Ouachita Baptist University
Summer Conservation Plan

As part of our energy conservation efforts, Ouachita’s summer class schedules and office hours have been adjusted to reduce the time campus facilities are occupied in summer months. As a result of these changes, most campus facilities will be closed Friday, beginning at noon, Saturday and Sunday during June and July. By compressing operating hours into 4 1/2 days for those months, building cooling systems, interior lighting and other mechanical systems can be turned off or scaled back for longer periods each week, resulting in substantial energy savings. Specific changes that have been made to implement this new schedule include the following.

Summer class schedules:

Summer I and Summer II courses will meet on a Monday to Thursday schedule.

Summer courses that are not offered online will, to the extent possible, be consolidated in one classroom building; preferably one of the more energy efficient campus buildings.

Office schedules:

Beginning June 1 (or the nearest Monday to June 1) and continuing through July 31 (or the nearest Friday to July 31), administrative offices will be open 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday and 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Friday, with a 30 minute lunch break.. Exceptions to this schedule must be approved by the President.

Staff who normally work a less than 40-hour per week schedule should consult with their supervisor to determine an appropriate work schedule during these months.

Staff must ensure that their work schedules allow them to complete their required 40 hours (or less for less than full-time employees) during the office hours listed above.

Vacation or sick days taken during these months will be counted as 8.5 hours on Monday through Thursday and 4 hours on Friday or the number of hours scheduled for less than full-time employees.

Unoccupied hours:

The Energy Conservation Guidelines applicable to unoccupied times will be enforced from 12:00 pm Thursday until 6:30 am the following Monday in all campus facilities.

Occupied residence halls are exempt from the unoccupied guidelines.

Facilities occupied by approved summer camps are exempt from the unoccupied guidelines only until the scheduled departure time of the camp.

Library operating hours are unaffected by this schedule.

All other exceptions to the unoccupied hours guidelines must be approved by the President.

Summer camp schedules:

When possible, summer camps will be scheduled during the normal operating hours.

Camps that meet on Friday should be confined to as few campus buildings as possible and should end by 12:00 if possible.

Exceptions to the unoccupied schedule (above) will be granted in facilities used by summer camps to allow for preparation of the facilities for camps beginning the following week.

  • For camps that depart on Thursday evening, maintenance, custodial and other preparation should be complete by 12:00 pm Friday and the unoccupied guidelines will be followed for affected facilities beginning at that time.
  • For camps that depart on Friday morning, maintenance, custodial and other preparation should be complete by 5:00 pm Friday and the unoccupied guidelines will be followed for affected facilities beginning at that time.