Article: Johanna Steuber

Dear Cornelius, what exactly does the FSR do?

Roughly speaking, the FSR represents the interests of students at our Faculty MK. This includes the Culture and Management, Health Care Management, Tourism Management, Business Translation and International Business Communication degree programs. Each semester, all students in these subjects elect various representatives to participate in the faculty. We are there for the students and organize various events. But we are also the people to contact if problems arise. For example, if someone has problems with a lecturer or can't cope with the timetabling. But we are also there for the lecturers to pass on their concerns to the students or to provide information about the current mood in the student body. So you could say that we are the central point of contact for student concerns as a kind of interface between students and lecturers.

It all sounds like you've already gained a lot of experience. How long have you been on the FSR?

I kind of slipped into it in the second semester. In the first semester, I organized the Ice Breaker Party in the Maus in December and applied for funding from the FSR at the time. As a result, I attended a few meetings and thought to myself, yes, I could actually get involved in that too. I've been quite active since then, but then I took a short break for my year abroad. Over the last year and a half, I've tried to get things going with the others despite the current situation.

You will have finished your studies in the not too distant future and will be leaving the FSR. What conclusions do you draw after all this time?

Oh, I'll mainly remember who was always the best person to drink beer with. No fun ... I would say that I've really taken a lot with me. On the one hand, working at the FSR helped me to settle in quickly and make lots of contacts. On the other hand, you learn a lot through the organizational work, about certain university-specific processes and about people. In principle, what we do is also a kind of project management. And it's also not bad to have done administrative things, to know how to write an application or minutes. So I would say that working in the FSR has enriched me a lot, and it certainly doesn't look bad on my CV either.

Now you're recruiting new members for the coming semester. What advice would you give to someone starting out now, what should they perhaps bring with them?

Well, anyone and everyone is welcome to join us. It's always particularly nice when a student from every degree program is represented. Of course, we at the FSR also benefit from the different perspectives and expertise of the various degree programs. You don't need any prior knowledge as such, the old hands will quickly show you everything that's important - for example, where can I get beer benches for an event or in general, how is the faculty structured, who is responsible for what. Perhaps it's important that you want to help shape something, as the FSR thrives on personal initiative. So a bit of patience and a positive mindset certainly can't hurt, but as I said: We are happy about any commitment!

Vicky, can you perhaps describe the classic tasks involved in working on the FSR?

At the moment we have meetings every two weeks and we basically clarify who takes care of which tasks - who does social media, who takes care of the emails, the mailbox, the finances, who is delegated to the StuRa and so on.

The agenda then depends on what is currently on the agenda and where you are in the semester. As one of our tasks is to mediate between lecturers and students, students often come to us with problems or send us emails with their concerns, for example. We answer these inquiries on a weekly basis, describe our experiences, give tips or, if necessary, forward them to the right contact person. Only if a problem cannot be solved do we pass it on to the faculty management and address it there.

In the summer, we were present at the election of the new Dean of Studies and were involved to a certain extent. Otherwise, we're not always present on the Faculty Council, although that might make sense sometimes.

When events are scheduled, we usually split up: One takes care of the room, one takes care of the shopping, one takes care of the posters, etc. When we recently organized the lecture hall cinema, for example, someone had to organize the free popcorn. That's what you have to do.

You've been there for two and a half years now. What would you say you've enjoyed most so far?

My highlight is always Freshers' Week. It takes the most organizing, but it's always great fun in the end and it's nice to see how good it is for the first-year students. This year we also had a program item every day - e.g. the hike (which was very adventurous), the city rally and the brewery tour at the end of the degree. And the games evening was also extremely well received. So yes, it's great if you can help to make the new students feel welcome straight away.

Of course, it's difficult to organize much at the moment due to Corona, but we're still trying to get a few little things going in winter - distributing mulled wine on campus and things like that.

What would you like to see for the FSR in the coming semester?

New members would be really great. I think that many people still have an inhibition threshold at the moment. But you don't have to become an official member, you can just join, contribute your ideas and support them. As I said, we meet every two weeks and the things that need to be done are then spread across several people and over the entire semester. I really hope that one or two people will want to join us.

You say you're looking for new members for the coming semester. What advantages can working on the FSR have for students?

I think that because you have to take on responsibility, you really develop personally. In my experience, the work also has a positive effect on your CV. My current boss, for example, was very impressed, because it also says something about you that you are reliable and committed. Another advantage for those who receive BAföG is that you are entitled to it for one semester longer than the standard period of study. AND of course you get to meet new people, you can network much better between classes, you have direct insight into many internal university processes and you can talk to lecturers. I think that's another exciting reason why it's worth joining us!

Paul, you joined the Faculty Student Committee this semester. What brought you there?

I was already quite active in various committees at school, as a student representative and then later also in the district and state student councils.

I was always involved in the Faculty Student Committee from time to time. Especially when events took place or through requests from the FSR as student representative. Because of my previous experience as a student, I was immediately tempted to get involved in the FSR. Such institutions are always a good place to meet new people, but also to work and make a difference.

What do you particularly like about working in the FSR?

I haven't been involved for that long, but I think - especially in view of the coronavirus situation - we've already achieved a lot this semester. I simply enjoy promoting cooperation. Organizing events is also a great task in itself. You learn new things every time.

You will probably stay with the FSR for a while yet. Do you have any concrete plans or ideas for the coming period that you would like to implement?

We are always open and looking for new ideas. Generally speaking, I would like to have a new logo for the FSR or simply invest a little more in our public image. As far as events are concerned, I think it would be great if we could pick up on things from previous semesters, such as the hike or the lecture hall cinema, which was very well attended. I could also imagine going away with a few students, perhaps to Poland to explore the surrounding area.

Why do you think it's important that the Faculty continues to have an active Faculty Student Committee?

First of all, so that there is still someone who takes care of networking in the faculty and someone who is available as a contact person for students' problems. Without this, many things would certainly become more complicated. Recently, for example, we organized the "MK Meckerstube", where students could come to us with their problems. We were able to help many of them, at least by advising them on who to contact.

Yes, the FSR is a good and important thing. That's why it would be great if we could get more active members next semester. I can only recommend everyone to sit in on a meeting at least once and simply see what and how we work. This is possible at any time!