Preparation is priceless

We used to use a computer system here at the Indiana Daily Student called Quark. After switching to a new program we kept Quark around because, per Murphy's Law, problems are bound to come up. You don't throw out something that works until you're sure the new one does too.\nSo why couldn't IU do the same with the PeopleSoft system? \nWe understand new programs are going to have their glitches, but this isn't the virgin voyage for PeopleSoft. The University of Massachusetts, University of Rhode Island, University of Utah and other colleges throughout the world have already implemented the software noting similar problems with the system.\nOf course, IU's choice of PeopleSoft was probably influenced by its cheaper cost than those of alternative systems. But is the price students are paying now worth it? \nThe problem lies in that it is an umbrella-style system, supposedly tailored to IU's needs. It just doesn't work the way the old system, which was designed by IU for IU, did. \nOneStart isn't entirely a bad idea. In fact the premise behind it is a great idea -- that of a centralized "launching" Web site. But instead of coming out with warnings about computer glitches being expected, why wasn't a back-up system set up? Would it have truly been too difficult to update INSITE for one semester so students could see their schedules, financial aid and drop and add classes?\nBecause there have truly been a multitude of problems. \nFirst there were scheduling problems. Students scrambled the day before classes without being able to access their class schedules and when they could get to them, there were errors. Then came the good stuff -- financial aid. According to an Associated Press report, students at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis had to wait in line for hours to get emergency financial aid because of late financial aid checks. The cause of the screw-up? PeopleSoft. The system is also leaving refund checks backed up, and it told one student his "previous balance" was roughly $233,000. That's a big mistake.\nThe PeopleSoft program, which was supposed to alleviate the headaches caused by INSITE, has caused even bigger problems. It's one thing to have a problem looking up what classroom your psychology lecture is in, but it's entirely another to have a computer program delay financial aid packages. \nAnd all of this might have been excusable if IU was the first campus to implement the software, but it wasn't, and now students are struggling to find ways to adjust to the new system, pay their bills and find their classes.\nIn reality, all new programs and ideas have their faults. But these weren't unexpected glitches, not all of them anyway. Yes there have been problems nobody expected, but with so many problems already reported in the news, it makes us wonder, why wasn't any backup setup?