Preparation for next week’s cold weather

Dear students, faculty and staff,

Extremely cold weather is predicted for the Chicago area beginning Sunday and will continue through the middle of next week. Wind chills during this period are expected to be as low as 20 degrees below zero, and snow is expected Wednesday.

Before leaving for the weekend and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, we are asking you to please review the information below to help prevent weather-related impacts on campus buildings and avoid costly repairs.

• Ensure all windows, doors and connecting doors to building entryways and vestibules are closed.
• Set room thermostats to a minimum of 68 degrees, and leave fan coils on and at the medium setting or equivalent.
• When possible, shut off lights, computer equipment, appliances and any other nonessential equipment.
• In labs and research facilities, optimize equipment settings where possible to reduce the energy needed to run machines on timers and specialty equipment like ovens, incubators, freezers and coolers, microscopy, MRI machines, etc.

Any abnormal room temperatures or signs of water leaks and/or flooding should be immediately reported to Facilities Management at 312-996-7511, which operates 24/7 to address such situations and mitigate issues caused by weather.

To report an issue at a UI Health facility, please call 312-996-5084.

If you are experiencing other issues, have questions or need more information, you can email Facilities Management at [email protected] for assistance.

Thank you for your cooperation.

John Coronado
Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services

For more information, please contact:
Sherry Krsticevic
[email protected]