ÌÇÐÄvlog

Summer 2025

• “Blackout week” of mostly remote operations throughout campus during the week of July 4 (June 30 to July 4);
• A four-day work week option for some employees;
• Most offices and facilities physically closed to the public on Fridays, including the IUP Libraries, with services available remotely. These compressed hours for public access to offices allow for earlier utility setbacks for temperature control settings.

Exceptions to the Friday closures noted above are:

• Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex
• Athletics administration (Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex)
• Central Stores (Robertshaw)
• Facilities Planning and Construction (Robertshaw)
• Facilities Maintenance and Operations (Robertshaw)
• Housing and Dining (Ruddock Hall and North Dining Hall)
• Office of Public Safety/University Police, open on a 24-hour basis (Robertshaw)
• Postal Services (Folger Hall)
• S.W. Jack Cogeneration Plant, open on a 24-hour basis

The official IUP business hours for the Summer Utilities Saving Program period in 2025 are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Office of Public Safety and University Police and the S.W. Jack Cogeneration Plant will remain open and staffed on a 24-hour, everyday basis, including during holiday office closures.

The established university office holiday closures of May 26 (Memorial Day), June 19 (Juneteenth), and July 4 (Independence Day) are unchanged.

To accommodate the work of entering grades, faculty offices and other on-campus locations where this work will be done will not have reductions in cooling until 11 a.m. on May 14.

To ensure the success of the Summer Utilities Savings Program and maintain planned student instruction and services, all classes, meetings, events, and other activities, both instructional and non-instructional, must be entered into the 25Live system, IUP’s system of record, for appropriate planning.

Employees with work duties that require physically working on-site, including on Fridays and during the week of June 30, will continue to do so (e.g., police officers, facilities staff, housing staff, etc.).

Vice presidents are responsible for approving and managing any remote or hybrid work for their employees and offices, based on the four principles of the program.

Information about office operations will be posted on office webpages on the IUP website.

Based on university occupancy, unused or underused parking lots will be identified and closed during this period to allow for prioritized maintenance.

During the 2025 Summer Utilities Savings Program timeframe, there will also be a reduced need for campus-wide custodial coverage. This will allow targeted mobile labor groups to concentrate on areas of continuing activity and to assist with spring to summer residence hall cleaning, maintenance, and room turnovers as well as focus on select summer projects.

Employee Work Schedule Changes (4-Day Work Schedule):

In addition to contributing to cost savings for the university, the optional four-day work week is intended to improve the quality of the work-life balance for employees. This optional four-day work week is outlined through side letters with AFSCME and SCUPA, which include the details of this option and job group eligibility.

Non-represented employees are also eligible for the four-day work week, as appropriate to department needs and supervisor approval. The four-day work schedule and telecommuting procedure may be combined for some employees.

All of these options must be approved by the employee’s supervisor and vice president of the division or department. Employees may continue to work under the existing IUP Telecommuting Policy and Procedure.

In addition to the default work schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, there are four available optional four-day employee work schedules. All of these schedules include a noon to 12:30 p.m. lunch break (unpaid) and 15-minute morning and afternoon breaks. They are:

Option 1 and 2 – Work Monday through Thursday    

• Option 1: Work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; work Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Option 2: Work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; work Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Option 3 and 4 – Work Tuesday through Friday

• Option 3: Work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; work Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Option 4: Work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; work Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Information about employee-related matters related to the Summer Utilities Saving Program should be directed to Human Resources; the Human Resources Supervisor Resources webpage also provides additional information on Work Schedule Change Requests.

Questions or concerns regarding individual buildings, including cooling of buildings and areas within buildings, can be addressed to the Office of Facilities Maintenance and Operations at facilities-maintenance@iup.edu or 724-357-2710.

Thank you for your continued flexibility as we work together to maintain the highest level of service to our students and families while following measures to reduce university operational costs.

Winter 2024

Employees with work duties that require physically working on-site will continue to do so (e.g., police officers, facilities staff, etc.). Vice presidents and division heads are responsible for approving and managing any remote or hybrid work for their employees and offices, based on the four principles of the program.

Official IUP business hours for in-person, remote, and hybrid work for the 2024–25 Winter Utilities Savings Program period will be Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break for employees.

In order to accommodate the work of entering grades, faculty offices and other on-campus locations where this work will be done will not have reductions in heating from Monday, December 16 through noon on Wednesday, December 18.

Employees in offices with individual thermostats who will work remotely during the Winter Utilities Savings Program timeframe are asked to set their temperature setting to 65 degrees prior to beginning remote work.

Note that regular business hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., resume on Monday, January 13, 2025.

The established university office holiday closures of December 25, 2024, and January 1, 2025, are unchanged. Employees in active status since February 19, 2024, should not be working on December 24, 26, and 27, as they are compensatory days for holidays earlier in the year when the university was open. The university will be open on Monday, December 23, 2024.

There are some exceptions to these business hours and remote/hybrid work operations:

• The facilities and maintenance operational departments will operate as currently scheduled.
• The Office of Public Safety (Police) and S. W. Jack Cogeneration Plant will remain open and staffed on a 24-hour, everyday basis, including during holiday office closures.

An additional benefit of reducing the employee footprint on campus through the Winter Utilities Savings program is the ability to facilitate additional maintenance projects.

Unused parking lots will be identified and closed during this period to allow for prioritized snow removal (based on university occupancy) to allow for more impactful clearing and a safer winter environment. There will also be a reduced need for campus-wide custodial coverage, which will allow for targeted mobile labor groups to concentrate on areas of continuing activity and assist with winter project completion.

Reducing the Building “Footprint” and Reducing Energy Costs

The energy needs and status of all buildings continue to be assessed. Every facility will be closely monitored throughout the winter to maximize energy efficiencies, and appropriate changes will be made as building usage changes.

Under the Winter Utilities Savings Program, the following general guidelines will be in place:

• Scheduled classes for winter session are being offered through distance education.
• Buildings/building areas without classes or other instructional or essential work functions will be shut down during this time period; employees can still access the buildings, if needed.
• Occupancy in buildings will be reduced to the extent possible, without compromising services.
• Temperature settings in buildings will be standardized and controlled remotely (including during holidays, weekends, and evenings), making any necessary considerations for laboratories with animals, computers and other highly sensitive equipment, and musical instruments.

In order for this program to be successful and to maintain planned student instruction and services, all classes, meetings, events, and other activities, both instructional and non-instructional, must be entered into the 25Live system, IUP’s system of record, so that appropriate planning can be done.

An intentional added benefit to the Winter Utilities Savings Program is reducing IUP’s carbon footprint beyond energy savings, including travel and transportation costs of employees and others. Additional opportunities related to reduced energy use and environmental impact continue to be discussed.

Information about employee-related matters related to the Winter Utilities Saving Project should be directed to Human Resources; questions or concerns regarding individual buildings or heating of buildings and areas within buildings can be addressed to the Office of Facilities Maintenance and Operations at facilities-maintenance@iup.edu or 724-357-2710.