Congratulations ASR retirees

Several people in ASR will be retiring over the next few months. We want to congratulate the following staff retiring in January:

• Eleanor Pijut, ASR-Central, has 40+ years of service to the University, and will be retiring on January 15, 2020.

• Eleanor has been at the University since she was a student in Duluth, and she has been working at the University ever since. Eleanor did not have to leave the University to find new work, adventure, or challenges as she has spent her entire time at the University within ASR. Her work transitions followed this path, beginning in Student Financial Aid (anyone remember paper ISIRs and SARs), then onto ASR-IT (remember the SAM system preceded PeopleSoft), and most recently in ASR Central where people, partners, and projects were abundant. In her work, she has made a positive difference in students' lives. We thank her, will miss her, and wish her well.

• Liz Holm, OSF, is retiring after 22 years of service to the University.

• Liz has been a powerhouse professional in the Graduate/Professional Aid unit in OSF since 2012 and with the office since 1999 (22 yrs). The schools and departments who worked with Liz have had nothing but praise and good wishes as she moves on to her next journey. Liz has touched so many students' lives with her proactive engagement. It would be an understatement to say many of our practicing professionals in fields such as Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Public Health, among others, have Liz to thank for seamlessly getting their aid over the years. OSF will miss her terribly but send her our best wishes for a happy retirement and gratitude for the years of quality service.

• Doug Rositzke, OSF, is retiring after 14 years of service to the University.

• Doug has been a valuable employee to the University of Minnesota over the length of his service. He has been a Finance Professional 3 throughout his time with us, helping students understand their loans and working with alumni struggling to repay their loans. He has been compassionate in his work and always showed kindness through his approach as he attempted to collect outstanding student loans. Doug was going to retire last winter, but asked to stay on so we weren’t short handed during the pandemic. His invaluable service will be missed by many who he interacted with. We wish Doug the absolute best in his retirement and all that will bring with it.

• Cindy Salyers, ASR-IT, is retiring after 31 years of service to the University. 

• A few quotes from Cindy’s colleagues: Cindy is a wealth of knowledge about the history of the University and the data that powers our everyday business processes. She is always willing to share what she knows and takes the time to educate and pass on that knowledge. Cindy is generous with both her knowledge and her time. She has been a rock for student data projects, making sure they not only meet the needs of ASR but the entire University system. She has taken on leadership roles and allowed colleagues to learn so much from her. Her impressive knowledge and willingness to help has made my job much easier and more fun. I really appreciate all the time and effort that you have put to make our team better in so many ways. Cindy is a UMN encyclopedia and has been instrumental in making me the analyst that I am. Cindy taught me everything I know about SQL. She has a rigorous, logical approach to her work that makes her so good at what she does--and her focused approach to problem-solving is inspiring to others! She's also one of the best whiteboard brainstormers I know. Cindy is a great teammate, a University legend, and an amazing coworker. You will be missed!!

• Robert Wilson IV, OTR, is retiring after 23 years of service to the University.

• Robert has been the primary staff member in ASR to work with ECAS and the related course and class data in PeopleSoft for many years. Robert has helped ASR throughout the years in the courses, classes, and classroom capacity. He has always been willing to dive in and learn the processes and take on the challenge. He works with demanding colleges and keeps a steady calm to manage all the pieces. He meets the deadlines for us even when colleges are late to provide him what he needs. His contributions and expertise will be greatly missed as he moves on to his well-deserved retirement.

We will miss each of you in ASR! Thank you all for your wonderful service to the University. Enjoy retirement!

December 3, 2020, survey results

 With the recent news on increased pandemic infections, where do you rank your COVID-19 risk tolerance?

• 67% more cautious than others

• 31 % about the same as others

• 2% less cautious than others

 

• “‘COVID Risk Comfort Zone’” features a comic about how to say “no” when someone asks you to do something outside of your COVID risk comfort zone.

• “Etiquette Tips for Staying Safe, Sane, and Your Best Self While Social Distancing” by Cathering Newman discusses how to navigate the pandemic safely and with compassion for others.

 

Have you personally encountered controversy related to mask usage?

• 48% Yes

• 52% No 

 

• “Controversy in comfort levels as people try to emerge from coronavirus puts some relationships at risk” by Kayla Canne talks about how differences in comfort levels regarding COVID-19 has strained some personal relationships.

 

With social distancing and remote working what helps you feel connected to others and counteract the potential loneliness of working remotely?

• Daily walks with spouse, family, or with masked friends

• Zooms gatherings with friends, family, and coworkers

• Phone calls or texting with friends and family

• Sending and receiving letters with friends and family

• Scheduling time to have informal or non-work related conversations with coworkers

• Online events or activities, such as live streamed concerts or gaming

One Time Only Late Withdrawal Form

A new online form for the One Time Only Late Withdrawal process is now available on the One Stop website. This new workflow allows students to have their applications filled out, submitted, routed, and approved without having to meet in person. It also reduces the need for collecting signatures and imaging the documentations for our records. This separates the One Time Only Drop processes from the Academic Policy Petition into its own form.

S/N grading updates for fall 2020 or spring 2021

On December 3, 2020, the University Senate approved a resolution proposed by two student senators. The resolution urged the University to make further exceptions to the grading policies for undergraduates for fall 2020 and spring 2021. The Provost is making changes to provide students with more flexibility. They will now have the option to change their grade basis by emailing One Stop Student Services a request from January 4, 2021 to January 6, 2021.

As a reminder, if students decide to stay on the A-F grading basis, any F grades they receive will be automatically converted to an N. If students need to change their N back to an F, they will need to request this by emailing One Stop Student Services. For more information, see the Fall 2020 & Spring 2021 S/N Fact Sheet.

Registration assistance at your fingertips

OTR Training and Support has step-by-step user guides for enrollment. There are three different PeopleSoft pages you can use to register students for classes. Which enrollment page do you prefer to use?

Our guides are designed to be used with the PeopleSoft page you prefer. Each link contains the user guides for most enrollment processes:

• Quick Enrollment Guides
• Enrollment Request Guides
• Block Enrollment Guides

If you need help with enrolling students contact OTR Training and Support at SRHelp@umn.edu.

FERPA Q&A

Q: When does the health and safety emergency exception to FERPA apply?

A: FERPA allows school officials to share private student information in the event of a health or safety emergency if disclosure is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals. It is limited to the time period of the emergency and can’t be a blanket disclosure of information. Whether a disclosure is needed is on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the whole circumstances, and there needs to be a “significant” threat to health and safety. Contact Stacey Tidball (tidball@umn.edu) for questions.