E-mail traffic jams could explain why students have been blocked sporadically from their Oak accounts since Sept. 30 when complications with the system began.

The temperamental system sparked a week-long effort to pick out potential problems, manager of Computer Support Services Duane Starkey said.

Part of the reason for the unpredictable access may be the amount of users on the system, he said. Prime usage times, such as late afternoon, seem to be when Oak fails.

However, the system should be able to accommodate OU's population, Starkey said.

"The Oak server is capable of serving the large amount of accounts we have," he said. "There is just something not working correctly."

The system has been rebooted when Oak shuts down so the cause of the problem can be deciphered. After rebooting the program on Friday, the system worked until Sunday night, when it shut down again after usage increased, Starkey said.

William Tuttle, supervisor of call-handling for Digital Equipment Corporation, said the possibility that access is denied because of excessive users would not be unusual. Digital provides equipment and services for OU's Oak account, along with many universities across the country.

"A lot of people go into their e-mail and don't log off when they are done, so they are using up another spot," he said.

Starkey realizes the inconvenience and hopes to trigger the cause of the shut-downs soon.

"E-mail is really an essential service and when people can't access it, it's frustrating for both them and us," he said. "It is one of those situations where you can't lay your hands on the problem."

And with the system working unpredictably, using e-mail is frustrating for senior Shara Glickman.

"I would've rather not got into the system instead of looking at the Main Menu for so long," she said.

Glickman needed to access information about her internship and was unable to do so until right before a deadline. She also depends on her Oak account for important news from her advisor.

The lack of e-mail could cost sophomore Aubrey Alexander a bundle in long-distance fees. She has been using e-mail messages as a replacement for phone calls to keep in touch with friends.

"I don't like to call long distance," she said. "It forces me to pay more money that I don't have."

With efforts to correct the system underway, it will not be long before the system is up and running, Starkey said.

OU has used Oak e-mail for four years and during that time the system has been updated three times.

The most recent system was installed last summer, he said.

"It is a very reliable system and we feel badly that we've had these problems in the past week," he said.