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By Joe Kleinsasser 

If the Y2K bug bite Jan. 1 is more serious than expected, what will you do? Consider this worst-case scenario.

Electricity is off. The telephones are inoperable. There's no newspaper or radio or TV broadcasts.

You're virtually in the dark, and you wonder what Wichita State will do when offices are scheduled to reopen Jan. 3. You wonder, "Will I get a paycheck?" 

Those are just some of the many questions addressed in WSU's Y2K contingency plan. 

John Hutchinson, manager of the university's Y2K effort, has spent a considerable amount of time on the plan. 

"We want faculty, staff and students to be prepared without causing an overreaction," said Hutchinson. 

Concern about whether computers and other date-sensitive systems will function once the century ends has resulted in a major investment. 

A number of systems that handle such operations as student records, payroll and financial aid have been fixed. The environmental controls at the Physical Plant are ready, and the campus police have an upgraded communications system. 

The university has replaced a large number of personal computers rather than repair old ones, according to Hutchinson. 

Some extra personnel - police, Physical Plant and computing center staff - will work New Year's Eve in case some major problems occur. 

"But we're not like a hospital where it's critical for all systems to work precisely at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1," said Hutchinson. 

"We have three days to work things out for pre-session classes and 18 days to iron things out for the spring semester. It's kind of a blessing that we can initially work things out on a smaller scale." 

Not every function of the university will have that luxury though, according to Hutchinson. It is important that such functions as animal care facilities, hazardous materials and residence halls maintain continuous operations into the new year. 

Even if computers are down, Hutchinson said, Wichita State plans to continue teaching students. 

"We are prepared to do some kind of enrollment without computers. Hard copies of critical records will be printed in late December to make this possible. Students may have to attend class before they are officially enrolled and before financial aid is settled." 

Many potential problems can be eliminated if students pre-enroll, said Hutchinson. 

The university's Y2K preparations have been reviewed by an agency hired by the state of Kansas. CTA Inc. gave WSU high marks. 

The report said, "The university's IT (information technology) department has been fortunate in having executive personnel with the foresight to institutionalize coding standards eight years ago that would negate many Y2K issues." 

Even so, Hutchinson cautions that Wichita State isn't an island unto itself. If Western Resources or the city water department has problems, the university has problems. 

"There are some things we don't control," said Hutchinson. 

"We've never been through this (Y2K) before, but we have a plan. If we take care of business, this will be a big non-event. I'm convinced if something happens, it's something we didn't think of." 

Hutchinson and Mike Turner, director of the Office of Human Resources, are comfortable that there are enough checks and balances in place to assure that employees will get their paychecks, even if it means issuing hard copy checks. 

"Both WSU and the state of Kansas have contingency plans in place in the event there's a computer problem with direct deposit," said Turner. 

Hutchinson encourages employees to check out the university's contingency plans before leaving for the holiday break. 

He also suggests that employees back up important data and keep a hard copy of the data.

By early December the university's contingency plan will be available through the university's Web site at http://www.wichita.edu. A hard copy of the plan will be available in the Office of University Communications, 102 Morrison Hall.