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We offer you a modern opportunity to help shape politics; pragmatic, fact-based and Europe-wide. It is important to us to act together instead of against each other.

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The Volt Kiel university group is committed to:

HSG Volt election programme 

European networking 

Europe and the European Union guarantee peace, prosperity and freedom of movement. As students, we benefit from the many achievements that the EU brings with it. And the university should also be a place that breathes European networking and integration. This is why we are in favour of initiatives such as the European university alliance "European University of the Seas (SEA-EU)", of which Kiel University is an important part. We need this exchange of knowledge, cultures and experiences at European level and want to promote even stronger dialogue with other European universities. We need to network even more and organise exchanges and form alliances with even more universities beyond this alliance. Students must play a decisive role in this exchange. Exchanges at a European level serve personal development and the development of broad, academic expertise, which is becoming increasingly important in a globalised world. In order to make this experience accessible to more students, we are calling for an expansion of the EU Erasmus+ programme to provide financial and organisational support for academic mobility. We are in favour of enabling as many students as possible to spend time abroad. At the same time, we need more standardised application procedures to make the Erasmus programme as easily accessible as possible. We also want to bring even more Europe to Kiel. This starts with inviting even more European lecturers to Kiel University and offering more courses with a European focus. These should not be limited to European policy courses, but should cover all facets of European integration, be it culture, economics or languages. At the same time, the range of foreign language courses should be expanded. The aim here is also to offer more degrees that do not require students to attend German-language courses. We want not only the student body and university community to benefit from this place of European exchange, but Kiel as a whole. The University as a place where people come together to discuss Europe, to benefit from Europe and to live European networking - that is our vision. We want to achieve this by setting up a European Department. This will enable us to hold permanent events on shaping Europe, organise lecture series, exhibitions and cultural events, support transnational projects in a variety of ways and encourage cooperation with the Department for Foreign Students to improve mutual integration. All accessible to everyone - regardless of age and relationship to our university. In order to provide us students in particular with easy access to European exchange, we are also endeavouring to cooperate with student bodies from universities in other European countries in order to design projects in which students from these universities can participate. Networking European student bodies will have the effect that student representatives will get to know and compare different higher education systems and jointly develop a vision for the universities of the future. In order to promote the development of a networked student body, we also want to use our own European Department for this purpose. 

Sustainability 

Climate change is one of the biggest problems of our time. That is why the transition to greater sustainability must be driven forward much faster and more courageously than before. Universities and educational institutions in particular must set a good example. We are committed to ensuring that universities and student bodies use local and recyclable products in order to avoid long transport routes and create no additional CO2 pollution. Furthermore, cooperation with institutions and sustainable companies should be promoted. At the same time, we want to enter into dialogue with the student unions in order to raise awareness of regional and seasonal food in the canteens. We also want to end the use of disposable materials for cups, plates and cutlery at universities and reduce plastic consumption. Only reusable materials should be used for events on the university campus. We would also like to reduce paper consumption by demanding predominantly digital submission options for written work. 

Transport 

Many of us students rely on public transport - whether at university, on the way home or when travelling. We are committed to making local and long-distance transport more affordable for students and are working towards the introduction of a European Youth Card, which would allow students to travel at reduced prices throughout Europe. On the way to affordable mobility for students, we welcome the discounted Deutschlandticket for all students and would like to have a say in ensuring that it does not become more expensive in order to guarantee a socially acceptable price. We also want to enable good and sustainable mobility in the city and its surroundings. That's why we promote cycling and are committed to comprehensive cycle paths, more bicycle parking spaces close to buildings and roofs for bicycle stands. We want students to be able to cycle to university in all weathers and to be able to park their bikes safely. This is the only way to make the switch to cycling and thus actively practising climate protection attractive. We are also in favour of discounted access to the sprat fleet and needs-based locations. We also support the current plans for a light rail system for Kiel, which will make our university faster and easier to reach. The congested section between the railway station and the university can thus be made more efficient, making it more attractive again to travel to the university by public transport. Until then, we are calling for more buses from the city to the university and between the two campus sections, especially during peak times. 

Student financing 

As the Volt university group, we are committed to a fair, equal-opportunity and freely accessible higher education system. Studying should not depend on the social or f inancial background of students. We firmly reject discrimination - for example through different or high tuition costs. We call for a comprehensive state funding system that enables students to finance their studies independently of their parents' financial means. The level of this system must at least be based on the poverty line in order to enable students without their own income to lead a decent life. At the same time, bureaucratic hurdles to accessing student funding must be removed. Applying for benefits such as BAföG should be low-threshold and digitally accessible. The current BAföG rates are no longer up to date and do not cover the real living situation of many students. The flat-rate housing allowance of €380 included in the grant is not sufficient, especially in cities with a tight housing market. The current BAföG also does not cover the general inflation of recent years. We are therefore calling for a significant increase in the subsidy rates, a regular adjustment to inflation and a fair structure for the f lat-rate housing allowance. In addition, the processing times for BAföG applications must be significantly shortened. We are committed to digital, transparent and speedy processing as well as counselling and support services to help students complete their applications and compile their documents. Instead of placing an additional burden on students, existing costs must be reduced. We therefore reject the planned flat-rate administrative fee of €60 per semester that the state of Schleswig-Holstein wants to introduce. This lump sum represents an unsocial additional burden and must not be used to cover budget shortfalls. In the student parliament, we will campaign resolutely against this and exert political pressure on the state to prevent this measure. Cultural education is a central component of academic development. We therefore advocate free access for students across Europe to public cultural offerings such as museums, monuments, concerts, art exhibitions, music courses, theatres and cinemas. 

Living 

Housing must be affordable. As students are generally on low incomes, the promotion of housing construction by student organisations as well as municipal initiatives for social housing at university locations must be further and more strongly promoted. Subsidies for building construction should increase the attractiveness of planning and implementing student shared flats in privately owned buildings, as shared flats are environmentally friendly and resource-efficient and should be offered at favourable rents in both the public and private sectors. Discrimination in the search for accommodation based on origin, skin colour or income must also be combated. 

Personal well-being 

Everyday student life is characterised by many factors such as expectations and time pressure, financial scarcity and personal development, which can lead to psychological stress. This is precisely why it is important to create a sufficient and diverse range of support services that are tailored to the different needs of individual cases in order to help those affected on a personalised basis. We are therefore committed to making existing services more accessible and expanding them in an emergency. We are committed to improving the working conditions of student assistants and therefore also support the promotion of collectively negotiated agreements. In addition, submission deadlines must be more orientated towards the realities of students' lives, which is why we are calling for more flexible cancellation options for examinations. 

Digitisation 

Digitalisation at universities is an important factor for good teaching and future-proof graduates. Universities must set a good example in this area in order to support and encourage students and teachers with digital opportunities. To this end, the targeted use of e-learning methods such as e-lectures, web-based training and audience response systems in regular lectures should be (maintained and?) promoted. It is also important to use the same platform for these methods locally and uniformly across Europe for all degree programmes at all universities. This makes it possible for students to change universities and degree programmes without any problems. In addition to the methods used, tried and tested concepts for hybrid lectures and learning groups are to be expanded to enable students who are ill or absent for other reasons to participate. It is also possible for all students to revisit the content covered in order to deepen their knowledge. To make implementation as easy as possible for lecturers, we need easy-to-use and standardised technology in all lecture halls and seminar rooms. All materials required for the lecture, such as books, should be available digitally. This reduces the financial burden on students and allows them more flexible access to the materials. For all digital offerings, we are calling for more training opportunities and better visibility through more advertising and easier navigation on websites. In order to implement digitalisation in practice, we demand that all students have stable access to WiFi. This currently requires a further expansion of the Wi-Fi network. This would prevent the overloads that occur at peak times. To ensure that low-income students can also participate fully in teaching in digital times, they must be helped to obtain a digital device. This can be done, for example, through loan devices or financial support. As university groups, we will actively campaign for digitalisation at Kiel University beyond the points requested above. 

Participation 

Participation is a skill that needs to be learnt and tested. In order to promote the social engagement of students, we would like to enable the integration of practical experience with communicative and technical means of participation in the curricula. The communication of many university administrations during the coronavirus pandemic has shown that the students' perspective was not sufficiently taken into account when making decisions. We therefore call for lessons to be learnt from the crisis and for the perspective of students in precarious situations and work situations to be included more in the decision-making process in future. In order to make co-determination a tangible part of everyday life at universities, we are calling for the preservation and expansion of student spaces. Students need physical spaces for exchange, self-organisation and cultural life as well as structural freedom to shape their own projects, initiatives and political participation in a self-determined way. These spaces not only strengthen student engagement, but also a vibrant democratic university culture. 

Culture 

Culture is a foundation of European identity and diversity - also at our universities. We are committed to strengthening student cultural activities as an active part of democratic and social participation. Cultural initiatives create spaces in which students from different backgrounds, fields of study and perspectives come together - creatively, critically and collaboratively. Volt calls for the targeted expansion and fair funding of student cultural initiatives. We want to create low-threshold access to funding, digital tools and public spaces - for everyone who wants to help shape culture on campus. Funding structures should be transparent, inclusive and digitally accessible. Culture should not depend on your wallet or bureaucratic hurdles. We are committed to a European, diverse and progressive university culture. This includes promoting intercultural exchange, supporting cooperation with international partners and actively facilitating new formats - from digital exhibitions to multilingual reading stages. Our culture thrives on diversity - and we want it to be visible everywhere. 

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