Her Majesty The Queen: State funeral and Welcome Week update

Message sent on behalf of Professor Elizabeth McCrum

Dear colleagues,

As you will no doubt have seen, the state funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is taking place on Monday 19 September, starting at 11am. A bank holiday has been declared and the University wishes to enable as many colleagues as possible to take this additional day of annual leave on 19 September, as a sign of respect for this significant and solemn occasion.

Will the University be closed on the day of the state funeral?

Monday 19 September is the first day of the University’s Welcome Week, so the University cannot close completely. Many crucial events take place on this first day that enable students to begin their lives on campus and access financial support, so we need to balance the solemnity of the day with our commitment to students at this important time.

This means not all colleagues will be able to take annual leave on the day itself. Those who are not able to do so will be granted an additional day of annual leave to take at a later date, in agreement with line managers and in accordance with our usual procedures.

Who will need to work?

Plans are currently being finalised with Heads of Schools and Functions, and they will be in touch with relevant teams whose support is needed. In summary:

• arrivals weekend will go ahead as planned on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September,
• some important activity and services will be open on Monday 19 September, including enrolment, accommodation, catering, security, maintenance and DTS support,
• wherever it is feasible to do so, activities on Monday will be paused for the duration of the funeral - line managers will confirm to colleagues who are working whether they will be able to pause their activity and if so, the timing of this.

In the meantime, University activities continue during this period of national mourning in the lead up to the funeral, although some activities are being adjusted accordingly.

What facilities will be open on campus on 19 September?

To support students and colleagues on campus, the following catering outlets will remain open:

• Park Eat
• The Dairy
• Dol.Che Vita
• SportsPark café
• RUSU bars and cafes
• Northcourt and Wantage halls

The Library will be closed. Sports facilities, including the Sports Park, will be operational apart from during the time of the funeral.

Television coverage of the event will be screened on our campuses:

• Whiteknights: G10 in the Palmer building and 3Sixty in RUSU building
• London Road: Great Hall
• Greenlands: National Grid Lecture Theatre and the Hambleden Suite

What is happening during Welcome Week?

The majority of Welcome Week activities will begin on Tuesday 20 September and some events due to take place on Friday 23 September will be cancelled or rearranged to accommodate the later start for most activity.

RUSU will be open as normal on Monday, and will operate a similar model, with some informal activities taking place for students on Sunday and Monday. We will be working with RUSU to provide appropriate alternative opportunities for students to gather, particularly for those who are joining us on campus for the first time.

Please note that the RUSU Nursery will be closed on Monday 19 September.

I will continue to keep you updated as arrangements for next week are finalised, and I thank you for your patience.

Kind regards,

Professor Elizabeth McCrum
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience), University of Reading