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Studentenverbindung
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A Studentenverbindung (the that includes the en, en, , en, en, , and en; also often just Verbindung) is a student somewhat comparable to fraternities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of origins.
rporation in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe consists of the active students, who study any academic subject at a university, and the already graduated Alte Herren or Altherren (Elder Gentlemen or alumni) /Hohe Damen (High Ladies) that have once been active in the corporation.
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Encyclopedia
A Studentenverbindung (the that includes the en, en, , en, en, , and en; also often just Verbindung) is a student somewhat comparable to fraternities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of origins.
Organization
A corporation in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe consists of the active students, who study any academic subject at a university, and the already graduated Alte Herren or Altherren (Elder Gentlemen or alumni) /Hohe Damen (High Ladies) that have once been active in the corporation. The active students usually reside in the , some kind of small dorm for the members of the corporation which also has common rooms for festivities. One of the many benefits of joining a corporation is the especially low pricing of the often rich rooms. Some argue that corporations actively try to get new members through these low-priced rooms who they then socialize to their traditions.
The corporation is mostly financed by the Alte Herren. The latter are said to also take care of the students' careers, helping them in their subjects of study and in other areas of life, up to organizing good jobs and opportunities after graduation. In turn, the active students when becoming Alte Herren finance and help the then-actives. This alleged networking is seen as problematic by other students and most students' unions.
Corporations are organized under umbrella organisations; for example there is the Schweizerischer Studentenverein - Société des Etudiants Suisses (StV-SES), the Wingolfsbund (WB), the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen (CV), the Kartellverband katholischer deutscher Studentenvereine (KV), Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (WSC), the Süddeutsche Kartell (SK), the Coburger Convent (CC), the Deutsche Burschenschaft (DB), the Verband der Vereine Deutscher Studenten (VVDSt), the Deutsche Sängerschaft (DS) or the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband (KSCV).
The term Philister is usually used for members who have graduated and become "Alte Herren". Consequently, the president of the Alte Herren society of a fraternity is called the "Philistersenior", similar to the "Aktivensenior" (mostly for catholic fraternities) as president of the student body of a fraternity.
Another term is Couleuriker, which comes from the French word couleur (color), and is a term for members of all kinds of Studentenverbindungen because normally members of Studentenverbindungen wear a ribbon (Farbenband) in the colors of their Studentenverbindung to show their affiliation.
History
The vast majority of the current corporations were founded in the early to mid-, as does their tradition. This includes ideals of , and in some cases . Almost all corporations have a tendency towards centrist . , and also play a big role in certain corporations. Prominent items in corporations' tradition is the in (see ) and the Fest.
However, despite the enormous pressure brought to bear on the Studentenverbindungen in the years following the Nazi seizure of power (1933), many resolutely refused to expel Jewish members since to have done so would have been inimical to their founding ideals, and the values they continue to extol today.
Catholic corporations and other Christian corporations, originating from the mid of the 19th century, have been founded as a countermovement to Burschenschaften and Corps. They strictly refuse as unethical. Their s are "", "", "patria" and "" (catholic corporations) or other principles like Wingolfsbunds (Gr.) "?? ???? p??ta" - "Di henos panta!" (all through christ). In Switzerland, for example, the vast majority of existing Studentenverbindungen are members of the Schweizerischer Studentenverein - Société des Etudiants suisses (StV-SES), an organisation founded in the early 1840ies as a union of young Catholic intellectuals and politically interested students. Its members intended to serve the newly-established Swiss Confederation, as a modern nation-state based on federal principles and decentralised organisation. The association played a big role in the integration of the Catholic political minority into state institutions during the Kulturkampf period.
Today the most prospering Studentenverbindungen can be found in citys and towns with traditional liberal arts colleges and universities like Göttingen, Bonn and Heidelberg in Germany.
Tradition
In some fraternities the plays a big role. It is a regulated fight between two members of different fraternities to prove their physical and mental strength and also show their dedication to the fraternity in this extreme and rare situation. Although injuries are possible and common, they are never lethal due to well protected participants. Typical injuries include facial scars, called "Schmiss". Unlike duels (which are banned), the reason for them is not to solve affairs of honor.
Many student societies do not permit their members to fence though. Catholic and other Christian fraternities for instance, strictly forbid any because its representation of a duel is not compatible with their ideals. However, they share some part of other formal traditions of the Corps and Burschenschaften.
The traditional symbols () corporation members wear -coloured caps and ribbons- are seldom seen today at universities.
As most student associations reach back to the early to mid 19th century, tradition and rituals play a big role in all their activities.
The most common kinds of Studentenverbindungen
Despite a wide variety of Studentenverbindungen, certain kinds are prevalent; the most common types are:
Caption: wc=wearing couleur; nc=not wearing couleur; pF=practicing academic fencing; fo=academic fencing optional; nF=not practicing academic fencing
Uncommon, but influential are the academical-technical engineering clubs ("Akademischer Verein") of the Hütte and Miltenberg-Wernigeroder Ring; the "Hütte" is the publisher of one of the major engineering compendiums in Germany.
Are corporations racist, nationalist, chauvinist?
Most of the corporations consist of men only, fewer corporations are mixed-gender, and there are some corporations which consist of women only. In Austria, it is common for a men-only fraternity to sponsor a women-only sorority taking the same name with the prefix "Nova" (Latin for "New"). In Germany, there are also instances of fraternities helping fledgling sororities.
Many corporations see themselves as liberal and tolerant, whereas others (in Germany and Austria) are described rightly as deutschtümelnd . This includes supporting the idea of a greater Germany including all German speaking territories, such as Austria or the Italian province of Bolzano-Bozen. For example, the party ranks of the right wing to a large proportion consist of members of such corporations, whereas members of the mainstream centrist-conservative ) are mostly coming from Catholic corporations.
Most corporations, like , en and en allow members of any race, nationality and religion. Christian corporations may be restricted to a specific confession or Christian belief. Many Burschenschaften in Germany restrict membership to people of German heritage due to their traditional political ideals of a unified democratic Germany dating back to the early 1800s. Alleged connections between corporations and right-wing organisations are a constant issue for many left-wing s and organisations in Germany and Austria, frequently leading to public demonstrations against fraternities.
Due to the non-involvement of Switzerland in the First and Second World Wars, Swiss Studentenverbindungen have somewhat been spared the influence of Germanic and Great-German thought that can be found in some of their German and Austrian counterparts. Their members tend to be located at the centre of the political landscape, with a historical affinity towards the centrist Christian People's Party (CVP-PDC), whereas the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP-UDC) and the Liberal Right (FDP-PRD) have lesser ties with active student movements.
See also
Fraternities
- K.D.St.V. Arminia Heidelberg, member of CV
- K.St.V. Askania-Burgundia Berlin, member of KV
- K.St.V. Arminia Bonn, member of KV
- K.A.V. Lovania Leuven, affiliated with CV
- Corps Austria Frankfurt am Main, member of KSCV
- Corps Rhenania Tübingen, member of KSCV
- Corps Hannovera Göttingen, member of KSCV
- Corps Suevia Freiburg, member of KSCV
- Turnerschaft Cheruscia Göttingen
- Landsmannschaft Zaringia Heidelberg, member of CC
- A.V. Guestfalia Tübingen, member of CV
Umbrella organizations of fraternities
External links
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- in English language on German Corps (NOTE: .jpg-scans only)
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