Soon the members of University Council and Faculty Council will be newly elected. Would you like to understand more about what the Councils do and how we - as PhD students - should contribute? We summarised a few information here, if you would like to know more: let us know!
Why are these elections important?
Especially for PhDs, it is important to participate in these elections to make sure that we are properly represented in the staff and student fractions. Until now, no PhD scholarship student has ever been in the University Council and employed PhDs were asked to represent all but are not elected by all. So many votes of PhD scholarship students are given to student representatives instead, as no other options are available. We – as PhD students – have the possibility to be represented in both fractions of the councils and we should take this opportunity! We need candidates for these positions AND we need to vote for these candidates when we have the chance!
What do the Councils actually do?
Councils are advisory organs for the respective Boards. They are formed by a staff faction representing employees (including employed PhDs) and a student fraction representing the students (including PhD scholarship students).
The Faculty Council assists the Faculty Board in matters of faculty regulations but also working conditions, services implemented and modus operandi within the faculty. Representatives for the different fractions are elected by the employees and the students respectively by selecting them from a given list.
The University Council advises the Supervisory Board and represents the academic community. They take part in the choice of members of the Board of the University and selection of the student adviser; more details and a precise description can be found here. Article from two years ago.
To vote representatives for the University Council different lists are offered depending on the party the representative is part of.
How can I participate?
If you are interested in joining one of these councils we will be more than happy to help you in understanding what needs to be done and how you can join. The more candidates we can have on different lists the better! A further advantage is that depending on the council (and your role) you could also be able to get extensions for your PhD.
And remember in a few months: every vote counts!
Contact us if you are interested in joining one of these Councils - we would love to help you represent all of us!