Are you toying with the idea of joining the student council (FSR in German), but still have a few questions? Then you've come to the right place! We will try to answer your questions with a short FAQ.

1.) What is the student council?

The student council (often also called Fachschaftsrat or Fachschaft) is an institution of student self-administration at universities. The student council is therefore a kind of "mouthpiece" for students and is intended to represent their interests at university policy level.

2.) How can I join the student council?

You can only join once a semester at the plenary assembly of the student body of the Department of Civil Engineering. Under the agenda item "New elections of the student council" you can be nominated for election or nominate yourself. Voting in absentia is also possible. The best way to do this is to contact us by e-mail (fachschaft[at]bauing.rptu.de).

3.) What is a plenary assembly?

At the plenary assembly (VV in German) of the student body of the Department of Civil Engineering, all students of the department are invited. At the plenary assembly, the current student council gives an account. This is a short report on everything that has happened in the individual working groups or offices in the past semester. So that you are not left out in the cold during the General Assembly, there are (both) drinks and snacks (free of charge, of course ;) ). Bingo will also be played during the General Assembly. Of course, you can also win prizes.

4.) What are my tasks/duties in the student council?

Primarily, you only have one obligation when you join the student council:

You should come to the meetings.

Of course, it is not a bad thing if you are absent from time to time, but this should not be the case permanently. During the lecture period, we have one meeting a week. During the lecture-free period, this is reduced to just 3 sessions over the entire period. 

The rest, i.e. your tasks, depends on how much you want to get involved. During the first meeting of the student council, the so-called "constituent meeting", you can be elected to various "working groups" and thus more or less determine your tasks in the student council yourself.

5.) What are working groups and which ones are there?

A working group is an association of individual members of the student council in a smaller group with a specific subject area.

The working groups of the Student Council are very extensive and range from the "Event Management Working Group", which takes care of the organization of events (BiSoN, Academic Annual Party, University Parties, Christmas Party, Beerpong Tournament, etc.) to working groups such as "Studies & Teaching", which sees itself as a "mediator" between students and lecturers and thus tries to solve conflicts and problems between these parties.

Descriptions of all working groups can be found here.

6.) What happens at the meetings?

At the meetings, news from the individual working groups is presented to the entire student council and new work assignments are defined. In addition, reports are given on the various bodies and committees in which the Student Representative Council is involved, and financial resources are determined. 

7.) What advantages do I have by joining the student council?

Joining has many advantages for you personally, some of which we would like to list here:

Fun: Of course we also have a lot of fun alongside our work. Whether it's a spontaneous barbecue after a meeting or other team-building activities.

Networking: You get to know lots of new people from different semesters who can help you with questions of any kind.

Knowledge about your studies: You get a better overview of the entire degree program and can therefore better manage your own studies.

Voluntary work: You do voluntary work alongside your studies, which can prove to be an advantage when applying for future employers and scholarships.

Student council room: You always have access to the student council room with your own key.