Holiday schedule changes

Salaried staff employees who work on a holiday will be paid for the hours worked at time and one-half, in addition to the regular pay, or will be given compensatory time off at time and one-half. The dates are to be mutually agreed upon by the employee and supervisor.

Holiday pay provisions for hourly employees are outlined in the collective bargaining agreements.

Recognizing the need for certain services to continue during the recess, several departments will operate on a limited schedule.

Campus mail

Regular campus mail delivery will continue through Friday, Dec. 22. Any additional outgoing mail to the U.S. Postal Service should be brought to the Campus Mail Center in the General Services Building by 3:15 p.m., Friday, Dec. 22. The facility will be open on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 27 and 28, when mail can be picked up from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. both days.

There will be very limited processing of outgoing mail. Only first-class mail will be processed on Thursday, Dec. 28. Because of limited staffing, bulk mail cannot be processed during the recess.

FedEx, UPS and other courier-delivered packages will be accepted and stored in Campus Mail. Recipients who do not pick up the packages will be called. To make other arrangements, call (302) 831-2158.

Regular mail delivery will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

Campus delivery

Campus Delivery will be open from 8 a.m.-noon, Thursday, Dec. 28. Normal delivery will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

Transportation

University buses will not run again until Tuesday, Jan. 2, when they will operate on an abbreviated schedule until full service begins for Winter Session on Wednesday, Jan. 3. The free UNICITY Newark shuttle buses will run on their normal weekday schedule from Tuesday-Friday, Dec. 26-29, but will not run on Monday, Dec. 25, Monday, Jan. 1, or on the weekends between Saturday, Dec. 23, and Sunday, Dec. 31. For more information on routes and estimated stop times during the winter recess, visit [www.udel.edu/SuppSrvc/bus/xmas06.html].

Emergencies

Emergency response personnel will be available and can be reached by calling Public Safety at 911 or (302) 831-2222.

Voice mail

Individuals and units should alter voice-mail messages to reflect the holiday recess. A few suggested examples are provided below. Also, see the Extended Absence Greeting, which allows individuals to keep their normal "no answer" voice-mail greeting and add a new greeting for extended time away from the office.

Office example: "You have reached the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware. Our offices are closed for the holidays. Normal office hours will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Please call back then or leave a message after the tone, and your call will be returned after the holiday recess."

Individual examples: "Hello. This is Jane Doe of the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware. I will be out of the office for the holidays from Monday, Dec. 25, through Monday, Jan. 1. Please leave your name, your phone number and a detailed message after the tone. I will call you back when I return on Tuesday, Jan. 2."

Those who plan to check their messages during the holiday recess should consider the following type of greeting:

"Hello. This is Jack Doe of the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware. I will be out of the office for the holidays from Monday, Dec. 25, through Monday, Jan. 1. I will be checking my messages, however, so please leave your name, your phone number and a detailed message after the tone, and I will return your call."

Extended-absence voice-mail option

The Extended-Absence Option enables users to add a greeting for absences and not have to record over their current "no answer" greeting.

To use this feature:

Enter your mailbox and from the main menu, press 9;
For greetings and name announcement, press 1; and
For extended-absence greeting, press 4.

For more information about how to change your voice mail or the extended-absence feature, visit [www.udel.edu/voicemail], e-mail [pamf@udel.edu] or contact Pam Flockerzi at (302) 831-3718.

Computing network

The campus network and all central computing systems and applications will be up and available throughout the holiday period, with the following exceptions:

Between 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 24, and 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 25, no operator intervention will be available on central systems; and
Preventive maintenance on the building electrical systems is scheduled between 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 28. During this period, computer systems may be briefly interrupted on short notice if electrical system repairs are required.

For more information, contact Shirley Coen at (302) 831-3775, or by e-mail at [scoen@udel.edu].

Computing sites

The Smith Hall computing site will be open for limited hours over the holiday period:

Dec. 22, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.;
Dec. 23, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.;
Dec. 24-25, closed;
Dec. 26-31, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;
Jan. 1, closed; and
Jan. 2, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

All other computing sites will be closed.

Libraries

The University of Delaware Libraries, including Morris Library and branch libraries, will be closed from Saturday, Dec. 23, through Monday, Jan. 1. The University of Delaware Libraries will close for the holiday period at 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 22, and reopen at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 2. All libraries will begin Winter Session hours on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

A wide range of electronic resources will be available at [www.lib.udel.edu].

DELCAT, library databases, and electronic journals are available 24/7. Also accessible from off campus are web pointers to scholarly information organized by subject (Subject Guides A-Z) at [www.lib.udel.edu].

Books due before Friday, Dec. 22, should be renewed online through "Books I Have Checked Out" at [www.lib.udel.edu/ud/circ/has.htm] or returned to the Morris Library or any branch library. Book renewal by telephone is available at (302) 831-2455 only during the hours that the Morris Library is open.

Library hours for December and January are available at (302) 831-BOOK and at [www.lib.udel.edu].

Box offices

The Trabant Center Box Office will close at 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 22, and remain closed for the winter recess. It will reopen Wednesday, Jan. 3, at 10 a.m., when it will operate through Winter Session on Winter Session hours, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. The Bob Carpenter Center Box Office will close at 6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 22, and remain closed for the winter recess. It will reopen Wednesday, Jan. 3, at 10 a.m., when it will run on Winter Session hours, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, during Winter Session.

Development office

For the convenience of donors, the Office of University Development, which can be reached at (302) 831-2104, will be open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, Dec. 26-29.

Gifts received or postmarked by Dec. 31 may qualify as a tax deduction for 2006.

Gifts also may be made online at [www.udel.edu/makeagift].

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