status check

how do you say the word 'status'. I usually say sta'tus with a long a (as in bay) but my students this week laughed and corrected me saying stat'us with a short a (as in cat). I told Joe and he was cross, saying thats the bloodly american way of pronouncing it. hmm, goes back to the old debate of saying database with an ahhhh sound or an ayyyy sound......
[dino]