- We are rolling into the fall 2023 financial aid and disbursement season! We are just as excited as everyone else to welcome new and returning students back to the Twin Cities campus. We are thankful for all of the work done around ASR to begin yet another successful year.
- As you are all likely aware, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) released a decision regarding race based practices being used in admissions. The Office of Student Finance is working closely with the Office of Undergraduate Education, Office of Equity and Diversity, Office of Admissions, Office of General Counsel, and University Relations on determining how this decision will impact the University of Minnesota system. A recent article from Inside Higher Education outlines some of the challenges ahead for higher education institutions.
- Systemwide FAFSA Simplification working groups are going strong and making decisions for the 2024-25 changes. Information for students and families has been posted to the One Stop website.
- Undergraduate and Loans Unit
- Aid year 2022-23 has wrapped up and staff are working on closing out their financial aid programs. At the same time, we are gearing up for 2023-24, making aid adjustments and certifying loans in preparation for financial aid disbursement on Monday night August 28, 2023.
- Due to the change in the 13-credit tuition policy, Twin Cities/Rochester Undergraduate students who decrease their enrollment to fewer than 13 credits may receive a tuition adjustment during the first two weeks of the term. Starting with fall 2023, full-time students who drop courses below 13 credits, are receiving certain types of financial aid, and have a credit balance, will have a temporary hold placed on their student account. This hold will ensure a refund is not immediately issued in cases when a student may be swapping courses, and allow OSF time to notify students that if they remain enrolled in fewer than 13 credits they may owe a balance on their account once their financial aid has been adjusted.
- Starting in fall 2023, the financial aid late enrollment appeal form will no longer be needed if a student adds credits after census. OSF will be running a weekly query for all careers to identify these students. Financial aid eligibility will be reviewed/adjusted accordingly. All the same aid rules still apply.
- OSF has updated our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) email communication to students. The first sentence in the email was designed to notify the student of their SAP status and if they need to complete an appeal. A link to the appeal is provided (if applicable) with more detailed information in the email. In the past, the email had an attachment with the detailed information. It is our hope that more students will read this text and understand if there are any next steps needed to qualify for financial aid. Thank you to Meghan (OSF - Undergrad), Tom (FA-IT), and the many others that helped review the communication.
- The American Indian Scholars Program, a new program announced by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, will be implemented for 2023-24. Information has been added to the One Stop website and the system-wide implementation team is being led by Kari Ellering.
- Compliance, Graduate Unit, Athletics, Professional and Scholarship Unit (CGAPS)
- The CGAPS units continue to make manual adjustments on financial aid packages for our populations, based on scholarships and grants that are being added to students’ financial aid packages.
- Medical School financial aid kicks off our disbursement processes this week, and we are excited to work with students as they begin/continue their medical careers.
- Athletics, FA-IT, and OIT are working through an error with the NCAA Compliance Assistant software that started with a system upgrade on May 1, 2023. This upgrade introduced many changes including the reporting to PeopleSoft, and is impacting work done in multiple offices. For now, a manual workaround has been identified, however we are determining if that workaround meets all team needs.
- Fiscal Unit
- The Fiscal Unit welcomes our newest team member, Bounmee Yang, to the team! Bounmee serves as a Finance Professional 4 supervisor. Bounmee’s first day was August 21, and we are thrilled to have him on board!
- Here is the fall aid and credit balance disbursement schedule:
- Monday, August 21: Medical School initial financial aid disbursement.
- Wednesday, August 23: 1st batch of credit balances run for direct deposit.
- Friday, August 25: 1st batch of credit balances run for checks.
- Monday, August 28: All other TC careers initial financial aid disbursement
- Wednesday, August 30: 1st batch of credit balances run for direct deposit and parent checks.
- Friday, September 1: 1st batch of credit balances run for checks.
Thursday, August 24, 2023
Office of Student Finance
The Capital Project Management project website is live
Hello, Fraser Hall - Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories Enthusiasts! The Capital Project Management project website is now live. On this site, you will find periodic construction updates, photos, important campus impacts such as building outages and traffic information, the schedule, as well as a webcam (coming soon). It also includes the new building renderings and basic project information.
Campus Codefest
Over 40 University developers gathered together at Wilson Library for Campus Codefest August 17-18. Developers pitched a range of projects for attending developers to choose from. In all, there were approximately 10 different projects.
The Application Development team attended both days and split up to work on several projects. Developers then had a chance to demo their projects and talk about their progress, barriers and potential future work. Special thanks to Shawn Isenhart who reassembled the committee to make Campus Codefest happen after a few years off!
The Application Development team attended both days and split up to work on several projects. Developers then had a chance to demo their projects and talk about their progress, barriers and potential future work. Special thanks to Shawn Isenhart who reassembled the committee to make Campus Codefest happen after a few years off!
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Whose Stories We Tell: Museums, Decolonization & Erasure
In an era where museums are reevaluating their collections, unearthing buried histories, and challenging problematic aspects of their past has become a call to action. With initiatives like "Museums Are Not Neutral" and exhibits such as the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s “Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism," institutions are starting to acknowledge the often-overlooked stories rooted in colonization, Western domination ideology, and erasure. Among these narratives, one story stands out: the tale of Bélizaire, an enslaved Black or mixed-race teenager whose image was painted into a commissioned white family portrait only to be obscured later. This speaks volumes about the power of representation and erasure.
The picture challenges us to think about who is telling the story of our past, how that defines who we are and contributes to the myth-making of America, and who is included or excluded, and in this case, literally erased. Historian Katy Shannon noted, “People will know his name, they will see his face, and he will be the surrogate stand-in for so many people whose pictures weren’t painted and stories weren’t told.”
The tale of Bélizaire is an invitation to challenge the existing narratives, demand inclusive representation, and acknowledge the enduring struggles of those once relegated to the shadows. His image reminds us that history is not fixed, and those left out deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Additional resources
Join our ASR DEI Community of Practice
Subscribe to our DEI Google Group to discuss the latest news, connect with the committee, and keep up-to-date with DEI initiatives. More resources and information about the DEI committee can be found on the ASR Intranet.
In an era where museums are reevaluating their collections, unearthing buried histories, and challenging problematic aspects of their past has become a call to action. With initiatives like "Museums Are Not Neutral" and exhibits such as the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s “Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism," institutions are starting to acknowledge the often-overlooked stories rooted in colonization, Western domination ideology, and erasure. Among these narratives, one story stands out: the tale of Bélizaire, an enslaved Black or mixed-race teenager whose image was painted into a commissioned white family portrait only to be obscured later. This speaks volumes about the power of representation and erasure.
The picture challenges us to think about who is telling the story of our past, how that defines who we are and contributes to the myth-making of America, and who is included or excluded, and in this case, literally erased. Historian Katy Shannon noted, “People will know his name, they will see his face, and he will be the surrogate stand-in for so many people whose pictures weren’t painted and stories weren’t told.”
The tale of Bélizaire is an invitation to challenge the existing narratives, demand inclusive representation, and acknowledge the enduring struggles of those once relegated to the shadows. His image reminds us that history is not fixed, and those left out deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Additional resources
- For more information on the museum's early practices and how they came from the spoils of colonization, read Museum Decolonization: Moving Away from Narratives Told by the Oppressors
Join our ASR DEI Community of Practice
Subscribe to our DEI Google Group to discuss the latest news, connect with the committee, and keep up-to-date with DEI initiatives. More resources and information about the DEI committee can be found on the ASR Intranet.
Staff recognition
A huge kudos to our ASR staff who have been working on the Coursedog project for the last two years. The new Coursedog curriculum and catalog tools launched this Monday, August 21. Congratulations to the team on reaching this HUGE milestone!
The launch of Coursedog marks a transition for our University curriculum staff from ECAS & PCAS to a single Software as a Service (SaaS) system that integrates course and program approval workflows and increases process transparency. Coursedog also feeds both course & program data into a University Catalog website that is more user-friendly and accessible for all students.
It took a lot of people to make this project possible, and a sincere thank you goes to everyone who contributed to its success. Special thanks to the following ASR staff members who helped with the Coursedog Project: Allie Cummelin, Annalee Tomsicek, Christina Herold, Christopher Abts, Christopher Smith, Dan Delaney, Danielle Eberhard, David Norman, Frank Morello, Heather Micek, Ingrid Nuttall, Jennifer Peterson, Jennifer Selander, Jessica Clem, Kate Sophia, Kathryn J. Kvam, Matt Plachejo, Max Herman, Renae Faunce, and Sara Cokl.
Several project team members will continue supporting users and ongoing development of the Coursedog product post go-live. Special shout-out to Matt Plachejo who has taken on the role of Coursedog Product Owner. Matt will continue to work with the Curriculum Administration Best Practices governance group to implement University curriculum administration decisions into the tool and provide the University community with ongoing product feature updates.
The launch of Coursedog marks a transition for our University curriculum staff from ECAS & PCAS to a single Software as a Service (SaaS) system that integrates course and program approval workflows and increases process transparency. Coursedog also feeds both course & program data into a University Catalog website that is more user-friendly and accessible for all students.
It took a lot of people to make this project possible, and a sincere thank you goes to everyone who contributed to its success. Special thanks to the following ASR staff members who helped with the Coursedog Project: Allie Cummelin, Annalee Tomsicek, Christina Herold, Christopher Abts, Christopher Smith, Dan Delaney, Danielle Eberhard, David Norman, Frank Morello, Heather Micek, Ingrid Nuttall, Jennifer Peterson, Jennifer Selander, Jessica Clem, Kate Sophia, Kathryn J. Kvam, Matt Plachejo, Max Herman, Renae Faunce, and Sara Cokl.
Several project team members will continue supporting users and ongoing development of the Coursedog product post go-live. Special shout-out to Matt Plachejo who has taken on the role of Coursedog Product Owner. Matt will continue to work with the Curriculum Administration Best Practices governance group to implement University curriculum administration decisions into the tool and provide the University community with ongoing product feature updates.
ASR Staff Engagement August 24th Survey
This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey is related to data security. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences.
According to the last survey, most are feeling pretty good as fall semester approaches (38.4%). We received lots of great feedback when asked what advice you would give to new staff going into the start of the semester. Taking breaks when needed and taking things one day at a time were mentioned frequently. All responses will be included in the N&N blog.
When asked about favorite places to get food on or around campus, Wally’s and Bahn Appetit received the most responses. Finally, most are planning to attend the State Fair this year (53.8%). Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated.
August 10th, 2023 survey results
As Fall semester approaches, how are you feeling (1= I’m feeling stressed to 5=I’m feeling good!)?
- 1 (19.2%)
- 2 (7.7%)
- 3 (34.6%)
- 4 (19.2%)
- 5 (19.2%)
What advice would you give to new staff going into the start of the semester?
- Get up and take a break from the screen from time to time.
- Buy your favorite stress snack in bulk.
- Don't stress! One step at a time and all will go well.
- Do not do a minute of work above your normal hours unless you'll be compensated for it.
- Just assume you will just be helping students all day.
- Take things step by step, and remember to breathe.
- It's a whirlwind! But remember to leave work at work - it will be there tomorrow!
- All hands on deck.
- Things will calm down.
- It is just one more stop on the cycle.
- It gets a bit crazy, so make sure to take time for yourself as well and take breaks when needed.
- Take part in all the fun events on campus.
- Remember, that even if you've answered a particular question 1000 times, it's the first time for THIS student.
- Keep your head up and prioritize.
- Buckle up.
- Take it one day at a time.
- Ask lots of questions.
What are your favorite places to get food on or around campus?
- Banh Appetit, Wally's, Frank and Andrea's
- Banh Appetit, The Cove, Potbelly
- Raising Canes, Schwang Chen, Crisp and Green
- DP Dough - To Each His Zone
- Wally's!!!!!
Are you planning to attend the State Fair this year?
- Yes (53.8%)
- I’m not sure (19.2%)
- No (26.9%)
Update from Stacey
I’m dashing off a quick update as I juggle the usual beginning of term things. There is so much preparation leading up to the start of term and your effort is appreciated! For me, it means an uptick in policy questions, FERPA questions, and making sure everyone has the decisions they need for a successful start of the school year. There are several unique things happening this fall as well with people in new positions and vacant positions. I’ll be getting to know new Vice Chancellors in Duluth and Rochester in the coming weeks and share what ASR does to support their campuses. Please remember to help each other out, connect with your colleagues, and share your knowledge. Thank you for everything you do to support our students and the University as a whole!
On a personal note, we are also getting ready for the start of the school year at home. My eldest is packing to move into the residence hall on Monday. Convocation and Pride & Spirit will feel a little different knowing that I have a child (adult?) in the room. Many of you are experiencing similar seasonal changes and I wish you all well, whatever you are juggling at home alongside your professional lives.
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