President Liebowitz will be sharing an update on the Framework for the Future and asking for feedback on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m. in Sherman Function Hall. Please visit the President's website for his message to the community on Nov. 21.

A huge thank you to Facilities Service for cleaning up campus after the snow storms of Dec. 1 through Dec. 3. A crew of 30 custodians, seven grounds members and 25 contract employees worked 48 hours straight to make campus accessible. If you see a member of the crew please thank them for their hard work. For images please visit the EVP for Finance & Administration website.

The Payroll Office has issued the annual memo regarding important calendar year-end paycheck and tax information for 2019 and 2020.  This includes requests for duplicate W-2 forms and changes in tax filing status.

The memo is available on the Payroll website, under Payroll Year-end Memo 2019.

LATTE, the university learning management system, will be upgraded on Thursday, January 2, 2020, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The system will be unavailable during this time. If needed, instructors can retrieve and download course materials for offline access. Although the new version will look, feel and function the same as previous versions, there are some new and enhanced functions including improvements to group messaging and forums (specifically being able to reply inline). For more information about the upgrade, visit the ITS website. For additional information or questions, please send an email to latte@brandeis.edu.

Winter is here, and with it comes the threat of inclement weather that may affect our normal campus operations.

The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our first priority when reviewing the potential impact of weather on campus operations. Depending on the severity, we may close campus for the day, delay opening or close early.

When we decide to not open or delay the opening of campus, we will communicate this information in a timely manner, by 6 a.m. on the affected day, if not earlier. We will use the Brandeis Emergency Notification System, or BENS, to notify you by email, text and phone about any closings or delayed openings. Please take a few minutes today to review your emergency contact information in BENS to ensure it is correct, so that you are able to receive notifications by text or to a non-Brandeis email address or phone number.

Visit go.brandeis.edu/alerts for directions on how to check or update your information.

For more information please visit the Severe Weather website.

Winter break is a crucial time for energy conservation at Brandeis. If you are leaving campus, the Office of Campus Operations requests that you power down and conserve as much energy as possible. For a list of suggestions please visit the Facilities website.

In an effort to help managers with their hiring needs, Human Resources is holding Recruitment & Hiring Workday assistance office hours on Tuesdays starting Jan. 7 through February 25 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Human Resources Office.

All members of the Brandeis community, as well as family and friends, are welcome to celebrate the holiday season with the sing-along concert of selections from Handel’s masterwork "Messiah." Scores will be provided. Stay for the annual tree lighting and seasonal refreshments.

In the spirit of the season, there will also be a table at the concert for you to drop off a donation of soccer balls, footballs, Elephant and Piggy books, gardening tools, educational games, or craft supplies. Donations will be collected by the Department of Community Service and distributed to the Prospect Hill Community Center in Waltham.

Sponsored by the Department of Music, Department of Student Activities, and Center for Spiritual Life.

In keeping with Brandeis tradition President Liebowitz has approved Thursday, December 26 through Tuesday, December 31 in addition to the Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 staff holidays.