Crea and USC fear higher prices after minister’s decision
OCW Minister Eppo Bruins wants to end the public funding of university sports and cultural activities, such as Crea and the University Sports Centre (USC). This is because it creates unfair competition, the minister believes. The UvA calls it “bureaucracy gone mad” and continues to support Crea and the USC.
Crea and the University Sports Centre (USC) will have to fend for themselves in the future. At least that is the wish of Minister Bruins of OCW, who considers culture and sports as “private activities”, which should therefore no longer be paid for with public money, which is the case now.
The UvA receives an annual state subsidy from the ministry, also known as the lump sum, and then distributes that money internally. Crea and the University Sports Centre (USC) also receive part of it. This allows them to offer activities for relatively low prices.
This is unfair, the minister believes: it distorts the market. After all, general sports centres or cultural institutions do not always get this financial support and thus have to charge higher prices. In the letter he sent to education boards, catering and sports facilities are mentioned as private activities, as are possibly university museums.
Surreal
At least the canteens at the UvA will not be affected. They have one hundred per cent commercial contracts and are therefore not dependent on the UvA. The situation is different at Crea and the USC, which are subsidised by the HvA in addition to the UvA. If that is discontinued, Crea will have to raise prices. A “surreal experience”, Crea director Dennis van Galen calls it. “For it to now seem to be pre-sorted from politics into a landscape in higher education where culture is now being made inaccessible (because expensive) for students is incomprehensible.”
The letter exempts Studium Generalia, places that make academic knowledge accessible to a wide audience, from the new rule. According to Van Galen, Crea fulfils exactly that role at the UvA with the courses, lectures and debates it offers. “Article 1.3(5) of the Higher Education Act states precisely that institutions like the UvA should not only transfer knowledge, but also promote student’ personal development and sense of social responsibility,” Van Galen said. “Crea fulfils this mission concretely on a daily basis.”
USC will be equally affected by the decision. The only question is how hard. “The minister speaks of break-even,” says USC director Marco Hoekstra. “That means that not one euro can come from the university or college and that we as USC have to bear all costs ourselves. We have 22,000 members: 12,000 students and 1,500 staff. Students now pay 19 euros a month, employees 33 euros. To break even, we will soon be talking about amounts of more than 50 euros a month. Students are not going to pay that.”
OCW spokesmen, on the other hand, talk about “in line with the market”, says Hoekstra. “And we are already reasonably so: a monthly subscription costs 19 euros with us. At Basicfit, it’s about 25 euros. So if we have to increase, we could: the organisation will still hold up.” Hoekstra pulls up with the other USCs in the country, jointly assisted by Universities of the Netherlands.
Benefit for entire sports market
Hoekstra thinks the interpration that USCs are distorting the market with lower fees is incorrect. “In many cases, these are students who otherwise would never have taken up sport. On average, a student is a member of a USC for less than two years, then graduates and fans out to other commercial sports providers or civic clubs. The habit of sports is laid at USCs, the whole sports market benefits from that.”
Jan Lintsen, member of the Executive Board, says the UvA will continue to try to change the ministry’s mind. “It is bureaucracy gone mad, this is not a cutback for the ministry or anything like that. It is the wrong kind of market thinking, with very detrimental effects: it is precisely student sport and culture that contribute to students’ development and well-being. You have to preserve that.” The UvA therefore wants to keep supporting Crea and USC financially. “Even in times of austerity, we want to contribute to accessible sports and culture for students. The ministry should welcome that instead of thwarting it.”
The Allard Pierson, which is also formally subsidised by the UvA, could also fall under OCW's new policy rule. But that depends: “knowledge transfer for the benefit of society” can fall under both a public and private activity. And that in turn makes a difference between getting a state subsidy or not. The Allard Pierson itself could not be reached for comment.
