This statement was written by a network of gender researchers in the wake of the current attacks on academic freedom and gender studies and was first published by the Gender Studies Association. Translated by AStA Uni Göttingen. Freedom of science is protected from political interference by Article 5, paragraph 3 of the German Basic Law (GG) and is guaranteed as a human right worldwide. It is an indispensable component of democratic states and their political order. Against the backdrop of German history, this freedom must be honoured, defended and constantly realized anew as the inviolable foundation of our democracy. Any interference in academic structures and the freedom of research not only damages academic institutions and their international reputation; it also causes considerable damage to democracy as a whole. The freedom of science is inextricably linked to the freedom of society, because without it there is neither innovation nor progress – both of which are based on ...

This open letter was written by the AStA of Mainz University and signed by the student bodies listed below. This is a translation of the German original prepared by the AStA of the University of Göttingen. To Olaf Scholz, Friedrich Merz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Heidi Reichinnek, Jan van Aken, Alexander Dobrindt and Sahra Wagenknecht. In recent years, our society has been shaken by numerous crises that have hit the weakest particularly hard. For a long time, we students have tried to adapt, we have tightened our belts, we have shown solidarity with our fellow human beings. However, the dramatic deterioration in our quality of life has now reached a level that we can no longer accept: Our BAföG and mini-job wages have been eaten up by inflation, our rents are going through the roof and global crises are darkening our future. Price rises, interest rates on loans and exploding rents are making us poor – stress, loneliness and housing shortages are making us ill. In elitis...

We very much welcome the fact that the committees have been able to agree on Professor Schölmerich and have jointly announced this decision in a newsletter to all members of the university. This is the first step towards a more open style of communication between the university’s status groups. We look forward to constructive cooperation. AStA University of Göttingen

The price of the Deutschlandticket will be increased to €58 per month from January 1, 2025. This has now been agreed by the transport ministers of the federal states. The decision-makers are celebrating the agreement as a great success. The AStA would like to clearly contradict this impression below. The introduction of the €9 ticket for June to August 2022 meant affordable and sustainable mobility. The project gained a lot of recognition, not least internationally. It quickly became clear that public transport could be a real alternative for many people in this way. The service also revealed a great deal of pragmatism thanks to its nationwide coverage. It can therefore be said that the project was a complete success, above all due to the tangible improvements in the lives of millions of people. For low-income people in particular, it was a symbol of the autonomy they gained and the way they were perceived in politics. The effects of the offer should not be underestimated, especial...