Energy saving measures: Presidium addresses the students of the University of Erfurt in a circular letter

Dear students,

today we would like to report on the events surrounding last Thursday's protest action in the Erfurt University Library and on the progress of communication in this regard.

As you may know, students of the University of Erfurt and other unknown third parties temporarily "occupied" the university library at the end of opening hours last Thursday evening and declared their comprehensive protest. On banners they demanded, among other things, "War on the Presidiums!", a highly difficult choice of words in these times.

At the forefront of the action were the shortened library opening hours until the end of the year, decided for energy-saving reasons, as well as the long-announced online operation from 19 to 23 December and 9 to 13 January. The group, which has so far remained anonymous, demanded a comprehensive understanding with the university management on these points, in addition to corresponding changes. The next day, the employee of the administration responsible for the on-call service was able to hand over a demand paper of this group to the Presidium, which, however, goes unfulfilled far and unsorted beyond the above-mentioned demand points.

All in all, the university management's priority is to avoid further aggravation if possible, despite all provocation. At the moment, the university is therefore examining in detail to what extent it can accommodate the repeatedly voiced demands of students for the university library to be open at weekends – albeit without using energy-saving options. A result will be available by Wednesday at the latest, which will first be announced to the Student Council as the legitimate representative of all students and then immediately to the university public. The Student Council is our first and official contact. We will only decide on further discussion options after these initial steps have been taken.

However, the complete catalogue of demands of the evening group, which is not known by name, cannot and will not be the subject of a purposeful examination. Neither can the university decide on global reduced expenditures, nor can it make determinations in collective bargaining law or influence the cost structure of the Student Services Organisation. And under no circumstances will it question the almost completed research building. This should and will be home to outstanding research at the University of Erfurt and will link the Max-Weber-Kolleg, which was not housed on campus for many years, with the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour and other research groups in one building. The state, the Science Council, the committees of the university and above all the academics themselves have been pushing this structural measure for years. In the meantime, construction measures of this kind are associated with cost increases everywhere, and by no means only at the University of Erfurt.

The fact that the list of demands ultimately ends with threatening gestures cannot be a sensible way forward. The University of Erfurt is faced with enormous challenges, which in any case tie up all our strength and resources. In this respect, it must be our common target to return to proportionality of concerns and means. The Presidium is prepared to do this within the scope of its possibilities. How quickly the spiral of escalation can turn otherwise is already underlined by the fact that on the day following the occupation of the university library, a physical threat was made in the presidential area. Do the "occupiers" really want to achieve this and take responsibility for it?

On our website www.uni-erfurt.de/en/university/current/news/energy-crisis-information you will find more detailed information on our energy-saving measures – the page is updated continuously. Please make use of this offer to stay informed.

Yours sincerely,
The Presidium of the University of Erfurt