StuPa, AStA, FsRK, Student Council, Senate
There are two major bodies within the Faculty of Physics: The Faculty Council (FAR) and the Student Council (FSR).
Faculty council
The Faculty Council (FAR) is the highest body within a faculty. In addition to professors, it also includes representatives of students and academic and technical staff. However, the professors are in the majority. This is where personnel issues and the use of the faculty’s budget and material resources are decided. The FAR is also responsible for the basic structure of research and teaching. In addition to electing the Dean, its tasks include, for example, adopting study and examination regulations. Committees can be set up to work on individual topics.
Student Representative Council
The Student representative council (FSR), on the other hand, consists exclusively of students. It represents your interests and is therefore your first point of contact (see article on student council work). The FSR sends representatives to the so-called Fachschaftsrätekonferenz (FsRK). This body serves to exchange and discuss interdisciplinary topics. As the highest representative body of the student councils, it is also responsible for the distribution of self-management funds (SBM). The ZaPF (Zusammenkunft aller Physik-Fachschaften), which takes place every six months as a conference of all German-speaking physics student councils (including those from Austria and Switzerland), and the jDPG (junge Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft) are inter-university student councils.
General Students’ Committee
The General Students’ Committee (AStA) is something like the executive body that implements the StuPa resolutions. It represents the entire student body vis-à-vis the Rectorate, Chancellor, administration, etc. So-called departments have been set up for the various tasks ranging from finance to education, culture, politics and social affairs, to which a large part of the budget is allocated (in addition to campaigns such as the newspaper and demos). The AStA also offers many services and help (see AStA office in the EF50) and supervises the elections of the student councils.
Senate
The Senate – elected in the summer semester – is something like the university’s parliament. Although it is not authorised to decide on the distribution of funds or administration, it is responsible for teaching and research matters that affect the entire university. Framework regulations such as examination regulations and admission numbers (N.C.) are decided here. In addition to powers relating to central facilities (library, language centre…), the Senate controls the Rectorate. This is headed by Prof Dr Manfred Bayer and is the highest management of the university. It has the say over everything that has not been explicitly delegated to committees, such as the distribution of funds or issues relating to staff development and construction.
Rectorate
The Rectorate is elected by the University Council, which consists of eight explicitly non-university members from the fields of science, culture and business appointed by the Ministry in Düsseldorf.