The 22-year-old Florian Pipping is studying to become a teacher of Biology, English, and Drama. Prior to his election, he had already served for two semesters in the Student Parliament, where he represented, among other groups, the student emergency medical service and headed the portfolio for Social Affairs, Diversity, and Health. He has now assumed leadership of the university’s highest student representative body for the first time.
Pipping is looking forward to his new role with great enthusiasm. What particularly appeals to him is the opportunity to chair parliamentary sessions and actively contribute to the further development of campus life. He sees the Student Parliament as a forum for ideas, where student concerns are discussed and then represented to the university leadership.
One of the new chair’s main priorities is to encourage greater student engagement. During his first public appearances, including the matriculation ceremony for first-year students on 12 October, he plans to encourage students to get involved. “Campus life thrives on student engagement,” he emphasizes.
His deputy, Sebastian Lewalter, who studies Philosophy & Economics, shares this goal. Having already gained experience in the Student Parliament during the previous legislative term, he now intends to focus particularly on supporting the body's organizational work and ensuring that its parliamentary procedures run smoothly.
A shared objective of the new leadership team is to increase the visibility of the Student Parliament and encourage more students to participate in university elections. “We definitely want to increase voter turnout,” says Pipping. Alongside a stronger presence at campus events, he and Lewalter see digital channels as a key means of reaching students more effectively.
At the same time, Pipping brings a perspective that is not common within the Student Parliament: unlike many of his predecessors, he is not a student of the Faculty of Law and Economics.
Although the work of the Student Parliament is shaped by established procedures, regulations, and formal rules, he wants to help make political processes more understandable and accessible. After all, most students are not legal experts either.
The new executive team therefore faces a busy few months ahead. In addition to their responsibilities within the Student Parliament, both students are also preparing for examinations and working on their bachelor's theses. Their shared goal remains clear: greater participation, increased visibility, and a vibrant culture of student engagement at the University of Bayreuth.
