As socialists, we recognize: capitalism is not in crisis – it is the crisis. That’s why we fight for a university that doesn’t just prepare us to function in this system, but for free and open universities that provide space to break with existing hegemonies and develop new ones.
Our political engagement doesn’t end at the ballot box. We organize, continue our education, and stand in solidarity with one another. We know: it’s not easy to fight against a system that seems so powerful. But together we can create a vision of the future beyond capitalism and crisis.
Under the buzzword of austerity, life keeps getting more expensive. Rents are rising, public transport tickets are getting pricier, and we can hardly afford to eat anything other than spaghetti with pesto. That’s why we need a set of measures to make life affordable again:
raising student aid above the poverty threshold
Austria has to cut costs and save money? That’s what we keep hearing everywhere right now. But if you look closer, it’s clear: not everyone is meant to pay off the debt – only the many. What we could really do without, though, are billionaires and the super-rich.
For over 130 years, the VSStÖ has been fighting for free and open access to higher education. Everyone has the right to education – regardless of background or financial means. We are committed to fair universities that exclude no one.
We students are not commodities to be trained for the economy. We want to make our universities places of free and emancipatory education, aimed at improving current circumstances and living conditions, instead of orienting themselves around the needs of the market.
We, the Association of Socialist Students, are students from all over Austria who work together for a fairer world and university system. Discrimination, social selection, and unfair study conditions are unacceptable to us – that’s why, since our founding in 1893, we have been fighting at all levels to overcome them.
Whether it’s demonstrations, our group meetings, or our work within the Austrian National Union of Students: we raise our voices and give a platform to all those who experience disadvantages in our society.
Do you ever wonder why our world is so unjust and why nothing seems to change? You’re not alone! Come to our next meeting and join us! You can look forward to exciting discussions, political activism, and many new friendships!