Student ID, chip for time recording, ID for the semester public transport pass: anyone going in and out of Oldenburg University currently needs several cards. That will change soon. The new CampusCard will be introduced in spring. Preparations are underway and students, for example, are currently being asked to upload a photo of themselves to Stud.IP. What can the card do? For whom will it be introduced and when? Vice President Jörg Stahlmann gives an overview in an interview.
QUESTION: Mr Stahlmann, the university will be introducing a CampusCard under your direction. What advantages do you expect this to bring?
ANSWER: First of all, our students should benefit from the CampusCard: We are replacing their paper ID cards with a durable, forgery-proof card that will offer them added value in the future. However, our employees, guest students and guests of the university will also benefit.
QUESTION: What can the card do?
ANSWER: First of all, it serves to identify you as belonging to the university. Library users can use it to borrow books in the future. For students, the CampusCard also serves as a semester public transport pass - instead of the current Leporello section. The card will also enable cashless payment in the canteen, use of lockers and, in the case of our employees, digital recording of working hours. Existing systems will gradually be converted to the CampusCard.
QUESTION: When will students receive their new CampusCard?
ANSWER: The introduction will be staggered. Students will be the first to receive the card, namely in the summer semester of 2019. The actual issue of the CampusCard will take place in the spring.
QUESTION: Will the card be valid immediately?
ANSWER: Yes, it will immediately replace the paper card for students and will be valid as a semester public transport pass. In future, students will have to activate the card's functions themselves each semester - such as the semester public transport pass - at terminals that will then be available on campus. This can only be done after re-registering students for the following semester in full and on time. The card can then also be topped up with credit at the machines.
QUESTION: What does the introduction of the card mean for the processes in Student Services?
ANSWER: At the moment, the student ID card and the semester public transport pass are still sent out every six months as a fanfold. This takes a lot of time and effort. With the CampusCard, this paper document is no longer needed and we gain more time for student services.
QUESTION: Similar card systems are already in use at other universities and colleges - including Jade University. Are there synergies?
ANSWER: We benefit greatly from the experience that others have already gained. This includes Jade University, where a card system is already in use, as it is at Emden/Leer University. There are even concrete synergies via the Studentenwerk, which also manages the canteens at the campuses there. For example, our new CampusCard can also be used to pay in the canteens there.
QUESTION: Will it only be possible to pay by card in the canteen in future?
ANSWER: No. Nobody will be forced to top up their CampusCard with money in order to be able to eat.
QUESTION: What about the security of the data on the card?
ANSWER: The card will fulfil all data protection requirements, as it only contains the personal user data that is absolutely necessary for its functions. Ultimately, it only establishes the encrypted connection to the systems running in the background. If the card is lost, no information can be read. As far as the personal information visible on the card is concerned, this is only the information that is already visible on the Leporello and the library card - for example, surname, first name and student ID number. Only the passport photo is new and is required for the semester public transport pass function. As a visual ID card, the CampusCard therefore offers additional protection against misuse.
QUESTION: The university's decision to introduce a CampusCard was prepared by the AStA in 2016 - the student representatives presented their own concept. Is it still involved in the process?
ANSWER: The student representatives played an important role and their initiative accelerated a process that was also wanted by the Presidential Board. Since then, the CampusCard has been a project of the university, which has had to invest in new processes, hardware and infrastructure. The AStA remains an important project partner - also because, as a contractual partner of the transport association, it has to make the necessary agreements for the semester public transport pass.
QUESTION: What are the next steps?
ANSWER: We are currently working flat out to prepare the system for our students. On the one hand, this includes processes relating to enrolment. On the other hand, the services associated with using the canteen and library. Decisions on the technical system are also pending - from the multifunctional chip card to the terminals mentioned above.
