Hello VCEA All Employees,
Below is information regarding WSU’s holiday and reduced operation schedule for December 2022 and January 2023.
Please note that December and January periods tend to come with weather fluctuations including strong winds, ice storms, and periods of heavy snow.
The following topics provide quick references to common questions such as facility preparations, outage notices, and contacts.
December Holiday & Reduced Operations Schedule
WSU will begin its December Holiday Reduced Operations starting Monday, December 26th, 2022 and will continue through Monday, January 2nd, 2023. This period includes 3 university holidays (Monday December 26, Tuesday December 27 and Monday January 2, 2023). Most university operations and services will be unavailable during this time. More information can be found at December Holiday Reduced Operations Schedule – Human Resource Services, Washington State University.
The daily reduced operations schedule is as follows:
- December 26, 2021 (Monday) – WSU Closed / WSU Holiday
- December 27, 2021 (Tuesday) – WSU Closed / WSU Holiday
- December 28, 2021 (Wednesday) – WSU Reduced Operations / VCEA Facilities Closed
- December 29, 2021(Thursday) – WSU Reduced Operations / VCEA Facilities Closed
- December 30, 2021 (Friday) – WSU Reduced Operations / VCEA Facilities Closed
- December 31, 2021 (Saturday) – WSU Closed / Non-business Day
- January 1, 2022 (Sunday) – WSU Closed / Non-business Day
- January 2, 2022 (Monday) – WSU Closed / WSU Holiday
- January 3, 2022 (Tuesday) – Return to Normal Business Hours
Buildings Are Locked
If you will need access to buildings during the periods of closure and/or reduced operations, please ensure you have a means to gain entry into the building(s). VCEA buildings will be locked on non-business days, holidays, and during WSU’s reduced operations beginning Friday, 12/23/22, at 11:00 pm and lasting through Monday, January 2nd, 2023. Buildings will reopen Tuesday January 3rd, 2023, at their regularly . Temperatures may be adjusted in VCEA Pullman campus buildings to as low as 65 degrees, with the exception of laboratories. Building access, via key and/or Cougar Card, is provided by your school/department.
Safety In Buildings
For everyone’s safety please do not prop exterior building doors open. There will be very few persons in buildings over the winter closure/reduced operations period. If you see a building exterior door open, please close it. If something in the building seems wrong, please don’t hesitate to contact the WSU Police at 911 or the Pullman campus non-emergency number at 509-335-1380. If there is an emergency please pull the fire alarm, evacuate the building, and wait for emergency responders to arrive. If you have a cell phone, please also call 911 to notify them of the situation’s circumstances.
Please Be Prepared In Event of Facility Emergency, Such As Power Loss
Please ensure your work is safeguarded in event of emergency, or loss of service. A power failure is one of the most likely emergency situations at WSU, and depending on what you are operating can create a high-risk situation quickly. VCEA Pullman campus buildings are not on backup power. When the power goes out power outlets do not work, hoods do not work, the air systems shut down, and elevators halt. (For PACCAR building occupants toilets will also not flush – the building’s water reclamation system provides the toilets with water but does not operate in a power outage.) The only systems that consistently work in a power failure are emergency lights, fire alarms, and emergency fire sprinklers. WSU does have generators, but they are only used for an extended power loss, and only certain areas of campus may be brought online with the generators.
Lab & Hazardous Environments
Please ensure the contact information outside your lab door is current, with a phone number emergency services can contact outside of normal operating hours. Please make sure experiments, materials, and chemicals are safeguarded in event building conditions change (such as a power outage), hazardous waste is appropriately collected/stored/disposed of before leaving the lab for extended periods (explosions often happen over holidays due to unchecked pressure build up in waste containers), hood sashes are down, and water sources are closed prior to leaving labs. If you plan to work in a hazardous environment over the holiday, please do not work alone (this practice applies anytime work takes place in a hazardous environment). Make sure you have a colleague working in the area with you, are familiar with fire alarm and exit locations, and best practice is to also tell someone (not working in the lab at the same time with you) where you will be and how long you plan to be there.
Facility Service Outage Notices
If you wish to be notified of a facility service outage (such as a power outage), or a scheduled maintenance activity (such as an elevator or water shut down), you can sign up online. The subscription allows you to specify the building(s) and activities you would like notices regarding.
WSU Emergency Alert & Inclement Weather Notification
There are times WSU institutes a delay and/or closure due to weather and traveling conditions. The WSU Alert system will provide messaging should a safety situation, such as a weather impact, arise affecting safety on campus (messages are tailored to each campus). A message of this type is typically conveyed prior to 6:00 AM to news outlets and via WSU Alert. VCEA strongly encourages all personnel, and students, to sign up for safety alerts. Please visit WSU Alert. Employees are encouraged to use their own judgement, as it relates to the safety of getting to the worksite, should the university not be delayed or closed. If inclement weather prevents safe access to your WSU worksite HRS offers guidance and options below.
Limited Snow & Ice Removal
The university is not providing full snow or ice removal during periods of reduced operations, days of closure, or on holidays. Please be careful as you navigate university roads, sidewalks, exterior areas, and getting in and out of vehicles.
Accidentally Locked Out
If you are locked out of your area or a building you can call the non-emergency number for WSU Safety Services (aka WSU Police). If at the Pullman campus and time allows, they will let you into the area/building, however you will need to have ID with you. If you are not in Pullman the WSU Safety Services may be able to help you get in contact with the correct unit to let you into an area at your campus. The non-emergency number is 509-335-1380.
Emergency Contacts
- In event of an emergency call 911.
- In event of a security or safety concern contact the WSU Safety Services office at 509-335-1380.
- In event of a facility issue (flood, leak, elevator shut down, hood failure, electrical/gas/water outage, etc.) call WSU Facilities Services at 509-335-9000.
- In event of a lab safety issue contact Environmental Health & Safety at 509-335-3041, or as appropriate the Office of Radiation Safety at 509-335-8916.
- In event any of the above emergency contacts are necessary, as a courtesy, please notify the VCEA Facilities Operations & Safety Services Director at 509-432-1649.
HRS Resources
Policies and procedures on inclement weather & suspended operations: Inclement Weather – Human Resource Services, Washington State University (wsu.edu).
Road Conditions & Emergency Preparedness
Washington State Department of Transportation provides weather and road conditions.
FEMA provides information on how to build an emergency preparedness kit.
Wishing you a joyous, and safe, holiday season,
Dar
Darlene Russell-Neunherz, MBA
Director Facility, Operations & Safety Services
Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture
Washington State University
Carpenter Hall 516
Phone: 509-335-3783
drussell@wsu.edu