COVID-19 / Aktuelle Informationen des Rektorats

03. April 2020
It’s week 4 in alternate.mode and we are still impressed by how solution-oriented and cooperative everyone at Angewandte is handling this difficult situation. A big thank you to all of you, students, lecturers as well as staff in planning, service and administration, not least for your openness and creativity in the implementation of the comprehensive measures and the acceptance of the new service processes.

We want to leave no doubt that we consider physical presence, social exchange and the active, creative examination of physical materialities as the indispensable and central elements of our university, now and also for the time after the crisis. It is important to us to emphasize that the current measures are solely due to the current situation and are based on our aim to ensure that students do not suffer major disadvantages.

We will return to the workshops and studios. We will talk to each other again, face-to-face and with no screens in between, we will exchange opinions and we will fight controversy. All of that will be more important and valuable than ever before. We are preparing for that––definitely not for a drift into digital one-dimensionality and certainly not for a tacit acceptance of authoritarian structures in a fragmented society of withdrawn, isolated people.

It is the culture of the Angewandte to be critical of such radical social transformations as we are currently experiencing. It is important to us that in the coming weeks, now that the changeover to distance learning has been consolidated to a certain extent, we, the Angewandte, will be able to increasingly fulfill our key task of dealing with socio-political issues in an artistic and critical manner.

Please let us know if you are working on projects in teaching and research, or if you are developing activities that––in line with our tradition and our current mission statement––reflect social changes and thus contribute to shaping our societies.

Martina Schöggl (Assistant to the Rector, martina.schoeggl@uni-ak.ac.at) will act as the contact person and bring information, ideas and suggestions into the regular meetings of the Rectorate, which are held several times a week (currently virtually), together with the chair of the Senate.

Before the Easter holidays that  will hopefully allow us all some time to rest, we would like to inform you about a few current topics:

- At the moment we still cannot estimate when the university buildings will be useable again––the Federal Government has not yet issued any recognized statements on these acts; On the contrary, scenarios developed by high-ranking scientists as well as the statement by the Federal President from April 2 point to a rather longer duration of the crisis until the summer months and the government has already indicated that the universities will be the last institutions to return to regular operation. The use of studios and workshops during the summer months is therefore not guaranteed.

Against this background, but also in view of the fact that all resources will be needed in October to restart and guarantee regular teaching for all students in the winter semester,  diploma examination dates in October will only be possible in special exceptional cases with appropriate reasons. The Rectorate also strongly advises against postponing a large number of diplomas until January 2021, not olny would it counteract the impressive efforts to keep classes and courses going (with all the related implications in labor law as well as study law) but also would a significant drop in the number of graduates have negative consequences for the entire university budget.

We therefore continue to work together at all levels to ensure that the summer semester can be fully completed in June, including the possibility of completing degrees in June and adequately presenting the final projects to the public.

- 88% of all courses and classes are fully described in the Angewandte, 64% have been updated again since we wrote last Friday - thank you very much! There is still time until tonight for the remaining additions.

- Many workshops have formulated two needs that are very understandable for us and for which solutions are already being sought; we hope to be able to offer corresponding processes after Easter. On the one hand, a solution is developed to enable the exchange of necessary materials and tools; on the other hand, a controlled process for time-limited access to individual workshops is to be developed by an authorized person for specific preparations in online teaching, e.g. to create video tutorials.

 - It is important to us to reduce the financial obstacles for students in these difficult situations as much as possible. Information on the procedure and the necessary requirements for applying for an exceptional exemption from tuition fees will be available from April 10th at https://www.dieangewandte.at/stubei, applications will be processed from April 17th.

- With regard to research processes, you will receive detailed information on organizational processes in project support (for submitting research projects, postponing deadlines, information on current questions regarding the management of ongoing projects, etc.) and an updated event schedule for the summer semester (including a description of the alternative processes) on Tuesday, April 7, will be sent via email. Current information is always available at https://zentrumfokusforschung.uni-ak.ac.at and https://supportkunstundforschung.uni-ak.ac.at.

- In order to support academic theses, the university library will launch a reduced borrowing service tailored to the special situation and the corresponding security requirements after Easter. More information will follow.

- As planned, this year's Angewandte Festival will take place from June 23 to 26, 2020 in alternative, non-physical spaces. Further information will follow by email. Open meetings to exchange ideas will also take place during the semester break ( every Wed, 3–4pm, https://zoom.us/j/377672656)

 
Despite the massive restrictions, we wish you and your beloved ones relaxing holidays within the current possibilities.

Stay healthy, take care of yourself––and let’s stay optimistic!

With best wishes,

Gerald Bast, Barbara Putz-Plecko, Bernhard Kernegger, Eva Maria Stadler and Maria Zettler