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8/13/2019 Social Dimension: Experiences and Policies from Switzerland
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Social Dimension:
Experiences and Policies from
Switzerland
Conference on Social Dimension
Vilnius, 23rd of January 2014f
Dominik Fitze
8/13/2019 Social Dimension: Experiences and Policies from Switzerland
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Content
• Swiss Higher Education Area
• Access and Affordabilityo Referendum on state grants
• Gender Equality
• Counseling and Advising
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VSS-UNES-USU
• Founded in 1920
• 12 member unions
• Representing over 200 000 students inSwitzerland
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Swiss Higher Education Area
• Switzerland has four administrative
languages and has universitites working in
three of them
• 10 “Universities”, 2 “Federal Institutes of
Technology”, 9 “Universities of Applied
Sciences” and 18 Colleges of Education
• Almost all owned, financed and overseen bythe cantons (= 26 administrative districts)
• Often very independent
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Swiss Higher Education Area
• Tuition fees: Between 2 800 and 11 000
Litas per year, often higher fees for
foreigners
• Standard degree:o Universities: Master
o Universities of Applies Sciences: Bachelor
• Admission usually automatic for holders ofappropriate degrees
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Access and Affordability:
Referendum on grants
Constitutional Referendums in Switzerland:
• 100 000 citizens can demand to change
constitution
• Very often used by parties and associations
whose demands are not met by parliament
• Has to be approved by a majority of voters
and a majority of cantons
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Access and Affordability:
Referendum on grants
Goals
• National alignment of the grant-system
• According to interests and aptitudes, everybody should
be able to have access to higher education• Success in universities shouldn't be depending on
socio-economic factors
• public debate on the importance of adequate grants
• push back loans
• stronger position of student politics in general
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Access and Affordability:
Referendum on grants
Demands:
• Formal alignment: nationwide
uniform calculation bases and
conditions• Substantive alignment: Maximum
contributions must meet the
minimum standard of living (~
2,000 francs per month)
The referendum will
probably take place in
Winter 2014/15
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Access and Affordability:
Students with financial problems
Reducing / waiving tuition fees:
• Enhancing financial situation of students in
financial struggles
• Financial hardship has to be shown
• Assessment and decision either by
university administration or committee of
university and students representatives
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Access and Affordability:
Students with financial problems
Loans and grants:
• Subsidiary long-term grants (e.g. ETH
Zürich)
• Subsidiary short-term grants & loans (e.g.
University of Bern)
• Short-time loans (e.g. University of Zürich)
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Access and Affordability:
Students with financial problems
Subsidiary long-term loans:
• ETH Zürich grants up to 1000 Francs (2 800
Litas) to its students who do not receive
adequate state grants and support from
parents
• Administered by university agency
• 1-2 % of all students at ETH receive such agrant
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Access and Affordability:
Students with financial problems
Subsidiary short-term grants & loans:
• Local students’ union owns a fund for
students in financial troubles
• Grants & loans of up to 5 000 Francs (14
000 Litas)
• 20-50 recipients each year
• Administered by students’ committee
elected by the students’ council
• Financed through interest from fortune and
contributions from university social fund
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Access and Affordability:
Students with financial problems
Short-term loans:
• As much as needed in case of financial
hardship, e.g. state grants have not been
paid out yet
• Have to be repaid within 6 months
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Gender Equality
>50 % of students are female, but only 18%
of professors.
Why?
• Conscious and unconscious discrimination
• Women’s careers are more often obstructed
by academic working conditions
• On aggregate, women have more
reservations towards academic careers
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Gender Equality
Policies:
• gender expert in appointment committeeso tackling discrimination in access to the top level
• mentoring programmes for female Master
and PhD studentso enabling women to talk with successful female post-
docs and professors, enabling them to make abetter decision regarding their academic career
• Introducing part-time academic positions
and enhancing child-care
o enabling young parents to pursue an academic
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Gender Equality
Horizontal segregation:
• Machine engineering: 10% female students
• Veterinary medicine: 80% female students
>> Choice of field of studies often follows
traditional gender roles and not individual
interests
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“I am the 66.8%”
In economy, 66.8% ofthe university
students are male.
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“I am the 27.3% - I
am the 72.7%”
Approximately half
of all Swiss higher
education studentsare male.
In sport science,
their share is
72.7%.
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Counseling and Advising
● Legal aid
● Financial issues
○ Personal budgeting, financial aid
● Psychological issues
○ Support in stressful situations, learning techniques,
● Students with special needs
○ Individual counseling and making sure they can attend classes
and study successfully
● Course guidance
○ Making sure students have both the resources and
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Counseling and Advising
By whom?
• Student-based:
o law students aid other students on legal issues
o students in higher semesters
• University-based:
o Specialised officers
• Independent government agency:
o formally not connected to the university to ensure anonymity
and professional counseling
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Counseling and Advising
Legal aid at the University of Bern:
• Officer with MLaw organizes the service and helps with
urgent matters• Officer is paid by an inheritance, otherwise students’
union funds; appointed by students’ union
• Volunteers who study law help with less urgent matters
• Recruited through law students’ association, job board
and personal network
• Students can make an appointment online
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Counseling and Advising
Psychological counseling in Bern:
Organized by indepentent government agency
• Z failed in an important exam > monthly appointment
• First, counsellor helps with setting up daily and weekly
learning schedules
• Second, they look into how Z learns. Counsellor sees thatshe learns best with visual stimuli, so Z tries out mindmaps
• Third, Z is afraid of repeating the exam. Counsellor shows
how she is now better prepared and the situation is different
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Counseling and Advising
Course guidance:
• Counseling by designated teaching personnel
• Helps with all study-related questions
• Ensures that students have the right understanding of rules and
curricula
• e.g. a student is unsure which classes would best fit her to ensure
the best preparation for her master’s thesis. Assistant looks into all
classes with her and shows her where she could best benefit
• e.g. a student is unsure which classes he has to take to finish his
studies. The professor helps him look into it and, if appropriate,
decides which classes he still has to take
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Questions?
Feel free to ask me now, after the conference
or by e-mail: