My name is Anna Steinhauser and I’m studying economics. Since I was 15 years old I’ve been passionately defending young people’s interests and want to give a voice to those who often aren’t listened to. During this time I realised again and again just how important strong representative unions are. ÖH WU is the channel with which we want to amplify students’ voices and, crucially, make them heard. But ÖH WU can be so much more than what it currently is! We want just admission processes, diverse teaching and research, a university without discrimination, a flexible and affordable study life. We want free additional tutorials, increased financial support for students, accessible learning materials and much more.
Not only do we want this – we’re fighting to achieve this reality! Let’s break old patterns together. No more expensive ÖH WU tutorials, limited service and representation of the few.
Our goal is to represent the many.
A vote for us is a vote for you, a vote for the many.
Yours,
Anna
We are VSStÖ, the Association of Socialist Sutdents in Austria. As the largest opposition party in the Vienna University of Business and Economics’ (WU) Student Union (ÖH WU), we are continuously fighting for WU students’ interests. Our central aim is establishing a just, equitable and sustainable future for our university, and ulitmately for our society as a whole. We want to fight for the interests of everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation or socioeconomic background. This means standing our grounds ffor fully funded universities, increased student aid and free higher education for all!
WE ARE THE VOICE OF THE MANY
REFORM LPIS AND EXPAND COURSE CAPACITIES
Without some luck and high-speed internet you miss the chance to register for courses within seconds in LPIS thanks to First Come First Serve. WU needs a more just course registration process! Furthermore, increasing course capacities is necessary in the long run.
LESS ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance requirements at WU can lead to prolonged studies. Since many of us have to work to afford surviving in Vienna, we aren‘t able to just drive to campus on a Tuesday at 3pm. A first step would be hybrid courses, which would expand course capacities and ease the burden on working students at the same time.
INCREASE TOLERANCE SEMESTERS
Do you have to work to afford studying? If that’s the case you probably have less time left for university, which can slow down your studies. Beginning with the 9th semester, you need to pay tuition – an additional financial burden for those of us who are already only able to study because we‘re working part time. This is ridiculous! We‘re fighting for an extension of the tolerance semesters and an end to tuition fees for ALL students.
FREE THERAPY
Inflation is a burden for many students in an already stressful period of life. In addition, we‘re constantly put under pressure to perform well academically, which pushes many of us to the brink of exhaustion. University must not burn us out – our mental health is a priority!
LARGER VARIETY IN LECTURE TIME SLOTS
Many of us have a fixed time schedule due to work or caregiving responsibilities. Lectures that take place at different times, e.g. in the evening and blocked lectures, would enable us to organize our studies and life more flexibly, allowing us to live a life beyond labor and studying.
FREE ÖH TUTORIALS
During our countless free tutorials we realized one thing: ÖH WU courses are way too expensive. Instead of excluding groups through differential pricing – which goes against the right to education for everyone – we want a ÖH WU that takes its responsibility seriously and provides a broad range of free courses that are accessible for everyone.
PLURAL, HETERODOX ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
One easily gets the impression that economics is just neoclassical theories, outdated (oversimplified) models and diagrams. But that‘s far from reality – economics is much broader than it may seem at first!
WU, being a public university, should aim to incorporate the bandwidth of economics in its curriculum. One of the purposes of a bachelor‘s degree is the transfer of a wide variety of knowledge that enables students to choose a specialization later in their life. This is simply impossible if the curriculum is limited to specific schools of thought. The plurality of economics should be represented in WU curricula – from feminist economics, ecological economics to post-keynesianism and beyond!
FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE ECONOMY
We’re already at a point where we’re directly facing the consequences of the climate crisis – a crisis in which the economy plays a leading role. Since WU educates future decision makers, our university has the responsibility to teach about ecological ways of organizing our economy and making truly sustainable business decisions. This has to be taught beyond specializations. To guarantee a just future for everyone we need radically sustainable perspectives – this requires effective measures instead of greenwashing!
CHOOSING YOUR NAME AND PRONOUNS ON WU PLATFORMS
It‘s almost impossible to change the name and pronouns you‘re registered with at WU after enrolment. This can lead to deadnaming, especially if professors export name lists from Canva or Learn@WU. This has to end – we demand the possibility to choose your name and pronouns on WU platforms.
ANTI DISCRIMINATION WORKSHOPS FOR PROFESSORS
WU is not a place that‘s free from sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and ableism. FLINTA* (Women, Lesbian, Inter, Trans and Agender people), PoCs (People of Colour), queer students and students with disabilities experience discrimination on a daily basis. WU must not turn a blind eye to discrimination – we demand obligatory, regular anti-discrimination workshops for all professors!
FREE PERIOD PRODUCTS
Providing free period products shouldn‘t be revolutionary – it‘s already commonplace in many other universities. We spend a significant part of our daily lives at WU so the campus should be equipped accordingly. Providing free period products is inexpensive, uncomplicated and would be a tremendous relief!
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