Sacramento State University could face a blackout at any time without further notice as a result of California?s statewide energy crisis.

University officials are currently working on several ways to minimize the problem.”I have rather determined that we not allow it to deter the university,” said Sac State President Donald Gerth.

A campus plan for rolling blackouts has been devised for the spring semester and is available at the campus Web site, www.csus.edu. The plan will call for several methods and procedures for blackout safety, including the placement of “building captains” in each building to aid the faculty and students, according to Ann Reed, vice president of Public Affairs.

The university also has backup generators for emergency equipment, said Frank Ayron, an electrician with Facilities Management.

Ayron said that these generators will supply power for phones, fire alarms and emergency lighting to aid in exiting the buildings in the event of a blackout.

Gerth said that outdoor emergency lighting is limited however and is encouraging those who will be on campus at night to take extra precaution and use flashlights.

Reed said that if the University receives advanced notice of a blackout, it will post the information on the campus Web site, as well as the broadcast telephone system which will send the message to faculty over the phone.

The university is also conserving energy in response to the crisis, Gerth said.

“I am asking Facilities Management to reduce heat to that level necessary for good health and to take sensible steps to cut back lights and other electric uses,” Gerth said in a memorandum issued to the campus community last month.

He has since directed that all thermostats be set at 68 degrees, in line with a request by Chancellor Charles B. Reed.

Gerth said that Sac State officials have been working closely with its power suppliers at the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District, and are attempting to make a deal with them that would lessen the threat of a blackout at Sac State, in exchange for a pledge to conserve energy.

“They have been very helpful,” he said.

SMUD has yet to increase its rates for electricity, but the possibility exists that it may do so in the future due to its own rising costs, according to Gregg Fishman, a spokesman for the power company.

However, the university is currently estimating an additional cost of between $400,000 and $700,000 for gas, according to Gerth.

Fishman expects that California will be facing an energy shortage in varying degrees until enough power plants can be completed to meet the state?s demands.

“It is going to be with us in one shape or form for one to two years at least,” Fishman said.He said that the severity of the crisis may depend on the energy demand of the given season.

Chancellor Reed said that the CSU system is ready to meet the crisis.

“Long before the current energy crisis, the CSU?s had a history of taking great efforts to minimize energy use and implement conservation programs,” Reed said. “Now it is even more important to maintain and expand those programs and seek new ways to save energy.”