Nora Pohle in the Senate:
“I really enjoy university politics”
A few weeks ago, Nora Pohle submitted her first Bachelor’s thesis in Electrical Engineering. At the same time, she is in her 5th semester at the LMU, where she studies Philosophy and Psychology as a minor subject. When Nora Pohle started with Philosophy, it was more for the fun of it. “…but then I realized I had invested so much time that I wanted to make something of it,“ she says. Thus, she will also obtain a Bachelor’s degree at the LMU soon.
Semester ticket and the housing situation for students in Munich
From the beginning of her studies, Nora Pohle was also involved in university politics. First, she was a member of the student council, then the Fachschaftenrat and the student council. In 2014, she was as a candidate of LitFaS, the student associations’ list, and was elected to the Senate.
Her two main university-related topics are the semester ticket and the housing situation for students in Munich. The students frequently meet up with representatives of the transport providers or the providers of the student dormitories. Nora Pohle has also spoken to Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter several times, and she learned that a convincing appearance and self-confidence are necessary to be taken seriously.
A 60-hour week
In the elections of June 2015, Pohle was confirmed in office. The meetings of the Senate take place six times a year – and, to be prepared, she and her colleague Philipp Rinner always have to work through folders with statutes and examination regulations. For Pohle, this quickly adds up to a 60-hour week, alongside her studies.
How does she manage to cope with it all? “I really enjoy university politics,” she says enthusiastically. Still, she obviously has to make concessions, and it’s often her studies that have to stand back when there are important conferences or committee meetings.
For Pohle, recognition is not so important, but she would appreciate if she could be sure that the students will really benefit from her work. In her opinion, there should be more feedback from the students.
Nevertheless, she sees a lot of benefits from her commitment: “I am more aware of the general conditions of a course of studies,” Pohle thinks. She would be happy if her fellow students were more aware of their rights for example that it is allowed to make a copy of an exam paper in a post-exam review.
Third Bachelor’s course this winter semester
The new senate year started in October. Nora Pohle already knows that she will want to continue her commitment at the university after that. She will probably still be studying for a while, as she started her third Bachelor’s course this winter semester: Mathematics at TUM. She just wants to see whether it suits her. “…I’ll just wait and see what come of it,” she says.
(Sabrina Czechofsky)
More information:
TUM Senate
Contact: senat@fs.tum.de