Fall Semester Update

 Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

We are at the halfway point of the fall semester. I am grateful to see an active campus, filled with energy and balanced with safety protocols for the well-being of our campus community. 

A few quick updates for you:

Homecoming
Last week, we celebrated homecoming with a variety of events and activities around campus throughout the week. Homecoming is a great way to demonstrate Bulldog pride with our campus, alumni, friends and community members. Thanks to the organizers and all who participated to make homecoming a success. 

Driven: The University of Minnesota Duluth Campaign
This last summer, we completed a very successful 10 year fundraising program; Driven: The University of Minnesota Duluth Campaign. We set a goal to raise $120 million to support student scholarships, innovative programs, great faculty and top grade facilities. Due to the generosity of thousands of donors, we secured $170 million. I invite you to watch this short video, with UMD theater student Laura Carlson, to hear more about these amazing results. 

Throughout the campaign, 828 UMD employees contributed to this success by donating $15 million! That is an impressive number of employees demonstrating their generosity and commitment to the success of UMD and our students.

The impact of these incredible gifts will be felt for generations to come. I am honored that our alumni and friends made such amazing investments for the betterment of our students and this campus. Gifts are generally designated by the donor to specific purposes (like student scholarships), and are not available for general institutional budgetary needs.

Safe Campus
I am pleased that our campus has high vaccination rates for students, faculty, and staff. Our campus community continues to follow COVID health and safety protocols. Safety measures, such as properly wearing face coverings indoors, are important attributes to maintaining in-person activities and complying with university expectations. It is also important that each of us continue to closely monitor our own health. Regardless of your vaccination status, please seek testing if you have COVID-19 symptoms. 

Thank you for your on-going support in helping to keep all members of our campus community safe. You can continue to find COVID related information on the Safe Campus website. 

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

Fall Semester Updates

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

I hope you are all well and getting ready to begin a new fall semester. We’re just over a week away from the start of classes, and I am looking forward to seeing students and colleagues face to face again and recreating the sense of community we had before the pandemic forced us to work and study remotely. Yes, we will be wearing facemasks, but they will not prevent us from having the strong sense of connections that are a hallmark of UMD campus life. I am proud of the outstanding work and sacrifices of our students, faculty, and staff over the past year and a half. Because of the efforts of many people, UMD has the correct precautions in place for a safe and successful 2021-2022 academic year.

We have a mix of exciting welcome week activities for our new incoming students. In addition, we recognize that additional opportunities to connect with UMD and with other students are important for those Bulldogs who joined our campus community last year. We have invited them to some of our welcome week programs and created a few special opportunities for them, too.

On campus right now, offices and departments are open and ready to welcome students back, fall sports are in motion, facilities management continues to prepare campus for the semester, and much more is happening around campus - all with COVID safety protocols in mind. To highlight one area a bit more, the library has new and improved spaces for you to enjoy. In partnership with ITSS, you'll find enhanced technology, and dining services has launched The Grind coffee kiosk between the library and the re-opened annex, with additional seating.

COVID Updates
Having worked closely with our University of Minnesota System leadership for the past year and a half on our responses to COVID, I know how carefully decisions are being made within the ever shifting landscape of emerging variants and health risks. I support these systemwide decisions, and want you to know that decisions will always be based on state and federal scientific data and advice from University of Minnesota public health and medical experts. We will also stay informed about transmission rates in our local community and requirements from elected officials.

As you have undoubtedly seen in a number of communications, the University’s current policy is to require everyone, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks indoors. As well, upon formal FDA approval of any COVID-19 vaccine, the University will add that COVID-19 vaccine to those already required for students. Faculty and staff will be asked to sign an attestation of vaccination status, and if not vaccinated, to agree to regular testing in the future. We will continue to post updates to our Safe Campus website.

I strongly encourage unvaccinated members of our campus community to get a vaccine wherever you can and as soon as you can. It is the best way to keep ourselves and our communities safe.

You can find information, including locations, about the free COVID-19 vaccine on the Safe Campus website. UMD Health Services is planning to offer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to students by appointment starting sometime in September. Student Life is working with St. Louis County Public Health to offer free vaccine clinics for members of the campus community during move-in and the Student Activities Fair. Details will be shared with the campus community next week and publicized on the UMD Health Services website.

Other COVID vaccine information that you might find useful include:

• Vaccine facts from UMD Health Services’ Dr. Worley (July 26, 2021)
• A series of vaccine messages from Dr. Tolar on the Twin Cities campus including his most recent message with a vaccine Q&A

I continue to be impressed with our campus community, and I appreciate all you have done to remain committed to educational excellence and ensuring a safe campus community. I wish you all a successful semester and hope to see you around campus soon.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

COVID-19: Facial Coverings Reinstated Indoors

 Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

In just a few weeks, move-in for the fall semester will begin and we will welcome our new incoming class. I am looking forward to this upcoming school year, with hopes of an active, safe, and healthy campus community.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have monitored guidance on public health and safety precautions. As U of M System President Joan Gabel noted in her message earlier today, “We are committed to protecting the health of our community, and to adjusting as new information and circumstances dictate.”

Given the Delta variant, increasing transmission rates, and the advice of our public health experts, effective Tuesday, August 3, the University of Minnesota System is reinstituting a systemwide requirement that all students, staff, faculty, contractors, and visitors wear facial coverings while indoors at all university facilities. Regardless of your vaccination status, your adherence to our University Face Covering Protocol is appreciated and required.

If you are not vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to “Get the Vax” today. Vaccines are highly effective against the Delta variant. Review this Vaccine Q&A for resources and to learn more.

We have made much progress, and while this may be a detour, I am grateful for your participation and cooperation as we all work together to keep our campus safe. Even though our pandemic response plans remain fluid and able to adapt as needed, our commitment to student success remains solid. More information and updates will continue to be posted to our Safe Campus website.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

Executive Assistant Announcement

 Dear Faculty and Staff,

After fifteen years of outstanding service to UMD and to the Office of the Chancellor, Jean Conner, the Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, has decided to retire, effective August 2, 2021. I have greatly enjoyed working with Jean over the past eleven years. She is such a positive and productive member of our community. I appreciate her outstanding commitment to excellence and to improving our campus climate. She admirably serves the wide range of individuals, on- and off-campus, who interact with the Chancellor's Office. We will miss her.

Carlee Williams will serve as the Interim Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, and for the time being, she will also continue coordinating UMD Special Events. Bob Borden continues his position in the Chancellor’s Office as Executive Secretary, and Wendy Larrivy continues to serve the office as Administrative Director. Within the next several weeks, I will seek approval to search for the Executive Assistant position. Carlee has done a great job with special events, and I thank her for taking on these additional responsibilities.

Please join me in wishing Jean well in retirement and thanking her for her many accomplishments at UMD, in the University of Minnesota System, and with her local higher education colleagues.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

Vaccine Facts

Dear Campus Community,

Here is some important information about the COVID-19 vaccine.

1. We don’t want people to get sick with COVID-19 of any variant. Period.

2. The risk of getting sick is increasing again because the delta variant is more transmissible. Where someone with the original COVID-19 infected an average of 2.5 people (there are those half people again), someone with the delta variant infects 5.0 to 8.0 people.

3. The delta variant is now responsible for more than 80% of the infections in the US.

4. Over the past two months in the US, 99% of the deaths and 97% of the hospitalizations from COVID-19 were of unvaccinated people.

5. Vaccines are safe.

6. Vaccines are effective against the variant. Can vaccinated people still get sick? Yes, but evidence so far shows that most people who have “breakthrough” infections after immunization have less severe symptoms.

7. In the US, an average of 68.6% of adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination. You can review Minnesota vaccine data by county. St. Louis County currently has 65.8% of the population 16 years or older vaccinated.

8. Vaccination is free. Everywhere to everyone. You can find vaccination sites via MN Vaccine Connector, vaccines.gov, texting your ZIP code to 438829, or calling 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you.

9. Want to protect yourself and others more? Continue to wear a mask. They’re still required in some situations, particularly anywhere health care is provided.

10. The University continues to monitor the situation in real time and in all its complexity.

Why are there so many links? We understand that you need to make your own decisions and want you to have access to the same information we are using: scientific, reliable, accurate, and timely.

Sincerely,

Dr. David Worley MD
UMD Health Services

UPDATE: Chancellor's Welcome for all Staff and Faculty - August 23

Good morning,

In celebration of the many UMD employees who worked on campus during the pandemic and those coming back to campus next month, I have decided to hold the Welcome Event in person, instead of our previously planned virtual event. Since I know some of you will continue working remotely, we will record the event for you to review at a later time.

Please join me and my leadership team in the Ward Wells Field House at 10:00am on Monday, August 23. Coffee, fruit and pastries will be served.

We will again be collecting nonperishable food for Champ's Cupboard, the UMD Food Shelf located in 245 Kirby Plaza. Unused/unopened/unexpired items specifically needed are:

• Peanut butter
• Mac & cheese and "Just add Water Meals" (Pasta-Roni, Rice-a-Roni, Bear Creek, Idaho Mashed Potato mix)
• Organic and Gluten Free Items
• Dry pasta, rice and pasta sauce 
• Lighter meals/snacks: granola bars, trail mix 
• Spaghettios, chili, stew 
• Canned tuna and chicken
• Chunky soups 
• Hamburger, Chicken or Tuna Helper
• Dry breakfast cereal and oatmeal packets
• Fruit -  canned, applesauce, fruit cocktail, dried fruit

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you all!

Lynn Black
Chancellor

Follow-up on Diversity and Inclusion Action Item

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Over the course of the last year, we have continued to seek meaningful ways for our campus to support Goal 2 of our strategic plan to “advance equity, diversity, inclusiveness, and social justice within the campus community.” As part of our campus diversity and inclusion action items, we brought in third-party expertise to advise us regarding any policy adaptations that could help the UMD Police Department (UMDPD) build upon the department’s focus on campus public safety and the uniqueness of law enforcement within our university community.

To assist with that effort, we retained CL Alexander Consulting, led by Dr. Cedric Alexander, an expert in law enforcement with over 40 years in public safety. Dr. Alexander and his team conducted listening sessions with our campus community to identify strengths and opportunities to improve UMDPD’s effectiveness, to enhance campus relationships, and to increase public safety and trust.

The Report and Recommendations

After engaging with our campus community last semester, Dr. Alexander and his team have provided a report with findings and recommendations. The report conclusion states “Overall, UMDPD has low levels of use of force incidents and does not have disparate outcomes in arrest data. However, the broader national and state context has raised the need for every law enforcement agency to deepen its relationships and capacity to be open and transparent; to fully engage their communities, especially the most marginalized, and those most often interacting with police.”

The report is comprehensive, thoughtful, and honest, and I encourage you to read the full report. The overall findings from their work are:

• There is a wide range of perceptions about police in general and the UMDPD. There are those who fear police and any interactions with them, and those who view police as their protectors from crime.
• UMDPD use of force data over the last five years is a very low number and is not disproportionate in terms of the race of the persons involved in the use of force incidents.
• UMDPD data covering arrests of both students and non-students for the last four years found that the arrest rate for underrepresented groups is below the demographics for UMD.
• UMDPD engages in a number of community outreach efforts and participates in diversity and inclusion platforms. But there is a lack of public awareness of UMDPD community engagement efforts.
• UMDPD has a diverse staff of 12, that includes 11 licensed police officers; 5 are female, 4 identify as members of underrepresented groups, 1 has a disability, and 3 are veterans. Although UMDPD has a diverse police force, they are understaffed according to the Department of Justice-Bureau of Justice Statistics national averages.
• During the listening sessions, faculty and staff were strong advocates for students, sharing what they have heard from students, particularly BIPOC students, whereas students tended to be more reserved in sharing their perceptions.

The proposed recommendations fall into five broad categories for response:

• Proactive police interactions;
• Implicit bias, use of force, and cultural competency;
• UMDPD mutual aid agreements;
• Mental health, homeless, disabilities, sexual assault, domestic violence, substance abuse incidents;
• Demilitarization, arming of police.

In the months ahead, I will work closely with Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Sue Bosell and UMDPD Chief Sean Huls to operationalize these recommendations. There are recommendations included in Dr. Alexander’s report that will require further consideration and analysis, including adding officers to UMDPD. There are also many actions already underway, such as planned proactive community policing events for the fall semester, equipping UMDPD officers with body cameras, an updated UMDPD website, and increased communication efforts. We take this report and the recommendations very seriously and will continue to find ways to improve and best serve our campus community.

UMDPD Service

While the report focuses on identifying areas for improvement, it also recognizes the strengths of UMDPD. The department has taken significant steps to broaden officers’ skill sets in de-escalation, mental health, and cultural sensitivity, as well as to enhance community relationships. This commitment to ongoing change as a modern police department supports UMDPD’s mission to serve the UMD campus.

We are incredibly grateful to all who shared their important voice and unique experiences throughout this process. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor