Constantin Heffner, chairman of the Student Council:
Not “tilting at windmills”
Constantin, you’re the TUM’s new “Fachschaftenratsvorsitzender“ – a real tongue twister. What is the position about?
Heffner: There are 20 different departmental student bodies at TUM, in which up to 100 students are organized. Together, they form the “Fachschaftenrat” and elect a chairperson. At the same time, I am chairman of the AStA (Allgemeiner Studentischer Ausschuss) which serves as the student’s executive, and in which many organizers and university-political activists are united. I was not elected by the AStA, so this is a special challenge. A major part of my job is about bringing the different interests together.
One of the chairman’s most important area of responsibility is the study regulations. Isn’t that a bit boring?
We students have a lot of influence at TUM. The university administration gives us more say than would be required, which is great. Vice President Prof. Müller (Prof. Gerhard Müller, Vice President for Teaching Academic Affairs) is really open to our suggestions. This is fun, because we can really get things moving. Working on study regulations may sound like a very dry matter, but it is exciting and important, because every student is directly affected. Our motto is to always keep in mind whether what is being planned in theory can actually be studied.
The students are also strongly involved in the “Häuser der Studierenden” (Student Houses) [1]that are currently being established.
In general, what I notice at TUM is that our involvement is more than welcome. We are not tilting at windmills – and that is also true for the three houses: In Garching, there will be a new building to the north of the Mechanical Engineering site, the WZW’s historical experimental distillery is being renovated, and there will be a new house at Main Campus, on Gabelsbergerstraße. The houses will mainly contain learning spaces and group rooms, in Garching also a music room. We, the students, are deeply involved in the current concept phase: What we need, what the rooms should be equipped with, and so on.
À propos “rooms in Munich” – the most pressing problem for students is still the housing shortage.
It is a mammoth project to try and provide affordable housing for students. There have to be talks on many different levels. Due to the fact that there are so many refugees arriving at the moment, available spaces are urgently needed for other purposes. Naturally, the students have to move downwards on the priority list.
An important topic in your term of office: Soon, it will be decided how to continue with the semester ticket.
We are currently waiting for a new offer of the MVV. The transport companies have initiated a market research study, the results of which are expected in February. There were – and still are – telephone interviews with students in three waves. Among other things, the questions are about where you live and where you study, about using the semester ticket and public transport or other means of transport, such as car or bike.
What happens when the study is completed?
Unfortunately, we cannot foresee what impact the market research study will have on the semester ticket. The MVV is expected to present a new offer in early March. Then, we will have to consider how to deal with it, whether a new ballot is needed.
In principle, it would be preferable to stick to the current terms.
Absolutely. So far, the semester ticket is a real success: The buyer ratio is approximately 70%, meaning that more than two thirds of the students of TUM, the LMU and the HM bought an IsarCard Semester. Our goal is to continue it in the long run, under affordable conditions.
Apart from your involvement in university politics, you are a student of Environmental Engineering. Where do you see yourself in a few years?
What I want to do later on? It would be interesting to work as an engineer, because I like practical solutions. But political work is a lot of fun as well. Perhaps, there will be an overlap for me in the future. Anyway, I hope I’ll be able to focus on an interdisciplinary topic for my Master’s studies. There are a lot of possibilities at TUM – at the MCTS (Munich Center for Technology in Society) for example.
(Interview: Verena Meinecke)
Constantin Heffner (22) is in his 5th semester of Environmental Engineering (Bachelor). He is from Ismaning and went to school in Garching. As a student, he organized the festival “OpenAir am Garchinger See”. Before he started his studies at TUM, Constantin, who has relatives in Argentina, traveled South America for half a year. At TUM, he first became involved in the student council of the BUV and was the main organizer of the “Brückenfestival”. He joined the Student Council one and a half years ago. Contact: heffner@fs.tum.de