Memos

This memorandum provides information about the operations of the University of Kansas, Lawrence during the Academic Break and the Winter Recess and related payroll and personnel procedures.

Academic Break: Final examinations conclude on Friday, December 14; spring semester classes begin on Thursday, January 17. During the break, the following energy conservation measures will be in effect.

• Dates: Saturday, December 15, through Wednesday, January 16
• Affected facilities: academic spaces, including classrooms, class labs, lecture rooms, auditoria, etc.
• Thermostat settings: 55 degrees wherever possible.
• Not affected: Libraries, research space, and offices
• Special arrangements: Units that wish to reserve these spaces for special activities during this period should notify Facilities Operations so that the 55-degree set point can be overridden for the date(s) in questions.
• Questions or concerns: Contact Don Steeples, Vice Provost for Scholarly Support (864-4904; don@ku.edu).

Winter Recess: During the recess, administrative and student services offices responsible for completing fall semester graduation checks, for processing Promotion and Tenure files, and for discharging operational and business functions will remain open on work days. Other offices may close or may arrange for reduced staffing with prior approval of their dean, vice provost, Provost, or Chancellor as appropriate. See “Unit Plans Reporting” below.

• Dates: Saturday, December 22, through Tuesday, January 1
• Work days: December 26, 27, 28, and 31.
• Buildings hours on work days: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Thermostat settings during the workday: 65 degrees
• Weekends and holidays: December 22 -25, 29, 30; January 1
• Thermostat settings after 5 p.m. and on weekends and holidays: 55 degrees

Payroll: Due to the Christmas holiday, the payroll period of December 2 through December 15 has a SUPER accelerated payroll processing to produce the paychecks for the December 28, 2007, pay date. The first pay calculation will be Friday, December 14, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. A detailed payroll processing schedule is included in the Payroll website calendar.

• Payroll calendar for December (26 KB)

Personnel Matters: The period between the end of fall semester exams and the beginning of the spring semester provides an excellent opportunity for many USS and unclassified employees to schedule vacation time. We ask administrators to meet requests for vacation leave, use of compensatory time, and the discretionary holiday to the fullest extent possible. The Department of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity (HR/EO) will assist in identifying temporary assignments for employees who wish to work but whose offices will be closed.

• Employee Arrangements for December 26 through January 1 (18 KB)

Mail delivery: Federal and campus mail will not be delivered unless delivery is specifically requested. Someone must be on hand to receive all of the mail for the building; otherwise it will not be left. Regular mail delivery will resume on Tuesday, January 2.

Unit plan reporting: The procedure for reporting unit schedules, mail delivery preferences, and emergency contacts for the period December 26 through January 1 has changed from a paper process to a web-based process. (See https://www2.ku.edu/~provost/cgi-bin/staff/winter_recess.shtml). Each unit should designate an individual who will enter the unit’s plans. Unit information should be entered by no later than December 17. The budgeteers or designees for the deans, vice provosts, Provost, or Chancellor’s office will review and confirm the information submitted by the units. When approved, this information will be available to Public Safety, University Relations, Campus Mail, the Provost’s Office, and the Chancellor’s Office.

Offices that will be closed for the period or any part of it (excluding the state holidays, December 24 and 25 and January 1) are expected to post their schedules and emergency contact numbers prominently and well in advance. Voice mail messages providing the schedule, appropriate referrals and emergency phone numbers should be recorded.

Questions? If you have questions about energy conservation, facilities, mail delivery, payroll, or personnel issues, contact the person or office listed below.

Energy Conservation	Don Steeples, Vice Provost for Scholarly Support	864-4904
Facilities	Production Control, Facilities Operations	864-4770
Mail Delivery	Terri Thornton, Campus Mail (thornton@ku.edu)
Payroll	Payroll Office	864-4385
Personnel	Ola Faucher, Human Resources/Equal Opportunity	864-7411

cc: Personnel Related Staff