Plenum

We meet once a week (the specific day is chosen at the beginning of the semester) in the evening in a public plenary session and discuss various things. We are always happy to see new faces!

Who is present there?

The plenum is open to the public, so anyone who is interested and wants to take part is welcome to attend. There is also a bunch of people from the Roter Vektor who are present at (almost) every plenum, so there is no shortage of experienced people who can explain terms or proceedings if necessary.

How does a plenum work?

There is always a list of points that have accumulated since the last plenum and need to be discussed. This list is written on the whiteboard before the plenum so that everyone can see what needs to be discussed. One or more people also go to get some food for the plenum (bread, spread, fruit, snacks etc.) before it starts. During the plenum, there is always a person tasked with keeping record, i.e. the main points of our discussions as well as the decisions and to-dos are written down so that they can be read and understood at a later time. One person in turn chooses a point, then we talk about it. We treat each other with respect, e.g. we take turns talking and raise our hand if we want to say something while someone else is speaking to avoid any confusion. When we have discussed a topic long enough, we might make a decision (or not). Every person has the right to veto a potential decision. If that happens, we can talk about that person’s concerns and try to come to a decision that is fine with everyone (see also: Grassroot Democracy). If the plenum goes on for a long time, there will be one or more breaks in between.

What do we discuss there?

Everything that has happened since the last plenum and should be talked about, as well as topics we have already talked about that we need to discuss again. There are virtually no topics that are discussed in every single plenum, with the exceptions being the completion of our to-dos and when the next plenum will be.

Some examples of topics we discuss:

• Events, such as parties or the natural sciences scavenger hunt
• Plans for and reports from committees, such as Stuko and Fako
• Plans for and reports from other meetings, such as teacher training programme related meetings or the natural sciences plenum
• Whether we promote job advertisements, projects or other things
• Necessary planning, e.g. for a new semester or an ÖH election

For the exact times come by our office Vektor-Raum (1.136) and ask. Generally the next plenum date should be written on our door. Generally the plenum-dates are also written into our calender.