During lecture time on Wednesdays at 6pm in seminar room C in the Mathematikon. In the semester break, we usually meet every two weeks at the same time. The exact dates can be found in the calendar, the issues in the official invitations and their outcome in the protocols.
Who meets when?
We, all the studis of physics, maths and computer sciences, meet at 6 p.m. for a joint council session. This makes sense because the three study disciplines share a budget and organize a lot together; With a common budget plan, financial decisions and everything that goes with it. From about 7 pm on subsequent to the joint meeting, the physics students will then meet on the one hand and the maths and computer science students on the other to discuss field-of-study-specific topics that may be less interesting to the other group. Often, current issues from studies and teaching are discussed here.
What do you have to say?
Just as much as all the others who are present. All students of mathematics, physics and computer science at Heidelberg University obtain the right to vote by being present. During our meetings, we use a consensus system by finger-pointing for votes that works like this:
• Thumbs up: Unconditional consent
• 2 fingers: Consent with slight concerns
• 3 fingers: Abstention – The decision is left to the others, but you will participate if needed
• 4 fingers: Standing aside – The decision will be allowed to happen, but it will not be represented personally and you will not participate in such actions
• 5 fingers: Serious concerns about this decision – no consent
• Fist: Veto – no consens, split: Should the decision nevertheless be implemented by individual people, one will work against it
The decisive factor is the highest number shown (even if only one person shows it).
If serious concerns or veto are displayed, those people explain their position. On this basis, the decision must be discussed further or another decision taken. Anyone who doesn’t show thumbs up will have the opportunity to voice their concerns or reservations. These are incorporated into the decision-making or implementation of the decision
Who really decides?
You! That is, those present at the joint meeting at 6 p.m. All students have voting rights in their own field. You don’t have to be elected to office for that. Although the elected Heads of Student Councils carry out the meetings decisions, the Heads of Student Councils must abide by the decisions of the joint meeting, provided that there are no formal or legal concerns. If this is the case, the Heads of Student Councils will bring the adapted decision to the vote again at the meeting or ensure during the joint meeting that the decisions are formulated in accordance with the formal requirements. In principle, the joint meeting of the experts and the meetings of the three Heads of Student Councils all meet at the same time in the same room, provided that all of them are quorum.
Backgrounds, formal names and old stories …
In this way, we want to get closer to our claim to lived grassroots democracy. So, without having to be selected extra, you can always participate and co-decide at the level of the students council.
According to the organisation of the student union, the joint meeting is actually called the “Fachschaftsvollversammlung” (“General Assembly of all Student of one Course of Studies”). In order to avoid confusion, however, we refer to the joint meeting as a “Fachschaftssitzung”. We simply refer to the separate sessions of the study studies in physics and the departments of maths and computer sciences as (informal) “individual council sessions”.
In order to regulate the conduct of the specialist meetings, they have given themselves regulations (link must be updated!).