Message from the Office of the President: UMPD work off campus, Senior Advisor for Native American Affairs, commencement, travel, and more

Dear Twin Cities students, faculty, and staff,

With under four weeks to go in the semester, many of us are balancing an intense pace with feelings of exhaustion and restlessness, heightened anxiety and pain over recent events, and a commitment to meaningful work that defines our institution. My sincere appreciation to all of you. You instill gratitude in all of us, especially at a time when we need and benefit from this grace. As we continue to work and take action together, I’m writing today with some important updates.

UMPD Deployment Off Campus

Many of you have asked under what circumstances University of Minnesota Police Department officers support other law enforcement agencies and/or deploy off campus beyond the immediate neighborhoods around campus that they already patrol. A question and answer section on the Safe Campus website has been created to address those questions.

Please continue to ask your questions and we will update this page accordingly.

Senior Advisor to the President for Native American Affairs

Last week, the search committee for the University's inaugural Senior Advisor to the President for Native American Affairs recommended Karen Diver, Director of Business Development for Native American Initiatives at the University of Arizona, as a finalist. Karen will address her vision at the University of Minnesota and answer questions from the University community in a public presentation that will be posted on the search website on Monday. If you would like to propose a question for Karen to address, please submit your question online.

SERU 2021 Survey

With appreciation for how busy you are, we’d like to encourage all students to complete the SERU survey. This survey, which is administered every other year, is a way for you to provide us with confidential feedback about your experience as a University of Minnesota student. Now more than ever, your feedback is important and will help us continue to improve the student experience.

Learn more about the survey at the SERU website.

This is the most comprehensive survey administered by the University, and we pay careful attention to the results to understand what’s working well and where we need to improve at the University, college, department, and program levels. It also allows us to gauge our progress toward the goals established in MPact 2025, our strategic plan, in areas such as student mental health, campus climate, research opportunities, and sense of belonging. Thank you for helping ensure the University provides a great experience for all students.

Commencement

We wish we could run commencement entirely in person with full appreciation for how meaningful the celebration is. But given the ongoing public health challenges and state restrictions, this year will be a mix of smaller in-person ceremonies for some colleges or departments while large college events will remain online. We are maintaining this commencement site for information about all colleges and campuses and will update it if new information becomes available.

International Travel

The restriction on University-purpose international travel remains in effect until April 30, 2021. (Note: This restriction does not apply to personal travel.) Depending on the public health situation and guidance from state and national health experts, the restriction may be extended into the spring or early summer. An exception process for faculty, staff, and graduate students who must travel internationally as part of their University research or scholarship remains available. A similar exception process is now available for undergraduate students planning essential University-purpose travel to lower-risk international destinations (defined by University policy as those designated by the U.S. State Department as Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2). Guidance on international travel is available from the U.S. Department of State.

Teach-In

Teach-ins began in the mid-1960s to provide an educational forum to discuss the Vietnam War. The University’s first planned teach-in is believed to have occured on May 24, 1965, with a series of speakers at Northrop Memorial Auditorium sponsored by the Faculty-Student Committee on Vietnam. Since then, the format has varied by shape and topic, but largely gravitates around current political issues.

Last summer, UMN Interdisciplinary Collaborative Workshop (ICW) scholars, activists, and students introduced a teach-in series to discuss public policy and racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death and this Monday, April 19, we are initiating another series to take a deep look at the Chauvin trial—from jury selection to trial arguments and commentary—to help our University community better understand how race, gender, policing, and police violence are adjudicated. My sincere thanks to our panelists for sharing their time and expertise. I hope you will register for this important conversation.

Chauvin Trial and Daunte Wright’s Tragic Death

We feel and recognize the impacts of the trial and the recent tragic death of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center. Please don’t hesitate to access resources available for our entire University community at the Trial Community Support and Education webpage. We will continue to add resources. We will also continue to communicate with you about curfews or other safety information as we have done this week.

We want to communicate that you will continue to see a heightened law enforcement presence in the Twin Cities, especially now that the Chauvin trial testimony is coming to an end. This may include Minnesota National Guard troops near or driving through campus. To date, the University has not requested their presence nor does the University assign their locations. While National Guard troops may drive through campus on city streets, there are no plans to request any troops on the campus at this time. We understand that safety and policing are of great concern to our community and that recent events increase that concern. We are committed to open communication as we work through this incredibly difficult time.

Lastly, one hundred and fourteen years ago this week, U of M alum and student body president, Harold Stassen (BA, JD) was born on his family’s truck farm in West St. Paul. Stassen would go on to become the youngest Minnesota Governor in history at the age of 32 and a founder of the United Nations, serving as the last living signer of the institution’s charter upon his passing on March 4, 2001. He reminds us, “Whoever kindles the flames of intolerance in America is lighting a fire underneath his own home.” As difficult as these times are and with full acknowledgement of the grief so many of us are feeling, we will continue to work together to fight these flames.

Please continue to stay healthy, safe, and well.

With warmest regards,
Joan Gabel