Saint Mary's Newsroom / Campus Notes

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.

Thank you from Chartwells and Student Affairs for adhering to the social distancing queues! This has been a tremendous help as we work to efficiently serve you at meals. 

A couple of friendly reminders as we begin the spring semester:

• Each dining area is set up with social distancing guidelines, which includes the table occupancy. Do not move chairs to other tables.
• Cleaning supplies are located on each table for your use. Please clean them before you depart, so they are sanitized and ready for the next guests.

Meal plan change period ends Friday

Returning students wishing to change their meal plan, should use the residential meal plan change form.

New students wishing to update to the All Access plan, should use the new residential meal plan change form.

Commuter students who want a meal plan should use the commuter meal plan request form.

For more information regarding the meal plan options, visit residential plans or commuter plans.

Meal plan changes must be made by 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5.

Contact the Office of Student Affairs with any questions at studentlife@smumn.edu or 507-457-1640.

The Environmental Awareness Center will be open between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday to check out cross country ski equipment. The center is located next to the clock tower on the top floor of the power plant.

There is no charge for students or staff, but a Saint Mary’s ID is needed to check out equipment.

Contact Brother John Grover, FSC, at 507-457-1404 or jgrover@smumn.edu in 115 Vlanzy Hall during the week if you want to go cross country skiing and need to get skis.

Student Senate — Feb. 2, 2021

The meeting was called to order by President Kendall Archer at 7:01 p.m.

Prayer by Collin van Waardenburg

Members present: Cece Abel, Kendall Archer, Samatha Carlson, Larkin Clem, Jake Emeott, Sarah Fowler, Mary Furlong, Gabriel Graves, Noah Kimel (proxy Breanna Tews), Megan Kowalis, Jonathon Krull, Abby Lang, Tom Megnavite (proxy Keaton Cloven), Allison Moysis, Tara Nikolich, Nicole Noreen, Lyanna Novak, Enitan Onayiga, Sophia O’Neil, Angel Sacta Espinoza, Joseph Schauf, Collin van Waardenburg, Destiny Walker, and Elijah Williams

Members absent: n/a

Members excused: Noah Kimel (proxy Breanna Tews), Tom Megnavite (proxy Keaton Cloven), Ryan Stoynich

Discussion items

• Executive Board updates
  • Kendall Archer, president
    • Reach out to me if interested in becoming a Lasallian Volunteer!
  • Jonathon Krull, acting VP of Media and Communications
    • Contact me if you want to run for any of the open Senate positions
      • jpkrul18@smumn.edu
  • Angel Sacta Espinosa, VP for Campus Affairs
    • Capital Improvement Committee formed
      • First meeting Thursday at 3 p.m.
        
      • If you have any ideas of how we can improve campus, be on the watch for the capital improvement request form
  • Nicole Noreen, VP for Financial Affairs
    • Budget club training went well on Sunday
    • Preparations underway for budget season
  • Destiny Walker, VP for Multicultural Affairs
    • Working on more cultural events
    • Happy Black History Month!
  • Mary Furlong, VP for Academic Affairs
    • Thanks for the feedback on the new schedule!
    • Wellness days will be March 9 and April 28
    • No class after 1 p.m. on April 1 or 2 due to the Easter holiday
    • More information coming on the Purple Puzzle Piece
      • Helps with accessibility, more information coming soon!
  • Elijah Williams, VP for Student Life
    • Friday, Feb. 5, is the deadline for updating your meal plan
    • RA application is now live and can be found in your CommUNITY newsletter or by contacting residence life
      
    • If you tested positive from the testing event on Friday, please reach out to the Wellness Center
    • Curfew has been extended through the weekend, more COVID updates in the CommUNITY this week
  • Megan Kowalis, VP for Public Affairs
    • Working with Twigz (James McGuire) on highway cleanup and bluff cleanup
      • Cleanup Winona on April 10
      • Interested in planning or joining a committee? Contact Megan
    • Planning virtual Day at the Capitol
  • Jonathon Krull, executive assistant
    • No updates
  • Sarah Fowler, SAC president
    • Thursday at 5 p.m. bleach dye for masks or T-shirt (grab and go)
    • Sunday at noon snowshoeing in the bluffs
  • Marisa Naryka, adviser
    • No updates

• Class officer reports
  • Freshman: No updates
  • Sophomore: No updates
  • Junior: No updates
  • Senior: In talks to plan Senior Week
• Motion to adjourn
  • Motioned by Joseph Schauf
  • Seconded by Collin van Waardenburg
  • Time 7:13 p.m.

The City of Winona has declared a TAG and TOW operation to facilitate snow removal for the entire city of Winona on Friday, Feb. 5, from 12:01 to 6:30 a.m.

The Alternate Side Parking Ordinance will be strictly enforced during these hours. TAG and TOW will be in effect on the EVEN numbered side of the street and in Municipal Parking Lot #1.

Questions? Contact the City of Winona Street Department at 507-457-8276.