Geraldine Rauch, former president of the Technical University of Berlin (TU), warns that Berlin’s universities are currently in a disastrous state. She detailed these failures in a guest article for the “Berliner Morgenpost”, describing physical conditions ranging from roofs that drip into lecture halls to makeshift safety measures everywhere-with buckets often positioned as if placed naturally in entrances, laboratories, and halls, and entire buildings closed off.
Alongside the deteriorating infrastructure, she points to grave financial risks. Student contributions are expected to rise, and mounting cost pressures could force the cancellation of up to 14 percent of study places in the coming years. Rauch warns that universities will soon be unable to cover their running costs independently, comparing the situation to the impending insolvency of a private enterprise.
The professor, who currently heads the Institute for Biometrics and Clinical Epidemiology at Charité Berlin, outlines several critical demands for the 200,000 students studying in Berlin. First, she demands a reliable funding structure-which she states is currently absent-alongside genuine co-determination in university policy decisions. Furthermore, she stresses the urgency of adopting a housing policy that does not leave students stranded.
Rauch also criticizes political parties for their limited focus on the student body ahead of the September 20th election. While students are mentioned in various party programs, they are rarely treated as a defined political priority. She notes that while the topic is discussed, students themselves are seldom consulted.
