Tuesday, December 23, 2025

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• It's (almost) the most wonderful time of the year

• What's open and closed on campus over the holidays

• What to expect when we return in 2026

• Remembering Bill Coram

• Thanking 2025's Daily Bulletin contributors

It's (almost) the most wonderful time of the year

This year's University Holiday Project was a smashing success, according to organizers. Project participants sponsored 293 low-income families in need with 482 children in total receiving gifts this year. Photos courtesy of Abigail Wybenga.

It's the last working day for most of us on campus today. The examination period wound down on Thursday, December 18 (unofficial grades are being posted as we speak), most students have made their way home for the holidays, and it's payday for those employees on the monthly payroll, just in time for last-minute Christmas shopping. Campus is about to settle in for a long winter's nap to close out 2025.

Holiday operational changes kick in for many units across campus today (and earlier in some cases). Here are the highlights:

The Early Childhood Education Centre (ECEC) closed as of Friday, December 19 at noon and will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2026 at 8:30 am.

Campus Housing front desks at MKV, REV, UWP and V1 closed at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 19 and will re-open on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. The CLV front desk remained until midnight on Friday, December 19 and will have the following modified holiday hours: 

• Open December 22 and 23 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Campus Housing Office in REV South closed at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 19 and will re-open at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, January 5, 2026. Staff are available to answer phone calls and emails during University business hours on Monday, December 22 and Tuesday, December 23. 

Food Services operations are mostly shuttered, with Brubaker’s, The Market at UWP, Tim Hortons – DC, Browser’s Café, CEIT Café, Ev3rgreen Café, Jugo Juice – CIF, Jugo Juice – SLC, Liquid Assets, ML’s Diner, Mudie’s, REVelation, Rolltation, South Side Marketplace, Starbucks STC, Starbucks HLTH, Tim Hortons – ML, Tim Hortons – EC5, and Tim Hortons – SCH already closed for the rest of the year. Check the locations and hours page for more details.

If you need a coffee on campus today, Tim Hortons – SLC is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Dana Porter and Davis Centre Library are both open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. today, with the help desks available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Athletics facilities are open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. today

Print + Retail Solutions outlets are open today for normal operating hours, though W Store Essentials - MC has been closed since December 15.

The Waterloo Eye Institute’s clinic on Phillip Street will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. today. The Waterloo Eye Institute’s Kitchener clinic will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. today.

Central Stores will close at 4:00 p.m. today and will reopen on January 5, 2026 at 7:30 a.m.

In the Student Life Centre, the Ring Road and Turnkey entrances will remain open, but other building entrances will begin to be closed starting at 3:00 p.m. today, until 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

“Please note for the holiday shutdown that, due to winter weather conditions, utilities (especially electricity) may be affected,” says a memo from the Safety Office circulated to laboratory employees. “It is a general rule that all laboratory processes be designed to safely survive a service failure. During the holiday shutdown this is particularly important.”

The Safety Office has a handy Lab Temporary Shut-down Checklist for people preparing their labs for the shutdown. All lab operations should be suspended by Tuesday, December 23 at 4:00 p.m., resuming no earlier than Monday, January 5, 2026.

If you do happen to have a lab incident:

• Report failures of equipment or physical plant to Plant Operations at x43793.
• If a lab or building has been without power, allow the lab exhaust systems to operate for at least 2 hours before entry to the lab or building.
• Contact the UW Spill Team through Special Constable Service at 519-888-4911 or x22222 if you need emergency assistance related to hazardous materials spills.

If you have any questions about preparing your lab for shutdown, contact the Safety Office at ext. 35755.

IST's physical service desks in Dana Porter, Davis Centre, and Village 1, will close at 4:30 p.m. today. "We will be available virtually via live chat, phone and email from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.," says a note from IST.  

The Centre in Needles Hall closes at 4:30 p.m. today.

Campus Wellness will close today at 4:30 p.m. until Monday, January 5, 2026. During the break, Campus Wellness phones and emails will not be monitored, and documents will not be processed. Should support be required over the holiday break, please visit the after-hours support page.

What's open and closed on campus over the holidays

The traditional tree and star atop the Dana Porter Library may not be lit this year, but the spirit of the season is alive and well at the Institute for Quantum Computing and the Sedra Student Design Centre.

The University's holiday closure period runs from December 24, 2025 to Friday, January 2, 2026, with the winter term beginning on Monday, January 5, 2026. Until then, here's what's happening (or not happening) on campus during the break:

The School of Architecture, the School of Pharmacy, and the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business will follow the main campus's holiday shutdown.

The Velocity Innovation Area will be closed from Monday, December 22 to Friday, January 2, 2026. There will be no Velocity staff on-site during the holiday break, but the building will be accessible via card access.

Gates to the lots around campus will be raised and open as of 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23 and will remain that way until 3:00 a.m. on Monday, January 5, 2026, says a note from Ed Danhousen, Manager of Sustainable Transportation.

IST Service Desks will be closed from Saturday, December 20 to Monday, January 5, 2026 inclusive.

The Libraries are closed from Wednesday, December 24, to Friday, January 2, 2026, opening from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on January 3 and 4, 2026. "Our chatbot is always available on our website to answer questions if people are using library resources online during winter break," says a note from the Libraries. Full details are available on the Libraries' website. 

Athletics facilities will be closed from Wednesday, December 24 to Friday, January 2, 2026.

The School of Architecture's Riverside Gallery holiday hours will be:

• Tuesday, December 23, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, December 24, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, December 25, Closed
• Friday, December 26, Closed
• Saturday, December 27 to Wednesday, December 31, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, January 1, 2026, Closed
• Friday, January 2, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Saturday, January 3, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Snow removal on the main campus over the holiday period will be limited. Plant Operations requests that pedestrians and campus travellers observe the signs marked on trails and other travel paths around the campus stating that there is no winter maintenance and that all use is at their own risk.

A major exception to the campus shutdown is the Student Life Centre. Scott Pearson, Facility Operations and Membership Manager 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 hours a day with friendly Turnkeys to provide assistance to those who stay on campus,” says Pearson. The exception to the exception of course, is the Turnkey location in the Davis Centre, which will open on Monday, January 5, 2026.

"Only the Ring Road and Turnkey doors will be open during the holiday shutdown. However, the building is open for student use, and all other entrances will be exit-only,” says Pearson. Entrances will reopen at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

Most of the SLC's businesses will shut down entirely throughout the break, including Lifetouch Photography, Tim Hortons, Brubakers, Flock Stop, Student Health Pharmacy and Campus Physio.  

CIBC will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on December 24 and 31. The branch is open on December 22, 23, 29, 30 and January 2, 2026for regular hours (9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) The branch is closed on December 25, 26 and January 1, 2026. 

Grand River Transit will continue to service campus throughout the shutdown. For specific holiday schedules please visit www.grt.ca.

What to expect when we return in 2026

Photo by Joe Petrik.

The 2026 winter term begins on Monday, January 5, 2026.

Food Services operations will open in stages, with The Market at UWP open from 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026, Mudie’s in Village One open from 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026, and REVelation in Ron Eydt Village open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026. Remaining operations will open on Monday, January 5, 2026 as students return to campus for the winter term.

Campus Housing front desks at MKV, REV, UWP and V1 will reopen on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at 8:00 a.m.

The CLV front desk will reopen on January 1, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. and resumes regular daily hours (8:00 a.m. to 12 midnight Monday to Friday and 12 noon to 12 midnight on Saturday and Sunday).

The Campus Housing Office in REV South will open at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, January 5, 2026.

IST Service Desks in the Davis Centre and Dana Porter libraries will reopen on Saturday, January 3, 2026 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Libraries will be back to regular term hours on Monday, January 5, 2026. 

The Centre in Needles Hall will open on Monday, January 5, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.

The Daily Bulletin will return on Monday, January 5, 2026.

Remembering Bill Coram

University of Waterloo staff member William Coram passed away suddenly on December 19. Bill joined the University on March 4, 1991 and worked as a Freight and Mail Delivery Associate in Central Stores for 33 years.

Coram took a voluntary retirement in December 2024 as part of the VRP.

"Bill was a valued and dedicated member of the Central Stores team," writes Rob McMurren, Manager of Central Stores. "His campus knowledge was unparalleled and he was a walking UW encyclopedia. He will be missed dearly."

Thanking 2025's Daily Bulletin contributors

Photo by Joe Petrik.

Throughout 2025, I have had the privilege of working with many talented people across campus 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 2025's honour roll:

Mifrah Abid; Jean Becker; Sam Bellerose; Beth Bohnert; Emily Brant; Amy Carroll-Dee; Clarissa Charles; Sam Charles; Tori Coles; Charlotte Danby; David DeVidi; Angie Docking; Rachel Doherty; Nenone Donaldson; Michael Dorr; Thomas Duever; Davandra Earle; Donna Ellis; Jennifer Ferguson; Sarah Fullerton; Mike Gašpić; Vivek Goel; Christine Goucher; Naomi Grosman; Skyler Hammond; Janet Janes; Scott Johnston; Micaela Kelly; Matthew King; Alex Kineslla; Elizabeth Kleisath; Jane Kolb; Brenda Lee; John Lewis; Melanie Madzarac; Ryan Mark; Claire Mastrangelo; Darren McAlmont; Sharon McFarlane; Megan McGarry; Katie McQuaid; William Muir; Vanessa Parks; Aaleyah Patel; Emma Pavlovich; Kevin Paxman; Joe Petrik; Wendy Philpott; Kayleigh Platz; Vrajani Popawala; Mayuri Punithan; Nadine Quehl; Michelle Radman; Fatima Rathore; Jacinda Reitsma; Melodie Roschman; Jim Rush; Angelica Marie Sanchez; Regina Ashna Singh; Samir Sharma; Kathy Smidt; Gregory Smith; Christopher Taylor; Joshua Taylor-Detlor; Mat Thijssen; Zoe Tipper; Fiona Thompson; Lisa Tomalty; Sam Toman; Emily Totzke; Chantal Vallis; Megan Vander Woude; Mary Wells; Cathy Wessels; and Melanie Will.

This just scratches the surface, of course — communications staff and employees in the Faculties, departments, academic support units, committees, and other organizations regularly submit material to the Daily Bulletin without credit. Rest assured, I know who you are, and I know that you know I know who you are. Thank you for all you do.

This is the 15^th time I’ve had the privilege of editing the final Daily Bulletin of the year, right down to the final placement of Chris Redmond’s holiday poem in the sidebar, and it brings a smile to my face when I think about the many, many voices that I get to amplify as they contribute to the daily life of the University. I wouldn’t be able to do it without you.

And, of course, thank you to you, the reader.

And so that brings us to the end of another working year at the University of Waterloo. A year with challenges and changes too numerous to mention. Now we can take a week and a half or so to breathe deeply, rest and relax, and buckle up for the year ahead.

For now: to all a good night.