We will no longer answer e-mails about the status of your own application or when you can expect to be reimbursed. Despite several requests in the newsletter and on the homepage to refrain from such inquiries, we receive such mails again and again. There are four of us in the traffic department (three officers, one temp) and we invest a lot of our time in processing your applications. Answering mails about the status of the application takes up time that is not available for processing the application and delays it even more. Often there are very polite and well-meant mails, but often also demanding and sometimes disrespectful messages - this drains our strength and prevents us from processing everything as quickly as possible.
The normal postal delivery or fax should not be a problem - as soon as we receive the application by post, you will receive an automatic mail. If you want to be 100% sure that the documents will arrive, send them by registered mail or drop them directly into the mailbox of the AStA.
If any documents are missing, we will always get back to you, so there is no need to ask for them.
The application process is as follows: We work through the applications one by one, which in the meantime additionally includes a consultation with the student secretariat, whether a paper ticket was issued or not. If we accept your application, it must then be reviewed and signed by a board member. Only then may we send the approved applications to the Finance Department, which is then responsible for payment. All these steps take time and capacity.
Therefore, please keep in mind that, unlike the Bafög office, we are only a handful of volunteer students whose compensation for expenses in the context of working hours is well below the minimum wage and who work for your interests in addition to their studies. In the winter semester 22/23, the number of applications is higher than ever before - we are happy to be able to approve many of these applications, but we are more than busy processing them and talking to the transport associations.
Should you have any other questions or concerns, we are of course still available by mail and in our telephone office hours (Thursdays between 4 and 5 pm). We know that everyone has an individual situation and that not all questions are covered by our FAQ. This should not discourage you from clarifying your legitimate concerns in individual cases.
If you need support due to general financial concerns, please feel free to contact the social work department.
We thank you for your patience and wish you the best and always a good trip,
Yasmin, Lea, Santiago and Simon (Transport Department)