Freshers at York are being swamped by a host of different organisations asking for their money, but should they be targeting students?

As a fresher I’m sure your current view of University life is nothing less than idyllic. You envision a haven filled with hundreds of attractive young things all grappling for your attention, surrounded by a meadow filled with daisies, butterflies and a humungous barrel of beer. I’m afraid to say that, although University is fun, encased in this glossy bubble of joy are money-hungry sharks with their own agendas, all wanting a slice of your student loan.

Some of the many culprits who come to mind are the NUS, some college JCRs (Junior Common Rooms) and your very own University, all of which have recently introduced new schemes which involve you paying large sums of money upfront for services which have hardly improved on last year. In fact if this week you decide to purchase the ‘brand new’ NUS Extra card for £10, the Halifax college Xtra card for £30, the Derwent college card for £10 and all three terms of the new campus food card selling at an immense £1350 then you have already spent £1400. Your student loan isn’t feeling too healthy now, is it?

Currently the card which has received the most controversy nationally is the new NUS Extra card which, as Nouse’s investigation has revealed, offers little in the way of improved discounts on the free NUS Democracy card. Priced at £10, it is clear that, despite the promises of the National Union of Students to be representative of students, they are in fact taking the money to alleviate their own growing debt problem which has developed from years of mismanagement and bad financial policy. Furthermore, for them to promise students so much more, then not even communicate properly with the relevant companies is an infuriating betrayal of their own values.

Perhaps causing more controversy locally is Halifax and James College’s decision to introduce discount cards to their events. For example, Sam Bayley, the President of Halifax thinks that it is a good idea to charge his constituents £30 for the pleasure of a few cheap gimmicks and getting into bar event Xtra for £1. As you poor freshers reading this will soon find, having the pleasure of going to Xtra several times a term is nobody’s idea of fun and you will no doubt feel the need to melt your card into the shape of a Sam Bayley voodoo doll before long.

Despite these new schemes, the gaping hole in your pocket will be undoubtedly formed by the University’s new ‘MAD’ idea (no seriously, it’s actually called MAD). The £1350 per year scheme is a complete betrayal of what the University promised prospective students, and whoever thought that the Roger Kirk Centre really does provide you with your five a day is indeed a fool.

For some students, this overpriced joke is actually reality, with many freshers from Derwent, Langwith, Goodricke and Vanbrugh faced with a kitchen crisis of epic proportions. The genius which we associate with our University planners has once again come to the fore as they apparently realised the day before many students arrived back in halls that their planned kitchen refurbishment was not going to be finished.

It is also the problem for many who returned this week of having a kitchen which looks completely normal apart from the small problem of having no fridge, no cooker (or Baby-Belling) and no toaster. If you’re lucky you may have been given a plug socket to plug your own appliances into, if not then it looks like you’re going for a tasty chicken burger in the Roger Kirk tonight.

On a more serious note, the truth is none of these cards should be required for you to live a healthy student life. In fact many help you to live a much unhealthier one. These schemes are simply being introduced to benefit the three organisations which are supposed to uphold your rights as a student. NUS, JCRs and the University are playing a dangerous game by backing students into a corner and it threatens to destroy the trust of many students even at such an early stage in the academic year.

For the situation to improve, all three organisations must realise that, despite their eagerness to solve their short-term financial difficulties, their long-term financial problems will be solved by building a student body which trusts their judgement and what they advertise.

So next time the University tells you that there will be kitchens in your block, that there will really be a place to cook your meals, and the next time NUS promises extra discounts with their £10 card you won’t feel that you have been lied to by your very own Students’ Union. After all, if they don’t stick up for our interests then who will?

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