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Union Cards no more

Oct 01 2004 17:28

Darth Nit

Only your swipe card will be needed to join clubs, a magic link to registry means that they are not compulsory

Don't be silly, not these ones

Just in case you don?t know, this year there won?t be a compulsory union card in order to join clubs. The union card was a way to see proof of student status, something that is not needed this year due to a link with registry?s updated system. The union card only became compulsory for anyone wanting to vote in ICU elections or join a club last year.

ICU will not being issuing ULU cards either. Imperial College students will not require a ULU card to vote in ULU elections and an Imperial College swipe card will be acceptable for entry into ULU bars and ULU leagues.

Sincerely

Darth Nit

On behalf of the Poor Union Reception Staff

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Discussion about “Union Cards no more”

The comments below are unmoderated submissions by Live! readers. The Editor accepts no liability for their content, nor for any offence caused by them. Any complaints should be directed to the Editor.

1. ic girl

Oct 03 2004 00:13

will u need a union card for elections this year?

2. Fly on the wall

Oct 03 2004 10:43

From what I have heard you will not need a union card for elections and none are going to be issued.

3. lala

Oct 03 2004 12:22

Surely this will make it even harder to obtain student discounts? Even the ULU cards got, at the least, dodgy looks outside of London. Without the immortal word ?union? on the swipecard few people will accept it as proof of student-hood. Imperial College is understandably confused by some people as being a sixth form college.

If the objective is to cut costs, the future, the swipecard should be modified to have ?ULU? written on it. Making the swipecard look less ugly would be a welcome side effect.

4. another ic girl

Oct 03 2004 14:04

Most discounts only apply to NUS outside London anyway. Any girls here ever tried to get a discount in any clothes/shoe shops outside London?

5. Simon

Oct 04 2004 09:04

lala,

my understanding is that the college "communications" department have refused to alter the appearance of the swipe card because it would dilute the corporate brand of "Imperial College London". I believe they may even have asked why we are not called "Imperial College London Union"!

I can totally agree with you, though, because I have had a cinema refuse to take my IC card as proof of student status. They claimed it was a library card.

6. Starbuck

Oct 04 2004 09:18

What makes me really pissed off with a lot of this "your card looks like a sixth form college" type thing is that a lot of places will accept ISIC cards as proof of student status. Well I got my first ISIC card, legally, aged 14! Go figure.

7. Darth Nit

Oct 04 2004 10:23

ULU cards will not be issued this year either. please see your CSC exec for more details

8. H@t

Oct 04 2004 20:47

Darth, I dont see what a CSC has to do with ULU cards.... Please do shed some light...

9. Jon

Oct 05 2004 00:16

On the plus side, no more bloody passport photo's...

10. C!

Oct 05 2004 22:45

"No more passport photos?" - so you didn't cut the one out of your previous union card each year then...

11. lala

Oct 06 2004 16:49

I don't want an ISIC card. It shouldn't be necessary. We're students! It?s our inherent right to discounts / free stuff!! I really really feel this hasn't been thought through at all.

ULU cards are (were) accepted out of London. My local cinema, rymans, levis and quite a few others, all accept my ULU card. Faith (shoes?) also accepts ULU cards. Nowhere I?ve tried accepts the swipecard.

I'm still not sure whether we can (with difficulty) get ULU cards still? Are any being issued? Whose idea was this?

12. Perversia

Oct 07 2004 13:22

I just think it's mad that I should have to go out and pay for a ISIC card just because it's 'easier' (read cheaper) not to produce union cards. No where will accept my swipecard and I don't see why we should be discriminated against just because the union choose not to be part of the NUS either.

13. James Robinson

Oct 07 2004 18:06

The union didn't choose not to be part of the NUS, the students did in a referendum in 2002.

14. Nia

Oct 07 2004 19:46

I'm a little confused by the note on the front page of today's Felix saying "The decision was taken in the absence of the President and without the input of the Union's Executive Committee" but it doesn't state which student officer(s) did make the decision.

Not that cards are necessarily good or bad or whatever but it'd be nice to know who authorised the decision.

15. The Rogue Sailor

Oct 08 2004 10:12

James, I hate to tell you this, but the union IS the students. That's what union means.

16. ant

Oct 08 2004 11:45

So what are we meant to hand over when we sign union keys out of Beit security, it used to be you handed over your union card. Theres no way i'm handing over my swipecard for them to keep.

17. pkonline

Oct 22 2004 14:24

Rather than merging the union and swipe card, they've just got rid of the union card. The union may think the only point of a union card is so that they can have our info. But for most students, the union card is very important for getting discounts etc. It's hard enough getting discounts with the ICU card, was getting better with the ICU/ULU card but it looks pretty hopeless!

Many unis have joint security/library/union cards which look good and have all the necessary info on them - why can't we?

18. New IC Student

Sep 21 2005 13:29

Hi there.

Anyone know what the situation with union cards is - is it the same as last year? Can we get ULU cards too?

Thanks in advance!

19. Andrea

Oct 04 2005 09:11

NO but I'd like to know, as a full time student at Imperial last year I got all my student discount using a NUS card from night school where I attended 1 course of evening classes. This was accepted all over the country. My swipe card was often refused or only accepted with suspicion.

Closed This discussion is closed.