Student Periodical Schärfer bitte!

Rituals with meanings obscure to bystanders is a proven means to foster group cohesion and transmit a sense of exclusivity. The magazine published by the student trade association for mechanical engineers and chemical engineers achieves this with its puzzling title, Schärfer bitte! (Sharper Please!). It is rumored that the name originated from a frequently made call to the slide projector operator during mechanical engineering lectures at Karlsruhe University in the 1980s. Its content, however, is keenly tailored to its audience. The association reports about its events not just toward promoting sociability but primarily toward developing social skills and clarifying career goals. Study-related information features prominently, including exam schedules, updates on curriculum changes, faculty council reports, and interviews of professors. The magazine also offers guidance for students in their personal lives. A serialized story sensitively portrays the student “Hänschen,” as the “quintessential mechanical engineer,” who often goes to his mother’s house to get his laundry done, and eventually overcomes his problems with socializing and finds a date. Unsurprisingly, the publication shows little sympathy, if at all, for university administrators or Ministry of Science officials. It seems that every chance is grasped to subject them to criticism, mockery, and biting satire. kn