Press Release

Students in the Corona Crisis
 

  • Corona affects students a lot

  • Support of the Federation and the State is completely insufficient

  • Students get active themselves and support the Seezeit Emergency Aid Funds

Constance, 23rd May 2020 – The financial consequences of the Corona Crisis are affecting students in Constance a lot. The majority of students occupy jobs in the areas that are most affected of the crisis like gastronomy, tourism and retail. Before permanent employees are sent into reduced working hours, substitute workers are dismissed from their jobs. Even students that are supported financially by their parents are affected because they can not pay running costs like rent, the elemental costs if living, learning materials and so on.

Accordingly, the financial funds of the social helping centre of the student works Seezeit are exhausted. Seezeit has established an emergency helping fund to further support students in hardships, though this fund is already reaching its limits.

Students are now relying on the help of the state and the federation. Though these istitutions have been acting more than disappointing: after a major examination, the state of Baden Wuerttemberg is offering loans up to 900 Euros, while the state offers loans up to 650 Euros. On the first glance, this sum seems like a lot of money, but the problem is that this financial offer is a loan and not an immediate help offer, like the federate student body conference has demanded. The question students now ask themselves is: how they are supposed to bay back a loan if they are depending on parents, BaföG and substitute jobs in the forthcoming years.

“How can it be that companies get paid single payments but not students? Students rely on support, too. Many students are already in debt and have no possibility to pay those loans back before finishing their studies.” - Mete Ünal, Referee of the Department of University Politics

Though we are welcoming the concession of state minister Bauer and federal minister Karliczek, the financial support through loans is simply not enough.

“We are receiving messages by students in need of help regularly. Some even have to consider dropping out of college without further financial support. For many, the current situation is precarious.” - Helen Schiff, Chairwoman of the student body.

Due to this reason, the student body of the University of Constance has gotten active itself. The Asta (the general student committee) has stocked up the emergency funds of Seezeit with a sum of 900 Euros. We are discussing to support this fund with further means.

On the one hand, the financial support for students is insufficient. On the other hand, the University itself has its sorrow due to its funding situation. Especially in the Corona Crisis, the university needs funds to further extend digital means. College Funding Agreements (HSFV II) have not been altered- even after protests and demonstrations in the summer semester of 2019 and also not during the growing demand for digital teaching due to the current pandemic. Old and overcrowded lecture halls, outdated laboratories, flooded libraries have been intolerable problems for students, teachers and employees for years.

“Out state government has shown early that education is not the first investment project of its choice.” - Daniel Färber, President of the Student Parliament

More financial funds for digitalization and further education are needed urgently now. Professors and students are completely overburdened with the adjustment of teaching during this current crisis. This is not due to the pandemic, but the result of the failures of the last years that are now felt clearly. Overcrowded Online-Presence Classes, improvised teaching and the lack of digital means are impeding the learning and teaching everywhere. Students and their universities are big losers of this crisis. Now it is the duty of politics to acknowledge this and act accordingly.