In this newsletter, you can expect four main topic areas. In News from the VERSO Universe, we introduce several new VERSO formats – with the launch of “Event Cashback” and “We Need To Talk,” a lot has been happening. In the Entrance Hall, our new VERSO-V provides you with the latest information, and from there it’s also worth stopping by our office. The section National Higher Education Policy takes a broader look at developments in the education system – particularly important here is the summary of the current situation regarding rising tuition fees. We have also been active in university politics at ZHdK, for example with our report on transdisciplinarity at ZHdK. We are very pleased about the diverse activities of our VERSO departments – both in organizing events and in addressing higher education policy issues. You can find more about this in VERSO Departments and Personnel.
Enjoy reading – let’s get started!
NEWS FROM THE VERSO UNIVERSE
PROJECT FUND SPRING SEMESTER 2026
It’s that time again: the call for applications is now open, and you can apply for the project fund for the Spring Semester 2026. A total of CHF 9,300 is available this semester, and we look forward to hearing about your exciting projects! The submission deadline is the 16th of April 2026. For more information, please visit our website.
EVENT CASHBACK
VERSO is launching a new format for financial support: EVENT CASHBACK.
Students can easily apply for reimbursements for expenses such as apéros (or similar) for smaller events. 🧃🌭
Further information can be found also on our website.
NEW DISCUSSION & EXCHANGE FORMAT: "WE NEED TO TALK"
VERSO is currently focusing intensively on the topic of student workload and capacity. Many students experience their studies as highly compressed – both in terms of time and organization. To gain an initial overview of the general mood, we recently conducted a small Instagram survey. The results confirmed our assumption that many students feel overburdened due to a variety of factors. These findings serve as a starting point for us to better understand the issue. The topic is currently being discussed within the Student Council*, where we are exploring which factors contribute to the perceived overload and what kinds of support are needed.
In the coming weeks, we want to continue engaging with this topic, gather more information, and jointly develop possible solutions to improve the study situation in the long term.
For this reason, we have launched our new (higher education) political discussion and exchange format: “WE NEED TO TALK”, and we warmly invite you to join!
Topic of the first discussion:
Overload and burnout at art universities — how student overload and the incompatibility of studies and work in the context of high living costs can be made structurally visible, and how conditions at ZHdK can be improved.
🗓️ April 15, 2026, 19:00–20:30
📍 2.A05, Viaduct Room, Toni-Areal
We look forward to seeing you there!
OPEN OFFICE
Our VERSO office on the 5th floor (5.B10) is now open to all students at designated times. Feel free to drop by – we are happy to help with your concerns and always appreciate your input! You are also warmly invited to relax on our couch and have a chat.
In addition, you can borrow all kinds of items from us: from board games and kitchen appliances (waffle irons, sandwich makers, hot plates) to our large fridge. Just stop by, ask, sign up on the list, and enjoy your waffle-making, board-game, chilled-drinks evening! You can always find the current dates on our VERSO-V in the entrance hall and on our Instagram page.
Our upcoming Open Office hours (alternating between mornings, evenings, and full days) are as follows:
31.03. Evening
09.04. Day
23.04. Evening
12.05. day
22.05. Evening
03.06. Day
VERSO-V IN THE ENTRANCE HALL
The Big V is back! Since February, our large VERSO V has once again been displayed next to the entrance to the bistro, now in a redesigned version. We have refreshed and completely revamped our “notice board” to keep you informed about all important upcoming dates, and to provide you with our flyers and – even more importantly – our new VERSO stickers!
You can find the following information on the VERSO-V:
Dates for our next Open Office
Information about VERSO events
Date of the next General Assembly (everyone is invited!)
How to contact us
Social media link and website
VERSO sticker set to take away 🦆
“WHAT IS VERSO” booklet
Our “PONY” flyer with information about all kinds of support
WINTER RETREAT OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL
On January 28 and February 2, 2026, the annual winter retreat of the VERSO Student Council (StR)** took place. The retreat focused on VERSO’s strategic priorities: improving visibility and engagement with students and strengthening commitment to higher education policy – staying persistent and assertive!
PARTY AT TONI
There was a time when VERSO was mainly known for its parties. Some of you may still remember the Tonibeats party. That is no longer really the case: there hasn’t been a party at Toni organized by VERSO for quite some time, with the last Tonibeats taking place three years ago. That is about to change. VERSO is planning an end-of-semester party in connection with the graduation party at Toni.
Would you like to get involved and help with the organization and implementation? Then get in touch at verso.vera@zhdk.ch – stay tuned for more information! 🎉
NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY
PLANNED TUITION FEE INCREASE IN SWITZERLAND
Context
Switzerland is likely facing an increase in tuition fees. The reason for this is the so-called Entlastungspaket 27, a report by an expert group commissioned by the federal government to propose possible budget cuts. The aim is primarily to free up federal funds for the expansion of the military and for pension financing (13th AHV payment). To achieve this, federal contributions to the cantons for funding the school and university system are to be reduced. This could lead to a significant increase in tuition fees – for both Swiss and international students. A similar development has already taken place at ETH, where fees for international students have more than doubled.
Together with the Verband der Schweizer Studierendenschaften VSS (National Union of Students of Switzerland)***, we have strongly opposed any increase in tuition fees. On October 1, 2025, demonstrations took place in Zurich and Bern with over 3,000 participants, and the VSS submitted a petition with 37,361 signatures to the Federal Chancellery (see VSS article). Shortly before that, on September 19, 2025, the Federal Council had already submitted the austerity package to Parliament.
On February 24, 2026, a day of action against austerity and militarisation took place at UZH, followed by a second demonstration in Zurich on February 28, 2026, organised by “students united ZH”. Most recently, on March 24, 2026, a panel discussion titled “Fair Contribution or Social Barrier?” was held at UZH. Unfortunately, the University of Bern and the Bern University of Applied Sciences have already decided on substantial tuition fee increases, even before the parliamentary discussions on the austerity measures were concluded.
CURENT SITUATION
On March 20, 2026, Parliament approved the Entlastungspaket 27. The overall package was reduced by 40% – meaning that fewer savings will be implemented than originally planned – but it could not be prevented entirely. In concrete terms, this means that the planned cuts in education have been reduced from CHF 120 million to CHF 60 million.
A referendum planned by the Green Party and the Social Democratic Party (SP), which we would have supported together with the VSS, has unfortunately been withdrawn. Green Party president Lisa Mazzone justified this by stating that the mere threat of a referendum had already had an effect (see SRF article). The VSS alone does not have the capacity to launch a referendum, which means we now have to accept Parliament’s decision.
On Instagram, the VSS stated: “Parliament has decided on budget cuts that will significantly weaken the Swiss education system. We are disappointed that none of the governing parties are willing to stand up for education and invest in our future. This decision is short-sighted and counterproductive. It risks drastic tuition fees and access to education that depends on one’s financial means. For us, it is clear: cutting funding in education is the wrong approach! […]” (see VSS Instagram).
Whether these savings will actually be passed on in the form of increased tuition fees (earliest possible implementation from 2027) will now also depend on the individual cantons and their education authorities.
We will keep you updated on further developments – first and foremost via Instagram!
ERASMUS+
Alongside the opposition to Entlastungspaket 27, we have also been working within the National Union of Students of Switzerland (VSS) on Switzerland’s re-association with Erasmus+.
Context
Erasmus+ is a European Union funding programme that supports and promotes international mobility for students, apprentices, teachers, and young people across Europe. In 2014, Switzerland was excluded from Erasmus+ following the acceptance of the “Mass Immigration Initiative.” Currently, the Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP) serves as a transitional solution, but it offers significantly fewer benefits than Erasmus+.
For example, Swiss universities currently must negotiate separate agreements with each partner institution, which leads to a high administrative workload. In addition, SEMP mainly benefits students; exchanges in other contexts, such as apprenticeships, are much more difficult to organise.
Current Developments
The parliamentary Committees for Science, Education and Culture of both the Nationalrat (WBK-N) and the Ständerat (WBK-S) have now approved a proposal by several cantons to re-associate Switzerland with Erasmus+. The VSS supports this initiative, and as part of the VSS, we recently co-signed the consultation response submitted to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
You can find more detailed information on the VSS website and at erasmus-ch.ch.
HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY AT ZHDK
REPORT ON TRANSDISCIPLINARITY
In the context of strategic decisions on interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, we examined the current support structures from a student perspective during the Semester Council meeting on October 16, 2025. We compiled the results of this workshop in a report, which has been incorporated into the university management’s project on “Inter- and Transdisciplinarity” and was submitted shortly before Christmas.
We are also represented in the project group, ensuring that the student perspective continues to be included in the ongoing process. It is very important to us that the university’s strategy in this area aligns with the experiences and needs of students.
ESTRABLISHMENT OF THE Kommission Vermittlung
Following the “Richtungsentscheide” (strategic direction decisions) made by the university management during their retreat in September 2025, a project mandate on mediation was formulated:
The university management emphasised the strategic importance of “Vermittlung” (means here Educational Practice) in the arts. Vermittlung is a core function of the arts in society and must be further strengthened institutionally and made more visible.
To this end, a Vermittlung project group has been established, bringing together experts in mediation within ZHdK. Lucia Albanese (co-president of VERSO, MA Art Education) represents students in this group.
In order to incorporate the diverse perspectives and interests of students into the future strategic direction of mediation at ZHdK, we have founded a Vermittlung Commission. We are currently looking for students – especially from fields directly related to mediation (music education/school music, theatre education, art education, transdisciplinarity, fine arts, design, and cultural critique/curatorial studies).
The aim is to meet between the sessions of the Vermittlung project group to exchange ideas and feed student perspectives back into the process through our representatives. This exchange will help ensure that students’ positions and lived experiences in the field of Vermittlung are accurately represented. This representation is particularly important at this stage, as the future direction of Vemrittlung will play a central role in shaping and connecting study programmes and departments.
A total of three meetings will take place between April and October. You can register until April 7, 2026. More information can also be found in our email on this topic from March 23, 2026.
We look forward to all students who are interested in contributing!
VERSO DEPARTMENTS & PERSONNEL
Departement of Performing Arts & Flim (DDK)
The DDK department is also currently addressing the issue of student workload and overload and is in the process of gathering student feedback.
Unfortunately, the Film Department had to say goodbye to its beloved “Zitrone” (the department’s car) at the beginning of the year, but marked the occasion with a great event. This showed us that there is strong interest in internal DDK events, and we are therefore investing more energy into planning parties and events. Stay tuned 🧡
Departement of Fine Arts (DFA)
We are happy to welcome the following new members to the VERSO DFA team: Eva Amiryan, Sheyda Eshghi, Daria Heimur, and Lara Peters! The DFA team has also published its own newsletter, the “love letter,” so feel free to stop by our studios and take a look.
Preparations for our upcoming exhibition in April are also in full swing. The opening will take place on April 7 – come by and celebrate with us over a beer!
Departement of Cultural Analysis and Mediation (DKV)
We are very pleased to welcome Cindy Kosseda to VERSO DKV! As many members of VERSO DKV will soon be graduating, we are urgently looking for new board members.
This is the perfect time to get involved: in the midst of ongoing discussions on mediation and transdisciplinarity, it is a great opportunity to strengthen community and solidarity <3
Departement of Music (DMU)
For the second time, we hosted our Soccer Table Tournament in the common room near the music practice rooms (by the way, the only room there with daylight) ⚽️
Further projects are in development – your Toni memes might come in handy here!
Departement of Design (DDE)
VERSO DDE is once again hosting its legendary Mario Kart tournament on April 9, 2026, starting at 19:00 in Lecture Hall 1.
Come by – there will also be free snacks and drinks!
CHANGES IN THE STUDENT COUNCIL
We warmly welcome Ruby Rawson (DDK, MA Theatre) and Jacqueline Kärcher (DDE, MA Knowledge Visualization) as new members of the Student Council. We say goodbye to Kirill Kohl (DDE, MA Interaction Design) and thank him very much for his many years of dedicated work in media and communication – we will miss you! At the last meeting, a successor for Sita Peiler’s position as co-president was elected. Congratulations to Juliette Heiniger (DFA, BA Fine Arts)! Sita will remain in the Student Council until the transition is completed, but we would already like to take this opportunity to thank her for her outstanding and invaluable commitment as co-president.
Over and out,
VERSO 🦆
Glossary
*Semester Council: Alongside the Student Council, the Semester Council is one of the most important bodies within the VERSO structure. With 30 members from all five departments, it is also our largest interdepartmental working group. It meets twice per semester.
**Student Council: The Student Council is the second central body at the university level, consisting of 10 members (two per department). Its members are responsible for implementing VERSO projects, maintaining and initiating formats, representing students internally and externally, and participating in ZHdK committees and governance bodies. The Student Council meets every three weeks.
***VSS: Verband der Schweizer Studierendenschaften VSS (The National Union of Students of Switzerland) is the umbrella organisation of student representations in Switzerland and advocates for students’ interests at the national political level.
****Richtungsentscheide (Strategic Direction Decisions of the University Management): In September 2025, ZHdK’s university management published strategic “direction decisions,” outlining future priorities, particularly in mediation and transdisciplinarity. As part of this process, mandates were formulated to further evaluate developments in these areas.
