Saint Mary's Newsroom

New this week

BE A PEN PAL WITH A SENIOR CITIZEN!

Do you have 10 minutes to spare? Project pen pal is a collaborative initiative with Character and Virtue Education and Campus Ministry. If interested, contact eve@smumn.edu.

JOIN THE KNIGHTS

The Knights of Columbus are accepting members. This is a Catholic fraternity on campus that promotes faith and charitable works. Contact Isaiah Lippert at ijlipp17@smumn.edu to learn more.

The election is coming! The USCCB offers a resource to prepare your conscience.

All students are invited to the following Student Activities Committee events.

Saint Mary’s T-shirt exchange

Thursday, Oct. 15, from 5-6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 16, from noon to 1 p.m.

Plaza

All students are encouraged to represent Saint Mary’s by trading in an old T-shirt with another college or university’s logo on it for a new Saint Mary’s T-shirt! If you don’t want to get rid of your old T-shirt, you can donate five non-perishable food items in exchange for a Saint Mary’s T-shirt. One T-shirt exchange per student. While supplies last. In partnership with athletics, admissions, and advancement.

Mug decorating

Saturday, Oct. 17, from noon to 1 p.m.

Toner Game Room

Come decorate a mug with SAC for FREE! All students are invited. While supplies last.

We want YOU to join SAC!

What is SAC?

The Student Activities Committee (SAC) runs most programs and events on campus. Supported by the Student Senate, SAC hosts events that are not only fun, but vital to the co-curricular atmosphere on campus. Some staple events that SAC hosts are bingo nights, trivia nights, and craft events. SAC consists of an executive board of returning SAC leaders who were nominated by their peers, and a general assembly, which consists of students — like you — who are interested in planning events on campus.

Mission of SAC

The mission of Student Activities Committee is to enrich the lives of students by creating, implementing, and hosting interactive events; thus providing opportunities to nurture and empower the lives of a wide array of Saint Mary’s University community members.

SAC Core Values

1. Adaptability
2. Community
3. Creativity
4. Engagement
5. Leadership
6. Responsibility
7. Respect
8. Welcoming

How to join SAC:

Simply attend a meeting! All students are qualified to be on SAC and there is not a formal application process. Meetings are held via Zoom on Mondays at 8 p.m. Here is the link to the Zoom meeting. Please know that the executive board meets right before this meeting using the same link, so there may be people finishing up their conversation when you join.

Not available Mondays at 8 p.m. but still want to join? Email SAC President Sarah Fowler at safowl17@smumn.edu.

TOTAL TRAIL HIKE

Saturday | Oct. 17 | 1 p.m. | Meet in Yon’s Field

Join Brother John Grover, FSC, and Campus Ministry this Saturday for a hike around all of the Saint Mary’s beautiful bluff trails.

BISHOP QUINN ON FORMING CONSCIENCES FOR FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP

Bishop John Quinn of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester will be on the Winona Campus on Monday, Oct. 19, to speak about the upcoming election and discuss the U.S. Bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” The event will run from 7 to 8 p.m. in Page Theatre. A question and answer period will follow.

In keeping with COVID-19 safety guidelines, masks must be worn, and seats will be socially distanced.  Participants can also participate via Zoom.

The event is sponsored by the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership.

PRAYER SERVICE FOR AN END TO RACIAL INJUSTICE

Thursday | Oct. 22 | 7 p.m. | Saint Thomas More Chapel

Campus Ministry will be hosting an ecumenical prayer service next week to pray for an end to racial discrimination and injustice. Please pray with us for peace in our nation, and for an end to racism.

BE A PEN PAL WITH A SENIOR CITIZEN!

Do you have 10 minutes to spare? Project pen pal is a collaborative initiative with Character and Virtue Education and Campus Ministry. If interested, contact eve@smumn.edu

JOIN THE KNIGHTS
The Knights of Columbus are accepting members. This is a Catholic fraternity on campus that promotes faith and charitable works. Contact Isaiah Lippert at ijlipp17@smumn.edu to learn more.

The election is coming! The USCCB offers a resource to prepare your conscience.

Students on the Winona Campus were treated to ice cream Friday in celebration of how well they are following COVID-19 protocols. We’re proud that our students’ actions are allowing us to continue offering in-person classes this semester! Keep it up, Cardinals!

Bishop John Quinn of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester will be on the Winona Campus on Monday, Oct. 19, to speak about the upcoming election and discuss the U.S. Bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” The event will run from 7 to 8 p.m. in Page Theatre. A question and answer period will follow.

In keeping with COVID-19 safety guidelines, masks must be worn, and seats will be socially distanced.  Participants can also participate via Zoom.

The event is sponsored by the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership.

The State of Minnesota opened a saliva testing site Oct. 14 at the Winona Mall. This testing site is first in southern Minnesota and the second in the state, offering free saliva tests to any Minnesotan who believes they need to be tested.

Increased access to testing and identifying positive cases as early as possible is a critical way to slow the spread of COVID-19, and to keep schools and the economy as open as possible.

The state opened the first saliva testing site in Duluth on Sept. 23. Since opening, more than 7,000 people have been tested. State officials plan to open as many as eight more sites across the state in coming weeks.

The Winona Mall site will be open five days a week, Wednesday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The testing site is in the back of the Winona Mall, 1213 Gilmore Ave., near the Department of Motor Vehicles (southwest corner), facing Highway 61. The entrance is on the outside of the mall. While it is open to walk-ins, people are encouraged to make an appointment if they are able, to prevent crowding and long lines. Appointments can be made through the COVID-19 Community Saliva Testing webpage.

Testing is free to all Minnesotans who believe they need a COVID-19 test, including those who do not have symptoms. While they will be asked about their insurance, this is so the state can bill the insurance company. If a person is uninsured or for any reason insurance does not cover some or all of the cost, the state will cover the difference, so testing remains completely free to everyone. Results are typically provided via email within 48 to 72 hours.

Those who come for a test should avoid eating, drinking, chewing, or smoking anything for at least 30 minutes before providing a sample. Once they arrive at the site, they will self-administer the test by spitting into a funnel attached to a small tube. Clinic staff will be available on site to monitor the process.

For more information about the saliva testing site in Winona, please visit COVID-19 Community Saliva Testing.

In July 2019, Preston Lawing of the Fine and Performing Arts Department was invited to accompany the KSMQ film crew for an outdoor adventure program, “Let’s Go, Minnesota,” an award-winning PBS series. They met in Bemidji, near the headwaters of the Mississippi River, for a canoe adventure. Lawing was asked to produce an original piece of artwork based on their reflections of the day. The result is currently on display at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries on the Winona Campus.

The triptych (three panels that work individually or as a single group) showcases the pristine landscape, devoid of humans, on the outside. The interior portion of these panels showcases the crew that accompanied this adventure “to honor the group effort it takes to bring a show like this to life.”

Check out the video. A section about Lawing begins at 20:47.

The Saint Mary’s marketing team is hard at work creating what we hope will be a memorable celebration of the holiday season, but we need your input.

Send us your favorite photo or short video clip from a past Christmas celebration representing family, community, or togetherness. If we receive this before Nov. 24, we may feature it in the Saint Mary’s Christmas video!

• This image could be from any point in your life: a childhood Christmas with family, a recent Christmas with a best friend, one of your last Christmases with a late family member … whatever is memorable to you.
• Photos should be group shots, portraits, or candids that focus on people. Please, no generic scenery or seasonal images.
• Choose a photo that is at least 2 megapixels in size or 1600 x 1200 pixels. Most recent iPhone cameras take 8 megapixels or higher.
• Use the JPEG file format. (Your file should have a .jpg at the end.)
• If you would like to choose an older family photo, where you may only have a print in a family photo album, use a photo scanner for best quality. If you do not have access to a photo scanner, place the photo on a flat, well-lit surface and take a picture with your phone directly over the top of the image. Make sure there are no reflections or shadows on the image.

We’ll be combining multiple videos and images into a special project to share with students, alumni, and friends of Saint Mary’s in December.

Upload your photo here.

It is important for the university to have the most current information on file.

Update and confirm your personal contact information, emergency contacts, and your parent/responsible party information in the Student Portal. This information can be updated anytime by logging in and choosing “Edit Profile.” To make it easy, a green button has been added to the home page. Once you complete it, the button will disappear.

For your information to be placed into Blackboard Connect, our emergency alert system, from the Student Portal, you must enter your personal information in the HOME field.

Please see the screenshots below for the specific location and additional instructions.

This information will remain on your student portal home page until it is complete. It will not prohibit you from registering for spring classes.