Introduction
We are the Liste Poppelsdorf, consisting of students of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences as well as Agriculture. Contrary to most other groups in the student parliament we do not belong to any superordinate political party; we advocate for students needs independently and
tackle concrete problems of our university.
Topics underlying our work are equality of opportunity, inclusivity, sustainability, and making studying enjoyable. Above all, we keep our motions well-founded: instead of blindly submitting proposals which cannot be realised, we reach out to the affected parties, e.g. the student councils, student administration, and the University Computer Centre to find functional solutions.
In the previous legislation we were already able to accomplish much for the students. Apart from our work in- and outside of the parliamentary group & committees, we also took over presidency of the student parliament and the post of Head of the Department of Faculty Student Councils, two important positions which are indispensable for the student body. Furthermore, we play a part in university committees, the faculty council of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and the council for student assistants.
What we stand for
Are you still paying, or are you already freezing?
Considering the current significants of the energy crisis it is important that students are not further burdened financially.
That is why partial or complete closures of the university or the University and State Library (ULB) and its department library MNL are beyond discussion for us.
Closures would lead to students having to work more from home again. The consequences of two years of pandemic in this respect are just beginning to emerge. On the other hand, closures are a financial burden, as students would have to heat more themselves.
We will therefore continue to advocate that the university and the libraries remain open and that teaching can continue undisturbed; if necessary with support from the state. This must not contradict the university’s energy-saving goals, but must be brought into harmony with them.
The energy crisis has also resulted in an increase in the general cost of living, including service charges. With the already high rental prices in Bonn, this is an additional burden on the already tight housing market. Here it is important that the politicians act effectively and make the housing more affordable for all.
From our point of view, an attractive option here is that the state of North Rhine-Westphalia provide more money for the Studierendenwerke for the housing construction of and thus creating a larger market of socially acceptable housing for students. But also the renovation of already existing student residences can contribute to a more effective use of energy resources. Many of the residences of the Studierendenwerk have not been renovated since they were built and are in poor condition.
We demand that both the Studierendenwerk and the university examine which buildings are the ones most in need of a renovation and renovate them as soon as possible. In addition to insulation, we also advocate in particular for more low-CO2 heating systems and the massive expansion of photovoltaic systems on the university buildings. This is the only way to guarantee that social and sustainable life at the university is affordable for everyone.
Living on the Campus
One of our most important concerns since our founding has been the range and opening hours of the cafeteria. For this we are in close contact with the Studierendenwerk (StwB), with whom we have been able to work out and implement some solution.
For example, in consultation with the StwB in the student parliament (SP), we submitted a motion to the SP to extend the opening hours of the cafeteria. In this motion we demanded that on Fridays the opening hours are extanded until 2:15 p.m., so that more students can make use of the cafeteria after their events. The café in the Campo cafeteria and the Juri§hop in the Juridicum should remain open until 4:30 p.m. and offer a warm meal service for the afternoon.
We also continue to advocate that a hot meal service be offered at the Campus Endenich by the StwB in order to offer students warm and affordable food at this campus as well. The SP already voted in favour of the introduction of reusable dishes for to-go meals in the canteens. Last summer the Relevo system was successfully introduced and is very popular!
Another step towards sustainability is the promotion of vegan food. While the vegan offering at the StwB is already very good, the pricing unfortunately still leaves a lot to be desired, especially in comparison to meat and fish dishes. The environmental impact must also be reflected in the price. Especially in the cafés, vegan food is hard to find. For example, apart from vegan muffins, there are still no vegan sandwiches or similar. This needs to be improved in order to also provide vegans with a hearty offer.
Students spend a large part of their day at university. In addition to lectures and tutorials, there are students who are studying, working together or alone, or simply relaxing between classes. But far from the classic quiet work in the library, there is hardly any space for exchange and discourse, which is also demanded by many lecturers. That is why we are calling for a strong expansion of learning and working spaces, especially smaller rooms for group work.
During the corona pandemic, it was certainly sensible and necessary to restrict the opening hours of the libraries, but at the moment it is too much of an intrusion into everyday study life. Especially the opening hours of the ULB and MNL at weekends have been extremely reduced; of the usual opening hours before Corona two hours on weekdays and even eight hours on weekends were cut.
We therefore demand that the opening hours of the libraries are at least reset back to the old opening hours, so that students can decide for themselves when they can study best!
Student culture has also suffered greatly in the last two years, even though it makes student life so much more colourful. For example, the NatFak e.V. in the last few years with its free festivals. We advocate a continuation of the cooperation between the SP and NatFak e.V. by including the funds in the budget, in order to contribute to securing the funding.
Overall, more space for other student events, such as those organised by Fachschaften and cultural groups, must be made available in the university. It must be easier for these groups to find this space, which are now often associated with high hurdles or long official channels. The university is also a place where students should spend time together!
Something about traffic
The summer has shown: The demand for a simple, inexpensive and nationwide ticket is there and large. The 49 € ticket we are now aiming for is a big step for public transport. But it also means that our ticket must now become cheaper and better. We are therefore calling for a semester ticket for 129 € that is valid throughout Germany. Taking friends, children or bicycles with you should remain part of the ticket. Negotiations with the VRS must therefore be conducted promptly and with more commitment than before from the AStA, so that by the beginning of the summer semester in 2023, students will have a socially acceptable, nationwide semester ticket.
Next to public transport, the bicycle is certainly the most used means of transport for students. But the university and the city are still far from having a proper bicycle infrastructure. We therefore demand the consistent construction of bicycle lanes around and between all campuses to make cycling safer and more attractive.
Furthermore, we want more covered or even lockable parking spaces in front of lecture halls and other university buildings.
Digital
Whether it’s digital teaching, the university app or digitisation in the AStA, there is a lot to do and it is important to continue to push the issue of digitalisation.
Due to the pandemic and the associated online study from home, many things suddenly had to be digitalised. Great steps have been taken that have enabled students to study more flexibly and to catching up on content more easily. The digitisation represents an opportunity to make studies more flexible, sustainable and inclusive, and we must not allow these steps to be taken back again.
But in other areas, too, there is a clear need to catch up in the area of digitalisation. For years now calls have been loud for to finally get rid of the old paper student ID card. In the meantime, there has been some movement in this matter.
Above all for reasons of practicability and sustainability, the decided was made to skip the step of the Uni-Card to develop a campus app directly in cooperation with other universities.
The HRZ also wants to include the students’ perspective in the development process. We have already been involved in the process and would like to continue to share our exchange with the HRZ to contribute our perspective and expertise.
We are committed to a data protection-friendly solution that is open source and expandable to also allow student committees to be involved in the app. We also keep an eye on students without a smartphone and advocate for low-threshold substitute solutions.
And digitalisation must also arrive at the AStA. In addition to the financial apparatus, which is completely paper-based, with the corresponding problems, the website in particular is in need of a major overhaul. In the current state it is in a bad technical form and not very accessible, for example not completly available in English.
The website rewrite which has been promised for years, in order to represent the student self-administration and the primary point of contact for many students has to be done to create an inclusive site.