FERPA Q&A

Can I email a student at an alternative address if she isn't responding to her University email?

If a student is not responding to their University email, you may email an alternative address to request they check their University email account. However, you should not exchange private student data in the communication to an alternative email address. Without the University’s authentication, we cannot be assured that the email is accessed by the intended recipient.

Registrar's Advisory Committee September meeting

The next Registrar's Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting will be held Monday, September 12, from 9:30-11:30 a.m., in Humphrey 50B. Bob McMaster will be presenting. All future RAC meetings will be in-person only, no longer offering the online component. This is due to staffing changes on the Twin Cities campus that affect the technical support of RAC online. Minutes will still be shared and available following the meeting.

OTR and OSF staff move to Fraser Hall

Office of the Registrar (OTR) and Office of Student Finance (OSF) staff have moved to 200 Fraser Hall. From OTR, this includes the academic records unit, imaging and files unit, and the graduate education unit. OSF staff that have been working in tight quarters since the ceiling fell in their old space are now moved into 200 Fraser. The move allows for more integration and cross-training opportunities across the Twin Cities OTR and OSF units. OTR staff may still be contacted at otr@umn.edu or 612-626-4432. Please update any materials to reflect the new address.

New Advising Center for St. Paul students

Last week renovations to 130 Coffey Hall on the St. Paul campus concluded, resulting in a new, integrated Advising Center for the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) and One Stop Student Services. As of Monday, August 29, full service of both One Stop and CFANS advising has resumed in the renovated space.

Along with services offered by One Stop, CFANS students can get drop-in advisement for simple, quick questions. Students are still asked to make appointments with their advisors for more complex issues. In addition, students can meet with the University Honors Program advisor. More advisors and services will be joining the space in the coming year.

Mandatory sexual assault training for students

On August 9, the Office for Student Affairs contacted University students to inform them about a new, mandatory online training regarding sexual assault: Haven (for undergraduate students under the age of 25) and Haven Plus (for undergraduates over 25, graduate students, and professional students).

By Minnesota law, the University must implement a training on these topics and require students to take it. However, the training is not an academic requirement and is not tracked on the academic transcript. Students who do complete the training can see it reflected on their Experience Record.

New Class Time Conflicts workflow online

A new online Class Time Conflict Approval workflow launched on August 15 for all University of Minnesota students to complete when requesting to enroll in classes with overlapping times. The form can be found at http://z.umn.edu/timeconflict. Quick start guides have been created to assist students and advisors and instructors when completing the form. The paper form will remain available until the start of spring 2017 registration, but staff are encouraged to start using or sharing the new online form before then.