Saint Mary's Newsroom

Stay on top of your courses this semester. Sign up for a peer tutor or peer learning assistant at smumn.joinknack.com.

Don’t have the Knack app on your phone? Download Knack in the App Store or get it on Google Play.

If you need help with writing papers, contact the Saint Mary’s Writing Center.

Create habits this semester that keep you on top of your courses.

Student senate meeting agenda for Tuesday, Feb. 9:

• Call to order
• Prayer/reflection
• Roll call
• Dr. Timothy Gossen, vice president for Student Affairs, presentation
• Financial request from Future Health Professionals Club
• E-Board reports
• Class officer reports
• Senator concerns
• Adjournment

As a reminder, orientation leader applications are due on Friday, Feb. 12. 

The application can be found on Handshake.

Do you consider yourself a leader on campus? 

Orientation leaders work with professional staff to support all new student programs, including orientation, registration, summer programs, and Welcome Weekend. All orientation leaders must be available for the dates listed below. The right person for this position is passionate about Saint Mary’s mission and is an upstanding member of the university community. View the application for the full job description.

Qualifications

• Must have current GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Must be a current first-year student, sophomore, junior, or continuing senior at Saint Mary’s
• Students who are resident assistants, peer ministers, or admissions ambassadors for the 2021 academic year are not eligible to be orientation leaders

Questions? Contact Tricia Dobrient, coordinator of New Student Orientation, at tdobrien@smumn.edu or 507-457-1406.

Join a study with Sr. Mary Elizabeth Ann McCullough, RSM, Ed.D., director of Campus Ministry! Three will be offered in February:

• Monday, Feb. 8, and every following Monday: Open Wide Our Hearts: A Pastoral Letter On Racism
• Thursday, Feb. 11, and every following Thursday: Story of a Soul by St. Therese
• Wednesday, Feb. 24, and every following Wednesday: Apologetics: Learning to Defend Your Faith

Do you have a writing assignment this semester? The Writing Center’s peer tutors and professional writing consultants can help you at any stage of your writing process, from getting started to final revisions. While there are countless reasons to visit the Writing Center, here are our top 10:

10. All writers benefit from a second reader.

9. We can help you get started. (It helps if you share your assignment description!)

8. You’ll have a better sense of how your audience will respond to your writing if a tutor reads it.

7. We can make intimidating assignments less scary.

6. You can get help from relatable peers (and even make friends).

5. The tutors will help you discover what’s good in your writing and help you build on it.

4. The Writing Center is a safe, judgement-free zone.

3. You can learn how to format and use citations in MLA, APA, or CMS.

2. We want to see you succeed, because it’s our job.

1. It’s free!

Visit our undergraduate writing help page to learn more about the Writing Center’s services and access the online calendar. We are currently offering Zoom appointments as well as email feedback through our “online queue.” If you need additional assistance in making an appointment, please email write@smumn.edu.

The Saint Mary’s University Student Senate has three openings and will be holding a special election on Tuesday, Feb. 9, to fill these positions. Currently, there are two hall representative openings for two sections of halls on campus. The first grouping is Brother William, Bishops, Saint Joseph’s, and Hillside halls. The second grouping is Skemp, Heffron, and La Salle halls.

These two positions can be filled by any resident of those halls and are required to attend senate meetings which occur every Tuesday at 7 p.m. through Zoom.

There is also a position on the Student Senate Executive Board for vice president of Media and Communications. Any undergraduate student is eligible to run for the position. This position handles the operations of the Saint Mary’s Student Senate Instagram page and also handles the senate elections in the spring. This position attends the regular Senate meeting every Tuesday at 7 p.m. as well and also a meeting with the rest of the Executive Board every Friday at 1:05 p.m., both via Zoom.

Running for these positions requires 25 signatures of your peers and the form for this can be obtained by contacting the Student Senate executive assistant Jonathon Krull at jpkrul18@smumn.edu. These forms must be in by Friday, Feb. 5. If you are interested in running for any of these positions or have questions regarding the election, please contact Krull.

With a new semester, it is a good time for you to review the information in your student portal to ensure all information is up to date. This includes your current address (home or local), FERPA designations, emergency contact information, and parent information.

The FERPA designation authorizes the university to speak with parents, guardians, or someone else regarding your education record, which can include grades, billing, and student conduct. You have the ability to select which information you authorize the university to share with specific individuals.

Emergency contact information is who you authorize the university to contact in the event of an emergency situation. Typically, this is a parent/guardian, relative, or significant other.

The parent information is important for any external announcements the university makes regarding the dean’s list, honors awarded, graduation announcements, etc. The information needs to be entered under “Edit Profile” (click on the down arrow next to your photo.)

Please include the name, address, phone, and email of each parent, in the event that Saint Mary’s needs to contact them regarding the external announcement or event.