April 23 Safe Return update

Dear Colleagues,

This week we have a number of informational updates for you, including many opportunities to join in virtual as well as COVID-safe in-person activities to celebrate the end of our academic year. I hope you can participate!

A reminder to all as well, about the importance of continued diligence in following our COVID-19 protocols. This week, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported that 53% of ages 16+ are now vaccinated in Minnesota. As far as MDH is concerned, there is no delineation between vaccinated and unvaccinated persons at events and venues. All mask and distancing rules still apply, even for groups of fully vaccinated individuals. Several variants are appearing in Minnesota that are most likely more widespread than current data implies. The good news is that the current vaccine still protects against these newer variants. Thank you for adhering to our Community Pledge and for your ongoing patience and support.

Athletics updates

This week, D3hoops.com announced their All-West Region Team. Nick Carlson had been named to the team as the first CSS men’s basketball player in program history to be selected. In addition, two CSS student-athletes have been named UMAC Player of the Week recipients. Congratulations to Taylor Tran who was honored as the Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week while Hannah Johnson was awarded Women’s Golf Player of the Week.

In addition to the individual accolades of our student-athletes, this past Tuesday Women’s Golf had won the UMAC Preview while the Men’s Golf team finished in second place. Men’s Tennis is currently 5-0 in conference play (7-3 overall) while Women’s Tennis sits at 4-0 in conference and (4-4 overall). Both Men’s and Women’s Soccer remain undefeated this season with a 4-0 record each and Baseball sits at 8-4 overall.

Softball cracked the top 25 National Ranking this week and is currently ranked #19 with an astonishing 25-3 record.

Academic Affairs updates

The Scholarship and Creative Arts Weeks (SCAW) get underway this week and continue right up until graduation. We have lots of events that showcase our undergraduate and graduate students’ efforts and accomplishments this year. Please check out the SCAW event schedule and then walk the halls, buy a ticket, or pop into a Zoom to check out the great things the students have accomplished.

The College’s first MOOC with the new Brightspace platform was launched on Monday (Leading Effective Project Teams by Kent Lacy). The course already has 399 students enrolled. SSBT continues to offer a series of webinars; find more information here.

Mayfest is next week: April 26-May 1

Mayfest has returned, and everyone in the community is invited to join us for a week of fun activities on the Duluth Main Campus, including the search for Al Bob!

Monday Club Crawl, Storms Den, 6-8 pm
Tuesday Carb Fest (Fried Ravioli Buffet), Storms Den 5-6:30 pm
Wednesday Reif Run! Science Lawn, Starts at 2:45 pm
Check the schedule for details on how to register; faculty and staff are encouraged to participate!
Thursday Outdoor Bingo, Groves Lawn @5 pm
Friday Magician, Groves Lawn 7-8 pm
Saturday Mayfest! Science Lawn & Somers Main Lounge 3-9 pm
Food Trucks, Dunk Tank, Games, Relay Races, Live Music, Beer Garden, and so much more!

For the full list of events and details please check out our schedule. These events are 100% planned and coordinated by CSS students for the whole CSS community! Any questions can be directed to Kaitie Selleck. We hope to see you there.

CSS Occupational Therapy featured on WDIO tonight!

WDIO will be airing a story at 5 pm tonight about how our Occupational Therapy students cared for their patients during the pandemic, and how that care has evolved since the maurices Community Clinic, located in our Health Science Building in Duluth, began accepting in-person visits again. Thanks to our Communications team and our OT program for sharing this St. Scholastica story!

Have a blessed weekend and stay safe!

Barbara