You are here: American University Finance Communications Year-End Winter Holidays Closure Message, 2023

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Communication December 5, 2023

Dear AU Community,   

As the winter holidays approach, I would like to provide details about the university’s upcoming closings, actions that need to be taken, as well as activities that will be taking place on campus during the winter break from December 23 through January 1, 2024. 

Please be sure to review the important information below, as you prepare for the holiday break. 

Responsibilities and Staffing During Winter Break Closing

Throughout the winter break, faculty and staff will have limited access to their offices, and only by using their AU swipe cards. Reduced heating and lighting also will be in effect, so buildings will be chilly and offices may not be conducive for work. For safety reasons, space heaters are not allowed to be used to warm facilities. Access problems may be reported to Public Safety at (202) 885-2527. Since few people are expected to be on campus during the break, please be mindful of your safety and be sure to secure your possessions.

Staff should check with their supervisors regarding details about their unit’s staffing during the break. Unit heads of offices and departments who are assigned essential responsibilities during the break should submit the names of essential employees to Human Resources (HR). HR will send guidance to unit HR Partners in the coming days.  

Students - Winter Break Housing   

Residents who have applied for Winter Break Housing will be placed in Hughes Hall. Residents of Nebraska Hall and the university-leased units at the Frequency Apartments, who have completed a Winter Housing Application, are permitted to remain in their rooms during winter break. All other residence halls will remain closed. The residence halls close officially at noon on Sunday, Dec. 17 and reopen on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 at 9 a.m.  

Move-in for the 2024 spring semester will begin for approved groups as early as Saturday, Jan. 6, and all residents are welcome back to the halls on Thursday, Jan. 11. New and returning residents have received communication regarding spring semester move-in instructions.   

Payroll Deadlines and Holiday Pay 

As we prepare to go live with Workday – AU's new enterprise resource planning system – on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, it is critical that we meet all the following due dates so payroll can be processed and moved to the new system. 

Biweekly (Hourly) Employees 

Timesheets must be signed by employees and approved by managers by: 

  • Wednesday, Dec.6 
    • Pay Period: Nov. 25 – Dec. 8  
    • Pay day: Dec. 22 
    • Earning statements for direct deposit will be available through Eagle Service* 
  • Friday, Dec. 15 
    • Pay period: Dec. 9 – 22  
    • Pay day: Jan. 5 
    • Pay slips for direct deposit (formerly known as earning statements) will be available through Workday 

Monthly Employees 

Leave reports must be signed by employees and approved by managers by: 

  • Friday, Dec. 15 
    • Pay Period: Dec. 1 - 31  
    • Pay day: Dec. 29 
    • Earning statements for direct deposit will be available through Eagle Service* 

Full-time employees will receive holiday pay for their regularly scheduled workdays that fall on and between December 23 – January 1.  

*Eagle Service will continue to be available after Workday goes live to access earning statements (dated 12/31/2023 and earlier) and W-2s (dated 2023 and earlier). 

Facilities Management 

As part of our ongoing support of campus facilities, the electricity, heat, and water on both Main and East campus will be turned off on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 27 and 28, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. each day to address immediate needs in our electrical systems. The work will occur in conjunction with major repairs that PEPCO, our electricity provider, will conduct during this time. Facilities Management will work with the departments affected directly by this outage. The affected buildings will be preheated the night before the outage and all services will be restored both evenings when work is completed for the day. During the outage, there will only be emergency power to the buildings for emergency egress lighting. All fire and life safety systems will be active.  

Off-campus buildings will not be affected.  

Additionally, the following areas will undergo maintenance and construction work: 

  • Bender Library Building Façade – Scaffolding will be installed, and minor drilling work will take place during regular business hours.   
  • Katzen Museum Façade – Scaffolding will be installed, and minor drilling work will take place during regular business hours.  
  • Sports Center Garage – Surface sealant replacement work will take place, resulting in minor noise and rolling partial closures.    
  • Sports Center Tunnel – Partial road closures will be in effect as overhead work will be underway resulting in minor drilling noise during regular business hours. 

For a complete list of holiday maintenance work as well as current construction projects, visit https://www.american.edu/finance/campus-construction.cfm. 

AU Kitchen (Dining)  

Dining locations will operate on reduced hours starting December 15 and all locations will be closed from December 23 through January 1, 2024. Starbucks, Subway, and Eagles Express will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2. All other dining locations will re-open Sunday, Jan. 14. For more details on closings and spring operating hours of the various dining venues, please visit the Dining page.  

Mail Services  

The Mail Services Office will close early on Friday, Dec. 22 and will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, with reduced hours during the week. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 16. See the Mail Services page for more details.  

Campus Store 

The campus store will operate on reduced hours from December 16 – 22 and will close from December 23 to January 1, 2024. It will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2 with reduced hours, and normal hours will resume on Monday, Jan. 22. A detailed schedule can be viewed on the bookstore page.  

Additional Holiday Hours of Operation  

I wish you and your family a happy and joyous holiday season. 

Bronté Burleigh-Jones

Bronté Burleigh-Jones 
Chief Financial Officer, Vice President, and Treasurer