Hi everyone and welcome back to our Thomas Morus Heim blog/news!
Earlier in Summer 2024 I introduced you to the definition of the dorm committee, what roles it has, what benefits it brings to its members and to the dorm. It was also mentioned that the elections in Thomas Morus Heim were approaching. And it happened! New dorm committee (Heimvertretung) got elected!
In this blog we would like to share how elections were organized in Thomas Morus Heim this study year (2024/25). Maybe you could take something for yourself and your dormitory for the next elections. The election must take place in analogy to §7 (3) StudHG within the framework of the general, equal and secret right to vote.
Our case (Thomas Morus Heim) is somewhat unique as there was no active Dorm committee, which is normally supposed to organize the elections. For this reason, Akademikerhilfe staff took over the organizational process this time as an exception.
Every year, the current dormitory representative receives information about the dormitory representative elections, which must be announced in the dormitory community. Our dorm received an email on the 15th of October from Akademikerhilfe staff with the invitation to participate in the elections in a form of a job description, which makes it look appealing and professional. Here is a part of this invitation:
As mentioned above usually it is the previous Dorm committee who takes care of this process, however Akademikerhilfe staff is always ready to assist the Dorm committee on this journey.
However, let’s continue with Thomas Morus Heim election experience this year. Three days before the application deadline we received a reminder and information about the 1st group which was formed. This year the competition was among groups, not single candidates who would then form a group. This is an interesting format which has its pros and cons. For instance, on the one hand, a self-formed group seems to have better chances to operate smoothly. On the other hand, other dorm members who would like to participate in the election process and who are not a part of any group (for example, newcomers) have only little chances to become a dorm committee member. It’s up to you to decide which format you pick for your future elections ;)
After the application process finished, we received an email announcing that 2 groups applied and would compete to be elected. Also, there was an explanation of the procedure which would be used for the elections. Again, this is just our experience and suggestion from Akademikerhilfe staff, you can come up with another way to conduct the voting process. For example, you could distribute a link via email or group chat.
In our case, small yellow ballots had been slide under each door one week before the voting started. On these ballot sheets residents could indicate which group they are voting for and then bring them to the dorm manager’s office. Suggested time slots made it possible to vote independently on studies and work schedule. Dorm resident could either drop the voting sheet in the following box at the dorm manager’s office or slide it under its door.
[group members names are not visible due to privacy reasons]
The election process was successful as 65% of the dorm residents (63 people) participated in the elections. Afterwards the votes were counted by three people: Akademikerhilfe staff, Group 1 and Group 2 representatives. On November 27th the new dorm committee was introduced and started ruling.
Now you are familiar with one of the ways to organize election process in a dormitory. In case you are planning to run for elections in October/November 2025 at your dorm, we advise you to be active throughout the whole election process and advertise your group via different communication channels (hang up your program/commitment on doors and in public areas, make posts in the dorm group chat, introduce your team during community events, etc.).
If you have any questions or seek advice for your future dorm committee elections, do not hesitate to contact Akademikerhilfe staff or the running dorm committee!
All the best,
Vlada Petrova (Thomas Morus Heim)