Graduation candidates and their families and friends tuned in Thursday evening for the virtual Commencement video.

UT Arlington will confer degrees to more than 5,400 graduation candidates in Commencement ceremonies, which continue through Saturday, Dec. 18, at Globe Life Field. See the schedule.

The newest graduates will join about 250,000 UTA alumni.

In order to make repairs to the campus chilled water service (cooling air for the buildings), the Office of Facilities Management will need to shut down a majority of the campus chilled water system on Monday, Dec. 27, beginning at 7 a.m. and lasting until approximately 3 p.m.

Due to the cooler outside temperatures this time of year, short duration of this outage, and limited amount of people on campus on this day, the shutdown should have a minimal, if any, impact to the campus.

The regular domestic water service will not be affected during this outage.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Robb Chock at rchock@uta.edu or 817‑272‑7498.

All Mavericks are encouraged to get tested before and after traveling or attending large gatherings over the winter holiday.

Symptom-free individuals seeking proactive testing or required testing can be tested in the Carlisle Suite of the University Center. Appointments are required. The testing site will be closed Friday, Dec. 24-Sunday, Jan. 2.

Individuals with symptoms should make an appointment at the testing site in the College Park District. The testing site will be closed Friday-Sunday, Dec. 24-26, and Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 1-2.

Regardless of vaccination status, all students and employees coming to campus in any capacity for the spring semester must provide proof of a viral COVID‑19 test by Friday, Feb. 4. Tests taken before Monday, Jan. 3, will not be accepted.

The Office of Facilities Management suggests cleaning break rooms before the winter break.

• Wipe down and clean out break rooms or common areas of any food items or candy to keep from attracting insects.
• Empty the refrigerator and turn off the ice maker.
• Remove all perishable items from the refrigerator and freezer. Check all expiration dates and dispose if expired.
• Clean the inside of the refrigerator. Wipe down the drawers, shelves, sides, and floor of the fridge. Dry thoroughly.
• Place baking soda, a bowl of dried oats, or a shallow bowl of dry, fresh coffee grounds and crumbled newspaper inside the refrigerator to combat mildew, mold, and bad odor. When you return, remove newspapers and oats/coffee grounds and wipe down the drawers and sides.

If you have written permission for a space heater in your area, make sure to turn it off before Winter Break and any time the area is not occupied. Make sure heaters are:

• placed at least three feet away from all combustible materials such as paper,
• positioned outside of walkways or exit paths,
• not located underneath desks or in other enclosed areas, and
• plugged directly into a wall receptacle; never use extension cords or power strips.

For details, see UTA's space heater policy.

A few actions on your part can help conserve energy on campus during the winter break. The Office of Facilities Management suggests these steps to realize maximum energy savings:

• Turn off and unplug electrical devices. Many devices remain in a standby mode or use power even when turned off, including computers, monitors, scanners, printers, copiers, chargers, power supplies, appliances, and other electrical devices. If items are plugged into power strips, simply turn off the power strips.
• Lower the heating temperature and turn off air conditioning. Areas controlled directly by an occupant should have the air conditioning and fans turned off. Heating and air conditioning in many campus buildings are controlled by a computerized energy management system that will set these areas to maximize energy conservation during the break.
• Turn off all lights when you leave. Parking lot lighting schedules have been adjusted where feasible, taking campus safety and security into consideration.