WESTWOOD—On Thursday, December 22, UCLA began its ninth annual winter break closure of the campus's heating, ventilation and cooling, with the exception of essential services, until January 2 before the winter quarter begins. It is part of an ongoing effort to save funding and energy.

Ronald Reagan Medical Center. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Though electricity will not be turned off with the exception of wall switches in empty areas of the campus, 35 of 99 buildings will have their hot water shut off or significantly reduced. And 16 of these buildings will have their heating and cooling systems shut down altogether, according to the university. The most impacted areas are expected to be largely unoccupied.

Twenty-one buildings including the Ronald Reagan Medical Center and its clinics, Warren and Young halls, those dedicated to medical treatment and scientific research will remain open and not be impacted.


Staff and students will be able to work in these buildings on research if their projects are dependent on power or time-sensitive. But they have been warned not to tackle chemical, biological or other potentially hazardous research on their own in order to preserve safety. In addition, artifacts, instruments, servers, electronic equipment and other research materials will be properly cooled.

The UCLA Police Department will conduct its normal patrols of the immediate area and respond to emergencies, as will the UCLA Emergency Medical Services and the Los Angeles Fire Department.
 
Limited housing will be provided to UCLA's international students, student athletes and other residents who need housing during the 12-day break, though the meal service will not be available again until January 8. Parking at pay stations spots will be free.

During this period, UCLA staff and academic employees can enjoy December 26, 27, 30 and January 2, 2012 as paid university holidays. And they can either use accrued vacation days or leave without pay for December 22, 23, 28 and 29, which are not considered university holidays.

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