Our lecturer Andreas Seier passed away on Monday night. He was by far not only a colleague to me, but above all a reliable friend and, together with his husband Tim, a constant companion since I moved to Dortmund.
Andreas was a child of the Ruhr region and a self-confessed left-wing local patriot of Bochum. He grew up in a typical working-class family in the city, which was still dominated by coal and steel at the time, and attended the municipal grammar school there, bringing home grades that I would never have dared to dream of in my A-levels. He became involved in the Young Democrats/Young Left, the Asta of Ruhr University Bochum, discovered his homosexuality and was infected with the then new HIV virus as a young man. This was at a time when it was still considered a certain death sentence. But he was lucky and belonged to the first generation of those who learned to live with the virus thanks to medical progress. And Andreas did this impressively: based on his steady partnership and later marriage to Tim, he enjoyed life to the full and I think he got everything out of it that he could.
Get to know
I got to know Andreas and Tim through a mutual friend when I started working at the UAS. They were both a reliable anchor for me in all crises and good times. Our evenings together usually turned into long discussions. Andreas gave me an understanding of the history and social development of the city. Both also showed me places, provided me with information on cycle routes and special places in the Ruhr area that I didn't know and would never have found without them. What attracted me so much was a special mood in the conversations: a tremendous liberality, a perpetual sense of humor, freedom of thought and an openness to the different, the special, the weird and the supposedly normal at the same time. There was no devaluation of others, no standing over them and a fundamental solidarity with everyone who was not doing well.
Participation in teaching research project
During the coronavirus semesters, I brought Andreas to the UAS as a lecturer and conducted teaching research with him on poverty in the Ruhr region. This was not easy in several respects. First of all, he lacked all the formal requirements for a teaching position. I am still grateful to my supervisor today that, as an exception, he followed the reasoning that some people may not have papers, but they have a whole life with them that students can learn a lot from. However, teaching research in times of contact restrictions and online teaching was hardly possible and also no fun. Nevertheless, Andreas - perhaps without always realizing it - opened doors for students to worlds they didn't know, but should get to know. He used his contacts to talk to students with people in poverty and in difficult situations and the students learned from this.
On Monday night, Andreas died at home in the presence of his husband. He was suffering from the consequences of Longcovid. I miss him very much and my thoughts are with Tim, his parents and his many friends.