Leipzig example: You get what you give

“A basic tenet of a healthy democracy is open dialogue and transparency.”

This quote from Peter Fenn, a Democratic political strategist from the US, shows what a good democracy, and thereby also a student union should consist of: openness and transparency.

But I know, from my three year experience as a student representative at home, that university structures and student representatives sometimes show a lack of these important basics. They tend to create exclusive networks and thereby not only exclude the majority of the students from access to information, but also copy the rigid structures of student-excluding university circles they want to break up.

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Leipzig Uni. demonstrations against restrictions of student participation in decision making, Nov. 09

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To avoid these situations, the student union at my home university in Leipzig set strict rules for student representatives and how the work has to be done. For example:    

• Announced meetings open for everyone and documented for everyone
• Student money has to be used in a transparent and responsible manner
• Representatives have to be present in every meeting of university institutions and publish meeting protocols/minutes as soon as possible

Many critics argued that these changes make the work much harder and more time consuming. The critics were right at the beginning, but after having this system running for 20 years now, it became a great success and in the long-run work became easier, because students are much more interested in university politics now than ever before. Participation in elections doubled and people support their representatives with input about problems and spreading the word about information they received.

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Leipzig Uni. demonstrations against restrictions of student participation in decision making, Nov. 09

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This finally led to a better atmosphere on campus and a feeling of belonging together, where students squat the chancellors office when he tries to cut back representatives rights and several thousands demonstrating when the student union calls for them.

I am engaged in TIP to let it become reality in Stockholm University what the three musketeers once promised: “One for All, and All for One”!

Jan Schubert