"I would say that we are in good shape for the year 2000," said Randy Sollars, director of auditing for the Office of Vice President for Business Affairs and leader of a campus-wide committee preparing for possible Y2K glitches.

In the spring, representatives from facilities, planning and management, university computing services (UCS), accounting, payroll, telephone services, student affairs and university police began preparing for potential problems.

"There has been a very concentrated effort to work together," said Sollars.

UCS actually had a jump on the process as staff there, headed by Dennis Kramer, director, began preparing its vast network of computers for Y2K compliance in 1996. The department maintains a Y2K area on its website containing more detailed information.

Early on, critical systems were identified, said Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of facilities, planning and management. These include heating and ventilating equipment, generators, the boiler and chiller plants, fuel and utilities, fire detection, security alarms, tornado sirens and elevators.

The boiler plant was considered especially important as the university provides steam to Ball Memorial Hospital. The university has ample amounts of coal and fuel oil to meet expected demands in case natural gas and fuel oil supplies, which are usually used to power the plant, are disrupted.

With its many other systems, the university has either tested critical systems by setting the date ahead to Jan. 1 or by contacting manufacturers to request Y2K compliancy information.

In contacting utility and fuel providers, Ball State staff have found these groups also have contingency plans, essentially providing another back up for the campus.

As an added precaution, extra staff for the physical plant, UCS, telephone services and other critical areas will be on-hand at midnight to deal with any malfunctions.

Accounting systems, student records and payroll are also updated to be Y2K ready, said Sollars.

All of this is not to say that Ball State will not feel any effects of Y2K bugs, said Kenyon.

"However, I am confident that we have identified and checked everything that is critical," he said.

By Nancy Prater, Web Editor

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Randy Sollars at(765) 285-1023 or Kevin Kenyon at (765)285-1630.)