Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) is a small electronic device to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects (Auto ID) besides barcode of Optical Character Recognition (OCR), biometric, and smartcard. The devices have been utilized in the military, governance, hospitals, schools, universities, research institutions and laboratories, flights, passports, retail business, transportation, toll gates, museums, warehouses, libraries, parking areas, and others.

Universitas Muhammaidyah Yogyakarta (UMY) has been using the RFID system for a few years. The usage is for the security of vehicles in parking areas of UMY. The RIFD chip, which functions saving information in the form of electromagnetic wave, is put in student identity cards or employee identity card. The chip saves number plate of students’ or employees’ vehicle. The RFID use aims at replacing a manual system employing a parking ticket or a vehicle ownership document (STNK).

Nevertheless, many academicians of UMY have not used the RFID yet, and they prefer a manual system.

To promote the RFID use, UMY rewarded tablets of ASUS Zenpad 8 for lucky academicians who have employed the RFID system. The award was announced in a monthly meeting organized by Public Relations and Protocol Office of UMY on Friday (30/9). The lucky academicians were Sunardi (a Mechanical Engineering lecturer), Fajri Wibowo (a Law student), and Caka (a staff of Student Admission Office).

In an online interview, Fajri Wibowo did not expect that he would get the prize. “I am glad that I get this tablet. I had not known the announcement till my friend told me,” he expresses. He argued that the RFID use has not widely been promoted to all students. He wished that the award will raise academicians’ awareness of the RFID use. “The RFID is vital for vehicle security. I think this system is great. I recommend that UMY makes a huge banner whose content is to invite students to use RFID and to reduce paper rubbish due to the use of parking tickets,” he suggested.