Austrian Students' Association

The Austrian Students and Student Union ( Student Union until 2005, only Austrian Students' Union, often shortened outer appearance Austrian National Union of Students ) is the legal representative of the students of the Austrian colleges, teacher training colleges and universities. Membership of the Students' Union is a compulsory membership, that is, all students are automatically members of the Students' and Students' Union. This is the Students' Union roughly comparable to the written student bodies in Germany or the Austrian Chamber of Labour and Commerce on students level. The current chairman of the Student Union is Florian Kraushofer of the Independent lists of academic disciplines Austria ( FLÖ ).

• 3.1 Amendment to the Student Union law
• 3.2 Students' Union elections since 2005

History

The Students' Union was established in September 1945 by a decree of the Provisional Government and regulated since 1950 by federal law. Previously, the Austrian student bodies had from 1919 to 1945 belonged to the German student body, which in turn was controlled by the National Socialist German Students' League since 1931. In the years 1933 to 1938, the Student Union of Austria was set up as an Austro-fascist counter-organization, which had a personal and structural strong influence on the later student union.

Unlike, say, the West German student committees after the war the student union bodies were chosen from the outset for a list suffrage and accordingly dominated by more or less party-affiliated groups. Determining force was for decades the ÖVP near Austrian Student Union ( ÖSU ), from the early 1980s gave rise to the present-day community of action.

Chairman

The chairmen of the nationwide student representative since 1945:

Organization

The Austrian Students and Students' Union represents the students throughout the country. In addition, there are also independent of Students and student bodies at each individual university.

• The Federal agency (BV) (formerly Central Committee, ZA) of the Austrian Students ' and Students' Union represents the interests of all students across Austria, advise students in different units and additionally brochures to study relevant issues out.
• Exist at the universities of Students and student bodies as a separate public corporations with the following representative bodies: The University of representation ( UV) (formerly Main Committee, HA) of students represents the interests of all students at a college and advises students in different units. It is directly elected by list vote.
• The faculty representative (FV ) (formerly: Student Council Committee, FA ) coordinates the various representations of study of a faculty and is responsible for general affairs. Since the amendment of University Students and Student Union Act of 2005, the University offices now decide on the establishment of these institutions (official organs in accordance with § 12 para 2 of Students and Student Union Act 1998 ) that are occupied by the individual study missions and now, for example, departmental representation hot can.
• The study missions ( Treaty of ) (previously study representation, Strv ) exist for each individual study. Advise students who want to complete or pass the respective studies and are points of contact for problems with the study or teaching staff. They are elected directly on the basis of a personality suffrage.

• The University of Education representation represents the interests of all students of the educational institution, advises students and participates in the Academic Board of the College of Education with. It is composed of representatives of each degree program representatives.
• The degree representation exist for the individual courses of study and represent the students of a degree program and advise students who want to undertake or complete the respective course.

• The Fachhochschule study showing represents the interests of all students of educational institutions and advises students in different units. It is composed of the chairmen of the individual study program representatives.
• The degree program representations and the year of Representatives representing the students a course of study or a year group and advise students who want to undertake or complete a particular course of study.
• Other representatives, such as location or departmental representation, which can be defined by the Fachhochschule study showing under the statute.

Organized is the national institute of Austrian Students and Student Union as a body governed by public law. The representation facilities at 21 universities form separate entities of Students and student bodies at universities. These entities (and usually their individual organs or representative institutions) are autonomous in their scope and not any instructions or decisions of other high students and student bodies (not even the Austrian Students ' and Students' Association ) bound. The representation facilities at teacher training colleges and polytechnic courses do not have legal personality, but are the Austrian Students and Student Union Act.

The Students' Union is financed by contributions have to pay all students. Of the € 18.00 will be levied per semester, are € 0.50 used for a liability and accident insurance. The remaining amount will be divided: 15 percent goes to the student union representing federal, 85 percent to the University of Representatives, FH representative or the University of Education representative.

Students at private universities have been an amendment to the Students ' and Students' Union Act of 2005, no longer members of the Austrian Students ' and Students' Union. An amendment of the Fachhochschule Studies Act in late 2007, however, are the students of the Fachhochschule study programs members of the Students' Union. Through the Students' Union accession, the FH students are also represented for the first time nationwide.

Students' Union elections

The representatives are chosen in two- year intervals since 1965, turnout fell from 70 % to currently 28.38 % ( 2011 election ). Critics accuse the student union before, therefore, to be not legitimate enough. On the other hand, it is worth reiterating that the turnout in student union elections by international standards remain high. The political work within the Students' Union is organized into factions that the political parties are close to the part:

• AG - Action Community ( Student Forum ), front organization of the ÖVP
• FLÖ - Independent lists of academic disciplines Austria, partisan
• FIXED - fraction of motivated students, non-partisan coalition of deputy interior and mandatary mainly of technical colleges
• GRAS - Green & Alternative students, front organization of the Greens
• JuLis - Young Liberals Austria, independent party, see themselves as representatives of liberalism in Austria
• KSV - Communist Students Association
• RFS - Ring Freiheitlicher students, front organization of the FPÖ
• VSStÖ - Association of Socialist Students of Austria, by statute anchored front organization of the SPÖ
• Unipiraten

Amendment to the Student Union law

On 10 December 2004, by a vote of ÖVP and FPÖ and in protest of the then student union national association of an unsolicited request for the amendment of the student union law (now of Students and Student Union law ) upheld. This amendment provides, inter alia, the abolition of the direct election of faculty organization and the Federal agency, as well as allocating funding in favor of the study and representation of the University of representation. The reason given was that with the autonomy to universities representations at university level zukämen more tasks and that a common interest of all students, as it was believed at the time of the founding of the Student Union, there was no longer as strong.

Critics feared the new selection mode a redistribution of seats in the next election in May 2005 in favor of community of action and lists of academic disciplines. The amendment was, among other reasons hotly debated. In fact, however, benefited from the new selection mode in the 2005 election the VSStÖ and FLÖ. See was not until the 2007 election critics that this redistribution actually takes place. Another criticism arises from the fact that not every vote counts equally for the federal agency, and that more than once enrolled can practically place multiple votes for the national association of students.

Students' Union elections since 2005

The results of the student union elections since 2005:

01) split in 2007 into two groups 02) By 2009, Liberal Students Forum (SPF ) 03) Arose originally in 2009 as a merger of FH mandatary, who were sent in 2009 for the first time in the student union federal representation. Meanwhile, as well as universities and PHs.

International Representation

The Students 'Union is a member of European Students' Union, and thus represents the Austrian students at European level. Since 2006, the Student Union is also a member of EURODOC - European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers of the European Association of doctoral students and young researchers.

International Students' Union is the member of the IUS - International Union of Students.