you have questions about the timetable or an initial orientation in the module handbook - we will be happy to help you. We are in close contact with the lecturers, so we are also happy to act as mediators.
We organise the champagne receptions for the department's concerts and also host various events ourselves, to which you are always cordially invited. These include, for example, our opera trip, the semester overture, our Advent café and many more. You might also be interested in one or two of our workshops.
If you would like to join the Music Working Group and support us in our work, just drop by. We are happy about every new face!
Kontakt: musik.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
Social Affairs
The Social Affairs Working Group is set up by the Student Representation with the aim of addressing the social concerns of students at the University of Bamberg and improving social life with suitable support options and services.
We would like to be seen as a contact point for problems of all kinds. Our aim is to make the university more open and socially acceptable. Social and ethnic background, physical limitations or parenthood should not make studying more difficult. The university should be a place where everyone can study freely. In order to fulfil this aspiration, we need an intensive exchange with students.
We welcome any suggestions for our work! Where do you see the social problems at our university? What needs to be done? What are your personal experiences? Just write us an email or come along to one of our meetings! Of course, we are also happy to welcome new helpers. If you want to get involved and realise projects, then you've come to the right place!
Contact: sozial.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
Sports
We are the Sports Working Group. We are a rather small group and, as the name suggests, we take care of everything to do with the study of sports didactics. This includes organising useful events such as the first aid course, the sports badge test and the week to prepare for the practical sports exams. From time to time, we also organise small events such as a dodgeball tournament for sports didactics students and their friends.
In general, we also act as a point of contact for sports didactics students with questions and uncertainties and are in close contact with the lecturers, so we are also happy to act as mediators. To summarise, we see it as our task to make sport didactics studies as special and enjoyable as possible. We are always happy to welcome new committed members who love sport as much as we do!
Contact: sport.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de or via the Facebook page.
Student Assistants (HiWis)
The Hiwi Working Group deals with current and future issues relating to the work and employment of student assistants at the university. If you have any questions or problems in this regard, or if you would like to help improve the situation of student assistants yourself, you are welcome to contact us and get involved!
Contact: hiwi.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
Student Life
The Student Life Working Group manages the multi-purpose room of the student representation, the Balthasar. It coordinates the various groups and clubs that use the Balthasar. It organises drinks, the cleaning schedule and equipment maintenance. The user plenum is a regular meeting to which all groups that use the Balthasar are invited.
Contact: studentischesleben-ref.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
VC Course "Referat Studentisches Leben"; password upon request at studierendenvertretung(at)uni-bamberg.de
Study and Teaching Quality
The Study and Teaching Quality Working Group accompanies the process of system accreditation at the University of Bamberg. This involves the evaluation and assessment of degree programmes to determine whether they can be studied at all and meet European standards. The working group attaches particular importance to the introduction of a student-friendly evaluation of all degree programmes and the involvement of student representatives in the internal accreditation and evaluation of degree programmes.
Contact: qualitaet.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
Teachers' Education
The Teachers' Education Working Group (LeB) represents the interests of all student teachers at the University of Bamberg. If you have any questions, problems or suggestions regarding teacher training, the organisational process or examinations, the members of the LeB are here to help. We also organise games evenings and plan a summer party every year together with the Huwi and GuK students. The department can be contacted not only on the introductory days, when it organises and conducts tutorials in the teaching degree area, but also via the VC course, on Facebook and by email.
Contact: leb.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
VC Course "Referat für Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung des Fachschaftenrates" (password: "Schule").
University Politics
The University Politics Working Group takes on various organisational and networking tasks within the student representation. It monitors the functioning of the existing student representation structures and proposes changes where needed. In the summer semester, the HoPo department usually organises the panel discussion on the university elections. The coordination and promotion of the elections is supported by a dedicated sub-group.
Beyond the University of Bamberg, the University Politics Working Groups is networking with other student representatives in Germany and abroad. These include the national students' organisation "Freier Zusammenschluss von Student*innenschaften" (fzs) and the "Bayerische Landesstudierendenvertretung" (BayStuVe).
Contact: hopo.stuve(at)uni-bamberg.de
Disclaimer: The information presented here has been compiled to the best of our knowledge. In case of doubt, however, the University of Bamberg’s constitution is always authoritative.