Studied and committed: "If students have a problem, it has to happen quickly for me."

Marie-Christin Haag is not only committed when it comes to her teaching degree, but also when it comes to standing up for students or helping to shape university politics. Campus reporter Anne Papenfuß and Marie-Christin got to know each other during the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course at the Landau campus. Anne quickly realized that Marie is incredibly hard-working and motivated, no matter what she does. She passionately explains why it is so important to her to be active, how her commitments came about and how she manages to juggle everything.

Marie started studying to become a primary school teacher in Landau in the winter semester of 2019/2020 and later switched to a secondary school teacher with English and social studies as her subjects. In her first four semesters, she enjoyed student life: "At the beginning of my studies, I wanted to get to know the university, make contacts and find my way around my degree program. I didn't miss out on any university parties in the first semester."From the fourth semester, in summer 2021, she began to get involved in the political science student council. The impetus came from a fellow student who was active in another student council. She spoke to her about the responsibilities and tasks of a student council and also learned that she didn't have to fulfill any special requirements to become active. The conversation was her springboard: "In fact, anyone can get involved in a student council whose subject they are enrolled in. I first knocked on the door of the political science student council and ended up directly in their WhatsApp group."She found the personal exchange with other students from her degree program particularly enriching during the digital corona pandemic: "That's when I realized how much fun it is to be a student council member."

Her second university involvement also came about through a fellow student who was active in the Jusos student associations: "She invited me to come and have a look, as I would definitely enjoy it. I did and became a member in summer 2021."In winter 2021, she joined the student representatives for English and Educational Studies and spent a semester on the Landau 'Campus Team', which organized events and parties for students, among other things. When she started studying the Human Rights Education certificate and the Human Rights Education student council was looking for members, she also got involved there. In 2023, she also completed the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training at the Landau site.

In addition to her voluntary commitments, Marie worked at the AStA in Landau from March 2022 to August 2024 for the Department of Studies & Student Representatives and as a student assistant at the university three times in total. From May 2023 to July 2024, she supported the cross-location project 'Dialog', led a tutorial for scientific work in political science in the winter semester 2023/24 and worked in the office of the central equal opportunities officer in Landau from March 2023 to July 2024. By mid-2024, Marie will therefore be active in a total of four student representatives and two student associations, as well as working at the AStA and as a student assistant at the university.

How do you manage all this if you don't want your studies and private life to fall by the wayside?

"Of course, my private life and my studies have to take a back seat to some extent, meetings with friends or hobbies are far fewer and I've had to give up some hobbies completely," Marie admits. At the same time, she emphasizes: "I enjoyed putting my free time into AStA work or student council and university group work, because my commitments were like a hobby for me for a long time. I was able to network and make friends. I started doing student council work during the pandemic so that I wouldn't be lonely like some of my fellow students at the time. Sometimes it's all a 'juggling act' and involves stress and less sleep, but above all a lot of interaction, lots of people, lots of laughter, fun and successes."

You can tell that Marie's everyday life is different from the cliché student life: "My calendar has been very full from Monday to Sunday for years. I don't have every weekend off like others, but I'm not tied to fixed working hours either." Her strategy: reading and answering emails at a certain time every day. "Everything else falls by the wayside." But when students knock on her (digital) door because they have a question or need support, Marie makes an exception: "If students have a problem, it has to go quickly for me." As she is part of the student body herself, she also benefits from solving problems, she says: "I like to stand up for the rights of students and see it as my responsibility to enable everyone else and myself to have a better life and better studies at university by helping to make everyday (university) life easier and making my contribution to small and large successes (at university)."

For her, this not only includes political work, but also helping to organize a wide range of leisure activities to bring students into contact with each other. "My motivation for everything I do, apart from networking, is the opportunity to contribute my own ideas and make a difference. I have a very social and committed streak that simply doesn't know the word 'no'." Although there are sometimes a few negative reactions from those around her, most of them are positive when she talks about all her commitments, she reveals. Some simply worry about her and want her to take care of herself, Marie says.

The need is great

In her current last semester, she wants to be less active in order to concentrate fully on her PES position at a school and the last remaining events. She has now resigned from the English Studies, Political Science and Education student representatives and has withdrawn from the AStA and MHFA. As of the current winter semester 2024/25, she is still active in the Jusos and the Human Rights Education student representatives. For some student councils, the need for members and participants is so great that she finds it very difficult to leave. "Fewer and fewer people are coming to events, meetings and ultimately to the student councils." According to Marie, one reason for this could be communication, as many students don't read their emails about student councils and their meetings and events. Another reason, she believes, could also be the rising cost of living, which forces students to work alongside their studies. "Many can no longer reconcile their social life or university events with their working life and studies, which is understandable as we all have to earn a living and finance our studies at the same time." But students with little time are also needed in the groups, she emphasizes: "Students who prefer to help others with the organization and don't like parties so much can offer timetable advice or answer emails, for example. Conversely, party people can organize pub crawls or parties - there is something for everyone to do," she advertises.

This is also made clear by the various departments and teams within the student associations or student groups. Whether it's social media, events or merch, the tasks are diverse. For Marie, one thing counts above all: "The most important thing is the people you can rely on in the team. That's why I always say that the more people power, the better for the individuals. That's what makes a team strong."

Unfortunately, Marie regrets that many students don't know how important student associations and student groups are for university politics. "Students may not even be aware of it, but it's super important to get involved in university politics. Those who sit on the committees can have a significant say in examination regulations or study regulations and if only one or two students sit there, they decide for the entire student body. Depending on what they decide, this can also have negative consequences."

But where is the best place to start?

According to Marie, student representatives are the springboard for students who want to get involved: "Just go to student council events, listen to what they have to say, get to know the people and see what they do." In Landau and Kaiserslautern, there are many student associations in addition to the student councils, covering topics such as the environment and sustainability, art and culture or politics, as well as international groups. "You can also found a student association yourself and bring your idea or hobby to the university," she says. "Through contact, you always get to know other committees or groups, find out about them, work with them and get the desire to do even more, at least that's how it was for me."

Good reasons to get active

Marie sees many advantages to getting involved: "Regardless of the fact that you might get a longer BAföG grant or a student council certificate for application documents, it brings you a lot of new contacts." She's not just talking about contact with peers, but above all with older students and lecturers, which has helped Marie a lot in planning her own studies. But personal development is also an issue for her: "I think it also helps you personally, and you develop many skills such as organizational skills, creativity, communication skills and the ability to work in a team. These are skills that you will also need later in your career."

__________

Student representatives are elected by students and act as a point of contact for questions about their own subject or the organization of studies. They also act as mediators between students and lecturers and organize various events for students. You can find an overview of the student representatives at RPTU here.

The large number of student associations and initiatives offers students the opportunity to get involved in everything from politics to sports. Here you can find an overview of the student associations at RPTU as well as the application for recognition of a student association.