Student representative

The Student Representation (abbreviated StV ; until January 31, 2005: Academic Representation , abbreviated StRV ) is the collegial body of the statutory student representation at the academic level in Austria . Student representatives have three or five mandates (with over 400 eligible voters), which are directly elected through a choice of persons. Their term of office begins on July 1 of each election year and normally lasts for two years.

At some universities, especially at the Technical University of Vienna and Graz University of Technology is also the name has Fachschaft get to the Students Act 1973 , the faculty representatives were called. Today it is usually used to refer to the student representation, which also includes the other student employees who, for example, take on representation work in university commissions. The rooms assigned to the student representatives are often referred to as the student council .

tasks

The student representation is the direct representation of the students at the level of study and de facto often also at the institute level. It elects the chairperson of the student council from among the mandataries. Due to the University Act 2002 , the procedures for developing curricula , for appointments and for post-doctoral qualifications are less strictly regulated than under the previous laws. At several universities, the university's statutes contain more detailed regulations. The delegation to these university collegial bodies is therefore no longer carried out directly by the respective student representation, but according to a procedure to be laid down in the statutes of the respective student body .

The student representatives have a (binding) right of proposal; the appointment of the student representatives only becomes legally effective when they are sent by the university representatives . The chairpersons of the student councils have the right to speak and make applications (but no voting rights) in the faculty council (or another body in accordance with Section 12, Paragraph 2 ). If no such body has been set up, the chairpersons of the student council are members of the university council who are entitled to speak and apply. Other bodies set up by the university on a voluntary basis, such as institute conferences, can, on the other hand, be sent directly by the student representatives if the statutes of the student body provide for this. Since the amendment to the Student Union Act ( HSG 1998 ) in 2004, the student representatives also send to the faculty representatives, provided that such bodies are set up in accordance with Section 12, Paragraph 2 .

Student representatives have their own budget and can change the structure decided by the university council if necessary. In total, at least 30 percent of the membership fees must be allocated to the student councils, but no other income. Expenditures over 727 euros require a resolution by the student representatives, up to this amount the chairperson is authorized to sign together with the advisor for economic affairs.

The student council can convene a student assembly “for the information and handling of study-related matters of the students” . Such a meeting must be called if this is requested in writing by at least five percent of the eligible voters. The resolutions of the student assembly are not binding, however, they only have to be "dealt with" at the next meeting of the student council.

historical development

At the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, numerous, initially non-institutionalized, institute representatives and grassroots groups were established at universities and colleges . In contrast to the ÖH, which was more conservative at the time, these groups were left-oriented to different degrees. With the Students Act 1973 , these new forms of representation have been integrated into the Students' Union: For the first time were Studienabschnitts- , Studienrichtungs- and institute representatives elected in organizational framework of Student Unions. This enabled the institute and basic groups to establish themselves permanently, especially at the University of Vienna . The Roter Börsenkrach group at the Economics Institute of the University of Vienna, for example, still exists today.

With the Student Union Act of 1998 , institute representatives and student representatives were abolished, their tasks were de facto already taken over by the departmental representatives (when it came into force, no institute representatives were elected anywhere in Austria). With the HSG amendment in 2004, the departmental representatives were renamed student representatives .

Suffrage

In principle, a student representative must be elected for all regular courses, “especially for teacher training and doctoral studies”. In order to ensure eligibility, the responsible university council can decide by a two-thirds majority to combine several courses (for example bachelor and master programs that belong together) to form a student council.

In contrast to other levels of representation, study representatives are elected personally. Depending on the size of the student representatives, students can choose either up to three (with up to 400 eligible voters) or up to five votes (with more than 400 eligible students). Due to the choice of persons, there is no possibility of transferring votes or representation in the meetings.

If a mandate becomes vacant due to resignation or the end of studies, the person next in line can move up, provided that they have achieved at least 25 percent of the votes of the candidate with the most votes. If it is no longer possible to move up and the number of mandates to be filled falls below half of the mandates to be awarded for this student representative, the term of office ends prematurely. Tasks and the budget that is still available then fall to the faculty representation or another established body in accordance with § 12 Paragraph 2 HSG 1998 , if this does not exist, the university representation.

literature

• Alexander Egger and Thomas Frad: Student Union Act and Student Residence Act . Introduction, texts, materials, decisions, comments. WUV University Press, Vienna 2000, ISBN 978-3-85114-444-4 .
• Stefan Huber: ÖH law . Student Union Act with ancillary provisions. 3rd revised edition. New Scientific Publishing House, Vienna / Graz 2009, ISBN 978-3-7083-0608-7 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Federal Law Gazette I No. 1/2005 : Amendment to the Student Union Act 1998 from 2005
2. ↑ Student Council Architecture: About Student Council Architecture ( Memento from February 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ http://oeh.tu-graz.ac.at/geodesy/pages/lösungen.html (link not available)
4. ↑ Section 19 of the Student Union Act 1998
5. ↑ Christian Bruckner: 1970s. (PDF, 4.6 MB) In: 60 Years of the ÖH. 2006, pp. 32-34 , archived from the original on March 14, 2013 ; Retrieved November 5, 2009 . 
6. ↑ Egger / Frad, p. 37