Statement on the Student Assembly on 26th November 2019

WHO WE ARE

We are the Students+ for Future Jena, and we want to create the student assembly on sustainability and climate protection at the university!

SUPPORT

For the evaluation of the plenary assembly we invite all people on 04.12.2019 at 2 pm to the Frei(t)raum in Carl-Zeiß-Straße 3. If someone can't participate, we are also looking forward to your feedback by email to Students4Vollversammlung@mail.de .
If you want to get directly involved in the implementation of the demands, please come to our next Students+4Future meeting in January. Write us an email at publicclimateschool-jena@posteo.de.

THE STATEMENT

On Tuesday evening, the Public Climate School hosted a student meeting on more climate justice at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU).

We, the organisation team of the event, wanted to enter into dialogue with the students on this evening about possible demands for a more sustainable university operation. Almost 1200 students followed our call to discuss this topic and to make their voice heard. In our opinion, the participation exceeding all expectations reflects the strong relevance of climate change for the students.

In view of the challenges that such a grassroots democratic format poses to the StuRa's current statutes, it was unfortunately not possible to meet the criteria of a formal plenary assembly. Nevertheless, we have made every effort to ensure democratic decision-making, which has led to some delays in the process. We apologise to all participants for the delays and ambiguities.

Despite all the hurdles, over 900 participants have shown us by voting that they are overwhelmingly behind the demands for more climate protection at the FSU. Half of them actively participated in the meeting for the full 4.5 hours and contributed to the discourse. You can see the exact count as well as the final demands under this article. We hope that the Student Council will decide on these demands in the spirit of the student body at its next meeting on 3rd December 2019 and forward them to the university management.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all helpers, for the commitment of the Multimediazentrum and for the support of the StuRa. Without them the event would not have been possible!

The demands

1. Solidarity with Fridays for Future

We, the students of the Friedrich Schiller University (FSU) Jena, show solidarity with the current climate movements, especially the Fridays for Future movement. This movement demands compliance with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the 1.5°C target. We call on the FSU Jena and all its affiliated institutions to publicly express their solidarity with the demands of the Fridays for Future Movement.

2. Recognition of the climate crisis

We call on the FSU Jena, to prioritize the fight against the climate and ecology crisis in all decisions regarding the FSU, following the decision of the city council on the climate emergency. This should take into account local, global and intergenerational aspects of justice.

3. Sustainable mission statement and profile lines of the university

We call on the FSU Jena to anchor sustainability as a central component in its overarching mission statement. To this end, we welcome the appeal of the German Rectors' Conference of 2018 to establish a "culture of sustainability" at German universities and call for consistent implementation.

3.1 Sustainability in education and research

In line with its educational mission, the university should focus its teaching and research on the urgency of the climate crisis. In order to ensure the fundamental orientation of all university research and teaching activities in terms of sustainability, the existing profile lines of the FSU "Light, Life, Liberty" are to be supplemented by the addition of sustainability as regards content. The freedom of teaching and research must not be restricted under any circumstances.

3.2 Communication of the topic

In the external communication of the university the topics climate crisis and sustainable transformation are to be placed more prominently. In the internal exchange with teachers and researchers, the university should encourage the emphasis on questions and problems associated with sustainability.

3.3 Interdisciplinarity

The university is to expand sustainable development as a cross-faculty profile field in teaching and research and further promote existing research and teaching on sustainability issues. We demand more teaching and research on alternative forms of society that are not based on unlimited economic growth.

3.4 Incentives

Within the framework of an educational offer, the university should actively encourage the discussion of ecological-sustainable topics. This could be achieved by a certificate on sustainability, which can be obtained free of charge for students and non-students.

4. Emission-neutral operation of the university and the student union

We call upon both the FSU Jena and the Studierendenwerk Thüringen to prepare and disclose a comprehensive energy balance by 31st December 2020 at the latest.

On the basis of these reports, we call on the university and the Studierendenwerk not to reduce CO2 emissions and energy requirements in the individual areas (mobility, building management, cafeteria facilities) to a minimum by 2030, as previously planned, but to do so by 31st December 2025. For unavoidable emissions, we demand an internal university concept for compensation measures. Compensation payments are to be used to finance sustainable projects within the FSU Jena.

4.1 Mobility

With regard to the mobility of all status groups of the university, incentives should be created to choose a more climate-friendly form of transport. We demand more and protected bicycle racks, a bicycle and load bike rental system, a free and sufficiently large bicycle self-help workshop, higher subsidized public transport tickets for employees, a public positioning for free public transport as well as for a car-free inner city.

In this context, the FSU should reduce business trips to a minimum. Short-haul flights (less than 1000 km and two hours flight time) are not to be financed. In return, the necessary infrastructure for audio and video conferences is to be expanded. New purchases for the university's vehicle fleet are to have engines that do not use fossil fuel carriers.

4.2 Building management

Ecological and climate-neutral standards are to be applied in all necessary building projects of the FSU Jena. This includes above all the energy-efficient insulation of university buildings. In addition, appropriate expansion measures are to be taken on the basis of a potential analysis with regard to renewable energies on the areas of the university. In addition, the FSU Jena must revise the heating system in terms of sustainable building management.

4.3 Use of equity and debt capital

In order to create incentives within the university for ecologically sustainable research, funds within the university should be redistributed in favour of ecologically sustainable research (e.g. 50% of the "overhead" paid to date could be repaid for corresponding projects). In addition, we call on the FSU to provide transparent information on its capital investments within the framework of the energy balance to be prepared. Possible investments in climate-damaging funds are to be terminated.

4.4 Mensa offer

The Studierendenwerk Thüringen aims to make the emissions imprint of the respective meals offered in the refectories transparent for students.
In order to further reduce the waste of food in the dining halls, unsold lunches will be offered at reduced prices in the evening.
In addition, possible cooperations with initiatives such as food sharing are to be sought for this purpose.
The use of plastic-free packaging forms is to be supported and expanded in all FSU facilities.
Instead of socially harmful and environmentally damaging branded products, sustainable suppliers are to be supported in the future.
The main meal menu in every canteen and cafeteria should consist of over 50% vegetarian or vegan dishes. These should be cheaper than the non-vegetarian alternatives and should be available in sufficient quantities in the canteens, especially during the busy times.
In order to achieve these goals, we call upon the board of directors of FSU Jena to support the efforts already initiated in these areas by the student union. In addition, we call on the FSU Jena Board of Directors to promote the subsidization of regional, meat-free products in order to make meat-free and thus low-emission catering more attractive for the student body.

5 Implementation and verifiability of the requirements

We call for the creation of full-time positions responsible for the disclosure of sustainability-relevant data and the cross-faculty implementation of our requirements. Of course, they should also encourage and implement further measures to make the university more climate-friendly.
With this demand, we expressly support the already existing application of the Environmental Department of the Student Council for the establishment of a Green Office. We call on the university management to prepare and publish an annual report on the progress made in implementing the requirements listed.

6. further information
6.1 Cooperation
The FSU is to cooperate in particular with sister universities and state politics in order to promote the demands outside the university as well.

6.2 Exemplary function
The FSU Jena should be a pioneer of the socio-ecological transformation of our society and discuss alternatives to the current growth-oriented and climate-damaging economic order.

6.3 Negotiations
We call on the university management to respond to the demands made by mid-January at the latest and to negotiate them with the students.

6.4 Use of resources by students
We recommend the StuRa of the FSU Jena to ask the students of the FSU Jena to do the following: All students should support the FSU Jena in the implementation of the demands by using the resources of the FSU Jena sparingly. Here, for example, the closing of windows when leaving rooms in winter is addressed or the disposal of waste in containers provided for this purpose.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)


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