Cardinals,
Thank you for continuing to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines. I continue to be impressed with this student body and hear from so many that you, along with the faculty and staff, want to remain on ground all semester. I know we can do it, with your help, as together, we are Saint Mary’s.
Tim Gossen, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
COVID-19 updates:
- Continue to watch for updates on smumn.edu/covidplanning.
- As a reminder, COVID-19 guidelines should be adhered to while off campus as well. Be mindful when downtown and invited over to a home or apartment.
- The lights in the Saint Mary’s bluffs will now be turned on from 7:30 p.m. to midnight seven days a week. Feel free to experience the outdoors even during the evening hours.
- For those who are interested in using the fire pits in the Saint Mary’s bluffs, please adhere to the fire pit guidelines in the student handbook, which includes having fewer than 25 individuals.
- Additional information is available on:
- If you’re in quarantine and wish to receive holy communion, contact the Office of Campus Ministry at campusministry@smumn.edu. One of the campus ministers will assist you.
- Vending on campus will continue (i.e., soda and snacks), but it is highly recommended to wipe off the buttons before and after use.
- With the exception of emergencies, room switches within the residence halls will be limited.
- We ask that you refrain from moving the chairs around in the gameroom, gym lobby, plaza, and Toner Lounge, as they are arranged for social distancing.
Immune from COVID-19
Based on guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), those who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 (within three months) are considered immune and do not need to quarantine even if they are around household members who’ve tested positive. They are not considered infectious. Students should not be retested (as it can result as positive despite their not actually having another infection) and are required to give documentation with the date of the positive COVID-19 test to the Jay Johnson Wellness Center. Students will be asked to quarantine until the documentation is received.
Force majeure clause
Many schools have included this clause in their student handbooks, due to the loss of income they faced last spring because of unforeseen circumstances. However, we do want to assure students that should Saint Mary’s need to send students home early for online learning, we would review the situation and make an appropriate determination about room and board reimbursement largely based on how much time is left in the semester. The clause would only come into play if students returned home very late in the semester and the university would have already incurred the expenses for the duration of the time (such as food service, which orders food two weeks in advance).