Three Questions for Annika Ricke and Darius Weitekamp

Ms. Ricke, what motivated you to run for the AStA Chairmanship?

Annika Ricke: I had already served as the AStA’s finance officer for three years, responsible for the financial matters of the student body. In that role, however, there is little room for your own projects. I always greatly enjoyed working in the AStA, and in particular, the modernization of the office space was important to me. As deputy chair, I saw the opportunity to achieve more in terms of university politics and to gain new experiences.

Mr. Weitekamp, you are now beginning your second term of office. Which projects were you able to implement in your first term?

Darius Weitekamp: In the previous legislative period, we were able to prepare well for the upcoming term and its challenges. The AStA positioned itself more politically and became more involved in alliances such as the campaigns of the meeting of the General Student Committees of North Rhine-Westphalia, which I consider very important. Especially the “big” issues affecting student bodies – such as maintaining the semester ticket, improving the student grant BAföG, and securing university funding – can only be achieved together. In this regard, I believe I was able to give the TU Dortmund University student body a voice and connect us well with others.

Which other projects will be a focus for you during your term of office?

Annika Ricke: My heartfelt priority is the digitalization of student administration, and I want to expand this beyond the finance office. More efficient processes within student administration should free up capacity for other projects. At present, administration spends more time on its own bureaucracy than on actually advancing things for students. Another focus is the budget cuts for universities announced by the state government. This issue will occupy us strongly in this legislative period as well, because students will also suffer disadvantages from these cuts, which cannot simply be accepted.

Darius Weitekamp: I continue to see it as the AStA’s role to give voice to students’ demands. I consider the state government’s cuts to be a major mistake, and I hope that, together as a university, we can take a stand on this. I have also set myself the goal of once again organizing more political events and formats, speaking with more stakeholders at our university, and the metropolrad (metropolis bike) project  is also undergoing changes. There is plenty to do.

To the AStA

About the chairpersons:

Darius Weitekamp (26) has been at TU Dortmund University since 2020 and is studying for a bachelor’s degree in Special Education Teaching. Since 2022, he has been active in the AStA, where he served as the Executive Assistant for International Affairs. In 2024, he was elected as chair of the AStA.

Annika Ricke (27) has been at TU Dortmund University since 2020 and is studying for a master’s degree in Elementary School Teaching. Since 2022, she served as the AStA’s Executive Assistant for Financial Affairs and was elected deputy chair in 2025.