The 114th meeting of the TUM Graduate Council took place on the 17th of October in the Thomas Mann Konferenzsaal of Main Campus. To welcome newly inducted members, the meeting began with a brief onboarding session. This provided an overview of the Council’s mission, key responsibilities, and upcoming initiatives. The main meeting covered several critical topics and was attended by members as well as international guests from Finland, who came to learn about TUM Graduate Council’s successful methods of advocating for and securing approvals for student needs. The Finnish delegation shared insights on TUM Graduate Council’s effectiveness in handling student matters, praising the Council’s proactive approach in gaining support and implementing initiatives that meet student demands. The Council then reviewed the Position Paper for WissZeitVG aimed at addressing key issues faced by graduate students. Members provided feedback, and a final draft was circulated with 94% of members in favor. To conclude the day, members and guests gathered at an external venue for a dinner, providing a relaxed setting to reinforce connections made during the meeting. This final event allowed for informal discussions, deepened relationships, and reflected the spirit of collaboration that defines the TUM Graduate Council.

The 107th Meeting of the TUM Graduate Council was held on the 7th of December in the Building of the TUM Graduate School Management Office in Garching, followed by a Christmas Party. The meeting changed from in-peron to a hybrid format because of the strike announced for the same evening. We began with an introduction about the Graduate School by Zizheng Zhang, the Deputy Managing Director of the GS, who also used the opportunity to thank the current GC Speakers – Anna Christina Jäkel and Ayesha Müller-Wolfertshofer – for their term in office. Anna and Ayesha then presented the report for their work in 2023, were discharged from their positions, and the new Speakers for 2024 were elected. We would like to congratulate Stuart Daniel James and Leon Chryssos for being elected to the positions of first and second speaker respectively. The TUM GC Christmas party then commenced, which included the prize distribution for the TUMblue 2023 photography competition and the distribution of certificates to associate members.