YUSU to campaign for improved University cards
A motion to campaign the University for better identity cards for York students has been passed after the last Union General Meeting.
Presented by Chris Northwood at the YUSU UGM on the 5th February, the motion then received 286 votes in an online vote, with only 8 against and 9 abstaining.
The motion criticises the University of York “duck” card, currently issued to all students. It claims the lack of an expiry date makes the card an unacceptable form of ID at many places in York, with staff frequently failing to acknowledge it as proof of student identification alone, in addition to students away from York during holidays or sandwich courses.
York students were previously entitled to a free “NUS Democracy” card, in 2007 the “NUS Extra” discount card become the only YUSU issued card, forcing students to pay £10 for a card which is only valid for 1 year.
In December, Northwood originally campaigned to re-introduce the old “NUS Democracy” card, but the motion was rejected by the YUSU trustee board on the basis that the manpower and resources needed to give out the cards could not be justified. Whilst Northwood maintains that the “NUS Democracy” card would “probably still be the best route”, he states that trying to improve the York student card is “the next best thing”.
Following the motion, YUSU will now campaign to create a more widely acceptable and useful student card. YUSU Societies and Communications Officer Rory Shanks commented, “personally I think this is an incredibly sensible idea, and I’m aware that most of the stakeholders in regards to the University Card think it is too.”
Shanks went on to state that the Union and the University will soon be holding a meeting to discuss putting expiry dates on cards, which he expects to be implemented by October 2009. Although he does not know how possible it is, Shanks says that YUSU have already contacted organisations like NUS and ISIC to ask about logos on cards. There has not yet been any response.
Northwood admits that “motions get passed all the time for things to be campaigned for” which do not always come to fruition, but he “remains hopeful” that the Union will succeed in transforming the card.
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I’m sure that those mandated will go for it as much as anything else. I know I would. Hopefully we can get a resolution that means our cards are more than just poor pieces of plastic that occasionally are the only things accepted and occasionally aren’t accepted at all. Good luck to YUSU!
The advantage of the lack of expiry is that many ex students can also get discounts
so not all bad! The only places that haven’t accepted them are like McDonalds, Vue even with its NUS thing accepts them without question.
The NUS card is a bit of a con to be honest to students though, I understand they need the cash but they are tricking students into effectively paying for a union that should be paid for them (isnt it something to do with money mismanagement a few years ago that has left them in a very bad state?). Students get discounts because they’re students, not because they have a special card.
Although the thing about money management is effectively hearsay, what I heard from a friend of a friend etc.
*YUSU win*