I am Bibi Nageler, 20 years old and I’m studying political sciences at the University of Vienna.
As many other students, I can only dream of a carefree university-life. In times of a global shift to the extreme-right, cuts to social programs and the neo-liberal pressure to perform, those who are already the most disadvantaged and marginalized suffer the most. It is obvious that this situation is unacceptable.
Through my work as head of the office of social policy, I know that a life with constant rent raises, exploding grocery prices and socially selective study-fees is not affordable. This is not a new phenomenon, but the result of a capitalist system. Universities are no longer places for free and accessible learning, instead education is reduced to a commodity for the market.
Together with the Socialist Students in Austria (VSStÖ), I want to address these issues and improve students’ quality of life. Together, we can fight for a University of Vienna that truly makes education accessible and in which we can create a better future.
Rent increases, more expensive food and lots of back payments. Admission tests, minimum study time and unaffordable materials. Due to these and many other obstacles, life for students has become a financial catastrophe. More than two thirds of all students are forced to work alongside their studies to be able to afford housing, living expenses and university materials – and this figure is rising.
In addition to the financial burden, students must rush through their studies due to the minimum study period and the threat of tuition fees.
Students without Austrian citizenship are hit particularly hard, as they are affected by double tuition fees, restrictions to the job market and systemic discrimination. One wonders where there is any time left for the great student life that everyone has always talked about. The current study grants are simply not enough for that.
We want the student life that everyone has always imagined. We want a well-funded education system that makes it possible for everyone to study.
We live in a patriarchal and racist system, which is present in all areas, including at the University of Vienna. Discriminatory structures such as racism and sexism do not stop at the doors of the university; instead, those affected are confronted with further forms of discrimination. This must end!
The university must be a place where everyone can feel safe. Deadnaming, discriminatory statements or racist teachings must have no place at university. A more tolerant and respectful university requires awareness training. The teaching itself must also be questioned, as it is by no means free of colonial structures. Students without Austrian citizenship in particular are treated unfairly, as they are affected by double tuition fees, restrictions on the job market and systematic discrimination.
Let’s raise our voices for a University of Vienna where everyone can study and where no one has to be afraid of being discriminated against.
University is full of barriers. A disability or illness should not be a reason to be excluded from the opportunities of education. But this is exactly what happens when spaces are not accessible for people with physical disabilities, when curricula become too narrow for people with mental illnesses or when examination modalities deny people with learning disabilities their ECTS. These barriers must be removed and support for students must be fully funded!
Language barriers cost applicants hundreds of euros for German classes and certificates just to start a degree course. A university that is open to everyone needs free language courses.
Many teachers and fellow students are not even aware that these problems exist or how to deal with them. We therefore need to thoroughly point out existing problems and raise awareness.
“The global climate exceeded the 1.5 degree limit for the first time in 2024”. Headlines like this started only ten days into the new year. We are horrified to watch as news like this receives less media coverage every day. If we don’t change anything, we run the risk of irreversibly destroying our planet.
To prevent this from happening, we must act decisively now and do everything we can to prevent climate collapse. Especially in times of climate deniers and far-right governments, we cannot expect the threat to be acknowledged and urgent action to be taken.
It is therefore important that Austria’s largest university, as a science and research location, also recognizes its potential and actively campaigns for a change in public discourse. We must finally put climate protection before profits. The University of Vienna must take action itself and not just leave climate protection initiatives to the students.
A coherent and free public transport offer for students