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News University Statement by the Kunsthochschule Bayern and the Bavarian State Student Council on dealing with abuse of power, discrimination and sexualised violence

The Bavarian State Art Colleges and the Bavarian State Student Council recognise that the structures at art colleges can encourage overreaching and abuse of power. Art colleges are artistic and academic places of study and work where equal, trusting and respectful interaction between members and guests of the university must be an explicit guiding principle.

The Art Colleges and the Bavarian State Student Council strictly reject and actively oppose all forms of discrimination and abuse of power and actively oppose them. The closeness of the individual as well as the special structures and interdependencies in an artistic-academic training organisation place special demands on us in our structural responsibility. The universities will not tolerate any form of abuse. All members of the universities are therefore called upon to contribute to the creation of an appreciative and non-violent work and study environment that offers space for artistic fulfilment.

Universities have already initiated many activities, structural changes and awareness-raising programmes to this end. The universities see  the fight against abuse of power, discrimination and sexualised violence as an ongoing and active task. An open dialogue with all stakeholders within and outside the universities is essential.

For this reason, the universities of the arts and the Bavarian State Student Council have joined forces to actively combat all forms of abuse of power, discrimination and sexualised violence and to establish secure structures for the empowerment of students and staff as well as for the sensitisation and further training of all university members within the legal framework. Abuse of power, discrimination and (sexualised) violence have no place at the Bavarian Universities of the Arts!