To summarize campus messaging regarding the current building cooling issues, many UW–Madison buildings are experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures and humidity due to a broken chilled water line. During this time, campus will remain open for classes, work and normal business. However, there will be a number of adjustments, including temperature adjustments and temporary building closures.

Cooling capacity is prioritized for critical areas such as patient care, research infrastructure (including freezers and research animal care), and mitigating impacts to in-person instruction. This situation and its impacts on campus are dynamic as UW–Madison Facilities Planning & Management crews implement short- and longer-term solutions. The best up-to-date information is available at alerts.wisc.edu.

Energy conservation

For all locations, please take reasonable energy conservation measures such as closing shades, closing laboratory doors so warmer air in corridors does not enter the laboratory, and turning off unneeded lights or equipment not currently in use. To avoid strain on power systems, do not bring in personally owned window air conditioning devices.

Instructional status

Students with classes in affected buildings will receive a message from their instructor if their class has been relocated. At this time, all health professions instruction in SMPH continues as planned. That includes student laboratory courses in the Medical Sciences Center, such as anatomy and physical therapy labs. Graduate student research and instruction also continues as planned in open buildings and in areas of partially closed buildings that are prioritized for cooling. If you are unable to be in a warm building for health reasons, contact your instructor. Instructors are being asked to provide reasonable flexibility to students with health conditions affected by heat.

SMPH employee information

See alerts.wisc.edu, which lists university buildings that are closed or partially closed. Please note that while Service Memorial Institute (SMI) is listed as temporarily closed, cooling is being maintained for critical research infrastructure within SMI.

Because SMPH employees are in many buildings across campus, this message summarizes what to know based on location.

Closed buildings

If you work in a closed building as listed at alerts.wisc.edu, the building will be fully closed to the public and locked effective Tuesday morning, June 30. Employees should:

• Planning: You must coordinate with your supervisor immediately to establish alternative work arrangements during the building’s closure.
• Pack up your workspace: If you will be working remotely, you must take all essential personal and business items with you (laptops, chargers, medications, and any materials needed to work remotely).
• After-hours access: If you haven’t been able to retrieve your items by the end of the day Monday, you will need to coordinate future access with your supervisor and use your Wiscard or key.
• Exemption requests: In exceptionally rare cases, a supervisor may request an exemption for an employee to continue work in a closed building, subject to appropriate Dean’s Office review and approval. Details on request and approval processes are forthcoming.

Partially closed buildings

If you work in a partially closed building, parts of the facility will be closed to the public effective Tuesday morning, June 30. Employees should:

• Planning: If your individual workspace will be closed, you must coordinate with your supervisor immediately to establish alternative work arrangements during the building’s closure.
• Pack up your workspace: If you will be working remotely, you must take all essential personal and business items with you (laptops, chargers, medications, and any materials needed to work remotely).
• After-hours access: If you have not been able to retrieve your items by the end of the day Monday, you will need to coordinate future access with your supervisor and use your Wiscard or key.

Open buildings

If you work or learn in a building remaining open:

• Monitor alerts.wisc.edu and email for further updates.
• Temperatures in all buildings, including those remaining open, will rise above thermostat setpoints. This is expected and may become uncomfortable.
• If you are in a building that is open but cannot be in a warm building for health reasons, contact your supervisor. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to provide flexibility.

Resources and contacts

We recognize that this disruption presents significant challenges, especially given the high temperatures forecast for this week. Thank you for your patience and adaptability as campus engineering crews work on a longer-term solution.

For ongoing campus updates and FAQs, visit alerts.wisc.edu.

For specific questions about your job duties or remote work setup, contact your supervisor or HR Representative.

For questions regarding building operations, contact:

Mark Wells, SMPH facilities director: mcwells@wisc.edu

Your building manager: Find facilities contact information.

SMPH facilities on-call 24/7: 608-263-0792

For SMPH employees working at University Hospital or American Family Children’s Hospital, contact safetyuwhc@uwhealth.org for questions about those facilities.