March 12 Safe Return update

Greetings College Community!

Happy Friday and happy spring! Last night President Biden addressed the nation with an update on his key priorities, including the COVID-19 Vaccination progress and plan. With his announcements, we are even more hopeful that we will get on the “other side” of this pandemic ahead of schedule. Governor Walz and the MDH have also provided very encouraging updates and we can expect ongoing announcements from the Governor over the next few weeks. We will keep you posted through this newsletter as MDH updates guidelines that specifically affect higher education. This is very good news for our summer and fall planning. Our goal is to return to “as normal an environment as possible” for fall 2021. Our Planning Task Force has convened and I look forward to their recommendations!

COVID update:

Alert Level I (Green):
Our 14-day rolling average of COVID cases has dropped significantly which has allowed us to re-evaluate our Alert Level chart. We are pleased to announce that we are able to lower our level to Alert Level I (green). There are still many restrictions in place, so it’s important that you refer to the Alert Level Chart for descriptions on what this means for the Duluth campuses and area information. As always, our Community Pledge and commitment to wearing face masks, physical distancing and hand washing protocols will be vital as we move forward. If you have any questions about activities or events in your respective areas due to the change in statue, please contact your Cabinet member or Mike Turner (mturner@css.edu).

COVID-19 vaccine update:
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has now opened up two additional priority groups that are now able to register for the COVID-19 vaccine. These priority groups include Minnesotans with specific underlying health conditions identified by the CDC and the addition of specific targeted essential workers. To see the full listing of who can get their vaccine now can be found at: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/whos-getting-vaccinated/vaccinated.jsp

COVID-19 vaccine registration resources:

• Minnesota vaccine connector: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/connector/
• Minnesota Find Vaccine Locator: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp. On this page you can input the zip code or city of residence, and learn more about vaccination locations and how to sign up for vaccination.
• St. Louis County Public Health Department or call 218-726-2623
• St. Luke’s – Those that have a MyCare portal account can self-register for available COVID-19 vaccine appointment times.
• Essentia Health – Those that have a MyChart portal account can register to get scheduled for an appointment.
• Wisconsin Department of Health Services   

Athletics update:
Men’s Basketball finished the season with an impressive 10-1 finish while capturing the regular season champions title and remaining undefeated before posting their first loss of the season in the UMAC Championship Finals. Nordic Ski has sent 5 student-athletes to the NCAA Championship at the Jackson Nordic Center in New Hampshire and final results will be posted on Saturday. Both Women’s Hockey and Men’s Hockey won the first round of NCHA playoffs and will compete again this Friday in the tournament semi-finals. The Women’s Hockey team will host the semis and have remained undefeated with a remarkable 12-0 record.

As the winter sports seasons come to an end, the fall and spring sports have started competitions. Highlights include Volleyball opening the season with a 1-0 record and Softball with a 10-2 record. This will be a busy weekend for Saints as M & W Nordic Ski, Volleyball, M & W Golf, M & W Hockey, Softball, M & W Golf and M & W Tennis will all be competing.

Recently, members of the athletics community met with faculty for a 2-part roundtable series to discuss strengthening relationships between athletic and faculty. With an emphasis on enhancing the student-athletes academic experience, there were over 40 participants in attendance to discuss topics ranging from strengthening collaboration, identifying barriers and sharing best practices. The event was sponsored by the Athletics Advisory Committee (Kevin McGrew, Franco Bari, Zach Via, Janelle Wapola and Colin Zescott).

Chief Diversity Officer – DEI Office:
Please join President McDonald and our colleagues at LSC, FDLTCC and UWS for a Women in Leadership roundtable discussion to recognize International Women’s Day from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17. The Zoom information will be sent out again next week.

The second EDI Conversations Across Campus will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23. Please join us on Zoom as we hear from members of the Student Government Association on what it means to be a Saints leader and represent Inclusive Excellence. Zoom information will be shared prior to the event.

The bias training recently scheduled is full and registration has closed. We will be looking at offering additional sessions. Please consider requesting a workshop for your specific department.

Last call to complete the Campus Climate Survey. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to make your voice heard and complete the survey. You would have received an email from View Finder Campus Climate Survey. The survey will close on the morning of March 15.

Mission integration:
In case you missed it: Celebrating Catholic Sisters Week!

Did you know that Catholic Sisters Week is March 8-14? It is one week of the year when we “shine a light on the spirituality, mission, and community building of women religious.” Check out the video, “Benedictine Values, Modern Monasticism” and many more honoring, supporting and celebrating women religious and their ministries. Have a Sister at St. Scholastica Monastery whom you would like to thank? Or a message for the Sisters who sponsor our College and pray for us regularly? Complete this form and we will be sure to deliver it!

Hamline University: The Derek Chauvin Trial:
Monday’s webinar, Understanding the Legal Process: The Derek Chauvin Trial hosted by Hamline University is available for viewing on YouTube.

This online educational event featured Ramsey County Attorney John Choi JD ’95 who discussed the prosecution’s perspective in a criminal trial, and Bradford Colbert, a law professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law who presented the defense perspective.

Mitchell Auditorium update:
On March 6 we hosted the first Live from the Mitchell concert and the recording is now up on the College’s YouTube channel under a new playlist called Live from the Mitchell – click here to watch. This first show was funded by the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation and the next one is scheduled for April 3 with the band One Less Guest, sponsored by Johnson, Killen & Seiler, PA. We are still looking for a sponsor for a potential May show and we hope to bring this concert series back next spring with livestream and in person options for attendees.

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do to keep our communities safe.

Blessings, be safe and be well,
President McDonald