Union’s cogeneration plant, which is expected to dramatically reduce the College’s carbon footprint, is about to go online. In order to make the switch from the old system to the new plant, electricity in most administrative, academic buildings and residence halls will need to be shutdown. To minimize the disruption, the shutdown will take place on Monday, March 21, and Wednesday, March 23, during spring break.
The College’s administration has decided that both days will be considered partial closure days and the majority of employees will have the time off with pay. Some departments and positions, however, may be required to work. To find out if your department/office will be required to work on March 21 and 23, please check with your supervisor.
Employees required to work will receive regular pay and will have the opportunity to take another day off with pay. The paid day must be used by June 30, 2016.
Employees who are required to work and need access to College online systems on either one of the shutdown days should plan to work from home. If you normally do not access systems such as Colleague, IFAS or library electronic information resources from off-campus, contact ITS.
Faculty will still need to submit their winter grades through Webadvising by Monday, March 21. Issues or questions about submitting grades can be directed to Registrar Penny Adey adeyp@union.edu.
Students who are registered to stay on campus during spring break will be receiving detailed instructions from Residential Life staff in the coming weeks.
To protect campus equipment from potential damage during the shutdown, ITS will power down all public computing and electronic classroom technology, such as podium equipment, classroom computers, LCD/projection, public student workstations, in the afternoon, Friday, March 18. Equipment will not be powered up until the morning of Thursday, March 24.
For all other equipment, be sure to turn off your computer, printer and scanner before you leave the campus on Friday, March 18. If you have a department copier, unplug it. You do not need to unplug your phone.
If you are planning on using technology in an electronic classroom on March 19, 20, and/or 22, contact the ITS help desk at helpdesk@union.edu no later than Wednesday, March 16. Include your name, the type of event, date, start and end time, location and the technology you will be using.
For emergency technical support during the shutdown, contact Campus Safety at (518) 388-6911. For non-urgent technical support needs, contact the ITS helpdesk at helpdesk@union.edu. ITS help desk staff will respond when they return to the office.
For more information about the new plant, which is expected to not only ease demand on current aging systems but also result in significant energy saving costs. The combined heat and power plant will allow for the simultaneous production of electricity to power most of Union’s 130-acre campus. The plant will also recycle waste heat to produce heat and chilled water that can be used to provide dehumidification year-round, a critical need in buildings like Schaffer Library and laboratories with sensitive equipment.