Wednesday afternoon, 4:30 p.m., Zwilling-Scholl-Platz. Around 200 people came to demonstrate against the partial abolition of self-administration in the dormitories by the student union (Stuwerk). Colorfully painted signs are held aloft. “Students also need a voice,” it says on one and “RIP self-administration” on the next.
Since an email from Stuwerk on February 6th, there has been unrest among the students. From April onwards there will no longer be any house speakers or self-organized elections in the dormitories. For the students, the plans mean an enormous impact on the dormitory community. “We are not concerned with preserving privileges, but with the continued existence of democracy and democratic representation for future generations,” says Leo Sprengel from the Biederstein dormitory into the microphone. Cheers erupt. More and more students are stepping up to the microphone. Although they live in different dormitories, they are united by a common wish: that the student union abandons its restructuring plans.
In a statement a few days ago, the Stuwerk rejected the accusation that the restructuring could be equated with the loss of democracy. City council members Lars Mentrup (SPD) and Sibylle Stöhr (Greens), among others, see it differently. Together with Stefan Jagel (Die Linke) and Moritz Fingerle (FDP), they accepted the students’ invitation to the demo. “My entire political existence is based on these experiences,” says Mentrup, who, like Stöhr, was heavily active in the political self-administration of a dormitory during his student days. “You have to think about whether you want a think tank that produces scientists, or do you want a place where people can develop their personalities?” says Stöhr.
Many former dorm residents are also there, including Andi and Vero, who came to the demonstration with their son Luis. In 2014 they met in the Biederstein dormitory. They are no longer students, but they still want to fight to preserve the structures there. “With this form of self-government you first learn how such a democratic society actually works,” says Andi. Vero adds: “If you intervene from above, you will cause a lot of damage there.”
Former dorm residents and their offspring also came to the demonstration.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
“The demonstration should actually take place today in front of the Ministry of Science,” says Sibylle Stöhr. It is wrong that people there do not want to comment on the events of the past few days. Nobody from the CSU accepted the invitation to the demo. “That’s a shame, given such an important topic,” says Yannic Lohschelder from the student town.
The demo shows what potential the committed students have. There was little time left to prepare. However, the program, including music acts, is impressive. However, it remains to be seen whether Stuwerk will allow this to influence its decision.