millenium

This issue of the College Street Journal is the last before the arrival of the year 2000. Although January 1 does not technically begin the new millennium, there is enough confusion about the matter that it seems permissible to ride the tide of popular opinion and celebrate the new millennium in the last CSJ of 1999.

"Blame some of the confusion on Dennis the Diminutive," says upfront magazine. In 526 A.D., the monk began the system of counting years from Christ's birth. Since the Romans didn't have a zero, he started with 1. At the end of one year, the count went to 2, and so on. As a result, 2000 years won't elapse until January 1, 2001. "But Dennis also goofed on the start date," according to upfront. "Many biblical scholars now believe Jesus was actually born in 6 or 7 B.C." And if things weren't already messy enough, it is important not to forget that although most of the world uses our Gregorian calendar, many cultures don't.

There Is a Bit of Nostradamus in All of Us The dawn of the new millennium seems a natural time to consider the future, to ponder the passage of time, and to consider what some great thinkers have had to say about time and history. This issue attempts to do a little of all this--looking to the future with President Joanne Creighton's piece on the continuing relevance of liberal arts education and Dean of Religious Life Andrea Ayvazian's article on the role of the individual in making a difference--and reflecting (in a perfunctory way), through a timeline, on the history and accomplishments of Mount Holyoke and the larger world with which the College has always been closely engaged.

The Year 2000: MHC Is Ready, Make Sure You Are Too

While some of us are just now beginning to feel a little leery about the coming of the year 2000, others, like Dennis Bowen, have been pondering the many manifestations of the arrival of the twenty-first century for years.

Bowen, LITS senior applications support specialist, chairs the College's Y2K Steering Committee, a group formed in 1998 to coordinate MHC's readiness efforts. Paul Dobosh, professor of computer science, chaired the group until September 1, when he went on leave. Before joining the Mount Holyoke staff two and a half years ago, Bowen was involved with some aspects of Y2K readiness at Stanford University.

So, if you've been wondering of late whether you'll get paid or have your computer blow up at the dawn of the next millennium, you should rest relatively easy, according to Bowen. "I think we're as ready as we can be," he says. "We're dealing with the unknown, of course, but in all cases we have erred on the side of caution." For example, the College elevators will be shut down and locked Friday, December 31, on the off chance that power outages would result in someone becoming trapped. The elevators will be turned on and unlocked at 7 am on Monday, January 1. The College is also asking everyone to reduce the possibility of damage to electrical equipment (computers, printers, etc.) by shutting down and unplugging electrical equipment before midnight Friday, December 31. Faculty and staff should do this before they leave for the holiday break.

In the computer arena, the College's Y2K efforts began with establishing "what was out there," when it came to software packages and hardware being used by the MHC community. "We had a sense of what was in use because of LITS's role in support and through the questions received by the Help Desk," says Bowen. In terms of hardware, because MHC has been on a three- to four-year computer replacement cycle for quite some time, the majority of computers on desktops all across campus should have very little problem when the century advances. Most new machines can handle the conversion from 19xx to 20xx either automatically or by simply setting the date manually.

Despite the fact that Bowen, and the other LITS personnel who deal with Y2K matters, "had a good sense" what software and hardware was in use, the first phase of the Y2K technology program was to do an inventory of this information. In 1998, the community was surveyed on this issue, and a Y2K Web page was established early on (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/about/y2k/index.shtml).

You can now visit http://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/about/y2k/inventory.shtml to see an inventory of the compliance status of MHC's hardware, software, and systems.

After identifying the systems that were in use, LITS began a triage process. The first focus was on "remediating" compliance issues involving database systems that are vital to the functioning of the College or those that already needed to use date-specific data that extended into the next century and beyond. After any fixes were made, a long testing phase, which involved the users of the system, followed before the seal of compliance was given to a particular system.

MHC-developed systems (software custom-designed for the College) have required the most remediation work, since someone has to rewrite code (the language that creates the commands under which the software operates) to make them Y2K compliant. To streamline the process a bit, the College purchased Century Update, a special software package that identifies potential Y2K incompatibilities after sorting through many thousands of lines of code. In some cases, after identifying the problem, the package could also solve it.

Systems used by admission and alumnae records were the first to undergo remediation and testing. These systems are now compliant and have been operating successfully since 1998. Other MHC-developed database systems that are now compliant include accounts receivable and student records. One purchased administrative system that is particularly dear to many, payroll (Cyborg), has also now been tested and deemed compliant.

In the arena of communication, Bowen has kept the community informed about the College's readiness efforts and has also provided Y2K readiness information regarding the government and key industries. Y2K notes specifically addressed to students have been posted to mhc.announce.college and mhc.chat, and since October, an electronic newsletter. Visit http://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/about/y2k/newsletters.shtml to access the newsletters.

"Have we thought of everything?" is a question that Dennis Bowen continually asks himself. From planning for disasters to potential computer glitches, the Y2K Steering Committee has "done as much as it can," he says. "We've thought things through very carefully." So, what will Bowen begin thinking about after January 1, 2000. "Well, this is a leap year coming up, so we'll see what the ramifications are around 2/29/2000," he says. You can be sure he is planning ahead.

The phone number 2330 has long been used to convey closings, delayed openings, or other emergency/critical information concerning the College. This should be your first place to check after the start of the new year. The message will be updated as often as necessary.

It's possible that electrical power disruption (lengthy or intermittent loss of power, power spikes, brown-outs) may occur on or near the millennium changeover. To reduce the possibility of damage to the College's electrical equipment, the College HIGHLY recommends that you shut down AND unplug electrical equipment in your area prior to the New Year. Sometimes multiple power cords are involved when unplugging equipment. Make sure to unplug them all.

For those students leaving campus after exams have been completed, please make sure you've tended to any electrical equipment left in the residence halls. For students staying on campus over the break between fall term and January Term, don't forget to tend to electrical equipment before midnight Friday, December 31, 1999.

Faculty and staff should tend to their electrical equipment before they leave for the day on Thursday, December 23, 1999. Remember: the campus is closed for business starting Friday, December 24, 1999. The College will reopen Monday, January 3, 2000. Though each person should take responsibility for their own electrical equipment, it may make sense to assign someone in your area the responsibility to double-check that all electrical equipment is turned off and unplugged. Also the College suggests turning off all lights.

The Department of Buildings and Grounds has received assurances that the New England power grid will not fail, but contingencies are in place for supplying power to dorms and critical systems should electric power fail. If a power outage occurs, all residence halls except Dickinson will have emergency power provided via generators. Dickinson will have battery backup power, which lasts for a couple of hours. Emergency generators for the residence halls will supply power continually during an extended power outage. This is emergency power only, which includes power for corridor lighting, heat, All-Campus/ID Card, and fire alarms.

The College elevators will be shut down and locked Friday, December 31, 1999, on the off chance that power outages would result in someone becoming trapped. The elevators will be turned on and unlocked at 7 am on Monday, January 3, 2000.

Since no one knows how Y2K will affect travel, the College has decided to begin January Term Tuesday, January 4, 2000, instead of Monday, January 3. Mount Holyoke continues to monitor the Y2K news and retains the option of announcing a short delay in the beginning of classes if it appears that this would be in the best interests of our students and faculty.

Although the College feels confident in the College's Y2K readiness, we cannot and do not vouch for the Y2K readiness of systems and services outside of Mount Holyoke (e.g., transportation and communication systems) that might affect travel safety or the ability to return in time for the start of J-Term. Decisions about travel, as always, remain the sole responsibility of students and their families.

Residence Halls will open for J-term at 8 am, Monday, January 3, 2000. With J-Term starting one day later, all residence halls will be available for occupation beginning at 8 am, Monday, January 3, 2000. Please keep this in mind. The College will NOT house early arrivals before 8 am on Monday. This new opening time was announced November 30. Originally, the time listed was noon. Some students will be staying in designated residence halls between fall term and J-Term. This opening time does not apply to them.

Where applicable staff members will be on campus over the millennium weekend to determine the impact of the millennium changeover. For example public safety, including the College operator, will be fully staffed.

The College has in place emergency protocol procedures to handle various types of emergency and/or disaster situations. Contingencies options have been identified for critical systems/areas and have been implemented or are being tested. In addition, a joint drill with South Hadley to simulate a disaster scenario recently occurred with excellent results. Contingency plans are being developed for core business functions (e.g., payroll). Plans have been formulated and implementation is under way in each of the areas controlled by the College. In those areas where we do not have control, vendors and the government, the College will continue investigations to see if problems have been resolved or are becoming critical.

LITS is constantly evaluating the Y2K compliance of the software on campus. Those packages that have been purchased are (with few exceptions) considered Y2K compliant. Through its software distribution channels, LITS will be making available a few "patches" ("fixes" provided by software manufacturers) available.

Let's Call It the Millennium

The Year 2000: MHC Is Ready, Make Sure You Are Too