I am Kash Vallaster and I study Landscape Planning and Landscape Architecture. Student solidarity is what defines the BOKU for me. However, our student life is also marked by financial worries, academic pressure, and discrimination – simultaneously, we face multiple crises such as an international shift to the right, the climate crisis, and biodiversity loss. Here, too, we must stand together and raise our voice collectively. Tuition fees must be abolished, ECTS credits must correspond to workload, discrimination has no place at our university, and we will not tolerate setbacks due to right-wing decision-makers. I aim to advocate strongly for you and with you.
Studying must be accessible to all! The Austrian grant system does not cater to students’ real-life needs. They are insufficient to cover daily expenses and are not easily accessible. Therefore, we demand grants that sustain livelihoods – without academic pressure or repayment risks. For many students, especially those from non-EU countries, tuition fees pose a significant barrier, despite constituting less than 1% of the university budget. Hence, they should simply be eliminated! Mandatory field trips should also be funded and made free for students.
Not only infrastructure but also teaching at the BOKU should be inclusive and barrier-free. This requires support for people with disabilities, as well as promoting visibility and awareness!
With the planned expansion of the Türkenschanze campus, local services and non-commercial break spaces will be established. Until then, we continue to advocate for more affordable lunch options!
The VSSTÖ BOKU demands more funding for students and the removal of obstacles so that everyone can truly study!
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Our universities face politically challenging times! Free access to higher education is repeatedly threatened – for example, in 2001, the introduction of tuition fees was thanks to the ÖVP-FPÖ government of the time. Anti-science and anti-human policies must not infiltrate our education system. Clear measures are needed against right-wing extremism and climate crisis denial! The BOKU needs more space for activism, demonstration training, a clear agenda against the shift to the right, and an action plan against fascism on campus. Conditions for all students are jeopardized by the pervasive shift to the right – particularly affecting students from non-EU countries, who face higher costs and stricter admissions. Therefore, we demand open access and less bureaucracy! Moreover, anti-racism at our universities must be more than a hollow slogan. The BOKU must actively combat discrimination and show solidarity. For a university that is truly inclusive for all!
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Sexist and queer-hostile structures do not stop at the BOKU’s doors: the BOKU statistics show a significant decrease in FLINTA* individuals (1) with increasing career stages. This leaky pipeline not only highlights greater hurdles for affected individuals in education but also sets the stage for indirect and direct sexism and queer hostility in everyday university life. To dismantle these structures, we need more representation of queer individuals at the BOKU and more queer-feminist education in all study programs. All individuals should be able to live their true identity at university without discrimination. To make this possible, we need free choice of names and pronouns in BOKUonline and increased awareness of queer feminism among those in research, teaching, and administration! The VSStÖ BOKU is committed to making the BOKU a place of diversity and inclusivity, where everyone, regardless of gender and sexuality, has equal opportunities.
YOUR VOTE FOR:
Most students work more than 20 hours a week. Many also have caregiving responsibilities for children or relatives. To better integrate our studies into our lives, we need at the BOKU: fewer course overlaps, a fair distribution of ECTS credits, more hybrid formats, sufficient spaces in tutorials and seminars, and more scheduling options for blocked courses. Given the challenges of the climate and biodiversity crises and various political conflicts, it can be difficult to stay positive and focus on studying. We demand more awareness and concrete measures for mental health at the BOKU! The VSSTÖ BOKU advocates for more flexibility and less stress in your studies!
YOUR VOTE FOR:
Our generation will bear and have to repair the consequences of today’s crises. Our university should be a place of critical thinking to find real solutions. Critical systemic teaching should not be the exception and should be integrated into all study programs! It is well known that capitalism fuels inequality and environmental destruction – our university must not ignore this. To present alternatives, anti-capitalist approaches should find a place in research and teaching. The VSStÖ BOKU loudly advocates for a university that researches and teaches in solidarity, critically, and fairly!
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