Couches across campus will be a hot commodity this week as bleary-eyed students with pillows in tow prepare for the long haul of dead week.

Despite the abundance of snoozing students, OU will be anything but dead this week.

According to the OU Faculty handbook, students can be assigned new work — as long as it is less than 10 percent of the total grade. Any work worth more than 10 percent must be assigned 30 days prior to dead week, according to the handbook.

To help students face the final weeks before the winter break, Bizzell Memorial Library and Wagner Hall will be open 24 hours.

The library and its more than 5 million volumes began its extended hours Friday.

An OU police officer will be stationed at the library between midnight and 7:30 a.m. for student safety. All OU faculty and students who enter during the late night or early morning hours will be required to show an OU ID.

Before finals begin, the library will partner with OU Housing and Food to provide healthful snacks, and OU health educator Nicole Pritchard will lead relaxation exercises.

Wagner Hall began its 24-hour policy Monday. The Student Learning Center will have extended hours and there may be supplemental tutoring offered to students, but it will be up to the individual tutor, said Mark Walvoord, director of the Student Learning Center.

Schedules for the week will be posted at tutor.ou.edu and schedules for action tutoring are accessible at uc.ou.edu/action.

Campus activity will continue, but Student Congress has previously proposed minimizing students’ coursework during the pre-finals week.

UOSA Student Congress Chairwoman Alyssa Loveless said an attempt to alter the dead week policies were halted by the Faculty Senate.

Last fall, Student Congress proposed changes prohibiting professors from assigning coursework due during pre-finals week worth more than 5 percent of a student’s grade without department chair approval, according to Daily archives.

The faculty voted not to address the pre-finals week policy until 2014, Loveless said.

Classes will continue, but student organizations will not require attendance during dead week.

No UOSA organization may hold meetings, banquets or receptions, or sponsor or participate in any activity, program or function that requires student participation, according to OU policy.

AT A GLANCE

Dead week

• Pre-finals week will be defined as the seven calendar days before the first day of finals.

• Faculty may cover new course material throughout this week.

• Assignments, examinations or projects worth less than 10 percent of a student’s grade may be assigned at any time prior to pre-finals week and may be due during pre-finals week.

• No assignments, examinations or projects may be due on the last two days of pre-finals week.