Also easier to prove/show you are a student for gettings discounts for e.g. excursions

Also nice for discounts in other countries. It has happened to me that they would not accept my digital card as proof of being a student, and that I missed out on deals/opportuniteit to visit musea for example or other cultural activities.

I despise the deeply integrated IT infrastructure. I'd compare the UU to a smart toaster that can't work because it has to update its software to include artificial intelligence.

'- the digital student card does not have the EU certified student card logo and is fully in Dutch, making it difficult to use it to get a student discount outside of the Netherlands (for example to access a museum while on vacation). Often, it kind of ends up like "I'm a student, just trust me. My university doesn't offer physical student cards for some reason" and then it's up to the poor employee having to judge whether or not I'm lying. It is awkward, frustrating, and entirely avoidable by simply having an internationally recognised card like everyone else. - loading the app, logging in, and using the 2FA takes a lot of time, which often results in me causing a delay and making people wait. This creates frustration in me, the person serving me and people behind me in line. If I'm on my phone in line to open it in advance that's rude, if I don't have it open yet that's also rude. You cannot win. And ofc there is the often recurring frustrating situation where an employee asks for my student card, I go to open the app, this takes forever, a line forms behind me, and RIGHT as I'm almost there, the employee goes "Never mind, I believe you're a student". In short, the long time it takes to start up makes it frustrating and unpleasant to use, causing trouble to not just myself but also others. - It is above here as well, but I cannot stress enough how annoying it is to need to have a charged phone with access to wifi or 4G on you at all times. It makes navigating the world if your phone dies or breaks, or if you're in a place without 4G or wifi nearly impossible. Not to mention that not everyone can afford unlimited data. And especially when studying! It is well-known that having your phone on your person when studying makes it harder to concentrate. The n1 study tip every professional gives is to put your phone in a different room. What does the university do? Make this physically impossible! It makes no sense to me.

Convenience, due to the forced login+2FA required to access the digital card (~40s)

When I have been in foreign countries, I sometimes don’t have 4G and then it doesn’t work. Even if it does work, I have often had it that the person looking at the app either does not understand what is going on or does not speak English or Dutch. I am then unable to use it, or, for instance, have gotten fined on public transport for having a student ticket when I am unable to prove that I am one.

I have made a deliberate choice not to have a smartphone anymore due to distractions. It is a hassel to get into the library without one. It would be nice to still be able to prove my identity without the use of a smartphone

I don't have any mobile phone, just a landline

I don't have a smartphone, so I have to use a printout of my declaration of enrollment. This does not get accepted all of the time.

I don't have a smartphone so I have to carry a printed version of my enrollment in my pocket which breaks down over time due to moist and the scrubbing of clothing. Oh and by the way, if you want to print it you have to make a screenshot of the enrollment in Osiris which you have to put in a new document, for you do not have the rights to print it straight away.

By the way, this dependence on digital infrastructure does unfortunately not only apply to the university. On the one hand there are concerns that, children and students spend too much time on their smartphones, on the other hand society, and UU being a frontrunner, implements more and more dependencies on technology.

Especially when travelling abroad, lots of things like museums require student cards for discounts. This often at remote places where internet is hard to come by. Also, I wouldnt find it nearly as annoying if you didnt need to log in and 2fa each time you wanted to show your card. Even in the queue for Artis lately, I had to show my student card. Oh one second let me just enter my number and password and 2fa and code and whatever, all just to show my card.

I recently got a smartphone and am thinking of getting rid of it. Currently there's a lot of research on the impacts of smartphones (environmental, social, psychological). I think a university should be the one place where we are able to act on our critical thinking. Not being able to study without a smartphone is the consequence of the choice UU is now making. Is that dependence really necessary? Also, a smartphone is another expected expense from the university which assumes a certain financial ability.