Back in the days, about half of the students were members of METKA. As a result, operations were broader and, in a sense, more established. There were more board members and employees. This was because the student card and benefits were only available through the purchase of student union membership. You couldn’t for example get VR’s train ticket discount without a student card, which you only could get by buying a membership. Then the student cards were released and you no longer had to join any organization to get a student ID. For METKA, this meant a significant reduction in membership.
Membership and history of student cards
Not nearly all Metropolia students are members of METKA. Currently, about 1,350 Metropolia students have joined METKA. In 2018, METKA had approximately 6,500 members.
The reason for the dramatic drop in membership was the deliberate decision of METKA’s Council of Representatives to release a digital student card for all Metropolia students. So why in the world did METKA abandon its student card monopoly, take the risk of losing income and make the student card available for all students?
The risk was conscious and the METKA was prepared for the drop in its budget. By increasing the membership fee, it was possible to partially ensure the continuation of operations. The development towards the current situation started already in 2015. At that time Ministry of Education and Culture intended to create a data register in which data related to the studies of all Finnish students would be collected. In other words, information on who is a student and who is not would be available from the register.
A register called the VIRTA has since been introduced and it soon became apparent that the ability of student unions to manage students’ right to study information would be reduced or eliminated completely.
Today, students use mainly digital student cards. METKA has not produced plastic student cards since 2019 because METKA does not have a valid agreement with the card supplier. Plastic student cards have a semester sticker indicating the validity of the membership. Stickers were only (and still are) received from the student union.
The future of membership
Meeting the desire of members and needs of METKA is another issue. If students do not feel that METKA’s activities meet their needs, they will not join. METKA’s role is twofold. On the other hand, the activities should promote the interests of the entire student field. On the other hand, METKA should promote the community spirit of its members.
After the reduction in the number of members, the income has decreased, and the effects of the decrease have not yet been fully understood. If the activity is to be maintained at the previous level, then the number of members should be brought back to the previous level or funding should be gotten elsewhere. The third option is to adapt operations to the current economy.
The University of Applied Sciences Act speaks of both “students” and “members”. So for whom should METKA really do something? When METKA does something for all students and when only for those who have paid the membership fee? At the moment, METKA does not check whether the person is a member or not, in cases like advocacy or harassment. METKA helps everyone. Tutors are also not required to become members. Although membership fees cover some of the work time spent on tutor trainings and part of salaries.
Student unions of Universities still have so-called compulsory membership. The financing of their activities has thus been secured despite the student card reform. The student unions of Universities of Applied Sciences, on the other hand, are constantly struggling with the situation. However, the problem is known nationwide, and in December the Ministry of Education and Culture appointed a liquidator, Tapio Varmola, to consider solutions. The study is expected to be completed during the spring.
This post is also available in Suomi.