Who or what is the Student Council?

The Student Council (2024)
© © Fachschaft Physik

The German term “Fachschaft” (“student body of a subject”), which is often used to mean the student council, actually stands for all students belonging to a department. This means: You, too, as an enrolled student at a department, are a part of the “Fachschaft”!

As mentioned above, though, “Fachschaft” usually means the student representation (FSV) or the student council (FSR). (To add to the confusion, however, it also sometimes means the Student Council office.) These are part of the so-called Constituted Student Body and thus an important part of the university.

Our decision-making organ is the Student Council meeting which is open to all students. Further, according to § 40 of the Constituted Student Body’s by-laws [de], a plenum of all students (FVV), whose resolutions have an appealing character for the student representation and student council, can be called.

On these pages, you can thoroughly inform yourself about the Physics Student Council: Who we are and what we do. If you still have questions left, you can contact us at any time.

What does the Student Council do?

Among a student council’s tasks (§ 37 in the Constituted Student Body’s by-laws [de]) are

  • taking care of its members’ concerns at the university and in society,
  • technical and social guidance and advice for its members,
  • participation in the factual and organizational design of studies (this happens primarily in the Advisory Committee for Studies),
  • taking care of special concerncs of its members in scientific and academic politics, culture and social matters,
  • frequently and comprehensively informing its members about topics concerning academic politics and studies, including related decision-making processes in committees of the university and of student self-government (information on this at university committees),
  • establishment and fostering of nationwide contacts to other student bodys/student representations at other universities (for us in physics, this is the ZaPF),
  • foster political education, responsibility as a citizen and the disposition for active tolerance of its members on the basis of the constitutional order and
  • commitment to equal rights for women in academics and society.

But we also do a lot more.

You feel like participating?

Awesome! Do you want to support your fellow students and help improving the studying conditions? You have ideas but don’t know how to implement them? Then come to our student council meetings and participate! The meetings are always public and you’re very welcome to join at any time. Of course, you can also just come by to visit if you want to see how things work at the student council or what is currently happening at the Department. We’d be especially glad about a few more students in teacher’s programs (double bachelor’s etc.) in the student council!

The student council meetings take place Wednesdays at in the IG1 R87. If you want to join us just come to IG1 R87 at a few minutes before 18:00.

The student representation (FSV) has additionally enacted a “Fachschaftsordnung”, where the ground rules for the student body’s organs are laid down, and given itself rules of procedure – as has the student council (FSR). The current versions can be downloaded here or viewed during our office hours: