University elections

The University elections - in which you can exercise your right of co-determination - take place annually in the summer semester.
This article is just a brief overview of why voting is important and who you can vote for.
You can find more information shortly before the election in our election newspaper, in that of the AStA, as well as in the election newspaper of the election office.

Why vote?

In the university elections you can make use of your right of co-determination and decide which of your students will be sent to the departmental and university-wide committees. On the one hand, this ensures that the people who best represent your interests sit on the committees. On the other hand, a high voter turnout gives your representatives legitimacy and support, which enables them to speak up more strongly in conflicts with professors, for example. Was kann ich wählen?

Central level

This is where decisions affecting the entire university are made.

The core tasks of the University Assembly (UV) are: Amending the University’s Basic Regulations, electing the Presidential Board, appointing Senate members, receiving and discussing the Presidential Board’s accountability report, and enacting or amending election regulations.

The Senate discusses matters of research, teaching and studies that affect the entire university or that are of fundamental importance. The Senate is not elected directly, but by the UV. At the TU Darmstadt, the Senate is responsible, among other things, for approving the statutes of the departments, fundamental questions of teaching and study, setting admission numbers, determining general examination regulations, organizing research and allocating funds.

The highest body of the TU Darmstadt is the Präsidium, which consists of the President, Vice-President and Chancellor. It leads and represents the university externally and implements the decisions of the Senate and the University Assembly.

Department level

In everyday student life, the department level is closer than the central level. The department is the basic organizational unit for research and teaching. The Fachbereichsrat (FBR) is the highest body of the department. It decides on all issues concerning the department. The chairperson is the Dean, currently Prof. Zoubir. He is assisted by Associate Dean. The Associate Dean is the Treasurer of the Department, currently Prof. Pesavento; the Dean of Studies takes care of all undergraduate affairs, currently Prof. Klingbeil. Important tasks of the departmental council include enacting examination and study regulations, coordinating research projects, deciding on appointment proposals, deciding on the equipment of the institutes or departments, and distributing financial resources.

Student self-administration

Student self-administration takes place both university-wide and across departments as well as within departments.

The Student Parliament (StuPa) is the highest decision-making body of the student body. The tasks of the student parliament include the election of the General Student Committee (AStA), the amount and use of fees, and external cooperations (e.g. with the State Theater and the RMV).

The Fachschaftsrat is composed exclusively of students. Although the Fachschaftsrat has little official influence, it is where most of the student involvement takes place. Since the Fachschaftsräte also enjoy the support of the professors for the most part, the work is usually very fruitful. What the student council does, you can read on the page Fachschaft.