For Student Health
We advocate for measures to strengthen the physical and mental health of students. We see universities as responsible for creating such offerings and making them easily accessible.
To promote physical health, universities must ensure a wide selection of healthy and balanced nutritional options, for example through healthy, sustainable, and affordable offerings in cafeterias, and comprehensive sports programs for everyone. Additionally, quiet and relaxation rooms serve as a good opportunity to briefly disconnect.
Furthermore, it is important to us to acknowledge the daily mental burden on students and to raise awareness of this during their studies. The task of universities here is to give sufficient attention to this issue and to establish support services.
Additionally, it is essential for us to offer students not only preventive support but also security in cases of illness and accidents of all kinds. This includes, for example, affordable health and accident insurance.
Affordable and high-quality food at universities
Students have specific requirements for the food offerings at university locations: it should be cheap, good, and quickly accessible. Unfortunately, many university locations show a contrary trend: cafeterias are closing or offering inadequate options. Alternatives are either unavailable or too expensive.
We demand the expansion or re-establishment of cafeterias, as well as a diverse offering focused on regional, seasonal, organic, and vegetarian/vegan dishes. For us, affordable food at university locations is a state responsibility. The validity of the “Mensapickerl” should also be extended to additional restaurant businesses. Here, the ÖH should support local student unions in finding worthy establishments.
Quiet and relaxation options
Students have different demands on their daily study routine. This also includes time for rest and relaxation. University infrastructure often does not provide the necessary space for this.
We therefore demand sufficient rooms for students to rest and relax. These should exist both indoors as attractive and comfortable relaxation zones, and outdoors as green spaces with high recreational quality. We also demand the design of study spaces that take different learning styles into account (e.g., loud and quiet areas).
Comprehensive sports offerings
Students should have the opportunity to easily integrate sports into their daily university life. This requires a comprehensive range of sports courses, but also the necessary infrastructure.
We demand sufficient shower facilities at universities to make running and cycling more attractive for students. We also demand well-equipped indoor and outdoor fitness areas that allow for physical balance between study sessions. Furthermore, we see universities and the ÖHs as obligated to promote and financially support student sports initiatives (e.g., founding sports teams).
Free social insurance for students
Co-insurance, self-insurance, reduction – there are various options for social insurance for students. However, one thing is clear: from the age of 27 and with insufficient academic progress, it becomes expensive. We say: Social insurance coverage for students should not depend on age or performance. Studying should be possible without worries about one's own health. We therefore demand free social insurance for all students, and in particular automatic health insurance for recipients of study grants and self-support scholarships.
Health campaigns
We see universities and the ÖH as obligated to educate students about health prevention. Universities, as central locations where many people are present, are very well suited for health campaigns. We therefore advocate for the implementation of preventive check-ups, vaccination campaigns, nutritional counseling, and training to raise awareness of various health topics at universities.
Mental health
Every course of study brings psychological challenges. Performance pressure and stress burden the mental health of students. But it is also the confrontation with multiple crises, such as the climate crisis, that leads to psychological strain. Mental health is therefore a central issue for us.
We demand education and awareness-raising about mental health. Information about existing psychological contact points is needed. The ÖH can provide support here, particularly by organizing workshops that create awareness on this topic. But there is also a need to expand psychological counseling services to meet the increased demand from students. We demand from insurance providers the expansion of publicly funded therapy slots and the financing of medications in this area for students.
Teaching staff should be trained and sensitized on the topic of mental health. Student representatives in particular are often exposed to difficult mental burdens due to their responsibilities and advisory activities. We therefore advocate for special support services for them and cultivate a working climate in FLÖ characterized by consideration.
Hygiene products
Access to hygiene products must not be a question of social background. We therefore consider it a task of the public sector to provide students with hygiene products. Hygiene product dispensers have already proven effective at some university locations. We advocate for expanding this to comprehensive coverage.
Initiatives for safer sex and free contraceptives
A key aspect of human health concerns sexually transmitted diseases. Education about these so-called STDs is insufficient in many places. They also play an important role in the lives of young adults, especially since contraceptives that protect against such diseases represent an additional cost in students' already tight budgets. Therefore, we demand the implementation of safer sex initiatives, as well as free contraceptives for students and young people.