OHIO STATE WILL DELAY START OF WINTER QUARTER 2000

   COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University will delay the beginning of winter quarter 2000 by two days as a precautionary move in light of national concerns about computer problems related to the Year 2000 (Y2K). Classes will begin Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000, instead of Jan. 3 as originally scheduled.

   The university does not anticipate significant internal Y2K problems or difficulties with external suppliers, said James F. Davis, interim chief information officer.

   "However, it is impossible to anticipate all Y2K-related problems or to predict all Y2K-related behaviors with 100 percent certainty," he said. "While the probability of major problems is now very low, there will continue to be a risk of glitches that will need to be addressed."

   University officials' concerns focus primarily on student move-in, originally scheduled to begin Saturday, Jan. 1, because uncertainties about external suppliers and vendors' status will exist through Dec. 31, 1999, and could affect the university's ability to provide all essential services, Davis said.

   "Most important among the services provided are the availability of electricity, heat, transportation, and the ability to communicate with students returning to classes," he said. The delay of student move-in and the start of classes is considered the most prudent course of action, he said, to allow Ohio State to identify and resolve any Y2K-related issues before students arrive.

   Appropriate staff will be on campus beginning Dec. 31 to resolve any situations, and university offices and operations will be open as usual on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 3 and 4, to provide additional assistance to identify and resolve problems, if any arise.

   Martha Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies, said the two-day delay of classes should not adversely affect teaching and learning. To minimize impact on faculty scheduling for the quarter, the following plan will be in effect: Classes scheduled on Monday, Jan. 3 will be rescheduled for Friday, Jan. 7, and classes scheduled for Friday, Jan. 7 will be canceled.

   "This plan minimizes impact without requiring the quarter to be extended," Garland said. "It is crucial that this first set of Monday-only classes be scheduled at another time because classes also will be missed as a result of the Martin Luther King holiday on Jan. 17. Friday-only classes constitute only 5.3 percent of the total, and canceling one of the classes results in only one missed class."

Contacts:
James F. Davis, (614) 292-6553
Martha Garland, (614) 292-5881