Quackers

Have you got anything else – with a date on it?… – the question asked again and again to University of York students producing the duck card in attempt to gain the student discount that we should receive!
Admittedly, the majority of shops in York accept our ‘Student Card;’ it seems they feel (some of) our pain. However, venture out of York and lo and behold the card becomes less useful and vaguely embarrassing. I find myself getting increasingly angry when the card is questioned, subsequently to be rejected, and whilst 10% off may not seem like much it does make a difference!

It was only last year that Topshop in York altered its policy on the card, a breath of relief for many, I’m sure. However, there are many places even in York that don’t accept the card, an example being the York Vue Cinema.
A blog report on the YUSU website, posted May 2009 by the then Services and Finance Officer claims significant progress was made on improving the student ID card (aka DUCK card) – for in 2009 it would feature the NUS logo and the YUSU logo. It also mentions featuring a date of birth, all of which passed into what is now your university student card.

The Union General Meeting (UGM), Thursday Week 4 contained a motion put forward by Clare Walker to improve the ‘DUCK card’ by getting YUSU sabbatical reps to pressure the University into changing the design of the card to make it look more professional, with student details such as name and date of birth on the front and to replace the duck with the university crest.

My personal view, and it seemed a few others in the room were in agreement, was that this motion seemed to miss the point as to what’s missing with the student card – an EXPIRY DATE!

YUSU President Tim Ngwena, in Walker’s absence, ‘explained’ that the lack of an expiry date on the card (rendering it fairly useless) was out of the hands of YUSU, a decision made by the University and their lawyers. Apparently, the card cannot feature an expiry date because it restricts the ‘freedom of mobility’ of international students and can impact their visas and their right to stay in the UK, seemingly as an expiry date of a degree may not exactly coincide with time allowed to reside in the UK.

So I understand how YUSU believe that this is something out of their hands, but surely it’s their job on behalf of the student body to lobby the University to make changes important to students. It was said, rather at the UGM, that if students wish to bring this issue up, they can challenge it themselves with Heslington Hall (hmm… I wonder how easy this would be in practice).
Other universities with plenty of international students do carry valid student cards with expiry dates; Warwick do, and (according to thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk) the percentage of international students studying there is almost 20%, nearly double that of York. So correct me if I’m wrong, but is it not unjust that 12% of the population of York’s student body can restrict the other 88% who would otherwise carry a fully functioning student card?

This is not ‘pointing the blame’ at students from overseas because obviously the issue is not their fault and I fail to see how a library card, as it basically is, can restrict residence in the UK as surely they have papers that show how long their visa is valid.

Ngwena did mention that there are licensing laws that vary depending on the town, which may be another reason why the card lacks the fundamental date, but I for one believe that there is more to be done to improve the card than banishing the duck.