"Moving responsibility down the 'chain ofcommand' to the level of direct knowledge is nevera bad move," says Carolyn C. MacLeod,administrative and financial officer for theDepartment of Afro-American Studies. "This type oftechnological upgrade is long overdue at Harvard."

Right Here, Right Now

While some administrators will be using HERS-2by May, students may also enjoy the fruits of FAStechnology projects by the end of the academicyear.

According to David M. Sobel, manager of userservices for Harvard Arts and Sciences ComputerServices (HASCS), students in FAS will usespecially-assigned PINs to gain read-only secureaccess to their most recent grades and courseselections.

Titled "Registrar Online: Access to StudentInformation Services," the project was firstreported this summer by The Crimson, but Sobelsays Oracle database installation caused delaysfor HASCS.

Aiming for a late-spring release, Sobel saysHASCS "hopes to provide student with grades priorto [their] receiving a printed version."

HERS-2, according to Becella, will ultimatelyprovide many of the same services, so theRegistrar Online will offer grades and courseschedules to students while Nevo finishes the morecomprehensive system.

In addition to HERS-2 and the Registrar Online,FAS has developed ASPerIN, a Web-based databasefor personnel appointments and staff information,and the Purchasing Card--a corporate MasterCardwhich will eliminate the bulk of purchase orders.

Herschbach said she also hopes the College willdevelop an FAS Classroom Database to cope withspace conflicts.

"This is not just a software project," Lewissays. "This is an opportunity to think about howwe collect and distribute information. This is avery significant moment.