Boards and committees

The AStA represents the entire student body and promotes student interests in university politics. The members of the AStA are elected once a year by the student parliament (StuPa). The candidates elected here do not necessarily have to come from the ranks of the StuPa. In principle, any student can stand for election. However, if a representative of the StuPa is elected to the AStA, he or she must resign from the StuPa. After the election, the AStA then assigns the various offices internally to its members. In addition to its political duties, the AStA offers students a number of services.

These include the various advisory services, such as:

• the BaföG or housing advice
• the supervision of the copy store in the foyer of the Nordmensa and much more.
• In addition to public relations, political tasks include organizing lecture series and producing political information pamphlets. Here, the AStA mainly carries out the resolutions of the student parliament. Continuous topics are, for example, university policy, equality of foreigners, women, homosexuals and disabled persons as well as public relations. The AStA must use public relations to represent its policies to the students and to the non-university public. 

The Dean's Office consists of a Dean and two Vice-Deans. The dean or dean's office represents the department vis-à-vis the university. The most important tasks of the dean or dean's office include:

• The management of the department and its representation within the university.
• Responsibility for the completeness of the course offerings and compliance with teaching obligations, as well as for the organization of studies and examinations
• Distribution of positions and resources within the department based on the principles of distribution established with the departmental council
• Responsibility for ensuring that the officers, committees and institutions of the department perform their duties and that the members and staff of the department fulfill their obligations
• Verification of the legal correctness of decisions within the department and preparation of drafts for study and examination regulations

The Student Council is composed of all students of a study program. Mostly, however, the term Fachschaft is used to describe the active Fachschaft, the Fachschaftsrat of the respective study program. Here, the students elected by the Fachschaftsvollversammlung (FVV) represent the respective Fachschaft.

The tasks of the student representatives are manifold.

On the one hand, the student councils stand up for their fellow students in the committees at the university, such as the student council conference, the department council, appointment committees, etc. On the other hand, they function as a link between students and the university.
On the other hand, they function as a link between the students and the departments.
They can be the point of contact for complaints about examination and teaching conditions and can advise and support students with problems, e.g. in examination matters.
The student councils provide information to their students and make it easier for first-year students to start their studies.
They organize the O-Phase (orientation phase), first-year trips, parties, but also excursions to interesting business enterprises.
Basically, everyone can get involved in the student council. The easiest way to make contacts is to attend the student council meetings, the public meetings of the student council and other activities.

There are two student councils at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The Mechanical Engineering Student Council represents students of mechanical engineering, while the LogWings Student Council is the contact point for students of logistics and industrial engineering. 

Mechanical Engineering Student Council

LogWings Student Council
 

The Department Council is composed of elected members from the status groups of university teachers, academic staff, technical and administrative staff, and students. The Department Council elects the Dean's Office. The task of the Department Council is to decide and/or advise on the use of department resources (funds and materials, personnel, rooms, etc.) and on fundamental questions of research and teaching in the department. This includes, among other things, the determination of the legal basis of the studies, such as study and examination regulations. In addition, the Department Council may be involved in the awarding of academic degrees and titles.

The Study Advisory Board is responsible for the framework conditions of teaching within the faculties at the department level. The Study Advisory Board serves to advise the Department Council as well as the Dean's Office in matters of teaching and studies, especially in matters of study reform, the evaluation of studies and teaching, and with regard to the enactment or amendment of examination regulations. The members are elected by the Department Council.

The student parliament (StuPa) is a parliament elected annually by the students of the TU Dortmund University and thus the highest decision-making body of the student body. Since the parliament is elected by all students, the up to 51 members can, according to the university constitution, basically decide on all issues and concerns of the constituted student body (VS), i.e. for all enrolled students. Elections are generally held in the summer semester. In addition to the parties known at the federal level, some internal university parties and independent groups are also represented. As the legislature (legislative body), the StuPa lays down the foundations and the budget for the constituted student body. The decisions are then implemented by the General Student Committee (AStA), which is elected by the StuPa. The AStA is therefore the executive body of the student body.