These are the new Stupa chairpersons

Dominik Lieder and Luca Schleicher are the two new chairpersons of the student parliament (Stupa). A total of 34 members are represented in the Stupa. Two representatives from each of the student councils and 20 other elected representatives from the political university groups and lists. The detailed results can be viewed here.

List 5, ‘Interfaculty Student Engagement,’ has the most representatives. Dominik Lieder was also on this list. He was elected to the Stupa for the first time and has now become its chairperson. ‘The chairperson is not automatically the person who receives the most votes in the university election, but the person who is elected by the elected Stupa members in the constituent meeting,’ he explains. Dominik Lieder is in his fifth semester of a bachelor's degree in physics and wants to stay in Bayreuth after graduating. ‘At least for my master's degree, maybe even for my doctorate,’ he says.

He hadn't planned on becoming chair of the Stupa: ‘I had considered it, but I hadn't worked towards it from the outset,’ he says. ‘But I think it suits me well. The chair has many organisational tasks and, for example, has to chair meetings and take care of administration. I enjoy that. I'm also looking forward to networking beyond the faculty boundaries.’ As chair, he sees himself primarily as a supporter of the other members' plans. These include, for example, expanding the covered bicycle racks on campus. ‘I think university politics and party politics should be kept separate. We in the Stupa are responsible for university political matters.’

Luca Schleicher joined the Stupa as a member of a political group, the RCDS. The 19-year-old is studying law and is in his third semester. ‘As deputy chair, I will probably be responsible mainly for organisational and administrative tasks,’ he says. "But in my role as a representative, I also want to champion the issues we campaigned on during the university elections. These include the installation of water dispensers in various buildings, making the university more attractive to international students, and paving the footpaths between the cafeteria and RWII.

The new semester kicks off with a major event for the Stupa. The cafeteria evening is the first item on the agenda for the new representatives. It will take place after the enrolment session on 13 October.