STUDENTS in colleges not affiliated to USI face the possibility of increased costs for their USIT student identity cards and for membership of Club USI from next year.

The move to seek increases for non affiliates follows the elections to USI executive positions of Colman Byrne and Malcolm Byrne, both of whom are in favour of altering the charge structure for non affiliates.

"There has to be a cost differential between affiliates and non affiliates" said Malcolm Byrne, who is USI's incoming education officer. "We believe that any further increases should be borne outside the current membership."

Over 30,000 students in TCD, UL, UCC and Maynooth representing the majority of university students in the Republic are not affiliated to USI and would be affected by any attempt to impose a higher fee on them for student cards and student club services.

According to Malcolm Byrne, the issue of USIT card entitlements for students from non affiliated colleges had come up at hustings before the USI sabbatical elections last March and was also a topic of discussion at the recent USI southern area conference.

He said that he, along with incoming president Colman Byrne would be meeting with USIT representatives shortly to discuss the possible implementation of a cost differential in what he described as a "carrot and stick" approach to non affiliates.

The student identity card currently costs £7 and is required for the purchase of a Travelsave stamp, which entitles students to discounts on travel with CIE. Membership of Club USI costs 50p and, once again, a student identity card is required.

USIT, of which USI owns a share, are the sole agents for the card in Ireland. According to a spokesperson for USIT, no formal approach has been made as yet on the issue, although she said that it had been mentioned in the past.

The proposal has attracted widespread condemnation from student representatives in non affiliated colleges. Philip Cunningham, president of Maynooth students' union described it as a "disgrace" and said it contradicted all USI's claims to be concerned about student welfare.

"If they are looking out for student welfare and are concerned about it then they shouldn't be issuing threats like this to increase prices," he said, adding that most students found it difficult enough to make ends meet without having additional expense imposed on them by USI.

Dave Harley, acting president of UCC students' union, called the move a "bullying tactic" and said it would make it very difficult for USI to claim it was on the side of all students. "We are just as much students as anyone else and we have as much of an entitlement to the card, which is an international identity card, as anyone else," he said.

Bryan Synnott, president of UL students' union, described the proposal to impose increases on non affiliates as "an unimaginative move away from constructive dialogue" and questioned the motivation behind it. "Over the last 18 months, USI's attempts to sell the organisation in UCC, Maynooth and Trinity have not worked. Now they seem to have resorted to bullying."

David Jones of the International Student Travel Confederation in Amsterdam, the umbrella organisation behind the ISIC card scheme, said that any such proposal was a local matter to be taken up with the issuing authorities.

But he added. "The purpose of the ISIC is to provide an identity document for students who might want to travel and to enable them to increase and broaden their understanding. The corollary of that is that it should be made available on a non discriminatory basis. It is up to USI and USIT to decide if such a proposal is going to stand in the way of making cards available to students."