Update to Winter Break Calendar

On Thursday, Bill Brady, vice chancellor and chief human resources officer, emailed staff outlining the details of the end-of-year campus closure week.

That email is as follows:

Dear Colleagues:

As we conclude the fall semester, I want to share an update related to the university’s calendar for the end of the year. With the exception of those who work in essential services, the campus will be closed from Friday, December 24th through Saturday, January 1st, and officially reopen on Sunday, January 2nd.

This closure period will both allow staff additional time to relax and spend time with loved ones, and will additionally allow campus to reduce energy usage for this period. A special thank-you to all of the essential workers who will be on duty during the break to ensure that vital services continue to operate.

Working in partnership with our unions, the university had previously committed to making December 27th and December 28th campus closure days for 2021. The legal holidays of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fall on Saturdays this year, and while many of our employees would be able to take the preceding Fridays as the holiday, the campus would technically be open on December 24th and December 31st and require some level of staffing. The campus will, instead, designate both of these Fridays as closure days. Essential employees required to work these days will be compensated according to their collective bargaining agreements.

Bill Brady
Vice Chancellor & Chief Human Resources Officer
University of Massachusetts Amherst