Miscellaneous
DSW: Studierendenwerke demand stronger support
Strengthen student unions, support students, realize equal opportunities
- Student unions call for greater financial support from the federal states
- Mitigate the consequences of inflation and price increases for students
- More equal opportunities on campus
Berlin, 5 December 2024: The 57 student unions organized in Deutsches Studierendenwerk (DSW) are calling on the federal states to increase their financial support in order to cushion the impact of inflation and price increases on students and enable more equal opportunities on campus.
At their general meeting under the umbrella of Deutsches Studierendenwerk (DSW) on 4 December 2024 in Berlin, the about 120 delegates from the student unions pointed out that state subsidies from the federal states only make up a small part of their income. For the most part, they are financed by sales revenues from their dining halls and cafeterias as well as rental income in the halls of residence and the social or student union contributions of the students.
The lower the already low level of state support from the federal states, the more the student unions are forced to finance their services through higher prices for dining hall meals and dormitory rents as well as higher student union fees. Both are at the expense of students, whose financial and economic situation is already strained.
In this case, the student unions see the political goal of equal opportunities thwarted and their basic statutory duty to provide services, which consists of supporting all students economically and socially, threatened. In order to fulfill this task, they must be adequately funded by the state.