The future of the semester ticket

Hello dear students,

Since the Deutschlandsticket was announced, i.e. since November 2022, we have been working flat out on a legally secure solution to ensure affordable student mobility. Because: With the introduction of the Germany ticket, the solidarity model on which the semester ticket is based is in danger. In concrete terms, this means that the semester ticket as it currently exists is legally vulnerable. The Germany ticket, which is available for a monthly price of 49 euros and with which public transport can be used throughout Germany, is a ticket offer that clearly competes with the semester ticket, with which you can travel for only 12.33 euros less Month can only use public transport in NRW.

An alternative solution should therefore have been created, e.g. a semester ticket, which is significantly cheaper than the 49-euro ticket and with which public transport can also be used throughout Germany.

In alliance with other ASten of the VRR area as well as the Landes-ASten-Meeting, there were several negotiations with the VRR. In addition, we have commissioned a legal opinion to clarify the legal consequences. It is important to us to avert financial damage from possible lawsuits against the solidarity model by the student body.

Unfortunately, we were not able to agree on a contract adjustment with the VRR. On July 31, 2023, the student parliament unanimously voted to cancel the semester ticket. This means that students can still use the ticket for two more semesters and from the winter semester 2024/25 there will no longer be a semester ticket.

Don’t worry: we definitely don’t want that.

The termination will also serve as a means of pressure so that the VRR, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the federal government finally act. Our goal is and remains affordable bus and train travel for all students!

We are not alone in this decision. Many other universities at state and federal level have also decided to terminate the contract. Of course, you can find out how VRR and politics react to the layoffs here.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at any time.

Best regards
Your AStA

We are currently looking for another AStA-member for the department for sustainability and mobility. A candidate is being sought who will be proposed to the student parliament and must be elected by the parliamentarians.

Your tasks:

* Keep sustainability on campus in mind

* Follow the sustainable behavior of students and the university

* Planning and support of the sustainability week

* Networking with the sustainability office

* Regular AStA service, where questions from students are answered, documents are certified and the work of the AStA is supported

* Participation in a regular AStA meeting (weekly) and the meetings of the student parliament (every 4-8 weeks)

Ideally, you should have these qualities:

* Enrolled student at the TU Dortmund

* Good skills in German and English writing and language

* Experience in the field of higher education policy or the willingness to deal with it

* Own initiative and ideas on how to make the campus more sustainable and how to improve and/or promote student mobility

What you get from it:

* A relaxed, flexible activity that you can do around your studies

* Fair compensation (0.5 expense allowances, €467 per month, of which €250 per month is tax-free according to Section 3 No. 12 Clause 2 EStG)

* The opportunity to implement new ideas at the university

Does that sound like a job you find yourself in? Then apply to us by August 13, 2023 (11:59 p.m.) with a cover letter, your CV and any references from work at: vorsitz@asta.tu-dortmund.de

* We value diversity and therefore welcome all applications – regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social background, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity.

During this year’s orientation week there will again be bags for all new freshmen at the TU. And what these bags look like – one of you can decide!

Take part in our freshman-bag design competition now, create a design that fits the motto “space for everyone” and with a little luck you can find your design on the freshman bags very soon!

YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR DESIGNS/MOTIVES UNTIL AUGUST 17 (11:59 p.m.)!

By email to presse@asta.tu-dortmund.de

Subject: Bag Contest

Here all the details:

• You create a design/motif that is printed *on one side* on a tote bag.

• The design/motif must be in one color and ready for printing.

• Please come up with *one* design/motif and largely do without writing/text.

• Please send us the design/motif as a PNG file with a transparent background.

• The TU logo must *not* be part of the design/motif.

• In addition to the design/motif, the AStA and Studiwerk logo are also on the bag.

• We (the AStA) select the winners – i.e. places 1 to 3.

Any questions left? Reach out to us via instagram!

Good luck to everyone!

The student research group “Sustainability in Teaching” would like to find out how high the interest in events on the subject of sustainability is among students at TU.

Here’s the survey: https://umfragen.tu-dortmund.de/index.php/835993

Background:

In the seminar “Transformative Education at the University. TU campus as a place of socio-ecological transformation?” a group of students from different courses dealt intensively with possible transformation processes at the TU Dortmund. To this end, in the project group, with the support of the Sustainability Office, they are developing the framework conditions for a stronger integration of sustainability education in teaching.

Goal of the questionnaire:

The results of this survey should serve as a basis for the project implementation and be processed in this context and presented in the seminar. The knowledge gained should also support the sustainability office in its work and be made available to the public.

If you have any questions or comments about the survey or about sustainability-related teaching at the TU Dortmund, you can reach the student research group by email at:

sustainable.teaching.tu-dortmund@proton.me 

Period product dispenser pilot project launched on campus!

You can now find dispensers with free period products on campus.

You will find tampon dispensers with motion sensors in the cafeteria building (Vogelpothsweg) in the women’s toilets opposite the information point, as well as in the Archeteria (August-Schmidt-Straße 2) in the women’s toilets. Automated pad dispensers will soon follow.

The AStA has had a tampon and pad dispenser in the entrance area for a year now and has now initiated the campus-wide pilot project together with the Studierendenwerk.

The background is the additional financial burden that menstruating women have to spend on hygiene items during their period. Menstruation is an essential part of any society that has an interest in its continued existence. Period products are not luxury items, they are hygiene items and should be treated as such.

We continue to work to ensure that the university follows suit with further donors in the lecture hall buildings.

The AStA will soon publish a list of all places on campus that offer free period products.

The AStA gets a new anonymous consultation for all students!

From June, the AStA will offer free advice from a systemic advisor. Systemic counseling is supportive accompaniment in crises, conflicts and fears (e.g. fear of exams, procrastination or conflicts with partners). “Systemic” here means that the advice relates to different areas of life (e.g. university, family, partnership, workplace). It is looked at what influences the system has on you and what influences you have on the system. The counseling should help to find your individual path with appreciative work, taking into account your potential, skills and goals.

With the new offer, the AStA is reacting to the psychological stress on students, which is becoming increasingly clear in particular due to the pandemic and other acute crises (energy crisis, climate crisis).

The consultation period can be flexibly agreed by email: systemischeberatung@asta.tu-dortmund.de

The consultation itself includes at least 7 and a maximum of 20 appointments in a one or two-week cycle.

Dear fellow students,

With this short survey (duration approx. two minutes) we want to collect data on the usage behavior of the semester ticket. In the current negotiations for a semester ticket in times of the 49-euro ticket, we need data in order to be able to negotiate the best possible for us. Thank you for participating!

Your AStA (General Student Committee)

Link: https://umfragen.tu-dortmund.de/index.php/269882?lang=de

In 2022, the federal government passed the new BAföG reform.

This means, among other things, a higher maximum subsidy amount (from EUR 861 to EUR 934) and higher property allowances (from EUR 15,000 to EUR 21,800 for under-30s).

Nevertheless, not all eligible students apply for BAföG.

In order to find out why this is the case, the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods in Bonn, together with Fraunhofer FIT, created a NRW-wide survey. This is intended to uncover misjudgments – this helps us as the AStA to better support students with BAföG problems.

The survey runs until May 31st and can be accessed via the link below. Participation in the study is voluntary and anonymous. The data will be treated confidentially and used exclusively for research purposes.

In addition, 100 times €25 will be raffled among the participants.

Link to the survey: http://www.coll.mpg.de/studienfinanzierung

If you want to check whether you are eligible to apply, you can do so at bafoeg-rechner.de, for example

If you have any questions, there is also the initial consultation for the BAföG application from the Studierendenwerk (Wed 9-11 a.m. via Zoom) and our AStA BAföG advice (bafoeg@asta.tu-dortmund.de).