Flooding and road closures are affecting bus routes, traffic patterns, and commuting times in the Madison area. Please use caution while driving and do not attempt to drive through flooded streets. Drivers should approach campus from the south or west in order to avoid the isthmus. The latest information on road conditions is available at cityofmadison.com/flooding and alerts.wisc.edu. Campus impacts and a more detailed list of resources can be found at transportation.wisc.edu.

UW–Madison expects to operate normally as Dane County deals with the effects of widespread flooding. The weather emergency has had minimal impact on campus. However, many employees have been directly affected by the flooding in the broader community. UW employees should use caution when making decisions regarding their health and safety and travel. Supervisors are expected to honor reasonable requests of employees to arrive late or to leave early because of inclement weather, including the need to deal with flooding issues at home. Employees should notify their supervisors if they cannot report to work or will report late.

The Group Insurance Board (GIB) last week voted to include coverage of transgender surgery for state employees starting Jan 1, 2019. In July, six UW System chancellors, including UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, sent a letter to the board asking that the coverage be reinstated. The decision by the GIB removed the exclusion for transgender services. Like other health services, these benefits will now be determined by medical necessity. UW–Madison employees with questions about specific coverage should contact their health plan.

UW–Madison parking policies for 2018–19 include changes to daytime hourly parking rates, Lot 51 hours of control, and gated facility operations. Effective Sept. 1, the daytime hourly visitor parking rate for all gated lots will change. Lot 51 (by 30 N. Mills Street) will no longer have public parking on evenings and weekends. Starting Sept. 8, all gated parking lots will have gate equipment arms down at all times. Lots 17, 20, 36, and 76 will continue to be available at no charge on weekends, and Lot 7 is no charge on Sundays. People will pull a ticket to enter the lot and must use it to exit.