Month: January 2021

Hi fellow students!
We, the working group for Teaching and Studies of the Students Representation, would like to give you an important update!
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been meeting almost weekly to talk about the situation and important issues. In addition, we have a regular exchange with the Vice President for Teaching and the state-wide representation of the student body (LAK Bayern).
Unfortunately, the state government has structurally neglected us in some parts or put decisions on the back burner, but we follow up regularly.

• Yesterday, the Bavarian cabinet decided that the legal regulations (individual standard period of study and extension of deadlines) will continue to apply in the winter semester (https://www.stmwk.bayern.de/allgemein/meldung/6611/unterstuetzung-fuer-studentinnen-und-studenten-im-corona-wintersemester-aenderungen-im-bayerischen-hochschulgesetz-sollen-weiter-gelten.html). It is valid, who cannot answer for the participation in a presence examination in this semester due to the pandemic situation, no examination-legal disadvantages result from the non-appearance. The §99 BayHschG will be extended and then again on the matriculation certificate shown (this happens however only approx. in the middle/end of February due to the legislative process)! (https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/BayHSchG-99) – Of course, the question remains why this has taken so long despite announcement on 20.11.

• The cabinet has also decided that “Click&Collect”, i.e. pure collection of pre-ordered literature from libraries – with FFP2 mask – is allowed again. The University Library will post the necessary information about this on its website (https://ub.fau.de/) tomorrow (Friday Jan. 22) morning. It is expected that the four main locations (Hauptbib, TNZB, WSZB, EZB) will start with “Click&Collect” on Monday.

• With the help of the city of Erlangen, the Studentenwerk Erlangen-Nürnberg will receive a donation for FFP2 and surgical masks. The handover will take place tomorrow (Friday 22.01.). Then the Studentenwerk can distribute free FFP2 masks to needy students in Erlangen (proof with emergency fund or BaföG notice). A solution for other locations is being worked on. Maybe, FFP2 masks will also be sold to all students at the wholesale purchase price. You will find more information about this soon at https://www.werkswelt.de/.

• You can withdraw until the official start of each exam without experiencing any disadvantages! This is regulated in §5 of the Corona Statutes (https://www.fau.de/files/2020/12/fau-corona-satzung_20200417_idf_20201202.pdf). The exam attempt will then not be considered as taken and will be cancelled. For planning reasons, please cancel your registration as soon as you have decided that you will not take the exam.

• Your professors can still change the form of the examination from an attendance examination to a digital examination form according to §2 para. 3 sentence 5 of the Corona Statutes, provided that the same competencies are being examined. However, this should urgently take place in agreement with ALL students of the course. Please contact your examiners if you would like to know whether this would be a possibility for your exam.  

• Currently, there are considerations whether the so-called “repeat exams” offered in some subjects (especially PhilFak and NatFak) in March/April could be offered as equivalent exam dates to those in February. Thus, these could also be written as a first attempt without having to have taken the exam in February before. Whether this is feasible in terms of examination law and logistics still needs to be examined. We see a high degree of urgency here and are definitely very committed to this.
  Update 25.01. 14h30: “As far as you do not participate in an exam, in study programs in which a repetition is still offered within the winter semester 2020/2021 (“repetition date“), it applies that you can participate in this exam in the repetition date. You will be registered for this repeat date by the examination office. A non-appearance at this repeat date is also without consequences. Please note, however, that it may then only be possible to take an exam again in the semester after next on the regular date.” Source: https://www.fau.de/education/beratungs-und-servicestellen/pruefungsaemter/corona-virus-auswirkungen-auf-pruefungen-an-der-fau/#collapse_8

• Since the beginning of the semester, the student council has been campaigning for a free-shot rule (https://wiki.stuve.fau.de/_media/uniweit:gremien:konvent:positionspapier_faire_studienbedingungen_ws-20-21.pdf). There have been some talks about this, but unfortunately we have not been able to push through the demand so far. We also see that it could take pressure off in many cases. 

• We have also dealt extensively with the general ban on pregnant women entering the university and have spoken with many of the agencies involved (women’s representatives, family services, occupational safety, students). This is intended to serve as a protection and with this, affected persons can receive a disadvantage compensation and thus an alternative examination format. If you are not sure how to act in this situation, you can anonymously contact the Family Service (https://www.familienservice.fau.de/) for advice.

• If you have to travel to exams, you are allowed to do so! A ban on accommodation only applies to private overnight stays. In the case of traveling to an exam, it is a kind of business trip. If you can prove that you have to come to the exam, you are allowed to stay overnight. This means: if you travel to Erlangen or Nuremberg for teaching or an exam, you are allowed to do so. The university is currently trying to find framework agreements with hotels so that you can stay there at favorable conditions.
• For presence exams, the app darfichrein.de is used for quick contact tracking. For this you can use the WLAN eduroam (https://www.anleitungen.rrze.fau.de/internet-zugang/wlan/) in the buildings of the university!

In order to protect yourselves and all fellow students and examiners in the coming days, we ask you: 

• Keep the distance! In the exam rooms, the seats are marked with sufficient distance, but also remember before and after the exam, if it is tempting to stand together and chat.  
• Wear a mask! Even outside the building if there are a lot of people there and inside anyway. Wear the mask over your mouth AND nose, don’t finger it too often, and be sure to change it after several uses. There is a general obligation to wear a mask during exams, but no obligation to wear an FFP2 mask.  
• Hand hygiene! Wash your hands, use disinfectants where available and otherwise refrain from eating and unnecessary touching of the face. 
• If you are sick, stay at home! Please, keep to it! Even if it’s just “a little cough”, stay home, don’t risk it! You don’t need a doctor’s note. 
• Install the Corona alert app! It meets high privacy standards and can be helpful in contact tracking.  – Stay calm. This is an exceptional situation and no one wants to catch it, but panicking won’t help. Stay calm, follow the rules, be kind and considerate, and you’ll be fine.  
• Ask! If you are unsure about the rules or belong to a risk group for a severe course or are pregnant, please feel free to contact your examiners, the family service (https://www.familienservice.fau.de/ueber-uns/team/), the Corona-Info of the FAU (corona-info@fau.de) or us as student representatives (Teaching and Studies: stuve-lust@fau.de, Spokespersons stuve-sprat@fau.de, StudOn-Forum: https://www.studon.fau.de/crs3562714_join.html, anonymous contact form here: https://stuve.fau.de/corona-kummerkasten/).  
• Get informed! Read the emails from the student representation, the university administration and subscribe to our Telegram news channel: t.me/stuvefau

You can find more Informationa at: http://stuve.fau.de/corona