Erskine
College Dodges Y2K "Missile"
By Sue Kahrs
Class of 2000
Doomsdayers
are waving their red flags in a frenzy, warning of
Russian missiles launching themselves and the world
as we know it coming to an abrupt end, all because of
a computer shortcut called Y2K.
But
while the global Y2K effects are left to the
prognosticators, Erskine College – a small
liberal arts college that relies heavily on
technology in a rural setting – says its ready
for anything, expect maybe those Russian missiles.
“The
panic in the population will be worse than the
problem itself,” said Bobby Clarke, Erskine
Director of Academic Computing and Technology, who
spent time working on computer systems in Russia
before coming to Erskine.
“There
may be legitimate concern that the Russian
Intercontinental Missile System may be
non-compliant,” Clarke said. “But those
missiles probably don't even work anyway.”
The Y2K
issue was born out of a practice in the sixties,
seventies, and eighties when computer programmers, in
an effort to save disk space, and money, represented
date-sensitive material with two digits instead of
four.
“Computer
programmers felt that by the nineties computers would
be different,” Clarke said. “They didn't
realize their software would survive this long.”
Because
Erskine uses state-of-the-art technology and
software, Clarke says Y2K won't be much of a problem
to the school.
“That's
good news for Erskine,” Clarke said. “All
of the software we use for the administration,
business, and financial aid is Y2K compliant.”
The
software used by Erskine College is known as
C.A.M.S., which stands for Comprehensive Academic
Management System. C.A.M.S. uses a system of 4-digit
years which will allow the system to run as of
January 1, 2000.
“Erskine
has taken a conservative approach to the Y2K
issue,”
says
Clarke. Both Clarke and Franklin Mitchell, Director
of Computer Services, are in charge of making sure
that the computer systems at Erskine are Y2K
compatible.
The
process involves checking both the hardware and
software of the computers on campus. Instead of
checking computers one by one, Clarke and Mitchell
are depending on the software vendors who endorse
their products as being Y2K compatible.
There is
some concern about the older computers on campus.
Clarke says, “We found some minor glitches, but
they have already been taken care of.”
Cathy
Miller, Data Base Manager of McCain Library at
Erskine, says “The computers in the library are
older than most on campus and are not Y2K compatible.
“However,”
she continues, “the only date-sensitive system
we have is in the circulation department, and we are
getting a new circulation system within the next few
weeks which will be date-sensitive to the year 2000.
We do not anticipate any problems.”
Miller
and John Kennerly, current Director of McCain
Library, have been updating the machines at the
library on a regular basis.
Dr.
Steve Sniteman, Vice President of Enrollment
Management and Technology at Erskine, says “We
don't anticipate any problems at Erskine.
Preventative measures have been taken.”
“As
far as other date-sensitive systems on campus
go,” Clarke says, “Facilities Management
will insure that on January 1 the lights come on. Any
problems that will occur with other systems will only
require minimum adjustments.”
