Berlin. 17.04.2024

Die Berliner Regierungskoalition hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt, Ordnungsrecht über die Studierenden – unter anderem die Zwangsexmatrikulation als Ordnungsmaßnahme – noch vor Ostern in das Berliner Hochschulgesetz (BerlHG) einzuführen. Im Eilverfahren soll nun der schwerwiegendste und repressivste Eingriff in die politische Teilhabe der Studierenden seit über 50 Jahren durchgedrückt werden. 
 

Wir sind fassungslos darüber, dass uns als Landesastenkonferenz lediglich 4 Werktage in der Prüfungsphase eingeräumt wurden, um hierzu Stellung zu beziehen. Unser Antrag auf eine Verlängerung dieser Frist wurde von der Senatsverwaltung abgelehnt. Es entsteht der Eindruck, als sei versucht worden, uns Studierende vorsätzlich aus dem Prozess auszuschließen. Wir kritisieren, in welchem Ausmaß hier unter dem Vorwand des Schutzes marginalisierter Studierender autoritäre Politik gemacht wird. Nicht nur offenbart dieses Verfahren ein klares Demokratiedefizit des Berliner Senats, auch der Gesetzentwurf selbst ist inhaltlich abzulehnen. Dies haben wir in unserer Stellungnahme gegenüber der Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft deutlich gemacht, die wir nachfolgend veröffentlichen. 

Verfehltes Ziel: Einfallstor für das Gesinnungsordnungsrecht

„SPD und CDU wollen mit dem vorliegenden Gesetzesentwurf nicht nur das alte Ordnungsrecht von vor 2021 wieder einführen. Der im Eilverfahren eingebrachte, sehr weitreichende und vage Entwurf wird jegliche politische Teilhabe der Berliner Studierenden zukünftig massivst einschränken. Er geht dabei in seinem repressiven Gehalt weit über das alte Ordnungsrecht von 2021 hinaus. “ sagt Ali Mehrens (Referent für Lehre und Studium - HU). Der Gesetzesvorschlag ist - trotz wiederholter gegenteiliger Beteuerungen der Wissenschaftssenatorin - ein Einfallstor für ein Gesinnungsordnungsrecht. Dabei ist zu betonen, dass alle der vorgeschlagenen Ordnungsmaßnahmen repressiv wirken. Studierende, deren Finanzierung oder Aufenthaltsstatus von der Immatrikulation abhängt, sind von den Auswirkungen besonders betroffen. 
 

"Es wird deutlich, dass die Motivation des Senats in erster Linie eine öffentlichkeitswirksame Selbstinszenierung als besonders hart durchgreifende Regierung ist und nicht der unbedingt notwendige Schutz marginalisierter Studierender." führt Gabriel Tiedje (Referent für Hochschulpolitik - TU) weiter aus. 
 

Geplante BerlHG Novelle: Handwerkliche Mängel und übereiltes Verfahren 

Der vorgelegte Gesetzesentwurf verletzt mehrere Verfassungsgrundsätze und führt an den Universitäten eine Sonderstrafjustiz ein. Er weist gravierende handwerkliche Mängel auf – zentral zu nennen sind hierbei vor allem fehlende Verfahrensvorschriften und ein unbestimmter, ausufernder Gewaltbegriff. Der Gesetzesvorschlag ist an keiner Stelle geeignet, den begründeten Zweck - die Sicherstellung eines sicheren Raumes für Studierende frei von Diskriminierung und Gewalt - zu erreichen. 

Ordnungsrechtliche Maßnahmen – insbesondere Zwangsexmatrikulationen – stellen einen schweren (Grundrechts-)Eingriff dar. Das ist insbesondere der Fall, da die vorgelegten Tatbestände so weit sind, dass jegliche politische Aktionen von Studierenden betroffen sein können – von Veranstaltungsstörungen, über das Aufhängen von Plakaten bis zu öffentlichen Äußerungen über Dozierende könnte alles erfasst sein.

„Umso skandalöser ist es, dass wir als Landesastenkonferenz (LAK), der zentralen Interessensvertretung der Berliner Studierendenschaften, kaum Zeit hatten, um zur 17. BerlHG Novelle Stellung zu beziehen. Hier zeigt sich, welchen Wert die Berliner Regierung auf demokratische Prozesse und die Meinung der Studierenden legt.“ ergänzt Luca Schenk (Referent für Hochschulpolitik - HU) abschließend.

Der Gesetzentwurf ist aus allen genannten Gründen dringend abzulehnen. Wir rufen die Berliner Studierenden auf, sich zu informieren und gemeinsam mit uns gegen diesen repressiven Vorschlag zu kämpfen!

- die Landesastenkonferenz Berlin -

Die Stellungnahme der LAK zur Vorgelegten BerlHG Novelle des Berliner Senats findet ihr hier.

Dear fellow students,

We would like to inform you about the current developments: The Berlin Senate plans to reintroduce the regulatory law (§16), which could lead to a massive expansion of political repression possibilities, up to and including expulsion as executive measurements from university. This represents the most significant infringement on the rights of students in decades and is currently being pushed forward rapidly. As a result, political protest at universities will be significantly hindered, if not made impossible altogether.

The Student Parliament of the UdK clearly opposes the proposal to restore the regulatory law at Berlin universities. Instead of resorting to regulatory measures, we focus on the educational mission of universities and the promotion of discourse and necessary debates.

We align ourselves with the statements of the State Student Union Conference (LAK), the AStA of TU Berlin, RefRat of HU, and the AStA of FU. All these student bodies unanimously warn against the dangers of this draft law. Expulsions as regulatory measures are susceptible to abuse and discrimination, and we strongly reject their reintroduction.

We advocate for a comprehensive approach that includes research, awareness-raising, training, and the expansion of support services, rather than the introduction and enforcement of regulatory measures.

We appeal to professors, students, university staff, and university administration to oppose the change in the law. The exclusion of students, lack of transparency, and ambiguities in the definitions of order and disturbance reinforce our concerns. Careful consideration of the short- and long-term effects is necessary, and any alteration to existing regulations requires public as well as internal university discourse, particularly involving the committees and initiatives active in anti-discrimination work at the university (and the students).

Further information available here: 

• State Student Union Conference analysis and statement: Link 
• Campaign "Hands off student rights" by students from various universities: Instagram, Telegram
• Petition: Change.org
• Articles in German: Tagesspiegel
• Articles in English: The Left Berlin

best regards,
your Student Parliament & AStA

Dear students,

Since October, your semester ticket at the UdK is no longer valid.

The HU and FU have decided to continue the semester ticket. In our case, this was not possible. The reasons for this are described in the previous article.
Please note for students in education programs: A semester ticket cannot be applied for at the second university.

Please note that any journey without a valid ticket can result in a fine of €60 and criminal prosecution. From a legal point of view, this is called "fraudulent use of services".

For the current semester, you can purchase your own ticket from the VBB or other BVG. You can choose from the following options:

D(eutschland)-Ticket: Valid throughout Germany on local public transport. Price: 49,-€ (a bicycle or children are not included here)
Single tickets: Single tickets can be bought for short journeys (from €2.20), longer journeys (from €3.20) or slightly cheaper as a 4-trip ticket (from €10).
Bicycle ticket: Take bicycles in the Berlin ABC area. Price: from 12€ per month (more information here: https://www.bvg.de/en/subscriptions-and-tickets/all-tickets#Bicycle%20tickets)
Children up to 6 years of age generally travel free of charge. For older children, we recommend doing your own research, as there are gradations and differences in the transport regulations.
Special case Upgrade-Variant: There are some people for whom the fee for the Upgrade Ticket (from Semesterticket to D-Ticket) was still debited. This Upgrade Ticket is not valid, as it is only valid in combination with a semester ticket.
The VBB and the contract partner are still being contacted about this - a solution to this error will be found soon.

The semester ticket is suspended until at least the end of the winter semester. Whether there will be a solution after that is questionable - the Senator for Transport is busy with other "construction sites" and a first discussion with the Senator for Science will not take place until this month. Negotiations at the federal level about a uniform student ticket are being conducted behind closed doors without the participation of students - without results.

The current situation for students is more than worrying. In times of weak Bafög, rising rents and maintenance costs, the lack of a semester ticket is just the tip of political ignorance.
The only solution to this is to participate in university policy committees. This provides weight in negotiations with the Berlin Senate and federal politics. Elections for the student parliament (StuPa) are to be held again in winter semester 23/24. Stand up or at least go to the ballot box and vote for your fellow students.

Your former AStA wishes you a successful semester and all the best!

Dear students,

A short time ago you received a request for re-registration from the IPA of the UdK. The semester fee included here is currently 117,29€. This is significantly less than usual. The reason: the semester ticket will no longer be included. From the coming semester onwards, there will therefore be no public transport ticket with which you can move freely in Berlin. 

The official reason for this: It was not possible to conclude a semester ticket contract between the AStA of the UdK Berlin and the VBB. This is not an isolated case - almost all other Asten have made the same decision. 

However, the decision against the semester ticket is complex. We would like to give you the following reasons for this decision:

1. The AStA of the UdK is no longer active - the remaining members no longer have official powers and are therefore not allowed to sign contracts for the student body.
2. The 49,-€ ticket (D-Ticket) is a new model that offers an attractive financial alternative to the semester ticket (approx. 33€ per month). While the Semesterticket has to be purchased permanently, the D-Ticket can be cancelled monthly. 
3. Many students (e.g. who receives housing allowance) could benefit from a 29,-€ or 9,-€ ticket, which is being discussed in the Berlin Senate. Again, the price is cheaper and more flexible than the semester ticket.
4. The crucial point (for all other Asten as well) is the following: According to the last available legal opinion on the semester ticket, a solidarity model is only legitimate if the price is about 50%, or at most 60%, of a comparable public transport ticket. This is no longer the case with the D-Ticket - whereby the services in the D-Ticket are even much more extensive. Without legal legitimacy, there is a possibility that students will sue against the Semesterticket solidarity model. In the worst case scenario, the entire semester ticket process would have to be reversed. The AStA would have to bear the costs. We would not have exposed ourselves to this risk in any case.

The Semesterticket solidarity model will be suspended indefinitely. We demand a clear and quick regulation for cheap public transport tickets from the politicians in the state of Berlin and the federal government. To this end, we are working with the FZS to reduce the price of the D-Ticket for students and will meet with the Senator for Science and Transport in Berlin in the summer. 

The contribution to the solidarity fund will also be suspended. This is not possible otherwise, as the solidarity fund is contractually linked to the Semesterticket solidarity model. 

The contribution to the semester ticket office will remain so that the remaining applications from the current semester can be processed.

What kind of ticket do I have to buy now?

Information material on the possible tickets for students will follow in the summer.

What else can I do?

We need a strong student community to bring back our demands around the solidarity model. Working in university political committees is an important step here. Therefore, we ask that you apply for the student parliament ("StuPa") or support and elect fellow students. More information will follow.

Why doesn't the UdK do anything?

The UdK is only responsible for making sure that the semester ticket process works. The AStA, the VBB and the state of Berlin are responsible for basic contractual matters. 

Why was the semester ticket possible last semester?

Last semester, it was not yet clear at the time the contract was signed whether and when the D-Ticket would be introduced. In addition, the Ministry of Science and Transport from the old Senate paid us a higher one-time subsidy that legitimised the solidarity model. This is not planned for the coming semester due to the new Berlin Senate, the familiarisation of the new senators and the respective interests of the parties.