The 21st of December, 2023, marked for us the 50th anniversary of the decision to abolish the Student Body Representation in Bavaria—a day of deep sorrow. On this occasion, we laid a funeral wreath at the fountain in the castle garden. You may already be familiar with the debate, but if not, you can learn a thing or two about it here.
“Even though most Bavarian students no longer know what a Student Body Representation is, we still feel the consequences of its abolition profoundly,” said Emil Fischer, Chairman of the Erlangen Student Representation, in response to an inquiry. But what does the constitution of the student body actually entail? “Since its abolition, we, as a group of students, are no longer legal entities. Therefore, we cannot enter into contracts, manage our own funds, or determine our constitution. Much of this currently operates only through detours and makeshift solutions, for which we depend on the collaboration and goodwill of the university management and the student services. Everything else is entirely impossible,” added Ann-Sophie Scholl, student senator at FAU. Bavaria, as often the case, occupies a special role; it is currently the only federal state without a “constituted” student body, which was abolished by a resolution on December 21, 1973, to “dry up the left-wing swamp at the universities” (Hans Maier, the then Bavarian Minister of Culture). At that time, Bavaria was not alone in this approach, but since Baden-Württemberg reintroduced the student body in 2011, Bavaria is now the last federal state without one.
“That was a completely different time when tensions ran much higher. However, the fact that even after 50 years and in entirely different circumstances, we still have to endure this harassment and hindrance in our daily work is disproportionate,” expressed Leon Bernáth, Deputy Chairman of the Student Representation.
Since then, the opposition has occasionally made efforts to reintroduce the Student Body Representation, but due to the unique political situation in Bavaria, this has so far remained futile. This is why students have resorted to extraordinary measures to draw attention to their plight.
