Spinning karaoke during sports organisation Thymos’ lustrum celebration earlier this year. Photo Guy Ackermans UPDATE: The student unions have launched a petition on Thursday afternoon, calling on the House of Representatives to reconsider their policy and keep student sports affordable. The petition was signed 1500 times within hours.
Students stand up against the restriction of sports facilities in higher education with hard protests and by reaching out to Representatives in the House.
The announcement was made out of the blue. A price hike in student sports for students and employees of universities and colleges. UNL, the association of universities, warns that the price of sports cards may increase by as much as 500 euros per year. This is due to the fact that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has “clarified” the financial rules for higher education. Teaching institutes may only spend funds on education, research and the dissemination of knowledge. And not on sports (or culture, cafeterias, etc.)
120 thousand members
‘Disastrous, to put it mildly’, says Luuk Minnaar, Studentensport Nederland chair. There are some 120 thousand secondary and tertiary education students who practice sports, he says. Moreover, some four hundred student sports clubs use the sports centres.
Minnaar expects a downward spiral: if the prices increase, fewer students will buy sports cards, causing the prices to increase even further. While working out has numerous benefits, such as decreasing healthcare expenditure. ‘Researchers claim that the societal gains are 2.76 times the costs,’ Minnaar states.
Student sports hold a long tradition within tertiary education. Many sports associations go back decades. Some rowing associations were founded as far back as the nineteenth century. Wageningen’s rowing association Argo, was founded over one hundred years ago. Student sports associations have the same benefits as other clubs: you can make friends and develop yourself. Students gain relevant experience in committees and on boards.
Hard action
The National Student Union (LSVb) says ‘time is ripe for hard action’ now that the cabinet is endangering student health. LSVb chair Abdelkader Karbache: ‘This coalition once again bullies students.’ When asked to reveal how the union will respond, he says: ‘We could row in the royal pond in The Hague or take vuvuzelas to the ministry.’ Adding: ‘Hopefully, the House of Representatives will block the plan. We will await their response first.’
Student organisations are endeavouring to address the issue with political parties. ‘This is a serious blow for student sports associations’, says Mylou Miché, chair of the Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg. She claims that the policy is already causing a negative impact as investments in sports facilities are being postponed. She hopes the House of Representatives will call the minister to order. ‘Let’s make an exception for student sports. Sports should not vanish simply because rules are interpreted differently all of a sudden.’
State attorney
Minister Eppo Bruins of OCW persists in his position. He wants to safeguard the ‘limits of public spending’ and protect the market from disruptions. He bases his position on the state attorney’s advice. However, this recommendation also states that exceptions can be made for things that serve the general public. Local administrations have made such exceptions ‘to offer sports facilities at less than the market value’, the recommendation states. ‘The policy does not include such exceptions, but they can be made.’
