Iowa State's third winter session (Dec. 19-Jan. 13, 2023) exactly matches the four-week semester break, and senior leaders last week shared two primary messages for those weeks: Maintain staffing levels that can support winter session students and a successful winter session, and it's also permissible to reduce services and allow employees to use accrued vacation time.
In an Oct. 21 memo to campus administrative officers, vice president for university human resources Kristi Darr and interim senior vice president for operations and finance Heather Paris directed leaders and managers to staffing guidance for university breaks (PDF), available from university human resources' time and absence website.
Darr and Paris encouraged supervisors to "work with staff to encourage and accommodate utilizing accrued vacation ... to support a healthy work-life balance" during the four-week winter break. And, they noted senior leaders may choose to physically close their offices Dec. 28-30, effectively creating a 10-day closure, if procedures are in place to handle incoming messages and any emergencies that arise.
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FAQ: Staffing guidance for university breaks
The two winter holidays, Christmas and New Year's Day, fall on weekend days this year, but the three university holidays connected to them are weekdays, Dec. 26-27 and Jan. 2. Offices are closed and classes don't meet on university holidays.
Like its two predecessors, this winter session will be offered online, with courses selected for their usefulness to continuing undergraduates. While many students may not be present in Ames, student services and academic support will be available to them.
More guidelines
In their memo, Darr and Paris shared these other guidelines for winter break:
- Units may implement office hours of 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. from Dec. 19 to Jan. 13.
- Staff should perform their regular responsibilities unless they've made other arrangements with their supervisor.
- Units should maintain services for students and clients, including any previously scheduled public service programs.
- Critical services, such as campus maintenance, public safety or research programs, also should continue to operate as necessary.
- Units in a building should coordinate with their building supervisor on access and for potential energy savings. Units should share building access details on websites, voice messages, office signage and other communications.
- If work is available for them, student employees may work more than 20 hours/week during these four weeks.
Winter break calendar
The key dates around winter break are:
- Friday, Dec. 16, Fall semester ends
- Monday, Dec. 19, Winter session begins
- Friday, Dec. 23, Additional holiday for all state employees
- Monday-Tuesday, Dec. 26-27, University holidays
- Monday, Jan. 2, University holiday
- Friday, Jan. 13, Winter session ends
- Monday, Jan. 16, University holiday
- Tuesday, Jan. 17, Spring semester begins
