For strong democratic structures and student co-determination rights
We stand for strong democratic structures at universities. Committees where all groups within a university come together (senates, collegia, etc.) form the democratic foundation of universities and need to be strengthened. In our opinion, all members of the university should be equally represented in these bodies.
Students are the largest group of people at universities. We see ourselves neither as customers nor as products, but as co-responsible members and active co-designers. Universities thrive on the interplay between research and teaching, which would not be possible without students. Therefore, students must be involved in all decision-making processes at universities, for example through one-third parity representation in committees at all levels (= ⅓ of members each from professors, academic/artistic staff, and students). Particularly at universities where the student voice has so far received little attention, student participation must be significantly expanded.
Genuine co-determination through participation and one-third parity
Students are not sufficiently involved in decisions in many university committees and courses. Without a strong student voice at all levels, key decisions remain one-sided and fail to consider either their needs or their contribution to university development.
Therefore, we demand that one-third parity be introduced in decision-relevant committees, that free choice of examination conditions be made possible from the second attempt onward, and that active co-design of content and didactics in courses be ensured.
Involvement of university student unions in the process of performance agreements
University student unions shall be mandatorily involved in the preparatory discussions for performance agreements and development plans.
Since these documents shape essential cornerstones and obligations for universities, participation allows student concerns to be directly incorporated into the future development of universities.
For open, inclusive, and transparent representative work in the ÖH
All students should have the opportunity to help shape their university through representative work. We, as FLÖ, are a coalition of independent university lists, and therefore the inclusion of all students in all decision-making processes at universities and in the work of the ÖH is of central importance to us. Through low-threshold participation opportunities, all students should find a place with us. We see ourselves as a platform for motivated students, student organizations, and institutions, whereby voluntary engagement must not depend on faction affiliation, and student representatives without party or faction ties also find a hearing with us.
To make the work of the ÖH freely accessible to students, it is important to us to communicate this transparently. We stand for the ÖH publishing its adopted resolutions and the reasoning behind them, as well as its financial and personnel decisions.
Transparent use of ÖH contributions
What is my ÖH contribution actually used for? Although the ÖH has comprehensive obligations to disclose its finances, anyone who wants to find out where the money goes has to wade through pages of annual financial statements and reports. We see the ÖH as obligated to inform its members about what their contributions are used for. Therefore, we demand active communication about the use of funds with appealing graphics. This should also be addressed through an Austria-wide campaign by the ÖH.
For strong local representation
The direct exchange between students and their immediate local representatives is of inestimable value for successful and needs-oriented representative work. Student representatives as legally anchored bodies, but also loose connections such as subject-specific student councils, grassroots groups, or circles, are in reality the first points of contact for students with various concerns or problems. Their proximity makes it possible to quickly and effectively develop solutions for individual problems and questions. Moreover, they are able to motivate students to actively shape their own university.
Therefore, we want to strengthen local representatives and ensure effective cooperation with students so that all student concerns are adequately represented. Only through a strong and committed base can a dynamic, effective, and future-oriented university policy succeed.
Furthermore, it is important to us that the effort arising from counseling, organizing networking events, or similar activities is adequately recognized by the universities and that the affected students receive appropriate support.
Control rights for student representatives in teaching
The quality and transparency of examinations and courses cannot be sufficiently guaranteed without effective control mechanisms on the part of the student representation. Through the active control right of the student representation, deficiencies in the conduct of examinations can be identified, documented, and remedied at an early stage, which contributes to improving the quality of studies in the long term.
Therefore, student representatives must receive comprehensive and binding control rights to be able to regularly attend and document examinations and courses, whereby compliance with these rights is ensured through clear procedures and deadlines.
The results of the documentation should also feed into the quality assurance of teaching. Representatives from student councils should also have access to exam statistics for their programs in order to identify “problem” exams and advocate for improvements.
Student co-determination
Students currently lack sufficient democratic instruments to actively influence the design of curricula and other higher education policy decisions. A well-structured “student-initiated referendum” would create the opportunity to directly formulate reform concerns while simultaneously compelling universities to engage with these concerns in a transparent and binding manner.
We therefore call for the establishment of a “student-initiated referendum” that, through regulated deadlines, fair quorums, and special provisions particularly for small degree programs, enables students to effectively and equally participate in shaping everyday university life.