Monday, December 23, 2019

It's the most wonderful time of the year

And by that we mean the last working day on campus before the holidays for the majority of faculty and staff at the University.

If you're looking for some last-minute shopping opportunities, the following Print + Retail Solutions operations are open today from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:

• W Store | Course Materials + Supplies, SCH
• W Store | Gifts + Apparel, SCH
• W Store Essentials, SLC and STC
• W Print, GSC and SCH

Several Food Services locations are already closed for the holidays, but today, the following locations will be operating as follows:

• Tim Hortons, SLC - 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Starbucks, STC  - 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Tim Hortons, SCH  - 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The University Club is putting on the last of its holiday luncheon buffets today before closing down for the break. East End Café in East Campus 5 closed for good on Saturday, December 21 and will not be re-opening in January as Food Services is renovating to better serve the campus community. Stay tuned for more updates in the new year. Check the Food Services website for more details about locations and hours.

The Dana Porter Library and the Davis Centre Library are open today, closing at 5:00 p.m. Check the Library's location and hours page for more information about branch hours.

Athletics facilities closed on Saturday, December 21 and will be closed until Thursday, January 2, 2020.

The ECEC children’s program closed on Friday, December 20 at 12:00 p.m. and will re-open on Monday, January 6 with regular hours. 

The Student Service Centre in Needles Hall will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., reopening at 8:30 a.m. on January 2, 2020.

Central Stores will provide normal delivery/pickup services for all departments today. Afternoon delivery and pickup times may change slightly due to an extended lunch break.

The School of Pharmacy and the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business are both open today, as is the School of Architecture, which will close at 4:30 p.m.

Housing and Residences reports that REV, V1, MKV, and UWP Front Desks will close at the latest by 12:00 p.m. today and will reopen Thursday, January 2 at 8:00 a.m.

The CLV Front Desk will close by 8:00 p.m. tonight and will re-open on Wednesday, January 1 at 8:00 a.m.

The Residence IT Service Desk located in Village 1 will close at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, December 22 and will reopen Thursday, January 2 at 8:30 a.m.

Reduced hours are now in effect at the Davis Centre Service Desk today and from January 2 to 5, 2020 as follows:

• Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and
• Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

With the exception of Columbia Lake Village-North and UWP Wellesley Court South, which house graduate families and December International Student Stay Program, all residences will close for the holiday break. There are short-term accommodation options available. If you have questions about move-out or move-in, please email housing@uwaterloo.ca.

Campus Wellness locations (including Health Services and Counselling Services) will be closed for the holiday break beginning tomorrow. Counselling Services closes at 4:30 p.m. today, and Health Services closes at 5:00 p.m.

Students with medical needs over the holidays are encouraged to first call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 for medical advice. Students with medical emergencies should contact 9-1-1 or Campus Police at ext. 22222 (if on-campus). Check the Campus Wellness website for additional resources.

The Velocity incubator in Kitchener will be following the main campus shutdown schedule, but the space will be operating in 'weekend mode,' which means that while no staff will be on site, those who have access can come in and work. Concept's offices on the second floor of South Campus Hall, will also be following the campus shutdown schedule. Velocity and Concept will be fully open on January 2, 2020. 

Plant Operations reports that building conditions will be held at normal night and weekend setback temperatures starting tonight, and most ventilation will be turned off. All appliances, office equipment and unused fume hoods should be turned off, and make sure all windows are closed before you leave today. 

The time has also come for laboratories to be shut down in an orderly fashion for the holiday break. The Safety Office has sent out its annual memo containing the steps to be taken to ensure a safe shutdown over the holiday period. All laboratory operations are to be suspended by 4:00 p.m. today, and may resume on Thursday, January 2, 2020. The Safety Office recommends the suspension of all processes that may be vulnerable in the case of weather-related power outages.

Director of Police Services Alan Binns would like to remind the campus community that all buildings will be locked during the holiday break. UW Police Services will start locking doors at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.

“Please ensure that anyone needing entry into your buildings during this time have the appropriate keys/access fobs available to them for that purpose,” writes Director Binns.

Alan also reminds us that this is a vulnerable time for the campus and valuables should not be left unsecured. UW Police also offers the use of their safe for the storage of money and small valuable items, over the Christmas break. UW Police will ensure that all campus buildings are reopened by 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 2 2020.

Campus prepares for a long winter's nap

The University will be closing down from Tuesday, December 24 to Wednesday, January 1, reopening on Thursday, January 2, 2020.

All Food Services locations will be closed from December 24 to January 2, 2020.

The Waterloo Residences office located in SLC 0134 will be closed over the break and will reopen Thursday, January 2 at 8:30 a.m.

Information Systems and Technology will monitor the service desk phone (519-888-4357) for any messages and will also check for requests (rt@uwaterloo.ca) and helpdesk email (helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca) over the Christmas break for urgent items that need to be addressed. "Please note only critical requests, such as a network outage, will be handled," says a note from IST. "Requests, such as password problems, will be processed in the usual manner once the University re-opens on January 2."

The Village 1 Service Desk will be closed from December 23 to January 1, 2020. Regular hours will resume on January 2, 2020.

The Dana Porter Service Desk will be closed until January 5, 2020. Regular hours will resume on January 6, 2020.

The Davis Centre Service Desk is closed from December 24, 2019 to January 1, 2020. Regular hours will resume on January 6, 2020. 

Library locations will be closed between December 23 and January 1, 2020.

The School of Pharmacy, the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, and the School of Architecture will follow the main campus's holiday shutdown. The Melville Café will be open on Saturday, December 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, reopening from 9:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. daily afterwards until New Year's Eve. The café will be closed on New Year's Day. Regular hours will start on January 2, open 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends. The Riverside Gallery will remain closed until the New Year.

The Graduate Apartments at St. Paul's will be open to tenants during the holidays and on-call staff will be available during the break. The Guest Rooms are also open during the shutdown period and guests may use the convenient self-check-in process. Rooms should be booked by 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 20. 

Co-operative and Experiential Education will be following the main campus shutdown schedule, with the Tatham Centre closed over the break.

A major exception to the weeklong campus closing is the Student Life Centre. Scott Pearson, operations panager of the SLC, writes that the building will be open throughout the holiday season, as always. The Turnkey Desk (519-888-4434) “will be staffed 24 hour a day with friendly Turnkeys to provide assistance to those who stay on campus,” says Pearson. 

Most of the SLC's businesses will shut down entirely throughout the break including Lifetouch Photography, Campus Tech, Tim Hortons, Brubakers, the Bombshelter, International News, Student Health Pharmacy, WatCard and SOS Physiotherapy.

CIBC will be open on both Saturday December 21 and Saturday, December 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will be closed on December 25, 26 and January 1. The branch will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on December 24 and 31 and is open for regular hours today, December 27 and 30. All regular business hours will resume on Thursday, January 2.     

Campus Dentist closed on Saturday, December 21 and will resume regular hours on Monday, January 6.  

The Student Health Pharmacy closed on Thursday December 20 and will reopen on Thursday, January 2.

SOS Physiotherapy will be closed starting on December 24 and will reopen on Thursday, January 2.

GO Transit and Greyhound will continue to service campus throughout the shutdown, although on some days the schedules will operate on holiday scheduling. Full ticketing and travel information is online or available at the Turnkey Desk. GO Transit will operate a Sunday Schedule on Christmas and a Saturday schedule on Boxing Day. GO Transit is implementing a schedule change starting on Saturday, January 4. Pearson also states “on New Year’s Eve all transportation on GO Transit is free system-wide after 7:00 p.m. No tickets are required.”

Grand River Transit will be operating with some holiday service during the break. Complete details are online.  GRT is also free after 6:00 p.m. on December 31. Many main routes including the ION Light Rail and Ion Bus will have extended service on New Year’s Eve. 

Snow removal on the main campus over the holiday period will be limited, according to Sharon Rumpel, associate director of Grounds, Parking and Transportation within Plant Operations. "Grounds staff will respond to serious snow issues," is the official word, especially to clear priority areas such as the ring road. Added Rumpel, “During the holiday break, grounds staff will be on call to do winter maintenance of emergency routes on campus as requested by either UW Police Services or Central Plant.”

All parking lots will be open and free throughout the holidays, except for lot D under Needles Hall and the Early Childhood Education Centre (ECEC) lot at the Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology (PAS) building. Gates to the lots around campus are being opened one by one in the course of this afternoon, says Manager of Parking Services Ed Danhousen. From now until the morning of January 2, 2020, there's no need to put money into any pay-and-display machines.

Students who live in residence and are leaving their cars on campus over the break should register with Parking Services and will be told where where to park their car, for the sake of snow clearing operations. Enforcement of parking rules on fire routes and in accessible spaces will continue, the university police say.

What to expect when 2020 arrives

The holidays will come to a close with the ushering in of a new year on Wednesday, January 1. Campus will begin to rise from its long winter's nap on Thursday, January 2, though Winter term lectures won't commence until Monday, January 6.

The Waterloo Residences office located in SLC 0134 will reopen Thursday, January 2 at 8:30 a.m.

There is no early move-in for the winter 2020 term. All MKV, REV, UWP, Village 1, Minota Hagey, and Columbia Lake Village-South undergraduate residents can begin moving in on Thursday, January 2 after 8:00 a.m. Graduate students living in Columbia Lake Village-North or South can pick up their keys at the CLV Community Centre front desk and begin moving in after 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1, 2020.

"Winter break is the ideal time to begin exploring housing options for spring and fall 2020," says a note from Housing and Residences. "Applications are now open! Students are also invited to the University of Waterloo Housing Fair on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 in the Student Life Centre Great Hall from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m."

If you have questions about move-out or move-in, please email housing@uwaterloo.ca.

Campus Wellness offices will reopen on Thursday, January 2 at 8:30 a.m.

The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open Thursday, January 2 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for intersession hours, and on the weekend from noon to 5:00 p.m.

Food Services locations reopening on January 2 include:

• Mudies, V1 - 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Starbucks, STC - 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Tim Hortons SLC  - 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Tim Hortons SCH - 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The Market at CMH will open on Saturday, January 4 at 11:00 a.m. REVelation will open on Sunday, January 5 at 4:30 p.m. All locations will be back to business as usual on Monday, January 6.

East End Café (EC5) will not be re-opening in January as Food Services is renovating to better serve the campus community. It closed for good as of Saturday, December 21. Stay tuned for more updates.

Athletics facilities will open on Thursday, January 2.

The School of Pharmacy and the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business will reopen on Thursday, January 2.

The Centre will open on Thursday, January 2, 2020 and starting Monday, January 6 for the first three weeks of term, it will be open 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday to assist students with their start-of-term needs. 

Finally, the Daily Bulletin will return on Thursday, January 2, 2020. Have a safe and happy holiday, everyone!

A thank-you to 2019's Daily Bulletin contributors

Throughout 2019, I have had the privilege of working with many talented people across campus and beyond who have written material for the Daily Bulletin and who have helped keep the campus community informed about life at the University of Waterloo. Here is this year's honour roll:

Dan Ackerman, Joanne Adair, Matt Austin, Magda Bentia, Lisa Brackenridge, Sara Davis, Jude Doble, Kathryn Fedy, Susan Fish, Anne Galang, Jeanette Gascho, Cassie Harrison, Ryon Jones, Hazel Kabibi, Sandra Laughlin, Christie Ledgley, Stephanie Longeway, Kate MacDonald, Claire Mastrangelo, Beth McLay, Carrie Nickerson, Natalie Quinlan, Ian Rowlands, Melanie Scott, Herb Shoveller, Jillian Smith, Pallavi Sodhi, Katrina Steckle, Peter Stirling, Claire Taylor, Sam Toman, Carol Truemner, Amy U, Chantal Vallis, Megan Vander Woude, Seneca J. Velling, Lauren Ward, and Chris Wilson-Smith.

In addition, I would like to thank the Faculties, departments, academic support units, committees, and other organizations that contributed material to the Daily Bulletin this year.

The Internal and Leadership Communications team is here to amplify the many voices on campus that contribute to the daily life of the University. We wouldn't be able to do it without you. We look forward to continuing that tradition into the new year.

And so: a thank-you to all, and to all a good night.