Saint Mary's Newsroom

In a universitywide initiative, the Office of the Provost and the Office of Student Affairs will be hosting debate watch events and panel discussions on civil discourse one hour prior to the presidential debate. These moderated events will take place over Zoom.

These are non-advocacy events, with a chance to hear from panelists and engage in discussions about civil discourse informed by the USCCB document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.

Each panelist will speak for 5-10 minutes from their own context about civil discourse in this democratic republic. The floor will then be opened up for dialogue with the event concluding by 7:50 p.m., giving everyone time to watch the debate on their own.

Save the date for the final event. Panelist details will be shared soon.

• Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. prior to the presidential debate (join the event)

In these unprecedented times, theatre may look a little different, but the show must go on! Saint Mary’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts will present “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams Oct. 1-3. These private, in-house performances will be recorded and edited into one video, which will be made available for anyone with a Saint Mary’s login to view for three days only Oct. 8-10.

View the recording and learn more about the production

Spotlight on interns

This week’s intern is Sarah Hardy, a senior at Saint Mary’s majoring in psychology. This summer, she had her internship with the Washington County Government Center, working from home in the Adult Mental Health Unit.

Major responsibilities: I help screen new clients who have been referred from mental health treatment centers as well as assist in screening clients who are being petitioned for civil commitment by a hospital. Through this process I complete an intake interview, interview collateral contacts, request the appropriate records (medical, police), assess their level of functioning through a functional assessment, and create a community support plans to help aid in their recovery or management of symptoms. We get new cases every day, and the goal is to have as many people talk to the client as possible, so there is a lot of collaboration involved. I’m also able to make referrals to outside sources that can help with the identified needs of the client.

How I found out about this internship: I was browsing the county website and looking to see if they had a mental health page — they did! I emailed the generic email and then was referred to the person who is now my site supervisor. There was no internship program set up, but we were able to create one that fit my needs.

Favorite part: This is such a diverse internship, and I love all the different aspects of psychology that are brought in. I’m able to learn not only about mental disorders, but also about how many different services are available to clients with mental illness. That being said, I think my favorite part is being able to present the client at our clinical team meeting, which means we have completed all the documentation and we can transfer them to an ongoing case manager.

Most challenging part: When we get a new prepetition screening from the hospital, we have until the client’s 72-hour hold is up to determine if they need to be civilly committed. It can be a huge time crunch to try and get as much information as possible, and sometimes, there isn’t enough evidence to support the petition. Often, these clients end up back in the hospital, and we have to repeat the process. It can be hard to see people coming back through our unit over and over again and having to wait until something more severe happens to them.

Biggest lesson learned: Ask questions, be curious, and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. I was always nervous to call a client on my own or do an intake, but that’s where all the learning comes from. Of course, I also learned so much more about community mental health, and I feel more confident when speaking about mental health to clients and others.

Advice: An internship is 100% worth it. Don’t be afraid to reach out to places you are interested in even if they don’t have a structured internship program set up. You gain so many connections and real-world experiences. As Nike says, just do it!

Upcoming events

Winning Interviewing Strategies Workshop
Tuesday, Oct. 6
3:45 to 4:15 p.m.
Via Zoom

• Are you ready for your next interview?
• Do you know the most commonly asked interview questions?
• Do you know how to answer them?

Participants will learn essential strategies for answering commonly asked questions and behavioral based questions, what questions to ask in an interview, and much more.

This 30-minute workshop is free, but you must register in advance.

Fall Career and Internship Expo
Cosponsored by Saint Mary’s University and Winona State University
Wednesday, Oct. 21
10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Via Handshake

In order to make the most of this fair experience:

• Register for the fair
• Sign up for group sessions and one-on-one appointments
• Become familiar with what the day of the fair will look like

MN Private Nonprofit & Government Jobs Fair
Friday, Oct. 30
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Delivered virtually

If you are interested in a career in public service, this fair is for you! Visit with representatives of government agencies and nonprofit organizations, all from the convenience of your room. More details to follow.

The Office of Career Services

Questions? Contact Mike Hagarty at mhagarty@smumn.edu or visit Vlazny 111.

Check out the various clubs and organizations offered at Saint Mary’s by watching videos created by the club and organization leaders with information about their club! For more information about clubs and organizations, visit the R.I.S.E. website or email rise@smumn.edu.

Watch videos

Throughout the United States, COVID-19 cases are rising, and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is dedicated to keeping our students safe and mitigating the risks associated with travel. The travel notification form has been updated to collect more specific details (purpose, method of travel). In addition, students should now notify the university of travel at least 48 hours before departure. This will provide us with the necessary information and time to review and follow up as necessary.

As of Sept. 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the following states as hot spots: Texas, California, Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Illinois. Travel to these states is not advised, and students may be required to quarantine upon returning to Saint Mary’s.

Chartwells shares their monthly newsletter, which includes upcoming events, a fall recipe, and more.

The Scoop, October 2020

Student Senate meeting minutes
Sept. 29, 2020

Meeting called to order by President Kendall Archer at 7:02 p.m.
Prayer by Collin van Waardenburg

Members present: Cece Abel, Kendall Archer, Samantha Carlson, Larkin Clem, Jake Emeott, Sarah Fowler, Mary Furlong, Gabriel Graves, Lillian Klein, Megan Kowalis, Jonathon Krull, Abigail Lang, Thomas Magnavite, Allison Moysis, Tara Nikolich, Nicole Noreen, Lyanna Novak, Enitan Onayiga, Marcos Pedroza, Angel Sacta Espinoza, Joseph Schauf, Collin van Waardenberg, Destiny Walker, Elijah Williams

Members absent: None

Members excused: Noah Kimmel, Sophia O’Neil, Ryan Stoynich

Discussion items

• Overview of Student Senate vision and expectations
  • Vision: Each e-board position sets goals and plan to achieve them
  • Agenda will be sent out every Monday via CommUNITY newsletter
  • Review of attendance policy
    • Need for proxy if member absent (24-hour notice)
• Review of how Zoom Student Senate meetings will be held
  • Use “Raise Hand” feature
  • Voting conducted over chat
• Robert’s rules will be utilized during the meetings
  • Members expected to have knowledge of how they work
• Update from Tim Gossen (vice president of Student Affairs)
• The Winona Campus looks like it will be here until November
  • Wants to celebrate this achievement and hard work of the students (will be Student Senate sponsored)
    • Idea of getting food trucks or other local restaurants to come and/or sponsor it
• Executive board updates
  • Kendall Archer, president
  • Read Robert’s rules of order
  • Read article 8 (academic and financial requests)
• Father Burns will attend next meeting
  • Dress code for next meeting is business casual
• CommUNITY newsletter comes out Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday
  • Marcos Pedroza, vice president of Media and Communications
    • Student Senate elections went well
  • Angel Sacta Espinosa, vice president for Campus Affairs
    • Capital improvement request ideas
      • Forms going out later this semester
  • Nicole Noreen, vice president for Financial Affairs
    • Club presidents received email that budgets approved last spring are all set for this year
    • Email if interested in joining finance committee
  • Destiny Walker, vice president for Multicultural Affairs
    • Will be contacting FGI and SAC and other areas that need to be contacted
  • Mary Furlong, vice president for Academic Affairs
    • Reaching out to academic committee chairs
      • Looking for rep for ed standards rep (male and female)
      • IGEAC committee (one student)
  • Elijah Williams, vice president for Student Life
    • N/A
  • Megan Kowalis, vice president for Public Affairs
    • Voter registration drive underway
    • Posters up around campus
    • Polling place on campus in the works
  • Jonathon Krull, executive assistant
    • Watch for minutes in CommUNITY newsletter on Wednesday
  • Sarah Fowler, SAC president
    • Event this Saturday, coming to all dorms with materials to do bleach tie dye
    • Sunday bluff hike at 2 p.m.
  • Marisa Quinn, advisor
    • N/A

Senate open forum

• Joseph Schauf: Chartwells complaints, we were oversold and under delivered. Quality of food has gone down, less options.
• Lyanna: Question regarding class officer obligations. Seeking clarification of fundraising for this year.

Motion to adjourn

• Motioned by Joseph Schauf
• Seconded by Enitan Onayiga
• Time 7:28 p.m.

All students are invited to the following events, sponsored by Student Activities Committee (SAC):

Bleach Tie Dye
Saturday, Oct. 3, at 12:30 p.m. in the plaza

Hike Through the Bluff
In partnership with Outdoor Leadership
Sunday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m., meet at the gazebo

Want to join SAC? Email Sarah Fowler at safowl17@smumn.edu for more information. Also, feel free to join the SAC retreat on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Salvi from 1 to 4 p.m. Learn what SAC is, how to plan events on campus, and help schedule the spring semester events. All who attend the SAC retreat will receive a free SAC T-shirt.