New YU-card contest for students features iPod Nanos as prizes

It’s more than just photo ID. The YU-card can be a lucrative proposition. Just ask the winners of the most recent student YU-card promotion.

York students Samantha Schleese, Rupinder Saini and Anna Wheeler each added $250 to their YU-card and won $1,000, $500 and $250 in YU-card money in a random draw.

In the upcoming student YU-card promotion, students who use their YU-card between Jan. 2 and Feb. 1, 2008, will have a chance to win one of three iPod Nanos. It’s just one of many YU-card promotions offered by the YU-card office throughout the year, including one for faculty and staff that’s on right now (see the Nov. 20, 2007 issue of YFile).

"We thought we’d try something different this time," said Anthony Barbisan (right), acting director of the YU-card program. "Students always seem to like iPods."

One quick swipe and three different students could be listening to tunes from their new iPod Nano on the way to class.

The YU-card can be used at 52 retail and food outlets, including the York University Bookstores, across Keele and Glendon campuses. It can also be used at the new snack vending machine in the William Small Centre on the Keele campus. Over the next few months, another 14 snack vending machines that accept YU-cards will be added at various locations on the Keele and Glendon campuses.

Left: The YU-card

"For students, faculty and staff, the YU-card vending machines are great because they don’t have to search for change to get a quick snack," Barbisan said. "The YU-cards can also help students budget their money, and they can check their balances or add money to their cards online."

The YU-cards can save students, faculty and staff money as well. There are no service fees or transaction fees for using the YU-card.

On average, there is a YU-card debit purchase every 15 seconds at York with students spending close to $5 million using their YU-cards last year alone.

For details, visit the YU-card Web site.