We live in the 'age of cards '. While some years ago we heared about cards only when we played with them, nowadays it seems that we cannot really get along in our everyday lives without them. A 'modern' man has dozens of cards with him : some bank cards and credit cards; a few tons of visiting cards; in several countries the driving licence is a card as well (which is an ID card at the same time); we can also get consumers' cards so that we can purchase cheaper in particular shops or get gas for less money at some filling stations; certain airlines offer similar cards for their regular passengers, too; there are cards of different clubs and associations and of course we must not forget about one of the greatest inventions - telephone cards.
We could continue the list for some hours, but we will not. There are many kinds of cards and the universities of Pécs ( how lucky we are ! ) provided us with a brand new one - the chip card.
When we became the members of this university we had to buy a so-called ' University ID Card ' , which was to be used as ' key ' to the computer center and also to prove that we are university students. Some optimists may still be waiting for that day...This must clearly show how enormous our joy was when we got to know this idea - a new card, some new expenditures, so a new adventure in our otherwise boring lives. To make it even more interesting photos were taken about us with a camera and a computer. Some geniouses felt the smell of a forecoming disaster at the moment when they first saw the several miles long line of people waiting for this extremely funny procedure. They were absolutely right ! I do not think that there is anyone among us who would show his or her picture to others than perhaps the blind.
However, we could not avoid our fate; in spite of John Connor's words in ' Terminator 2 ' - " There's no fate " ; and finally we got these sensational, beautiful, practical, etc. cards. When I first saw it I thought it was a new design of the phone cards. I was informed that it was not. Then, looking at its back side, I was absolutely sure that it was an interesting way of advertisement - it was covered by the trade marks of some well-known companies ( as they have not payed I will not mention their names ). I was mistaken again. With some friends, who were in the same mental state as me after some hours of guessing what this card could be, we finally came to the conclusion that it had to be that chip-card-thing. We were very happy untill the moment when another question came to our minds : what was it for ?
First we tried to find a phone that operated with cards - maybe the others were wrong and it was a phone card. The phone did not share our point of view and immediately went wrong to prevent our further attempts. We were totally helpless. We were approaching the state of Michael Douglas in ' Falling Down ' ( ' Összeomlás ' in Hungarian ), but then came the Messiah - a guy from the Students' Office and provided us with the necessary information : the chip card served as a season ticket on the local buses, the distributed lecture notes assistence ( ie. jegyzetbón ) will also be on it and this will be our students' ID card as well.
This sounded fairly nice ( cool as Beavis and Butthead would say ), but then he went on with some other concepts about the possible uses of the card in the future : it can be used as a kind of a key to enter the dorms and the university buildings. We could not decide whether we should laugh or cry, we just tried to imagine ourselves in a crowd of two thousand students waiting to enter JPU with their chip cards. As we could not imagine such an interesting situation we started to think over the already existing uses of our precious properties.
So, it is our new kind of season ticket. This is really a great idea; at least for those who often travel by bus. For me it means that I do not have to watch the calendar at the end of every month so that I can buy the new season ticket in time. This was a big problem before : sometimes I forgot about it, sometimes I simply did not have time to visit the places where I could get one or to wait in the long lines in front of the pay-desks (these lines again...). Therefore I appreciated the idea that we do not have to line up any more, but the price of the season ticket (moreover a reduced price ) will be discounted from our bursaries every month. Some other students cannot agree with me and I do understand their problem : that they do not go anywhere by bus, so they would not need any kind of ticket; yet its price is discounted from their money as well.
Finishing this philosophizing we wanted to try it out in practice. The only problem was that the Pécs bus company had not even heared about this plan. We asked the bus driver about it - he may still be convinced that we were lunatics escaping from the mental hospital in Rét street. Neither had the officers of the company heared such a thing. Soon after this little incident we got to know that the card would be valid only a few weeks later.
Considering the other uses of this card, which we began to love more and more, we decided that now we would ask first and put it into practise in case of a positive reaction. What is the case with that assistence then ?- we asked. We were calmed that we should not worry about it - it takes some months till we get it. After this satisfactory answer they added that we will also get a code of four numbers whithout which we cannot pay with the card. Some of us exclaimed desparately; they still could not memorize the code of their bank cards and here is a new code to remember. But they were calmed again : first, everyone will have the same code ( a very complicated one - 1,2,3,4 ) and they can have it changed if they want it.
But we received some good news as well : we can use this card in several shops of the town. Furthermore, we get things 5-15% cheaper in such places. It also meant that we do not need to buy notes or text-books with this assistence, but anything that we would like to. This is important for the students of the Faculty Of Arts, especially for the ones who study at the language departments, as these departments do not offer and use many official university notes, rather photocopies from several books or the books themselves.
However, its function as a students' ID card was still unclear to us. Could we throw away the former ones then ? Of course, we could not. We needed both of them : the chip card on the local buses, the other one on our ways to our hometowns. Evidently, this new card was not accepted on the trains and the coaches for the 75% ( now only 70% ) discount.
So the old question arises again : what can we do with this card ? Now it is already our season ticket and it also contains the notes' assistence, but nothing more. But let us see some ideas for its further possible uses :
* It could serve as a bank card, so that we need not carry two cards
* It should be accepted as a university students' ID card by all the bus companies ( volán-s ) and by MÁV, so that we need not keep the old ID-books, most of which are in pieces after half a year
* It could be a credit card as well, which would enable us to pay with this card in most of the shops of the country
* As I have already mentioned, the driving licences are similar cards in many Western countries. Why cannnot we also use the chip cards for that purpose - putting a special sign on it that indicates what kind of licence one has (A,B,C,etc. ) and its date of validity.
* Due to its similarity to the phone cards, it could be used for that, too - setting up phones in the university buildings and in the dorms that would use the amount of money stored on the card.
These were only a few ideas about how the chip cards could be used in the future. Perhaps some of these cannot be carried out, but it may worth thinking about them.
Some of my friends suggested other solutions, too. For instance we could build little castles from the cards we have ( chip card, the OTP card, telephone cards, the so-called ' hallgatói azonosítókártya ', the ' social insurance card ', etc. ) or simply play games with them. Others - the extremists, who ( I do not know why ) are fed up with all these cards - said that we should have burned our cards. They are wrong : a modern man cannot live without as many cards as one can have and we are supposed to represent the future of our nation.
To sum it up, we really need this chip card, it indicates our future : carrying thousands of tiny little cards with us for different purposes. If we cannot use them all the time, do not worry - at least if we leave our keys at home we still have a great choice of different cards to open the door with. We just need a little practise.
Showing posts with label chipcards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chipcards. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2007
L 165 M
Students of JPU have been looking forward to chip cards with great expectations. Since the introduction these cards have been important constituents of students' lives. The cards have promised a possibility of buying things with reduced prices, to serve as substitutes for I.D.s and bus tickets. They have proved to be efficient - many other universities have introduced them as well. But they have not been able to fulfill every expectation yet.
Chip cards were first introduced in september, 1995, in Pecs. They were initiated by the management of JPU and the Diakiroda ( Students' Office ) to cope with problems which had formerly proved to be difficult to tackle with. The new cards were to replace bus tickets, notes vouchers and student identity cards in one. Though the cards were distributed in September, preparations began much earlier. Each student had to stand in front of a camera connected to a computer, to have a picture taken, in May or June. The cards were manufactured during the summer and students received them in the fall.
The manufacturer of chip cards was the Compuworx Ltd., which is located in Pecs. The cards have been manufactured with up-to-date technology ( e.g. the picture is not placed to the card but is a part of its surface like the scripts ). They can not be forged - the picture cannot be torn off. The price of chip cards is not known, but in case of a lost card students have to pay two thousand forints. It is a very high price considering that many of the cards have broken beside the picture although not misused and that a bank card at OTP, which is made with an even more advanced technology, costs only two hundred forints.
Chip cards are small, thin plastic cards their size is 8.5 by 5.4 cm, absolutely agreeing with the size of a bank card or a student card ( Diak kartya ). The main constituent part of chip cards is an EPROM, which contains all the changeable information on the card. On one side there are a picture, the name and the address of the proprietor. Besides these, there are the data of the issuing university, the icon of OTP ( National Savings Bank - this bank has credited the price of cards ) and a bar code. The color varies according to faculties, the basic color of the cards is white and red at the BTK (Faculty of Arts ) and blue at the POTE ( Medical University ); the picture is a color picture. The other side of the cards is used for commercial purposes - advertisements of the Pepsi-Cola Co., McDonalds, etc. are put on it. The whole layout of the cards give a very pleasant look, they are eye-catching and functional. Though the cards are nice, the manufacturers have made a blunder. The pictures have been pushed vertically. They must have miscounted the length of characters beside the pictures and later had to press them so that there should be enough room for the writing.
Chip cards have been issued by the university to make students' lives and the job of the university easier. Their main purpose that had been planned in advance was to function as identity cards for students. A chip card contains all the important information and a code number needed for identification. Yet they could not totally replace old student identity cards, a student can not carry solely his or her chip card, since it does not contain indispensable information - for travelling for instance. Old student cards have a `Reduced Fares` section for bus and train travels. The new ones do not. The good old student identity cards must also be carried - many people have put the chip card into the case of the student I.D. They do not have any note of their period of validity, either. Tough, since the spring semester of 1996, little stickers have been put onto cards to distinguish between valid and expired ones. These stickers are said to be unforgable because of the special technology of production. The Kozlekedesi, Hirkozlesi es Vizugyi Miniszterium ( Ministry of Transport and Communications ) has announced to accept chip cards as official student I.D.s if more than 70% of collages and universities have got them.
Another task assigned to the new cards was to replace monthly bus tickets. There had been an advantageous agreement between the Student Office and the Kozlekedesi Vallalat ( Transport Company ) according to which students came into the possession of season tickets with reduction and the transport company gained thousands of customers. Before the introduction of chip cards the Student Office had subtracted a certain sum of money from the monthly payment of students to foot the price of these bus tickets. Now chip cards are the equivalent of bus tickets and they have to be shown on buses.
A third function assigned to cards is to work as notes vouchers. The university had formerly issued printed paper vouchers for students. These were divided to 100 forint pieces and were accepted in several bookstores. Then students were given 1500 forints per semester. Now this job is done by chip cards. Every chip card is supplied with 2000 forints when validated. There is a device for the validating process in the Student Office. One has to type in the code of his chip card and the machine adds the new sum to the former. There you can also check how much money is left on it. In the shops no money is needed for the purchase. One stands at the cash-desk and pays with the card ( if the value of the book does not exceed the money on it - it does not give credit like bank cards ). There is even 5% reduction on books if paid by a chip card. The cashier presses the code number keys on her computer and after a couple of seconds she sees the account of the buyer. Today five bookshops sell books on discount in Pecs.
Not only do bookstores give their products on sale reduced, some other shops also accept chip cards. The Csemege Osztaly of Konzum gives 5%, other shops may give discount up to 20%. The Eastern Bridge consumer club guarantees the reduction of products throughout Hungary.
So one can see that chip cards can be used for many things. They can be used as bus tickets, vouchers or identity cards. It is said to be planned in the future that they will serve as entering cards to the buildings of the university. There will be devices on doors and people can only enter if they have their cards with them. The system will inform about the number and location of people in the building. Of course this system will work only in the late hours when only a few people are in the buildings or in classrooms where there is some valuable thing. Also, the cards have been planned to function as code cards with which you can pay the tuition fee. The Compuworx Kft. offered to alter them so as to be able to do this task. The university has not accepted this offer and issued separate cards, which will be in use for only a couple of months.
However advantageous chip cards may be, they have many disadvantages. Because of the above mentioned lacks of information they can not replace student identity cards. Besides, chip cards have to be validated every semester. This is not solved properly. ( Only stickers are the means of validating. ) The old vouchers could be used in more bookstores than the new cards. This is said to be the case because bookstores have to invest in the computer terminal to use with chip card customers. The terminal is very expensive, therefor not many shops can afford to buy them. And the old voucher system was less complicated because single forints could be subtracted, with the new cards this cannot be done.
So why have chip cards at all? A lot of people have many cards to carry all the time: the old student identity card, the bank card, the student card (Diak Kartya) and who knows what else. If one has to carry the old student identity card one function of chip cards has been lost. The old voucher system was more advantageous for students, the new one is just more elegant to pay with. The only thing that is useful is that they can be used as bus tickets. It was surely a big business for the Compuworx Kft. but the introduction of chip cards should have been postponed a bit, until all the conditions have been established.
Chip cards were first introduced in september, 1995, in Pecs. They were initiated by the management of JPU and the Diakiroda ( Students' Office ) to cope with problems which had formerly proved to be difficult to tackle with. The new cards were to replace bus tickets, notes vouchers and student identity cards in one. Though the cards were distributed in September, preparations began much earlier. Each student had to stand in front of a camera connected to a computer, to have a picture taken, in May or June. The cards were manufactured during the summer and students received them in the fall.
The manufacturer of chip cards was the Compuworx Ltd., which is located in Pecs. The cards have been manufactured with up-to-date technology ( e.g. the picture is not placed to the card but is a part of its surface like the scripts ). They can not be forged - the picture cannot be torn off. The price of chip cards is not known, but in case of a lost card students have to pay two thousand forints. It is a very high price considering that many of the cards have broken beside the picture although not misused and that a bank card at OTP, which is made with an even more advanced technology, costs only two hundred forints.
Chip cards are small, thin plastic cards their size is 8.5 by 5.4 cm, absolutely agreeing with the size of a bank card or a student card ( Diak kartya ). The main constituent part of chip cards is an EPROM, which contains all the changeable information on the card. On one side there are a picture, the name and the address of the proprietor. Besides these, there are the data of the issuing university, the icon of OTP ( National Savings Bank - this bank has credited the price of cards ) and a bar code. The color varies according to faculties, the basic color of the cards is white and red at the BTK (Faculty of Arts ) and blue at the POTE ( Medical University ); the picture is a color picture. The other side of the cards is used for commercial purposes - advertisements of the Pepsi-Cola Co., McDonalds, etc. are put on it. The whole layout of the cards give a very pleasant look, they are eye-catching and functional. Though the cards are nice, the manufacturers have made a blunder. The pictures have been pushed vertically. They must have miscounted the length of characters beside the pictures and later had to press them so that there should be enough room for the writing.
Chip cards have been issued by the university to make students' lives and the job of the university easier. Their main purpose that had been planned in advance was to function as identity cards for students. A chip card contains all the important information and a code number needed for identification. Yet they could not totally replace old student identity cards, a student can not carry solely his or her chip card, since it does not contain indispensable information - for travelling for instance. Old student cards have a `Reduced Fares` section for bus and train travels. The new ones do not. The good old student identity cards must also be carried - many people have put the chip card into the case of the student I.D. They do not have any note of their period of validity, either. Tough, since the spring semester of 1996, little stickers have been put onto cards to distinguish between valid and expired ones. These stickers are said to be unforgable because of the special technology of production. The Kozlekedesi, Hirkozlesi es Vizugyi Miniszterium ( Ministry of Transport and Communications ) has announced to accept chip cards as official student I.D.s if more than 70% of collages and universities have got them.
Another task assigned to the new cards was to replace monthly bus tickets. There had been an advantageous agreement between the Student Office and the Kozlekedesi Vallalat ( Transport Company ) according to which students came into the possession of season tickets with reduction and the transport company gained thousands of customers. Before the introduction of chip cards the Student Office had subtracted a certain sum of money from the monthly payment of students to foot the price of these bus tickets. Now chip cards are the equivalent of bus tickets and they have to be shown on buses.
A third function assigned to cards is to work as notes vouchers. The university had formerly issued printed paper vouchers for students. These were divided to 100 forint pieces and were accepted in several bookstores. Then students were given 1500 forints per semester. Now this job is done by chip cards. Every chip card is supplied with 2000 forints when validated. There is a device for the validating process in the Student Office. One has to type in the code of his chip card and the machine adds the new sum to the former. There you can also check how much money is left on it. In the shops no money is needed for the purchase. One stands at the cash-desk and pays with the card ( if the value of the book does not exceed the money on it - it does not give credit like bank cards ). There is even 5% reduction on books if paid by a chip card. The cashier presses the code number keys on her computer and after a couple of seconds she sees the account of the buyer. Today five bookshops sell books on discount in Pecs.
Not only do bookstores give their products on sale reduced, some other shops also accept chip cards. The Csemege Osztaly of Konzum gives 5%, other shops may give discount up to 20%. The Eastern Bridge consumer club guarantees the reduction of products throughout Hungary.
So one can see that chip cards can be used for many things. They can be used as bus tickets, vouchers or identity cards. It is said to be planned in the future that they will serve as entering cards to the buildings of the university. There will be devices on doors and people can only enter if they have their cards with them. The system will inform about the number and location of people in the building. Of course this system will work only in the late hours when only a few people are in the buildings or in classrooms where there is some valuable thing. Also, the cards have been planned to function as code cards with which you can pay the tuition fee. The Compuworx Kft. offered to alter them so as to be able to do this task. The university has not accepted this offer and issued separate cards, which will be in use for only a couple of months.
However advantageous chip cards may be, they have many disadvantages. Because of the above mentioned lacks of information they can not replace student identity cards. Besides, chip cards have to be validated every semester. This is not solved properly. ( Only stickers are the means of validating. ) The old vouchers could be used in more bookstores than the new cards. This is said to be the case because bookstores have to invest in the computer terminal to use with chip card customers. The terminal is very expensive, therefor not many shops can afford to buy them. And the old voucher system was less complicated because single forints could be subtracted, with the new cards this cannot be done.
So why have chip cards at all? A lot of people have many cards to carry all the time: the old student identity card, the bank card, the student card (Diak Kartya) and who knows what else. If one has to carry the old student identity card one function of chip cards has been lost. The old voucher system was more advantageous for students, the new one is just more elegant to pay with. The only thing that is useful is that they can be used as bus tickets. It was surely a big business for the Compuworx Kft. but the introduction of chip cards should have been postponed a bit, until all the conditions have been established.
L 163 M
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...
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...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)