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When the first rumour spread around among students about the new chip card nobody knew anything particular concerning its function and use. Some hazy idea, though, had developed in the students' minds owing to those priviliged personalities who were on good terms with the members of the Student Council and who, in this way, could give out information about the expected date and mode of introduction. Of course, as it usually happens when people talk about something which has not come into existence, some features of this misterious card were streched such as its capability of fulfilling the role of credit cards, too. Though this expectation and the like turned out to be false, now we know that, coming from its multifunctionality, chip cards could easily maintain this function as well. Beside uncertainty there was one more thing which induced a tiny bit of an antagonistic feeling towards chip cards. This was the always tiring and longlasting administration work. For a week the whole university was standing in a queue. We stood there with the lack of understanding and with a growing impatience because we could not imagine what had taken so long to produce that "famous" chip card.

Now, having it at our disposal we tend to forget about all the bad things. What these cards mean to us, students, is a very convenient, very well-designed student card that we can be proud of in the whole nation.

First, let's make a short comparison between the regular student card and the chip card. As for the material, traditional student ID is made of paper which results in the fact that after a year students usually can show but a shabby, torn-into-pieces document which , in addition, turns out to be too big to be put into pockets. Moreover, being faithful to the typical Hungarian way of empasizing the tremendous amount of paper work, it contains superfluous pages reserved for superfluous documentation. Only the front cover in itself would do what a student card is designed for. It contains a photo, the name of the student, who knows for what reason the name of the student's mother which could be replaced with permanent residency, and of course the indispensable stamps showing the valildity.

The rest of the document is a simple waste of material and effort. Though the personal health identification section is a nice and useful idea to be inserted, it has been empty since it was released from print as well as places of stamps to be given by the doctor in order to justify that the student is capable of doing sports. The last few pages of the regular student ID contain the specification of by what means of transport students are allowed to travel and the validity. Again, here I feel some kind of a redundancy. Since in Hungary students use either the coach or the train as a means or travelling home I am not convinced about the need for such a precise and detailed registration of it. If a student card is valid, which is proven by the stamps, then it comes natural that the owner can use publec transport and enjoy the 70 per cent student discount.

In contrast to the traditional student ID, the newly introduced chip card is a sight for sore eyes. It is a simple plastic card with a built-in chip and a line code in order to be able to maintain its multifunctional task. Only the necessary data can be seen on the surface -the name and address of the university and the student, a photo of the student and a hologram indicating the validity of the card. Beside its original function chip cards serve as monthly tickets in local public transport; in book stores they are accepted as a means of payment up to a certain previously determined amount of money; if it is set, it can open doors protected by number codes and it could be used as telephone cards if the contract between the university and CENTROPHONE had been realised.

Apart from their various functions chip cards carry a more important feature. Though we are aware of the fact that there is nothing in this world which could not be forged, it is evident that there are shifts concerning difficulty. Comparing chip cards to usual student cards , the former one is much safer in this respect. Even if someone finds a lost chip card he cannot much use of it since it is protected by a pin code which is known exclusively by the owner of the card. Today it is a well-known fact that selling student IDs is a great business. In Budapest a new card costs 2500Fts with a stamp in it valid for that given semester. Additional stamps for the following semesters can be obtained for 500Fts each. The necessary stamps are either stolen or forged by indigo paper. I do not think anyone would argue that the overall introduction of chip cards at Hungarian universities would in no time break down this business.

Also other practical reasons stand behind the idea of the application of chip card. Its esthetic features like its simple but attractive design, or its standardised size, which is just the same as that of credit cards, make it very appealing. It is half the size of the regular student card, it is flat, so it can easily be slided into a pocket or a vallet. Though at some places, presenting the traditional student ID entitles students to certain discounts, these opportunities are few and limited. Chip cards, on the other hand, can do much more. Simply by having it, students automatically become members of the Eastern Bridge International Club which offers students a 5-15 per cent discount in several shops in Hungary. These cards seem to be better adjusted to students' demands and expectations.

Chip cards are nice to show to the bus driver, to the ticket controller, to other students, to anybody. Chip cards have changed the definition of students. They carry a meaning which is associated with other card owners like businessmen or any other trustworthy people. Cards represent authority. Chip cards for students also represent authority as well as responsibility. So far, in several cases students were reported as cheats by Pannon Volán. We have to admit that none of us is an exception. We worked hard to make the best possible forged versions of monthly tickets used on buses. We, with poker face, lied to the bus driver or the ticket inspector about the wherabouts of our hometowns which, of course, always depended on our actual target. When caught, we students have become the focus of poky eyes, and every passenger associated this one false act with studenthood. We exposed ourselves to degradation and disrespect.

And now, at least and luckily here in Pécs, it is over. Chip cards have changed the way we look at things and the way others look at us. On buses we hardly face any problems, what more, passengers shot curious glances trying to find out what these plastic cards can be which they see more and more frequently in the hands of young people. Drivers and ticket inspectors nod friendly when we pull out our cards from the pockets. They know that there is no danger of "playing with false cards". When among other students, we are glad to see their surprise that our university, according to their opinion, has already entered the 21st century. Regardless its rank in Hungary JPU has something to show up. Students of other universities and colleges cannot but express their envy at our individual chip cards, and all what we in turn can wish to them is that hopefully they will have the same in the future.

We, students of JPU, are lucky in this respect. We have been through the longlasting preparation work and it is only the freshmen who have to line up for registration and photo but the whole process has been made to be smoother and shorter in time than it used to be at the beginning.

Chip cards are pointing towards the future. The university can broaden its services and we can make use of our state of being students more effectively. One such example could be the door opener function of the chip card. On the one hand, it can be taken as a trust from the part of the university. It can happen in the near future that in the examination period a student busy studying realises that he needs more material. What he wants is only available on the Internet, but the problem is that it is 00.49 AM. However, the situation is not so bad. He takes his chip card, walks to the university and opens the doors leading to the computer room. Of course, all his particulars are registrated including his name, major; the date and time of entry and departure. In case of trouble, for instance theft, the names of the "intruders" can be traced back.

On the other hand, chip cards may promote the changing relationship of students and their university. Coming from the trust mentioned above, students would have more respect for their Alma Mater. In addition to this, since different faculties have distinctly coloured cards with slight differences in their function, perhaps an old traditon could be revived by the overall application of chip cards. In the past, and today at some decent universities, uniforms represented prestige to their owners. From now on chip cards, beside their everyday function, would carry esthetic meaning as well, and there may develop a healthy competition among faculties as well as universities to produce the most appealing cards, and within a few years, outnumbering the groups of phone card collectors, chip card collectors would organise themselves into clubs and would hold assemblies. Of course, no present student would want to get rid of his card but it can happen that in 2014, being broke, the hard-working teacher can turn to nothing but to his chip card and sell it according to its value which, by then, may amount up to 500 000Fts.

We are standing in front of the gates of the 21st century but I do not want to get further involved into predictions about the future of chip cards, students or universities. One thing is sure. In Pécs students are happy about and satisfied with their chip cards. Though these are seemingly simple plastic cards, their function is based on high-tech development and their range can be expanded according to various needs. I just can hope that their usage will spread among Hungarian universities and they can rely on our sole experience. And we, JPU students, can be proud since we are a step further. We already have the key to that door...