The Benefits Open Enrollment period ends this Friday, Oct. 31, at 4:30 p.m. This is the only time you can make changes to certain benefits without having an eligible life event or qualifying employment change during the year. In addition, certain benefits you may be enrolled in require action each year. Employees should choose their 2026 benefits through Workday. Find helpful information about benefits enrollment at benefits.wisc.edu/2026.

The Go Big Read Program invites all interested university staff, academic staff, and faculty to express interest in joining the Go Big Read book selection committee. This committee will help pick the book for the 2026–2027 academic year. Applications to join the committee are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Additional information on the time commitment, book selection process, and committee member responsibilities is available online. The 2025 Go Big Read author keynote with Percival Everett will take place on Nov. 4, 7–8:30 p.m., at Union South and via livestream.

Every year, UW–Madison publishes a Holiday Gift Guide that provides a wide variety of gift ideas from partners around campus. The guide will be promoted to all UW faculty, staff, students, and affiliates. Campus units are invited to submit up to three gift items through the submission form and may include a link to an online store. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, Nov. 13.

As part of UW–Madison’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a professional and respectful work environment, the university upholds policies on nepotism and consensual relationships. These policies outline the guidelines and expectations regarding employment and supervisory relationships among family members and close associates. These policies are in place to ensure fairness and transparency in our workplace, as well as to prevent any potential conflicts of interest or perceptions of favoritism. All members of the UW–Madison community are encouraged to review these policies and ensure that they are in compliance. The Nepotism policy is available at policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-5046 and the Consensual Relationships policy is available at policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-5048. A form to report possible conflicts of interest is available on both policy pages.