UCLA announces some campus activities will occur remotely due to extreme heat

Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck announced in a campuswide email Monday that many campus operations and activities will temporarily take place remotely due to extreme heat.

A heatwave throughout California is expected to last until Friday, with record-breaking temperatures occurring throughout Southern California communities, according to the Los Angeles Times.

On Tuesday, the California Independent System Operator, which operates the state’s bulk electric power system, issued a level three energy emergency alert, cautioning the state’s electricity grid may not be able to meet demand. The level three alert is the operator’s final option before calling for rolling blackouts, although Cal ISO downgraded the alert Tuesday night due to consumer conservation, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Faculty, students and staff in 34 buildings that will offer limited to no air conditioning, including Kerckhoff, Murphy and Rolfe halls, are encouraged to work remotely until Sept. 12, Beck said in the email, adding summer session classes can relocate to cooled buildings.

Patient care buildings under UCLA Health, temperature-sensitive labs and research operations and many scheduled classrooms will not be affected, Beck said in the email.

Beck also said in the email that UCLA will announce by noon Wednesday whether the pause in on-campus operations will continue past Sept. 12. UCLA PreK-12 programs will continue to operate as usual, he added.

“We understand this is a sudden change in plans for members of our community, and we take this step in order to encourage all Bruins to stay safe during these inclement weather conditions,” he said in the email. “We are working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.”