Vol. 19, No. 15

Dec. 16, 1999

Campus staff will be
on site for arrival of Y2K

As individuals around the world make special preparations to celebrate the year 2000, a significant number of employees of businesses and services ranging from banks to power companies will be at their work sites this New Year's Eve-just in case they are needed. Although the UD campus is well prepared for the arrival of the new year, some employees will be on duty at the stroke of midnight and others have made special back-up precautions in the event action becomes necessary. Information Technologies is considered the most critical area that has the potential to be affected by Y2K. According to Betsy Mackenzie, IT, staff are prepared for the year 2000 transition and anticipate no problems. As a precaution, many IT staff will be on-site Dec. 31 through Jan. 1. Others will be on call and able to report quickly should an emergency situation occur. Some services will be unavailable between Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. For more information, contact Mackenzie at <betsy@udel.edu> or 831-1975. Other units with on site staff over New Year's Eve include: Facilities Management, with four employees scheduled to be on campus to monitor any unexpected interruptions in utilities, power and services supplied to UD from outside sources; Department of Public Safety, which will have 12 personnel on hand (double the usual number) to monitor campus alarms and communication systems, as well as to address any safety issues that might affect the University community; and Dining Services, which will have one supervisor on duty to deal with any problems that may occur.