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NMC moves to solve Y2K woes
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Posted on May 31 1999
While federal funding to resolve the CNMI’s Y2K problem is still being negotiated, the Northern Marianas College is preparing to secure a letter of credit in order to expedite its in-house purchase of software that will help it deal with the millennium bug.
In a presentation Friday, NMC Programmer Frank Oliver informed the Board of Regents that the Bank of Hawaii has expressed its willingness to issue $125,000 worth of letter of credit.
The Board, however, asked NMC legal counsel Jesus Borja to look into the L.C. agreement since it will use the million dollar endowment money of NMC as collateral.
If plans will push through, the L.C. will enable the college to bring in the needed software. According to the software company, it will take five months for NMC to implement the technology, which will resolve make computers at the college Y2K-compliant.
The continued delay in the implementation of the program poses a serious threat to the computer system in the island’s lone higher learning institution.
NMC President Agnes McPhetres told the board that the college has made earlier request with the Office of Insular Affairs for the Y2K funding, and a similar request was made for another federal grant to purchase the software. Both are still awaiting final word from the two funding agencies.
“While we made these requests, let’s not just wait but instead look for another alternative,” she said.
Based on earlier estimates, NMC will need over $300,000 to guard its student admission data from the millennium bug.
Oliver said a recommendation was submitted to NMC officials which has proposed for the purchase of the ABT software or the power campus designed for colleges and universities.
NMC computer experts said the school should have the new software starting fall, otherwise it will have a major impact on the student’s data, from class scheduling to grades. Its current manpower will also not allow paper work documentation as a back up plan for the Y2K bug.
