Against the background of the current reporting in SPIEGEL about the cooperation of ARGE NRW with the political groups in the state parliament and the subsequent public discussion, the chairmen of the administrative boards of the Studierendenwerke in North Rhine-Westphalia have issued a joint statement. This is as follows:
Study well and safely
As chairpersons of the administrative boards of the Studierendenwerke in NRW, we are committed to creating a social environment in which young people can study well and safely. The needs of students are at the centre of our work.
We are clearly committed to a welcoming culture for students from all backgrounds and with different lifestyles. We expressly support the internationalisation of universities. Learning together and from each other is an important basis for respectful and peaceful coexistence in our globalised world. The academic freedom of universities is a valuable asset in this regard and is protected by our constitution. Open discourse within universities is a prerequisite for being able to develop social responsibility and at the same time forms the basis for an open, diverse society.
We clearly oppose ideologies and political movements that disregard the fundamental values of freedom and democracy and weaken diverse and tolerant coexistence. They break with the foundations that make respectful discourse possible in the first place. We therefore reject any form of cooperation with political and social actors and parties that violate the principles of the rule of law and respect for the dignity of every human being, thereby preventing any viable cooperation within a democratic framework.
We call on the management of all student services organisations in NRW to support this position.
In addition to the management boards, the administrative boards are the second body of the Studierendenwerke in NRW. They are not represented by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Studierendenwerke NRW (ARGE), the association of the management boards.
For the chairs of the administrative boards of the Studierendenwerke NRW:
Dr Swantje Eibach-Danzeglocke, Aachen
Christian Osinga, Bielefeld
Ron Agethen, Bochum
Paul Ludwig, Bonn
Simon Waimann, Dortmund
Andreas Meske, Düsseldorf
Pascal Winter, Essen-Duisburg
Hannah Schulze Zurmussen, Cologne
Sebastian Schick, Münster
Simone Probst, Paderborn
Marius Wötzel, Siegen
Dietmar Bell, Wuppertal
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The positions formulated by the Chairmen of the Administrative Boards of the Studierendenwerke NRW are fully supported by me as Managing Director of the Studierendenwerk Paderborn.
Our actions are based on a common understanding of values that characterises our daily work: social, open and reliable. These values act as binding guidelines in all areas of activity at Paderborn Student Services. Responsibility, respect and diversity are central principles of action on the basis of which students are supported reliably and in line with their needs.
Ulrich Schmidt
Management Studierendenwerk Paderborn
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