News
April 8, 2024
On May 19 Brandeis will recognize and celebrate the achievements of graduates at the 73rd Commencement Exercises. Staff not already scheduled to work Commencement should respond on this form by April 12 and indicate your availability for either or both the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony in the morning and the Graduate Commencement ceremony in the afternoon. Non-exempt staff will be paid for their assignments and exempt staff who volunteer will be eligible for one day off per ceremony worked, up to two, to be coordinated with their manager and used by the end of the calendar year. An opportunity for students to serve as paid Commencement Ushers is posted in Workday.
Information regarding ceremonies, schedules, and answers to frequently asked questions is available on the Commencement page. University Events is grateful for your support in this enormous celebratory production! Please direct any questions you have to commencement@brandeis.edu.
April 8, 2024
The monthly billing for Facility Services work requests from the fall are now charged to the budgets. This is due to a key vacancy in our Operations and Administration organization along with a technical issue. We are happy to say that this key role is filled and the issue has been remedied. We have submitted all of the charges to finance and they have processed the journals. Normal monthly billing is now resuming. Thanks for your understanding. If you have any questions or concerns please send an email to facilities@brandeis.edu with details.March 15, 2024
April begins the shoulder months for heating/cooling. This is the time when temperatures range between 40- and 70-degrees Fahrenheit. Cooler mornings followed by warmer afternoons make maintaining temperature comfort in our facilities a challenge.
Most of the campus operates on a dual HVAC system. This means our system has to either be in heating mode or cooling mode and it can't not easily change between the two. It takes Facilities Services about 5 weeks to transfer from heating to cooling mode. Currently, we are in “heating” season but we will be switching to cooling mode starting April 1st.
During April and the beginning of May, there will be days when your office/room temperature is not as warm, or cool, as you want it to be. We ask that everyone dress in layers to accommodate this. We also suggest using operable windows when the weather outside is more suitable to your liking.
We understand that at times this may be uncomfortable but we ask for your patience during these New England shoulder months and this switch-over. On April 1st, facilities will start to switch over to cooling first in the Science Buildings (~3 weeks), then will move to the Residence Halls and Academic Buildings. The complete switchover should be done the first week in May.
Please see the Building Temperature Policy more information.
February 22, 2024
Kosher offerings in Sherman now include service for Shabbat lunch and Saturday evening meal. The serving times are as follows:
- Sunday: Brunch 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Dinner 5 – 9 p.m.
- Monday - Thursday: Breakfast 7 – 10 a.m., Lunch 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Dinner 5 – 9 p.m.
- Friday: Breakfast 7 – 10 a.m., Lunch 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Friday Shabbat Dinner (Boxed): 5 – 8 p.m.
- Saturday Lunch: 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday Dinner: 3 – 5 p.m.
A hot Dinner (post Sabbath) is available until the start of Daylight Savings Time on March 10. See below for specific times. On all dates, end of service coincides with the dining room closing at 8 p.m.
- 2/24/24 - Hot Service Begins at 6:25 p.m.
- 3/2/24 - Hot Service Begins at 6:30 p.m.
- 3/9/24 - Hot Service Begins at 6:40 p.m.
With this enhancement, service times for the Friday dinner and Saturday lunch are now in tandem with non-kosher serving times. Lastly, the Luria and Levine Ross conference rooms in Hassenfeld are available to kosher keeping students as a location to gather for their lunch meal. Additional information can be found on the Brandeis Hospitality Kosher Dining webpage.
Campus Operations & Capital Programs has been a Data Science Internal Internship (DSII) partner since its inception and has employed 5 students over 8 semesters since the Spring of 2021. These students have helped plan, develop, test and implement several new tools that leverage space, building, and energy data to create visualizations, patterns, and trends that can help inform capital program decision making and operational activities.
Tim Fan, an undergraduate in Computer Science, joined Campus Operations as an intern during the Summer of 2023 and worked for 2 semesters on improving the accuracy, functionality, and visualizations of our intern-developed building electrical data tool. Tim’s first semester was spent primarily on automating the file sharing, script running, and long-term hosting aspects of the tool, which involved setting up network connections and working with Brandeis ITS on configuring the site and the file transfer. Previously, the tool was hosted on the current intern’s own machine and then on a cloud-based site, needing manual upload and download of new data and resulting analysis. What we have now requires only one 1 manual step and is safely within Brandeis’ IT security. In the Fall of 2023, Tim was able to focus his time on the machine learning and predictive functions of the tool, adding complexities to the existing model with variables such as operating hours and building specific heating and cooling equipment. Throughout both semesters, Tim continued to update, tweak, and build upon the Tableau visualization file, which he has automatically pulling the newest database into colorized, curated dashboards that will ultimately be the most valuable deliverable from this effort. The dashboards will be where administrators and operators will go to understand patterns of energy uses, changes or deviations in them, and direct capital and operational decisions and projects informed by that.
February 8, 2024
The Department of Facilities Services will perform its annual electrical shutdown on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. In the past, this shutdown was held in August but for weather reasons, we are moving it to June.
In addition, this year due to the switch gear needing maintenance, the entire campus will go into a shutdown. This work allows the Department of Facilities to exercise and test equipment vital to the electrical infrastructure supporting Brandeis University.
Only the following buildings will be affected:
Saturday, June 1 - All buildings on campus will be down (power and AC) except Epstein, Foster Mods, and the Sports Complex (Gosman & Linsey). - Village will have power but the Card swipes for the door will be down. It will have AC but cannot be controlled (so it may fluctuate some).
Sunday, June 2 - Ridgewood complex, Rosenthal Quad, Zivs, Volen, Admissions, Sachar, Feldberg, Athletic fields, Info Booth, Administration (Berstein-Marcus/Gryzmish/Irving) and Slosberg will be down for a 2nd day. Please contact Facilities Services at 781-736-8500 for more information.
January 25, 2024
Brandeis' Facilities Services is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone. Control of keys is integral to this security program. Therefore to improve our key control program, 3 new key forms have been created; Key Request, Key Return and Key Lost. These forms can be found on the Facilities Services website.The major changes include:
- Updated Key Request Forms - Identifies a single person to a single uniquely identified key which is placed in a new software system. This will allow us to know exactly what keys everyone has and we can identify a key if it is lost.
- New Key Returns and Lost Key Forms. All keys must be returned to Facilities Services when someone leaves Brandeis or no longer needs a key. A lost form also is needed. This allows us to keep our software updated.
- Updated Cost. Please review the website for cost.
- Key Audits. Facilities Services will audit everyone's keys each year to ensure our key software is correct and users have the physical keys assigned to them. You will be contacted the month your audit is due.
- Soft Start Immediately - New key forms must be used immediately and audits have begun. Facilities Services will work with each department/group to ensure proper management of keys under unique or department circumstances. Super User identification will also take place in the next few months. A full start will begin 1 July 2024.
- Card Keys/Readers are not affected by this change. Public Safety remains the owner of the key cards. Students still need to go to DCL for resident hall key issues.
If you have any questions, please call Facilities Services at 781-736-8500
December 15, 2023
The university’s 73rd commencement exercises will be held on Sunday, May 19, 2024 in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center and will feature an undergraduate and graduate ceremony, each featuring a speaker, student speaker, remarks from University leadership and individual recognition by name of each graduate who crosses the stage.
December 15, 2023
The week leading up to Commencement is rich with celebration - recognizing special achievements and gathering together before the next phase of life, career, and pursuit of passions.
Following the inaugural Celebratory Reception program last year, the University Events will again coordinate the program. The options will be enhanced this year with additional flexibility based on feedback following the events of May 2023.
We have already reserved spaces to hold Celebratory Receptions across campus the week leading into Commencement and will coordinate with our university partners to ensure your event is a success. To notify University Events that your department is interested in hosting a celebratory reception please view the Commencement Celebratory Reception Planning Guide (web link coming) and then complete the Celebratory Reception request/registration form before January 26. We will collect responses through January 26 and carefully evaluate and assign spaces. In the inaugural year we were able to accommodate most programs with either their first choice for date & time or venue – many received top choice for both.
September 30, 2023
The symbolic sculpture created by former Guggenheim Fellow Elbert Weinberg, was commissioned by a devoted patron of the university, Mrs. Leah Bennett Cline of Chestnut Hill, MA, in memory of her husband Harry. The sculpture is located at the entrance to the Berlin Chapel.
As the sculpture has been on display outside of the Berlin Chapel for many years, elemental weathering had taken its toll, thereby requiring much needed restoration and refurbishment. It was decided that said restoration work should occur prior to and in preparation for the 75th celebration of Brandeis University. Sincere Metal Works, the metal work artists who design and restore metal art, undertook the task of restoring “Jacob Wrestling with an Angel.” The sculpture is now back in its original location, restored to its former condition, for all to see and appreciate.
September 4, 2023
Brandeis' hillside location creates many natural accessibility issues. As part of the school's continuing efforts to improve accessibility and inclusivity, these walkways will provide safe and convenient access to the Music Center and Counseling Center.