The EPFL Assembly wants you!

By becoming a member of the EPFL Assembly, you will be able to take part in the activities of a group that plays a central role in dialogue at EPFL. The Assembly represents the entire EPFL community and invites that community to events where Assembly members present and discuss issues that are in consultation at EPFL, such as tuition fees, the directive concerning doctoral studies, or, this year, a partial revision of the ordinance on EPFL employees. At its monthly meetings, the Assembly meets with EPFL’s president, vice presidents, deans, Senior Management, and department heads.

Martin Vetterli himself has underscored “the importance of having an Assembly that can discuss the key issues at EPFL and share with me the viewpoints of students as well as of each category of EPFL staff. And it’s essential that professors in particular get involved in the Assembly so that they can be represented and take part in campus life and, more generally, interact with the ETH Board.”

The Office of the EPFL Assembly, made up of the president, vice president and two members of the Assembly, reviews highly confidential subjects communicated by the ETH Board and discusses them with their counterparts at ETH Zurich and the joint ETH Board delegate. The Office members also have an opportunity to speak directly with the ETH Board at annual “Dialog” days.

In late April, the EPFL Assembly will kick off its election process, which takes place every year for students and every two years for EPFL staff representatives (see election schedule below). Four representatives will be elected for each category of EPFL staff – teachers (professors and lecturers), scientific staff (PhD students, postdocs and scientists), and administrative and technical staff – as well as for the student body.

You can announce your intention to run, and you can vote for the four people who will represent you. If you would like to run, you are welcome to post a brief explanation of why you want to become an Assembly member on your EPFL bio page at people.epfl.ch. An information session will be held on 9 May where the current Assembly members will be available to answer any questions you may have.

> For more information, visit ae.epfl.ch/elections (available in French only)

Testimonials of current EPFL Assembly members

Giuseppe Peronato, scientific staff representative, PhD student at the Laboratory of Performance-Integrated Design (LIPID)

As a PhD student, I felt it was important for me to get involved, even if I won’t be at EPFL for very long. The EPFL Assembly lets me take a break from my research, take part in campus life and do my modest bit to improve things for the students who will come after me. It’s an Assembly where we can put topics on the agenda, like career issues for scientific staff and the teaching responsibilities of PhD students. We were able to talk with EPFL’s vice presidents on these issues and work with our counterparts at ETH Zurich. On the issue of PhD students’ teaching responsibilities, the Vice President for Education took note of our letter, and this helped us set up a working group.

Jacqueline Morard, administrative and technical staff representative, Laboratory of Organometallic and Medicinal Chemistry (LCOM)

The EPFL Assembly requires a considerable investment from its members – but the time I spend at the monthly meetings and working on various issues is totally worth it. Not only do I feel like I’m making an active contribution to the policies of the school I work in, but I also have an influence on the decisions that are made. In addition, the Assembly helped me build a network at EPFL and meet colleagues from a variety of backgrounds, including in Senior Management. And there’s everything I’ve learned about how EPFL works. Among the issues particularly important to me, the Assembly addressed the topic of permanent versus temporary employment contracts, which our new human resources director, Susanna Swann, took seriously.

Dana Ghosn, student body representative, mechanical engineering student 

The EPFL Assembly gave me an opportunity to get involved in campus life. I can work on issues that have a broader impact and I give my opinion on various subjects, which is taken into account. It’s also interesting to learn the nuts and bolts about teaching and where it’s going – and therefore where we as students are going. What’s more, the Assembly works closely with Senior Management. But apart from my role on the Assembly, I also take the time to listen to other students, along with a number of other representatives and a member of the School of Engineering’s Council. That lets me stay updated on various issues and consider them from different angles. For example, I can make students’ voices heard on the topics we discuss and bring up our questions and concerns, which people listen to. That’s how we were able to start a discussion on work spaces on campus. With the support of the Assembly and other EPFL authorities – and with the active involvement of several students – I was able to sketch out a plan for using those areas more effectively. And thanks to our joint effort, my plan is being carried out!

Kristin Becker, delegate of the EPFL and ETHZ Assemblies on the ETH Board

I represent the of EPFL and ETHZ Assemblies on the ETH Board, which is in charge of implementing the strategic goals set by Switzerland’s Federal Council. The ETH Board makes decisions on core issues like the budgets of ETH Domain institutions, new strategic initiatives, and draft laws on school staff and tuition. The Board also appoints all the professors. As a member ad personam of the ETH Board, with the same voting rights as other members, I defend the interests of both school Assemblies at Board meetings. I draw on their input and knowledge, which they share with me during our frequent discussions.

Ronan Boulic, teaching staff representative, president ad interim of the EPFL Assembly, Immersive Interaction Group (IIG)

First I want to stress that we are neither an association nor a trade union. Also, compared with the Council of EPFL Teachers (CCE) – where I spent six years discussing teaching-related issues with colleagues – the EPFL Assembly addresses these issues and more but from a much wider variety of viewpoints, which also allows us take the pulse of the campus as a whole. The Assembly plays an important role because it makes sure that people from across the school participate in the consultation process. And because we work closely with Senior Management, we can tell them about concerns we have identified – and they listen to us. For over a year now, Senior Management has been consistently providing us with their comments and feedback on all positions that the EPFL community has taken; those comments are available on the Assembly website.