Penn State computers prepare for Year 2000

By DARYL LANG
Collegian Staff Writer

It's something like a high-tech Cinderella story. At the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2000, aging computers might fail to read the date correctly and display irritating errors, generate incorrect data or stop working altogether.

At Penn State, which depends on computers for day-to-day functions, dozens of experts are working to make sure students and faculty can still conduct research, read e-mail and check grades at this time next year.

The year 2000 problem, also known as Y2K, is an artifact from the early days of computers when programmers coded the year using the last two digits instead of all four as a way to save precious memory.

Most of the computers vital to Penn State's daily operations -- called "mission critical" systems -- have already been updated to be year 2000-compliant.

The rest are on schedule to be fixed this year, said Kathy Plavko, senior office automation specialist with the Office of Administrative Systems (OAS).

OAS has been designated as the year 2000 coordination office and communicates with 64 officers throughout the Penn State system.

Each of the officers talks with a network of computer operators to make sure all systems are year 2000 compliant. But with tens of thousands of computers to check, some errors are likely to slip by.

"We'd be remiss if we thought nothing was going to go wrong," said Plavko. "Our major goal is [to ensure] that it's nothing life-threatening."

Another challenge is to make sure all the outside companies that conduct business with the university will be ready.

For example, Penn State's telephone registration system -- designated as mission critical -- is dependent on software supplied by a vendor. This software is still not year 2000-compliant, but should be ready for year 2000 testing by February, said Robert Crothers, deputy director of OAS.

During Thanksgiving break, OAS conducted a test of two mission critical systems that keep track of student records and alumni donations.

Apart from scattered reports of minor problems, mostly with on-screen error messages, the systems worked fine, Crothers said. Tests of additional systems are planned throughout this year.

After Jan. 1 of next year, the next tricky day for computers will be Feb. 29.

In its statement of Year 2000 Compliance, Penn State specifies that computer systems must also recognize 2000 is a leap year even though 1900 was not.

OAS has set up a Web site that details the year 2000 issue at Penn State at www.psu.edu/Year2000.

• Solutions available for students to prevent future problems