Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Updates on student tax forms
The 1098-T is a form required by the IRS regarding tuition that you may need to complete your income taxes. You will find the 1098-T on your student portal located under the My Forms section. Saint Mary’s staff are not able to advise you on your tax preparation. Please consult your tax advisor to determine eligibility for a credit on your tax return. 1098-T forms will be available on the portal or sent in the mail by Jan. 31.
Student workers may find their W-2s in their student portals under My Payroll, Pay History, and Tax Forms. Former employees and those who may not have access to the portal may view their W-2s online. You will need to click on “Access without an Account.” To log in, you will need to know either your employee ID number OR your social security number and either your last name OR your birth date. A verification code will be generated that you will need to type in. You may log in and re-print the electronic copy as many times as you need to. If you have changed your address, please be certain to update it in your portal.
Saint Mary’s is required by the federal government to have correct identifying numbers for each student. Please verify your social security number (SSN) on your portal – or, if you have not yet provided a number, provide one at this time. If you are not eligible to obtain a social security number, your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) should be used. You are required by law to furnish your SSN or ITIN so that it may be included in information we file with the Internal Revenue Service. Please note that if you are a non-resident alien and do not have income that is subject to tax, you are not required to supply this information to us. You are able to provide your SSN through the student portal.
If you have any questions, please call 507-457-6655 or email businessoffice@smumn.edu.
SAC designs events to welcome you back
Everyone is invited to the following Student Activities Committee (SAC) events for the first week of the semester!
SAC Coffee and Cocoa
Thursday, Jan. 28, first floor of Saint Mary’s Hall, 8 a.m. to noon
Stop by the table for a free cup of coffee or hot cocoa! The last Thursday of every month, SAC will be hosting coffee and cocoa! Mark your calendars for future dates: Feb. 25, March 25, and April 22. These events are always on the first floor of Saint Mary’s Hall from from 8 a.m. to noon.
Virtual Escape Rooms
Friday, Jan. 29, via Zoom, 8 p.m.
Do you enjoy solving puzzles and having fun with friends? Virtual escape rooms are just the thing for you! Join by yourself or in groups of up to eight people!
Interested in joining SAC? Email studentactivities@smumn.edu.
For more upcoming events, please visit SAC’s website.
Plans for libraries and Writing Centers second semester
For the spring 2021 semester, Saint Mary’s libraries and Writing Centers will continue to offer convenient virtual services to support students and faculty.
Winona Campus
The Winona Campus library will be open second semester. The Winona library will close at 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday during the student curfew from Jan. 25 through Feb. 3. Regular hours will remain in place for Friday (7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Saturday (noon to 6 p.m.) during the curfew. Commencing Feb. 4, the library will revert back to regular hours. Please see up-to-date library hours listed on our website.
Only current Saint Mary’s faculty, staff, and students are allowed in the library. Library space has been reconfigured to allow for social distancing. Reservations are required for all study rooms. Students may use study rooms only if they have appropriately reserved the space. Food and beverages will not be allowed in the library.
Physical items are available for check out, with a self-checkout system set up at the front circulation desk to avoid contact. Faculty and students will also be able to place holds on books and to pick them up at the circulation desk. Library staff will be at the front desk to assist as needed, and students can also consult with a librarian via phone, chat, email, and Zoom appointments. Read Winona Campus library COVID-19 Updates and Resources for detailed information.
The Writing Center will offer writing support by appointment through Zoom. Asynchronous paper review will be available via an email submission process (i.e., the online queue). Visit the Writing Center website to make an appointment.
As required across the entire Saint Mary’s campus, masks must be worn in all library spaces. Masks should fit as snugly as possible to the face, covering the chin, mouth, and nose up to the nose bridge. If a student is observed not wearing a mask or wearing a mask incorrectly, library staff will remind the student to put on a mask or to wear the mask correctly. If the student does not comply with the directive from the library staff, Campus Safety will be called, and the student will be removed from the library. Campus Safety will complete an incident report resulting in the student being referred to Student Affairs for possible disciplinary action.
If a student repeatedly fails to follow mask protocol, the student may be banned from the library for a period of time determined appropriate by library staff. Library staff will notify the student of this action and the time frame associated with it.
Twin Cities Campus
Twin Cities librarians will be available for research support via phone, chat, email, and Zoom appointments. Given space limitations, the Twin Cities Campus library facilities will remain closed, and librarians will not be able to offer face-to-face consultations due to COVID-19 social distancing constraints. While the library space will be closed, students and faculty can still request books and DVDs in SuperSearch, which the librarians will mail to student and faculty homes. To learn more, read Twin Cities Campus library updates.
Writing Center consultants will be available for appointments via Zoom, email, and phone. For after hours (evening and weekend) assistance, please submit your paper to the online queue. Visit the Writing Center website to make an appointment, submit to the online queue, and access our online resources.
Saint Mary’s students design campaigns for Minnesota Marine Art Museum
Saint Mary’s University is providing students with hands-on experiences — even in a virtual world.
Students in the first-semester Advertising and Promotions course were tasked with designing an advertising campaign for one of several target markets for the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM).
The museum, located in Winona and pictured above, is home to some of the most unique and significant marine artworks in the Midwest, from Monet and Picasso, to Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware.
Using course concepts taught by Shelly McCallum-Ferguson, DBA, student teams designed campaigns using target market research, objective and goals development, creative and design skills, and media strategy.
Then, in December, the class members, most of whom are marketing majors in the School of Business and Technology, presented the creatives — either for radio, TV, billboards, traditional print, brochures, or social media — and made their pitches as if they were members of an ad agency to Caitlin Crouchet, MMAM retail and communications manager.
Jordan Modjeski, a senior in the class, said the opportunity was invaluable to her. “It was a great way to develop real-world experience,” she said. “Advertising is a fast-paced field. Things are constantly changing and evolving, and because of this, the learning curve is constantly shifting. This opportunity provided us with a great lesson in adaptability and flexibility, and the chance to know what it might be like to provide advertising services to a client.”
Crouchet also found the collaboration beneficial. “It was a joy to work with the Saint Mary’s students,” she said. “I loved hearing their fresh ideas and new perspectives. They were engaged, and thoughtfully prepared their presentations. I think they will do very well when they move into the professional world.”
Gostomski Fieldhouse: Workout policies and more
Policies and updates
Masks must be worn at all times. Users should observe 9 feet of social distancing; the equipment is already spaced out that way.
Cleaning
Users should clean equipment before and after use. Staff and student workers will clean each area piece after 45-minute blocks as needed.
Occupancy limits (maximum at one time)
Weight room: 30
Indoor track: 5
Small weight room (first room): 3
Cardio room (second room): 9
Bikes outside office: 12
Three blue courts: 30
Reservations
Workouts will be limited to 45 minutes in a one-hour block. (This leaves 15 minutes for cleaning). Users are limited to one workout per day or as space allows and can reserve their workout time through SignUpGenius.
Hours
Friday, Jan. 22, through Sunday, Jan. 24:
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Starting Monday, Jan. 25:
Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
COVID-19 tracking dashboard now has five levels
The COVID-19 tracking dashboard continues to be updated as Saint Mary’s begins spring semester. The Minnesota Department of Health has now created five levels of COVID-19 transmission and consequent mitigation measures, updated in its mitigation measures for higher education institutions, which are:
Level 1 (green) — low levels of transmission
Level 2 (yellow) — medium levels of transmission
Level 3 (orange) — high levels of transmission
Level 4 (deep orange) — sustained level of high transmission in the community
Level 5 (red) — sustained levels of high transmission at the university
Note: the previous orange had significant mitigation measures, many of which are now addressed in the deep orange. View the university’s new protocols on responses to surges in COVID-19 cases.
Saint Mary’s is welcoming back students to its Winona Campus at level 3 (orange). The new guidance specifically states, “Extracurricular activities/clubs/organizations should be significantly scaled back in terms of attendance, frequency of meeting, and moved to virtual wherever possible; consider postponing or canceling where feasible.” Saint Mary’s is following that guidance.
Additional safety measures have been implemented on the Winona Campus, including a curfew and soft quarantine before and after travel to campus, to prevent an early outbreak of COVID-19 after students arrive. The goal is to start the semester without a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The university is not currently tracking student cases on the Twin Cities and Rochester campuses, which will begin at level 2 (yellow), because all classes have been moved online this semester.
The Winona Campus COVID-19 case data is updated each morning to reflect data from the previous day (or days, in the case of weekends). Other campus dashboards are updated weekly on Fridays before noon.
Refreshed COVID-19 signage available
You may notice refreshed signage around campus. Various signs have been created by the designers in the Marketing and Communication Department to help students, faculty, staff, and visitors follow guidelines to keep each other healthy and safe.
Download and print
University employees can use these signs to customize directional, informational, and instructional signage in their office, area, or building. Visit the Marketing and Communication intranet site to view, download, and print the signs you need.
Live stream winter sports
On Jan. 13, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Presidents’ Council voted to approve plans for a return to competitive athletics this winter. The MIAC winter sports of basketball, hockey, and indoor track and field will be permitted to participate in regular-season competition. The Cardinal basketball and hockey teams will compete in seven conference games, while also having the ability to add up to four nonconference contests — with no games beginning earlier than Jan. 29. Track and field, meanwhile, will be able to participate in regular-season meets at the discretion of each institution.
To prioritize focus on student-athlete and staff safety, however, spectators will not be allowed at MIAC contests during the winter season.
“We have a small window for success this winter season,” said MIAC executive director Dan McKane. “Our COVID Working Group, made up of conference members and medical advisors, supported no spectators for indoor winter sports due to health and safety concerns. This decision, supported by conference athletic directors and presidents, provides our best path forward to successfully and safely conduct winter sports.
“The decision was not made lightly,” McKane added. “It is critical that we see success in the first few weeks of competition.”
To accommodate all Cardinal fans, Saint Mary’s will live video stream all basketball and hockey contests. View the schedule for all live stream games.
Answers to your COVID-19 questions
The Saint Mary’s COVID-19 website, which can be found at smumn.edu/covid19, continues to be updated with information. If you have additional questions or concerns, let us know by filling out the form or emailing covid@smumn.edu. We’ll respond in the Wednesday CommUNITY newsletter or directly to you, using the contact info you provide.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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