October 26, 2020

Good afternoon,

In appreciation of the extraordinary efforts of our faculty and staff and to keep our community safe, the University is extending the Winter Recess period to begin on Monday, December 21, 2020. This extension provides three additional paid Recess days to the calendar. The senior leadership team recognizes and understands the difficulties many individuals may have faced this year, as well as the staff’s hard work throughout the pandemic, and are supportive of this extra time off.

This change to the Winter Recess period applies to general staff; the University will reach out to union leadership for represented staff to discuss any potential application of this change to represented staff. Staff who are required to work during these additional Recess days should work with their supervisors to determine other dates to use the additional personal time.

Information about how staff should complete their timecards during the Winter Recess can be found on the Office of Human Resources’ website. As a reminder, a staff Holiday is also scheduled for Monday, November 30.

The COVID-19 Medical Response Office sent a message about the shelter-in-place period at the end of the fall term to all undergraduates on all campuses earlier today. The shelter-in-place period will begin on November 12 on all campuses. Academic activities are permitted in person, but some University public spaces will be closing to reduce social gatherings. Please work with your supervisor to determine if these changes affect your operations.

With Halloween, the election and the end of the semester all taking place over the next few weeks, please remember to take care of yourself and others by continuing to wear a face covering, practicing physical distancing, and maintaining frequent handwashing.

Thank you for your continued dedication to keep yourself and our community safe.

Cheers,

David N. DeJong
Acting Senior Vice Chancellor for Business and Operations
Vice Chancellor of Human Resources