As employees and students with a Union Plus Card may have heard already, a new sports and culture card will be introduced in the academic year 2005-2006. A new price, new options and a new name: the Student Union Activity Card (SUAC).
It was obvious to many that the Union Plus Card in its current form had become outdated. The card was inflexible and expensive for students. A year of extensive discussions between the Student Union, the sports council, Apollo, DiSC, the Sports Center and Vrijhof Cultural Center has produced a new version. `We chose to integrate as much as possible into one card,' explains Wout van der Heijden, Student Union board member. With that, previous plans to create separate cards for sports and culture disappeared. `We're still convinced of the ideas behind the campus: a diverse offering of sports and culture, paid for by everyone.'
Van der Heijden: `We succeeded in doing that, because we managed to expand the card's options. Apart from the existing facilities, the new card allows you to use the swimming pool, the tennis courts and all studios. In the current situation, you have to buy a separate pass to use those facilities. That situation was undesirable because it brought extra rules and administration.'
Apart from the expanded offer, a Student Union Activity Card can be purchased for half a year. That makes the card of particular interest to international students and students who are about to start an internship or graduate.
A remarkable detail is that the price of the new card will be lower for students (from 55 to 50 euros) and higher for employees (from 65 to 100 euros). Van der Heijden: `It is certainly not the case that we could lower the price for students because the price for employees has gone up. We could lower the cost for students because we streamlined our administrative overhead. Internally, we agreed that it was undesirable and unfair to force students to pay the same price as employees and third parties, as has been the case for years.'
One wish of the Union, Apollo and the sports council is to allow holders of the activity card to participate in open rehearsal or trainings of sport and culture associations, so that there is an accessible way to be introduced to sports and culture. `That can be of particular importance to international students. As far as we are concerned, there will be more open trainings.'
The new Student Union Activity Card can be purchased starting in June, priced at 50 euros for students and 100 euros for employees. For students, the price becomes 60 euros when purchased after September. The price of a semester card is 40 euros for students and 70 euros for employees. Last year, 4007 students, 385 employees and 327 third parties purchased a Union Plus Card.
More information: www.suac.nl.
Trans. Jeroen Latour
