Comittee work

One of the main tasks of an FSR is to represent student interests in university politics. Specifically, this happens in committees that are often made up of a mixture of students and university representatives. On this page you will find an overview of the committees that our FSR participates in and the tasks/responsibilities  that go hand in hand with it.

The Institute Councils are not decision-making bodies according to the basic regulations of the University of Potsdam. Rather, the institute council meetings provide a space for exchange between professors, academic and technical staff and the student representatives. The quorate bodies Faculty Council, Examination Boards and Study Commissions provide reports as required. The individual institutes themselves decide how often institute council meetings take place.
The task of the FSR members is to bring topics of the student council to the institute councils and to actively participate in the exchange between the various groups of institute members. After an Institute Council meeting, a short report must be submitted to the FSR at the next FSR meeting.

Study commissions (StuKo in German) deal with the creation and evaluation of study regulations. Student members should implement the interests of the students when designing the study regulations. This includes an active exchange with the student council in order to identify and tackle problems with current study regulations.

StuKos are usually rather inactive committees that meet once a semester. Unless the development of new study regulations is on the agenda, StuKos meet monthly or fortnightly. Changes to the study regulations or completely new study regulations must always be agreed by the StuKo.

The StuKo members appointed by the FSR must be reported to the Faculty Council and voted on there; only then is membership of the StuKo official and the member entitled to vote.

Examination boards (PA in German) have a long list of responsibilities. These include, among other things, the recognition of examinations and additional achievements, granting compensation for disadvantages, approving theses, publishing module handbooks and more.

It is common practice to meet once a semester to agree on entrusting the chair of the examination board with all tasks. This means that student members do not usually have to do any work outside of the one-semester meeting. The right to have a say, to which the student members are entitled, must be actively demanded if necessary. Additional PA meetings must take place if an objection is lodged against a decision by the PA chairperson. E.g. in the event of the rejection of a compensation for disadvantages, against which an objection is lodged by the applicant.

PA members appointed by the FSR must be reported to the Faculty Council and are voted on there; only then is membership of the PA official and the member entitled to vote.

The general assembly of all student councils (VeFa in German) is an assembly in which every student council of the University of Potsdam is a voting member. Each FSR can send its own members to the VeFa meetings; the FSR BCE has the permanent office of VeFa Representative. Further information on the VeFa can be found on the VeFa website(sadly only available in German).