'I
' By Kimberly Sweet
Senior staff writer
It’s obvious it’s finals week, as
library study carrels begin to fill and
computer labs buzz steadily with the
sound of students printing their last
papers.
Y2K is probably the furthest thing
from many students’ minds.
As the days count down to the year
2000, Gary Aerts, campus coordinator
for Y2K, said students can rest assured
that all the services they rely on have
been tested, updated and are ready for
the year 2000 rollover.
Whether students are concerned
about checking e-mail or receiving
grades, Aerts said he feels confident
that the services will continue unaffect
ed.
“I feel very confident about how
well-protected and well-tested our stu
dent system is,” Aerts said. “I give it a
very high grade.”
If students do see problems with ser
vices after the new yearTit most likely
won’t be because of any Y2K glitches.
Instead, it will be because die sys
tems are being temporarily shut down
and tested
“We’re saying you could experi
ence interruptions, not because of a
problem but because we are checking
the equipment,” Aerts said.
The services students use over
vacation, such as N-Roll to register, the
“What About Me” Web site to check
grades, e-mail and the system that
processes report cards, are all expected
to function, Aerts said.
University housing is also ready for
Y2K but is taking precautions to pre
vent problems, said Glen Schumann,
associate director of housing for facili
ty operations.
Students are being instructed to
unplug everything in their rooms to
prevent power surges in case the elec
tricity goes off.
Those who live in vacation housing
in Cather Residence Hall will not be
able to ride the elevators past 11 p.m. on
Dec. 31 in case complications do arise,
Schumann said.
Students staying in the hall over
vacation will be advised to have extra
clothes, flashlights and food, and they
will have to shut off their computers
before 11 p.m., as well, Schumann said.
Extra heat and light sources in the
hall will be secured.
For those who are away and won
dering whether their computers will
work when they arrive back in Lincoln,
now is the time to find out, Aerts said.
“You need to ask yourself one ques
tion, ‘What, if anything, am I doing
with this PC that is of critical impor
tance?’” Aerts said.
Whether it’s a thesis or a game of
solitaire, students can take steps to
ensure the functions they care about
most will remain intact as the new year
arrives:
■ The first step is to look at the
hardware. Looking up the Web site of
the manufacturer is one way to deter
mine if your computer is equipped.
Otherwise, students should call the
manufacturer to determine whether the
equipment inside the computer is Y2K
compliant.
■ The next step is to look at the
operating system. For those who have
an old version of Windows or another
«
Don’t wait until the last minute to do what
you need to do.”
Gary Aerts
campus coordinator for Y2K
system, the odds are that it will experi
ence complications after the new year.
Students can once again explore the
Web site and call the manufacturer to
make sure their equipment will stay
functioning.
■ Students should check each
application with the vendor to make
sure it is compliant.
■ The last step is to back up any
data that is important. Remember, if
any one of the previous steps fails to be
Y2K-compliant, data will not be acces
sible.
If a computer is connected to the
network, it could be vulnerable to
viruses that hackers may release to
commemorate the year 2000, Aerts
said.
Virus protection is available to
UNL students at no charge through
Information Services.
The download instructions are at
http://software, unl.edu/antivirus/.
Even if these products have been
installed on a computer, it is important
to update them.
As for other Y2K concerns, Aerts
said he encouraged people to make
preparations ahead of time.
Having cash and extra food on hand
and making sure the gas tank is full are
important, he said.
Even though it is finals week, it is
important to remember one thing,
Aerts said.
“Don’t wait until the last minute to
do what you need to do.”
Staffs set to work for Y2K
■ More people will be
working instead of going
to parties on New Year’s.
By Kimberly Sweet
Senior staff writer
Students, faculty and staff are
making plans now for how they are
going to celebrate the new year.
But for some at UNL, the cele
brations will be a little less festive.
Instead of taking to the streets,
they will be sitting in offices across
campus, making sure the university
makes it through Ian. 1^ 2Q00, suc
cessfully.
Michael Ruhrdanz, the director
of networking and operations for
Information Services, will be spend
ing the new year in his office.
He will be coordinating the 10
staff people responsible for making
sure central computing systems, such
as e-mail, Lotus notes and the
research computing systems, survive
the year 2000 rollover.
Ten people are scheduled to be in
before and after the new year, and 30
people will be on call in case difficul
ties arise, Ruhrdanz said.
The telecommunications center
will have extra staff welcoming in the
year as well.
Usually two operators man the
switchboard after midnight on any
given night of the year, including
New Year’s Eve, said Bruce Bernt,
manager of operator services.
Because of the importance of the
central communication center, five
operators will be on hand this New
Year’s Eve.
Four other office personnel will
be on hand to monitor the computing
system in the office, said Marie
Lovitt, the center’s secretary.
Members of the office will be in
close contact with Alltel phone com
pany and campus police, she said.
Facilities and Management, the
department responsible for monitor
ing buildings and systems across
campus, isn’t sure how many people
it will need to be present this New
Year’s Eve.
But the department will have a
core group of people on duty to mon
itor the situation, said Richard
McDermott, assistant vice chancel
lor for facilities management.
Even if everything seems to go
okay as the new year starts, a number
of staff will still be needed to check
things around campus, McDermott
said.
“Even though we may not see
anything visibly, we are going to
check things out before anyone goes
home,” he said.
66
We re always here -
day and night”
Richard McDermott
assistant vice chancellor
for facilities management
University Police will have extra
officers on duty on Dec. 31, said Bill
Manning, assistant chief of police
services for University Police.
The department has people out
every night of the year regardless of
the holiday, but will have additional
people on hand in case the unexpect
ed happens, Manning said.
Even though it is the new year,
many of the support staff are used to
celebrating the holiday in a less fes
tive atmosphere, because many of
their offices are expected to monitor
the university 24 hours a day, 365
days a year.
“We’re always here - day and
night,” McDermott said.
But even though many are used to
celebrating the holiday on campus at
work, some sympathy is still appreci
ated, Ruhrdanz said.
“If anyone at the downtown party
wants to bring me beverages and
food, I’ll be here,” he said jokingly.
Police: Woman arrested for killing
■ Police say a Lincoln
man was killed after icing
shot in the chest.
From, staff reports
Lincoln police say they arrested a
26-year-old Omaha woman Sunday
morning for allegedly shooting and
killing a 19-year-old Lincoln man.
Police responding to medical
emergency call at 11:22 a.m. Sunday
found Taurian L. Smith shot in the
chest outside a house at 115 Blue
Flame Rd., Lincoln Police Capt.
David Beggs said.
Paramedics took Smith to
BryanLGH West, where he was pro
nounced dead, Beggs said.
The shooting death was Lincoln’s
ninth murder of 1999.
Tamera M. Moore was arrested
for second-degree murder at the
house on Blue Flame Road in north
west Lincoln. Beggs said she
“exchanged words” with Smith
before shooting the 19-year-old.
Police are not releasing informa
tion on what relationship Smith and
Moore had before the shooting, the
type of gun used in the shooting or
who lived in the house on Blue Flame
Road.
An autopsy will be performed on
Smith today, Beggs said.
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NU police working
for a safe campus
POLICE from page 1
“We shake a lot of doors,” Clifton
said about security checks. “And pro
vide other services that have to be
done.”
Clifton is one of 25 police officers
and 15 community service officers
who patrol campus to ensure the safety
of UNL students and their belongings.
Clifton deals with a lot of personal
property thefts and thefts of property
from cars.
Thursday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., he
meticulously patrolled parking lots
searching for evidence of car thefts.
“People need to take their car stere
os out and keep track of their things,”
Clifton said as he surveyed rows of
parked cars.
Occasionally, residence hall
authorities call University Police offi
cers to investigate drug and alcohol
cases, Clifton said.
“Dorms are a dumb place to smoke
dope,” Clifton said. “Somebody
always smells it and calls it in.”
Sgt. Bill Manning said when stu
dents are not around during vacations,
die University Police department is still
hard at work.
The police department deals with a
lot of thefts over winter break, Manning
said.
I his winter, the police department
wants students to move cars that they
are not taking home to the parking lot
on the northwest corner of 14th and
Avery streets, Manning said.
Police officers will patrol that park
ing lot frequently over the break,
Manning said.
Clifton generally patrols from 22nd
to Ninth streets, and from Q to
Holdrege streets when school is in ses
sion.
However, University Police offi
cers have jurisdiction anywhere in
Lancaster County, Clifton said.
Campus police officers work with
the Lincoln Police Department and the
Lancaster County Sheriffs Department
because of their expanded jurisdiction,
Manning said.
“It’s impossible not to overlap,”
Manning said.
Lancaster County Sheriffs fre
quently help UNL police officers dur
ing large events, which require more
staff, Manning said.
University police officers are
armed and commissioned state deputy
sheriffs with full arrest powers. CSOs
are unarmed and do not have arrest
powers, Manning said.
CSOs try to keep track of suspi
cious activity and behavior, Clifton
said.
“CSOs are there for their eyes and
their ears,” Clifton said.
Both CSO’s and University Police
officers spend most of their time help
ing people, Clifton said.
“It makes the job worthwhile
when people are genuinely happy
and polite, because we did a good
job,” Clifton said.
Holiday
tips for
students
From staff reports
University police recom
mend students take the follow
ing crime prevention measures
to improve campus safety and
security over winter break:
■ Take all movable property
home.
■ Take vehicles home.
■ If students have to leave
vehicles on campus, they
should move them to the park
ing lot on the northwest comer
of 14th and Avery streets where
the police department can
monitor their vehicles.
■ Unplug everything that does
not have to remain running in
case of power surges.
■ To avoid car accidents, do
not rush when leaving town.
■ Get vehicles serviced before
leaving.
■ Bring a winter travel kit
with first-aid materials, blan
kets and food in case of car
trouble.
Celebrate the holidays
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