German version available here.
We are the Grüne Hochschulgruppe (GHG, Green University Group) and represent your interests on all levels of academic student representation. We are independent of any political parties, including Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. We have already fought for free menstrual products in university toilets, the solar plant on the roof of the Morgenstelle canteen and for making the Clubhaus cafeteria student-run.
Our utopia of a different university is ecological, socially fair, democratic, queerfeminist, anti-fascist, inclusive, diverse and takes responsibility for a fairer world.
1. What we do as the GHG in the Verfasste Studierendenschaft (VS, student body) and Hochschulpolitik (HoPo, university politics)
The GHG provides a list that can be voted for in the student council (StuRa) and senate elections. As a result, we have been an active part of university politics for many years. We are committed to a democratic, sustainable and socially fair university and actively take part in building and preserving this vision in the StuRa as well as through our campaigns and activities.
The StuRa as a political body is central to many decisions that form the basis of our work. Specific topics and projects are brought to the fore through the working groups (AKs) and their speakers (Referent*innen).
As GHG, we are active in the working groups Environment, Studies and Teaching, Press and Public Relations, QSM, Political Education, Basic Counseling for University Members Affected by Sexualised Violence, Social Affairs, Equal Opportunities and Cafeteria.
Affordable canteen
Healthy decisions should not depend on a student’s wallet. That is why we are committed to ensuring that there is always a cheap, filling, vegan dish of the day for under €3 in all canteens to make them affordable for all students again. In addition to that, good decisions are best made when transparent information is provided, which is why we are calling for a clear and correct listing of ingredients and allergens, CO₂ labeling in all canteens and clear prices. We are also involved with other groups in the StuVegan alliance, which campaigns for a wide range of vegan options in the Studierendenwerk canteens.
Semester ticket
We demand affordable public transport for all! That is why we are calling for a Germany-wide semester ticket with an opt-out full solidarity model that enables all students, including those over 27, to travel as affordably as possible without additionally burdening those who do not need it. This would also promote the expansion of the public transport infrastructure in Tübingen and reduce bureaucracy.
Ecology and environmental protection
The GHG is committed to creating a greener, sustainable and climate-friendly university. This cycle of laying fresh turf every year, only to have it scorched by the summer sun, with no benefit to students, staff or the environment, simply can’t go on. Instead, we want to transform lawns into pleasant places to spend time that can serve as shadowy, alternative learning spaces. Specifically, we want to identify unused green spaces all over the university and promote planting them. Where possible, trees should be planted to provide shade and where this is not possible – such as on the emergency helipad on Morgenstelle – the grass should not be mowed down unnecessarily, as helicopters can also land on flowers. Additionally, we call on the university to examine alternative horticultural concepts such as the creation of vertical gardens and to implement them as model projects, as there are still many university areas that can be designed in an environmentally and people-friendly way – even outside the existing green spaces. For this and much more, we are calling for a new vice-rectorate (Prorektorat) for real sustainability, whose main task should be to deal with all environmental and climate-relevant aspects at the university, for real sustainability instead of greenwashing.
Equality and inclusion
Naturally, as the GHG, we are also involved in various projects for a fairer, more inclusive and more open university and never tire of bringing this to the attention of various committees. Describing our university as “excellent” is not enough, we also need to do something beyond scientific research to deserve that label. Among other things, we are pushing ahead with the project for free menstrual products in the toilets, the student-organised first point of contact for those affected by sexualized violence and the pronoun guide for more inclusive language. We are also calling on the university to finally implement clear statements, protocols and a professional, central point of contact for those affected by discrimination, sexualized violence in the university context or studying with family responsibilities. We finally need clear and transparent protective measures, points of contact, disciplinary procedures as well as better networking and support for existing structures.
Across Germany, 8% of all students already have children, more than half of those even have more than one. Of these children, almost two thirds are under the age of six. Nevertheless, one hardly notices this in everyday student life – children are very rarely seen in lecture halls or canteens, it takes a long time to find family-friendly areas and family responsibilities are not considered when planning exams or internships. We are calling for new guidelines with clear rights and opportunities for students with family responsibilities. Obstacles must be removed to make it possible to combine studies and family life in a meaningful way without compromising one aspect or mental health.
Mental health should not be a burden on your studies for any student – and if it is, there should be sufficient help available. We strive for a university where there are enough counseling places for all students and where they do not have to wait months for a consultation, whether online or in person. We strive for a university that is committed to removing as many barriers as possible and that gives all students a chance.
This means a generally more heterogeneous student body. We want to strengthen inclusion and enable all students, with or without disabilities, to live well together. We want to make it possible for the children of workers to study just as much as the children of academics, and we also want to give the international students among us the feeling that they are a highly valued part of the student community and welcome here in Tübingen.
Basic counseling for university members affected by sexualized harassment and violence
Sexualized harassment and violence are a huge problem that is rarely addressed enough at the university. When the rare cases that are reported are dealt with, it is in opaque disciplinary procedures that inspire more fear than confidence among those affected. Silence protects the offenders. So we say: enough of this! We actively support the establishment of the new VS’s new basic counseling offer, work closely with the Equal Opportunities Office and advocate in commissions, awareness projects and the senate for an active fight against sexualized violence in university structures and everyday life. The basic counseling is a low-threshold, confidential and anonymous service offered by students for all those affected.
Cafeteria
The cafeteria in the Clubhouse is a central location of the university for coffee, snacks, meetings and group learning. In the future, it will also stay open late as a cosy student bar. In order to preserve this space, we are working on the concept for a student-run cafeteria. Of course, it is also very important to us that employees receive good pay. We want to make it possible for small events to take place and thus foster artistic creativity. By extending opening hours into the night, student groups, e.g. student councils, should be able to hold regular meetings.
Less spam from the university
We call for a reduction in spam in the daily emails from the university. There must be an alternative where surveys can continue to be advertised without overwhelming students with a flood of spam. Instead, we propose a target-group-specific mail distribution system with an opt-out function to protect students from a pile of uninteresting and irrelevant mails.
Studying and teaching
Creating good, interactive learning spaces. Our vision is not just an open-plan office atmosphere in the library, where everyone works on their own, but the creation of an interactive learning environment with the possibility of networking learning groups. This requires not only an infrastructural realignment of the existing rooms, but also a conceptual questioning of the existing library operations for students.
Simplifying access to the Examinations Office. The central examinations office is always difficult to reach; we want to improve contact and accessibility.
Carrying out our own evaluations as a student body. As students, we repeatedly find that evaluations are perceived as a career boost for up-and-coming researchers but as a burden for established professors. We want evaluations to be discussed publicly at universities and taken seriously. It should be possible for all students to transparently understand whether the teaching meets the requirements of their own studies. To this end, we want to carry out evaluations voluntarily and according to academic standards via the student body and the student representatives and publish them in a comparative system.
Fair teaching for all students. All students must be given access to the latest infrastructure so that they can complete their studies well and with equal opportunities, regardless of their financial background.
Heterogeneous student body. We are committed to ensuring that everyone who is interested in studying is encouraged to continue and complete their studies. In Tübingen in particular, we have a high proportion of students who have parents with an academic background. Students from working-class/migrant backgrounds and international students are hardly visible. We want these groups to be actively involved and strengthened at the university and not be demotivated and forced to drop out due to structural or knowledge barriers.
Internationalisation of studies. Following the example of Sweden, we propose a general Bachelor degree course with the option of studying in German or English in order to make the Bachelor degree course more accessible to non-native speakers. To this end, exams and accompanying material (e.g. exercise sheets) should be offered bilingually. Final theses should be allowed to be written in German or English.
Creating productive spaces for discussion
As an academic, critical space, the university should live up to its responsibility to create spaces for discourse. Above all, socially controversial topics should be promoted at the university through constructive, open debate formats that offer a place for peaceful and solution-oriented exchange instead of aggressive shouting matches.
Defending the Civil Clause (Zivilklausel)
Voices are currently growing louder across Germany to make military research acceptable in universities and society by calling on the universities to abolish their voluntary commitment not to conduct military research. We stand by this voluntary commitment and welcome the introduction of “dual-use” commissions at universities to critically monitor civilian research that could be misused for military research. We firmly reject the abolition of the civil clause at the University of Tübingen.
2 . What else we do as the GHG
In addition to committee work, university politics and our active involvement in the working groups, we also want to have an impact on campus with various other projects. Currently, these include a regular clothes swap, various lectures and the maintenance of a community garden.
Clothes swapping events
Once a semester, we organise a clothes swap in the clubhouse. This is free of charge and free of exchange logic. Anyone can bring well-preserved (and washed!) items of clothing without having to take any with them or even take some without having brought any. In this way, we create an alternative to buying and producing new items of clothing. As an added bonus, there is always a nice exchange between students.
Talks
We organize talks and lectures with discussions on various topics. Our aim is to make a democratic, tolerant and sustainable vision of the future tangible in a scientific way.
Community garden
We want to create an insect oasis with the garden behind the clubhouse and offer wild bees a source of food on campus, even in the city. High-growing plants such as tomatoes are there for everyone to pick when the fruit is ripe. Aesthetically, we also find a garden nicer than the gray wall behind the clubhouse. We are open to anyone who wants to help with the garden and to more collaborative gardening projects that benefit the community.