Update on Student Fee Refunds

Dear Students,

On April 7, 2020, the Board of Regents approved a Comprehensive Student Fee Refund Plan, which included refunds for housing and residential life services (housing, dining plans, and dining dollars); commuter meal plans; parking permit fees; student services fees (includes RSOP, Kirby Student Center, and Health Services); and the transportation sustainability fee.

These various fee refunds are being applied to student accounts this week. Note: If the credits applied exceed your current account balance, refunds will be issued. If you have any questions about these credits once they have been applied to your account, please contact One Stop Student Services.

I want to once again recognize your resilience, persistence, and commitment to your education in the face of this pandemic and the personal stress it has created. This was not how anyone imagined this semester would unfold. I wish you the very best as you wrap up your studies over the next week, and a special congratulations to those of you who will be graduating this spring.

Sincerely,


Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

ACTION REQUESTED Save-the-date May 16: Celebration for the Class of 2020 Virtual Commencement

 Dear Class of 2020,

Commencement is a time we greatly anticipate to celebrate your accomplishments and new beginnings, as well as to come together as a University community. We know our current circumstances have impacted how we do that, so on May 16, the University of Minnesota will honor you during a virtual commencement. Please join us at 11 a.m. CDT for an online celebration for you, your family, and your friends. If you can’t make it at that time — don’t worry. You will be able to view it afterward and it will be accessible online until June 30, 2020. You and your family don’t even need to be physically together — you can share access with whomever you want.

The theme for the celebration is “Hail to Thee!” the University’s alma mater and a reference from Minnesota’s state song chosen to reflect the University’s admiration for your incredible resilience in these stressful times.

To kick-start the virtual celebrations, you will soon receive an email from MarchingOrder, a graduation platform, requesting that you provide a photo* which will be used to create a personalized presentation to commemorate this special moment in your academic life. Please upload your information by April 29, 2020.

In the spirit of retaining traditions, we will be sending you a package with items to help commemorate this special day. Please confirm your mailing address on this form to ensure we send it to where you are residing now. You will need to confirm your mailing address by May 6, or you may not receive your package in time. If you would like to purchase additional graduation items, you may do so online. We look forward to sharing more ways to honor your hard work, including a virtual graduation toolbox as well as interactive social media resources. We will be sending more details as May 16 draws closer.

Though the University will not be able to hold in-person commencement ceremonies in May, we are committed to recognizing your accomplishments this fall and will follow guidance from state and federal health care experts to announce dates and plans.

We wish all of you the very best and look forward to recognizing your achievements both remotely and in person. Hail to Thee!, Class of 2020. Please stay healthy, safe, and well.

Visit z.umn.edu/commencement2020 and d.umn.edu/commencement for further information.

With warmest regards,

Joan Gabel, President, University of Minnesota

Lendley Black, Chancellor, University of Minnesota Duluth

Saturday, May 16, 11-11:30 a.m. CDT

Google | iCal | Outlook

*Just like a live ceremony, this virtual one is for our whole community to celebrate your academic accomplishments. Please be sure that the photo/slide you submit features just you, not other people or messages. We invite you to wear a cap and gown if you have them, dress wear, or official University of Minnesota apparel. We reserve the right to not include your photo/slide in the ceremony if your photo/slide doesn’t comply with any of these guidelines.

Reminder: Systemwide Strategic Plan Town Hall

Reminder: The Systemwide Strategic Plan Town Hall is Monday, April 20, 1-2 p.m.

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

Please join me, President Gabel, and other senior leaders from across the system on Monday, April 20, for a Zoom Systemwide Strategic Plan Town Hall.
 

• Systemwide Strategic Plan Town Hall, Monday, April 20, 1-2 p.m.
• Please complete this Zoom webinar registration if you are able to attend
• You may submit questions beforehand
• Participants will also be able to submit live questions to a moderator during the meeting
• Learn more about the Systemwide Strategic Plan Commitments and Goals for Friday’s meeting, leadership is specifically interested in action items from participants as a next step in the conversation

While recognizing that we are currently in uncharted territory with the Coronavirus, we still need to move forward with this important strategic initiative. I hope you are able to join the Zoom video meeting as your schedule allows. 

Sincerely,

 

Lendley C. Black

Chancellor

Update on Non-curricular Summer Programs

Dear Colleagues,

Each summer, a wide variety of events and programs take place at UMD and across all University of Minnesota campuses and facilities statewide. Each of them provides important opportunities to live out the University's outreach mission, and in many cases, they provide engagement that supports our work. Therefore, the University is reluctant to cancel all summer activities at this early date, knowing that the timeline for the COVID-19 pandemic remains unknown and the situation is likely to evolve day by day.

However, we are at a point in time where we need to make difficult decisions about upcoming events. I am writing to share that effective immediately, all UMD and systemwide non-curricular summer events and programs for May and June are cancelled (unless they can be offered online). Programs that start the last week in June and continue into July are considered June events and therefore are also cancelled (unless they can be offered online as well). I hope that by communicating this decision now I am providing you some level of the certainty you need to plan effectively for early summer, including working with University and outside partners and vendors.

University leaders will continue to rely on Governor Tim Walz and public health experts at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to guide our analysis. Access to University public venues such as Kirby Student Center, Sports and Health Center, Glensheen, and the Tweed Museum of Art will remain closed for now and may reopen following MDH and CDC guidance regarding public gatherings. We will evaluate our decision for non-curricular July events around mid-May to provide more time for public health information and the course of the pandemic to evolve.

Cancelling events is another difficult decision, and I understand the disappointment many people will feel with the cancellation of more activities that are important to us all. Striking a balance between safety and continuity amidst uncertainty is not easy, but we have concern for the well-being of our faculty, staff, students, and partners top of mind.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best wishes and please take care of yourselves and your loved ones.


Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

Update about Summer Classes and Activities

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

It's been three weeks since we spent a full day on campus. I am surprised and pleased at the amount of work I am doing from home, seven days a week, and most of my days are filled with Zoom meetings. However, I miss face-to-face interactions with all of you.

At UMD we are much more than meetings, phone calls, and distant encounters, no matter how much work we accomplish through those formats. We are a large community made up of smaller, connected communities who care about each other and care for each other. So, here we all are, sheltered in our homes and other safe spaces as we try our best to keep our University work progressing while we deal with the awful threats of COVID-19. Our sense of caring has had to shift more from the UMD community to caring first for our loved ones and to taking care of ourselves. But the UMD community is still here, even though it has temporarily changed, and I look forward to being with you again as soon as possible.

We are in the final month of the spring semester, which even under normal circumstances is filled with a mix of deadlines, stresses, and accomplishments. Even though these April challenges are heightened this year given the current circumstances, I continue to be amazed and grateful for how our campus community has responded with flexibility, collaboration, and compassion. Thank you. 

As President Gabel mentioned in her message Monday, we are always looking ahead while we continue to address immediate needs related to COVID-19. I have a few UMD updates for you here as we look forward to summer. 

Summer Courses:

All summer undergraduate and graduate courses will be conducted through alternative instruction. Over the last few years, UMD has transitioned to offering most of our summer classes online, so this is not a significant change for us. Many students have already registered for summer classes knowing they would be offered online. We will use our normal A-F grading format, with pre-existing opportunities for students to select S/N grading. Information regarding your options and regulations can be found at OneStop.

Summer Orientation:

UMD’s Orientation Committee has done good, quick work to migrate our summer orientation and registration program for new students to an online format. This will include a multi-phase virtual program with webinars, online information sessions, small group advising and registration, and student leader one-on-one conversations and small group chats.  

Summer Activities:

We will continue to follow guidance from President Gabel based on input she receives from the Minnesota Department of Health and from Governor Walz. Given that things change quickly, for the time being we are not making blanket decisions to cancel, reschedule, or change the format of other summer activities. We will keep you informed if cancellations are made.

You can also find on-going COVID-19 information and resources at the following:

• University of Minnesota COVID-19 stories, insights and expertise
• UMD COVID-19 website
• Systemwide Safe Campus COVID-19 website.

 

Please be safe and take care of yourselves as we work through this pandemic together.
 

Sincerely,

 

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

Important 2020 Census Information for Students

Dear Students,

While we are in the midst of taking extraordinary measures on our campus to protect UMD students, faculty, and staff from the spread of COVID-19, many critical national, state, and University activities continue, one of which is the decennial Census.

The Census determines funding levels for federal appropriations, and also determines Minnesota’s number of U.S. House seats and its electoral vote apportionment. For example, for each person who is uncounted in the Census, Minnesota could lose $28,000 in federal funding over the next ten years. With a poor turnout, Minnesota is at risk of losing one of its eight current congressional districts, meaning you could have less representation in Congress and in the presidential elections.

The Constitution requires a count of every person in the nation, regardless of immigration status, standing as an international student, or country of origin. Each house, apartment unit, and dwelling is required to submit one Census form.

Under federal law, information reported on the Census form is confidential. The Census Bureau is prohibited from releasing any identifiable information about you, your home, or your immigration status to anyone, including law enforcement agencies. The law protects your private data and ensures that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court. By law, information about individuals cannot be released by the Census Bureau for 72 years.

How Do Students Ensure They Are Counted?

The Census collects information based on where individuals live on April 1. However, given the current COVID-19 pandemic, the address that applies when completing the 2020 Census is the address where you would have lived during this spring semester if COVID-19 hadn’t displaced you.

If your spring 2020 plan was to live off-campus with a parent, your parent should include you on their Census form. You do not need to complete a separate form. If you are living in that household only because of COVID-19, you should not be included on a parent’s Census form.

If your 2020 spring semester plan was to live in University housing, UMD will complete and submit Census information on your behalf. You do not need to complete the form. The Census Bureau made this change to capture the most accurate count possible for people living in group housing settings such as residence halls.

If your 2020 spring semester plan was to live off-campus, without a parent, in a rental unit or another arrangement off-campus, instructions are as follows:

1. If you are still in your unit, check the mail for the postcard or letter from the Census Bureau with your 12-digit code, which should have arrived between March 12-27. If you are not there currently or haven’t received it, you can complete the Census online with a few additional steps to verify your address.
2. Designate a single roommate to complete the Census here. Only one form per dwelling unit should be submitted.
3. Each roommate should fill out a sample Census (pdf) and give the information to the person who is completing the actual Census form.
4. Get your 12-digit code from your census mailing or just begin the process here. Use the information from each roommate’s sample Census to accurately complete the form.

Remember, student participation in the Census is very important and helps our University of Minnesota Duluth community as well as our city and state.

For more information, please review this Census information for University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff. We strongly encourage you to educate yourself on the Census process, complete your Census form, and be counted.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black

Chancellor

Update from UMD: Comprehensive Student Fee Refund Plan

Good afternoon UMD families, The University of Minnesota Board of Regents met today to discuss President Gabel’s Comprehensive Student Fee Refund Plan. You may view the captured video of the meeting. As a result of the meeting, President Gabel has issued the message included below to University of Minnesota Duluth students. I wish you and your family members good health. We are in uncharted territory and I am pleased that our UMD community has found ways in which to stay connected, work through this time of transition, and remain positive. For example, members of our campus community submitted their words of encouragement into this heartwarming compilation video. The UMD COVID website continues to provide UMD specific information. The University of Minnesota Safe Campus site continues to collect important systemwide messages and links to resources. You can also read more about the University’s widespread response to COVID-19. Questions may be directed to umdhelp@d.umn.edu. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, Lendley C. Black Chancellor

Message from the Office of the President April 3, 2020 —Sent Systemwide   Dear students, faculty, and staff, At my direction, and with the support and approval of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents today, we have created the Comprehensive Student Fee Refund Plan. This systemwide program considers an extensive list of specific student expenses and fees, and outlines appropriate financial credit for these items in light of changes to University operations in response to the public health challenges of COVID-19. Because individual credit amounts will vary depending on the campus, the services students access from the University, and the housing or meal plans that were purchased, students should read the following information carefully to estimate what their individual credit will be. Please know that receiving financial credit requires no action. The credit students are entitled to will be automatically placed in their student accounts in April. The "Stay at Home" executive order, issued by Governor Tim Walz for the entire State of Minnesota, went into effect at 11:59 p.m. on March 27. March 28 was the first date that all Minnesotans were required to stay at home. In other words, no one was allowed to return to campus; only those already living on-site or those who were designated as essential on-campus employees were allowed on campus. Based on this change in circumstances, all credits for on-campus housing and access to other University services are calculated using March 28 as the first full day that most students could no longer use many on-campus services. The situation we find ourselves in because of COVID-19 is challenging for all of us and constantly evolving. The difficult, real-time decisions my leadership team and I have been forced to make are decisions none of us ever anticipated. We know these decisions affect many lives across our University family. We will continue to carefully consider every decision we make and if we can improve upon it, or make it stronger for our students, we will do so. We hope this comprehensive approach helps to address questions many of you have raised directly to me and to other leaders at the University. The Comprehensive Student Fee Refund Plan includes: Housing and Residential Life: Students who have a spring semester contract for any Housing and Residential Life service (housing, dining plans, and flex-dine/dining dollars), on any campus, will receive a 100% credit of their housing and dining fees from March 28 to the end date of their contract. This credit does not apply if students have remained on campus and are currently a resident of a University-managed residence hall or apartment.   Voluntary Meal Plan: For students with block, standard 11-meal, 14-meal, or Anytime voluntary meal plans, they will receive a 100% credit of their dining plans from March 28 through the end of the spring semester.     Parking fee: For students who have paid for parking on the Crookston, Duluth, Morris, or Twin Cities campuses, they will receive 100% of their parking fee credited from March 28 to the end of their semester contract. Rochester has no University-owned parking.   Recreation and Wellness fee: For the Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Twin Cities campuses, students will receive 100% credit of the recreation and wellness fee from March 28 through the last day of finals in May. Students on the Rochester campus will not be charged for April and May fees from the Rochester YMCA since the YMCA will, in turn, not be billing the University of Minnesota Rochester for this time period.   Student Services fee: Students will receive 50% credit for the student services fee from March 28 through the last day of finals in May.   Transportation and Safety: For the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses, students will receive 100% credit of the transportation and safety fee from March 28 through the last day of finals in May. Crookston, Morris, and Rochester campuses do not charge this fee.   What to Expect Next We will credit all accounts within one month. This will happen automatically and requires no action. This period will allow us to calculate credit amounts and ensure that all credits are compliant with financial aid rules based on Department of Education guidance. If students have not received their credit by the end of April, please contact the One Stop Student Services or business offices on your campus. Students who have a remaining balance will see these credits offset remaining charges. Any excess credit will be applied to current student accounts, and if there are no charges owed, will be refunded to students in a credit balance refund either via direct deposit or check. Please note that financial credits associated with study abroad/study away programs are in process and will be issued on an ongoing basis. Students will receive a separate communication once credits for these programs are finalized. Please contact the One Stop or business office on your campus with questions. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Your success has never been more important to all of our University’s leaders, including me. We stand behind all of you through this uncertain time and in support of your continued academic and other successes.   Join Our Upcoming Town Hall Meeting Lastly, I hope you will join me for a systemwide COVID-19 Town Hall, reviewing our response and some of the innovative and exciting research underway at the University to combat this public health emergency. Join me at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. A link to access the Town Hall will be available on Monday. In the meantime, faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to submit questions in advance using this form and your University login. With warmest wishes, Joan Gabel

Rescheduled: Systemwide Strategic Plan Town Hall

UPDATE: The Systemwide Strategic Plan Town Hall has been rescheduled from April 3 to Monday, April 20, 1-2 p.m. Registration is not affected by the new date; all previously submitted registrations and questions remain.

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

Please join me, President Gabel, and other senior leaders from across the system on Monday, April 20, for a Zoom Systemwide Strategic Plan Town Hall.
 

• Systemwide Strategic Plan Town Hall, Monday, April 20, 1-2 p.m.
• Please complete this Zoom webinar registration if you are able to attend
• You may submit questions beforehand
• Participants will also be able to submit live questions to a moderator during the meeting
• Learn more about the Systemwide Strategic Plan Commitments and Goals for Friday’s meeting, leadership is specifically interested in action items from participants as a next step in the conversation

While recognizing that we are currently in uncharted territory with the Coronavirus, we still need to move forward with this important strategic initiative. I hope you are able to join the Zoom video meeting as your schedule allows. 

Sincerely,

 

Lendley C. Black

Chancellor

Happy 125th Birthday, UMD!

Good morning Bulldogs,   One hundred and twenty five years ago today, the State Normal School at Duluth was created with a signature by Minnesota Governor David M. Clough, approving the vote of the Minnesota State Legislature. I am grateful to our former legislative leaders across the state who knew that a higher education investment in Duluth would prove beneficial for decades to come.    Our plan was to have a fun celebration on campus today to mark this momentous occasion, but given the current social distancing requirements, we will celebrate our "half birthday" on Friday, October 2, 2020 instead. I hope you can join us.   In the meantime, you can test your historical UMD knowledge and find more photos, stories, and history on the UMD 125th website.