Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) information

Dear Colleagues,

In Minnesota we always talk about the weather; the ebb and flow of the seasons is an integral part of what shapes our work and leisure, our family activities and time with friends. Over the past many months under the pandemic, we have been blessed with a wonderfully mild winter followed by an early spring, allowing us to enjoy the great outdoors more than usual.  These silver linings should never be overlooked! And I hope you all have been able to enjoy our good fortune in some fashion.

We have several updates for you this week:

COVID-19 On-campus Vaccination Clinic

A big thank you to our Student Health Service team, facilities and safety, for responding quickly to the opportunity to offer vaccines to our residential students at the Duluth campus. The COVID vaccine clinic launched this week, offering the Janssen vaccine to students Wednesday, Thursday and today. As supply permits, Student Health Service will continue to offer ongoing vaccines.

The following includes information for students who are interested in signing up for the next COVID-19 vaccine clinic, scheduled Monday, April 12:

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
Location: Somers Main Lounge
Date:  Monday, April 12, 2021
Time:  9:00 AM- 2:50 PM
Sign up at:  Sign up Monday, April 12 COVID Vaccine Clinic  

In order to maintain proper distancing measures, please use this form to sign up for an appointment. Please plan to spend approximately 30 minutes for registration, inoculation and observation.

Athletics Update

This week marks the annual National Division III Week, established to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our student-athletes. In recognition of our student-athletes many achievements, 57 have been inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, a nationally recognized honor society established to identify outstanding college student-athletes who excel in the classroom, in their sport and in the community. The chapter at The College of St. Scholastica was established in 2020 to cover an unfulfilled need to provide national recognition for our student-athletes' accomplishments.

As our teams continue to find success, Volleyball concluded the regular season with a 7-1 record as they head into the UMAC Conference Tournament. Baseball is currently 4-2 as they prepare for conference play while the Softball team continues a five-game win streak with a 17-3 record. Both Men’s and Women’s Soccer won their home openers while Tennis and Golf continue to tune up before they begin conference play.

Congratulations to Ryan Steger (Track and Field), Nick Carlson (Track and Field) and Dallas Miller (Baseball) for being named UMAC Players of the Week.

And a huge shout out to our athletic administrators, coaches and supporting staff who have worked tirelessly to make the athletic experiences work under the pandemic conditions.

Student Employee Appreciation Week

Next week is Student Employee Appreciation Week! Take time to recognize our outstanding students who serve, feed, clean, teach, tutor, guide, write, track, tour, call, lead, develop, and direct. We couldn't do our work without them! Also, look for an announcement next week about the winner of the Student Employee of the Year. The College has a reputation for sending forth winners that become strong candidates for State and Regional awards...let’s keep this going!

Save the dates for Mayfest Week: April 26-May 1!

Mayfest is back on the Duluth Main Campus! Some of the notable events we are planning are listed below. More details to come:

• Monday, 4/26 Club Crawl, a socially distant Activities Fair for students to find clubs, get some cool css swag, and apply for club leadership positions 
• Wednesday, 4/28, 2:45pm, Reif Run on Science Lawn
• Saturday, 5/1 The Great Scholastica Get Together, State Fair themed outdoor gathering with outdoor activities, food trucks and more! This event will be open to the CSS community and their families 
• All Week: The search for Al Bob! We heard Al Bob may be back in town? Rumor has it they have lost a significant amount of weight and are hardly recognizable 

All events will be following strict COVID-19 safety protocols and are dependent on weather. Any questions can be sent to Kaitie Selleck or to Student Activities.

In closing, let me remind the Community how important it is to continue to take precautions as the vaccination programs unfold across our state. We are hearing daily about the new variants, highly contagious and just as powerful, and their impact nationally on our COVID numbers. I urge you to remain vigilant in  carrying out our Community Pledge, both at work and in your personal lives. This is truly a race, and we can help shape a better outcome for our future by supporting a safe environment.

Blessings, be safe and be well,

Barbara

Dear Colleagues,

I hope this finds you looking forward to the Easter break. I wish you all many blessings of the season, and hope that you take full advantage of "unplugging" during this time. 

Our Benedictine Heritage teaches us the importance of living our lives in balance: balancing our work, our time in reflection and prayer, and our leisure and with loved ones. During the pandemic, I have heard from many in our community how our work schedules and personal lives have taken on new dimensions, blending in ways that have challenged us to intentionally find that balance.

With this in mind, I encourage you to disconnect from your work responsibilities over the Easter break, to embrace the Benedictine focus on balance, and make time for yourselves, for your families and friends. We become better people and better for one another when we give our minds, bodies and spirits time to rest and restore.

In that vein, this week's update comes to you on Thursday (no April Fool's, I promise!). And it's a short one!

Important COVID-19 Information

Vaccination Resources: We are strongly recommending all eligible students and employees to take advantage of the opportunity to sign up for vaccinations. Governor Walz has now opened this opportunity to all Minnesotans 16 years of age and older. As mentioned in the last two communications resources are readily available to you for this purpose. Links to resources can be found in the March 19 College Update.  

Minnesota COVID Uptick: We have seen COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the uptick across the state. Our weekly COVID-19 tracking also indicates an uptick and we are monitoring the situation. I strongly encourage everyone to stay vigilant in practicing our Community Pledge during this uncertain time. Our collective health and safety depend on our commitment to our CDC and MDH recommendations, both at work and in our respective communities: mask up, continue to practice physical distancing, and wash hands frequently.

Finance and Financial Aid

Approximately $1.1 million in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds II (HEERF II) emergency funding was disbursed this week to CSS students who demonstrated exceptional financial need according to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This funding will assist students with covering the cost of attendance or emergency costs related to tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health) or child care. No application was required. This is wonderful news for our students! A huge shout out to Trish Johnson, Jill Larson and their respective finance and financial aid teams for all the work that has gone into this process. It's quite a process to navigate!  

I wish you all a very blessed Easter and Easter break. Relax and rejuvenate!

Stay well and be safe,

Barbara

March 24, 2020

The College of St. Scholastica is planning for a normal semester this fall as the College makes plans for an in-person return. An appointed group of faculty and staff have come together to develop best-case recommendations for a safe return to the College’s campuses and sites.

The Planning Task Force is committed to ensuring the best learning environment for student success, which includes delivering courses in face-to-face formats while capitalizing on the innovative learnings over the past twelve months. Recommendations will focus on programs that are typically housed on-campuses or at sites while programs typically delivered in an online format will continue that way.

Regardless of the delivery mode, the College remains committed to serving and supporting all students, whether they be in-person, hybrid or online.

“Our students are anxious and excited about being back in community with one another. If there’s one thing we have discovered, it's the power of the human experience where one can build friendships and participate fully in curricular and cocurricular activities,” said Steve Lyons, Vice President of Student Affairs.

“We also want to maximize the innovative best practices we have gleaned from having to shift to alternative delivery methods and incorporate those into our plan,” shared Dr. Ryan Sandefer, Vice President of Academic Affairs. “We have learned a lot about innovative teaching and learning.”

In addition to the classroom environment, the Planning Task Force will provide recommendations on faculty and staff returning to work. The College’s planning will also focus on resuming events safely, resuming study abroad and travel, and expanded return to play for athletic teams who will be joining the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) this fall.

The College will continue to closely monitor guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, as well as guidance from federal and state leadership. With increased accessibility to vaccinations and decreased rates of COVID transmission, leaders are hopeful that the institution will be able to return to a more traditional fall semester.

“The ground is always shifting and we cannot predict the trajectory of the pandemic,” said Dr. Barbara McDonald, St. Scholastica’s president. “We are developing plans for several scenarios; however, it is the goal to return normally to our sites as soon as possible.”

Above all else, the health and safety of the community remains the institution’s number one priority.