Committed to a European Perspective

When Lars Weidinger, a geography student, decided a year and a half ago to run for the position of student representative on the Una Europa Student Board, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect. “I’ve always been interested in education policy,” he says. He also wanted to learn about the inner workings of an international university alliance works – and what goes on behind the scenes.

Attending his first Una Europa General Assembly in Dublin gave him quite a few answers. “There’s a lot going on.” He particularly enjoyed connecting with staff members from different universities – and he was impressed with how tangible projects emerged from the board’s meetings and workshops.

One such initiative that was conceived in Dublin and has since taken shape is the structured exchange of modules among Una Europa universities. The EU aims for half of all students to spend time abroad during their studies. “But an exchange semester can be very expensive,” says Ladina Bischof. “That’s why we explored alternative forms of mobility in Dublin.”

The idea that students could regularly take individual modules online at another Una Europa university came partly from the students themselves, she explains. “Lars and I participated in many workshops and had the chance to contribute our perspective as students.”

After about a year and a half, the module exchange was introduced – a relatively quick turnaround. “It showed me that, as a Student Board member, I can genuinely have an impact and help shape things,” says Lars. “That’s why I’m still an active member of the board.”

For Ladina Bischof, who studies political science, participating in the Student Board is also a way to gain practical experience that may benefit her future career. “My studies have given me a strong interest in international collaboration. Una Europa offers amazing opportunities to gain real-world experience in this area.”

She also strongly believes that universities and students should think beyond their own campuses. “I think it’s important that we don’t just study in isolation, but that universities in different countries promote exchange. I'm convinced that this exchange of knowledge is central to future-oriented education.”

Both Ladina and Lars invest a significant portion of their free time in Una Europa. They spend many hours each month in Student Board meetings – most of them held on Zoom – as well as in preparation, follow-up, and discussions with UZH students and staff.

Each semester, Student Board members meet in person for a three-day General Assembly hosted by one of the member universities. Last year, the event was held in Zurich; at the end of May, Lars and Ladina traveled to Kraków for this semester’s meeting.

One of the topics discussed was the future direction of the Student Board. “Everyone on the board is highly committed,” says Lars. “But we have to ask ourselves: what’s really important to us? Where do we want to focus our energy? And what will still matter five years from now?” To help guide this process, the board began drafting an action plan to define its priorities for the coming years.

Among other things, the students hope to strengthen ties with the local task forces that are responsible for implementing Una Europa initiatives at their respective universities. “UZH is one of the universities that is really pushing to make sure student perspectives are heard,” says Ladina.

Alongside her board work, she also has a small part-time role in UZH’s local Una Europa task force. This allows her to add her ideas to both the task force itself and relevant university offices – especially Global Affairs and Student Affairs and Advisory Services. “I really appreciate that our voices are heard, and that we’re able to state our concerns on international topics,” she says.

Ladina and Lars are well aware that their roles come with great responsibility. “We have to think carefully about what we advocate for,” says Lars, “because we represent nearly 30,000 students.” They were elected by the VSUZH, UZH’s student association, in which they are both also active.

“The board is quite diverse and reflects a wide range of student voices,” says Lars. In addition, the two regularly engage with fellow students to stay in touch with what matters most to their peers.

Ladina would like to see Una Europa become even more visible among students. “That’s something we’re working on,” she says. “We want students to know that studying at UZH also gives them access to many other universities across Europe.”