echoing
across campus that wasn’t
there last year; clocks are ticking
in sync, and they are keeping
proper time.
The removal of the clocks last
fall caused such a stir that Bucks
administrators quickly changed
their plans from eradicating
clocks to replacing them.
The problem with the clocks
began with the old system.
The old clocks ran on batteries
that required manual maintenance.
Once one clock was set to
the proper time, another would
stop working. Eventually, many
clcoks were just plain wrong.
Also, the clocks on the bottomright
corner of all student-used
computers were rarely updated
for things like Daylight Savings
time.
Information Networking Services
sent out technicians to, computer
by computer, update the time
with the start or end of Daylight
Savings Time and to correct any
clocks that were wrong.But this year, the problem
has been fixed.
Franklin Instrument Company
provided Bucks with a new GPS
clock system. According to Jeremy
Fischer, a former Bucks student
and current vice president
assistant of sales for Franklin
Instruments, this new system is
a wireless synchronized clock
system that receives a satellite signal
broadcast to a transmitter atop
Penn Hall. Once a day, an update
is sent to the clocks, preventing
any discrepancy in time that could
occur. “A drift correction would
be rectified automatically
as well as any updates for Daylight
Saving Time,” he said.
A drift is a lag or acceleration
that occurs when a clock hand
moves improperly due to
mechanical issues.
According to Mark Grisi, physical
plant executive director, 90
percent of the clocks are in working
order. Amechanical problem is
the only thing holding up the last
10 percent.
“[Hold ups] are a clock
[mechanical] problem, not the
system,” said Grisi. “For all
intents and purposes, the clocks
work.”
The new system updates the
clocks regularly and if there is an
electrical problem, the clocks still
run off a continuously charged
battery located within each clock.
For Daylight Saving Time,
coming to an end in early November,
the Bucks’ INS department
has changed the format for student
computers to make sure last year’s
problems don’t happen again.
Doug Burak, director of IT
security, said that the student computers
are running in conjunction
with a primary server that automatically
updates the clocks
daily.
“In theory, (updating) shouldn’t
be a problem, for example Daylight
Saving Time, because we
centralized [with a server] and
that should (prevent) any discrepancies,”
said Burak.
According to Burak, with only
one server controlling updates, as
opposed to the old two-server system,
there is less chance of failure
than before.
Students used to be able to logon
to computers without entering
their student number and password.
After switching to one
domain, and requiring a log-in ID,
the issue of inaccurate clocks
should be a thing of the past.
Also, part of the new clock system
includes a separate, yet integrated,
alarm system for the new
emergency mass communications
program. When complete,
the alarm system will generate a
tone, signaling a campus emergency.
This project is currently
underway.