Academic Alerts update

Since its launch in October 2020, system updates have been made to Academic Alerts based on instructor and advisor feedback. Instructors can now log in without having to use VPN. Instructors were notified of this change in the recent start of term policy reminder email.

New External Credit Interface

Launched on January 24, the External Credit Interface (ECI) is a new connection between uAchieve (the parent system of APAS) and PeopleSoft. While the previous connection brought transfer credit totals into PeopleSoft, ECI brings in greater detail of external transfer, test, and other credit equivalencies that can be used in PeopleSoft processes more effectively.

There will also be a change to student transcripts: all external credit will appear at the top of the transcript (before University enrollment information). This includes Special Exam credits, which previously displayed with enrollment per term. If you have any questions about what you see on an updated transcript, contact SRHELP@umn.edu.

Though external credit will now be available in PeopleSoft, APAS is still the recommended source for looking at individual undergraduate student transfer credit information.

CARES Act

There will be another round of CARES funding (now called CARES II, but actually part of Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act) available spring 2021. The actual date of availability is still undetermined, but information will be sent to advisers, students, and the University community as we learn more.

Like the first round of CARES funds, these funds are only available to students who have been determined to be Title IV eligible, so international, DACA and undocumented students cannot receive these funds. We are hopeful that there will be institutional emergency funds to help support these students. If you have questions, please contact Julie Selander (goode021@umn.edu) or Tina Falkner (rovic001@umn.edu).

Academic Policy Petition update

We are excited to announce the electronic Academic Policy Petition form will be available February 1, 2021. The form will be accessible to any active undergraduate student. As of now, an Advisor Guide is available, which can be used as a reference for anyone who may receive student questions about the form. Long term, the guide will be available on the Advisor Toolkit page. Please send feedback regarding the Advisor Guide to Katie Russell (russellk@umn.edu).

If you have feedback about the form as students begin using it, please email oue@umn.edu.

Emergency grant funds

We want to remind advisers and student services staff that the University of Minnesota has emergency funds to assist and support students who experience an unforeseen financial emergency that may negatively and severely impact their academic success. Emergency funds can be used for groceries/food, housing/rent, medical, transportation, technology, or other expenses that may be experienced during a financial crisis.

To request student emergency funds, contact One Stop Student Services at onestop@umn.edu. More information about emergency funds including eligibility criteria, as well as other helpful resources for students, can be found at Student emergency funds.

Class Permission insights

With all of the virtual classrooms for spring 2021, we expect some instructors to give permission to students to register for a full class. Permission numbers, however, do not override a closed class unless they have been modified to do so. Here are some helpful tips and reminders regarding Class Permissions:

• Permission numbers are created to override Requisites, Consent, and Time Frame (to register during the 2nd week of term).
• Individual permission numbers can be modified to override a Closed Class.
• Instructors do not have access to modify permission numbers.
• Department schedulers and some student services staff do have access to make these updates on the Class Permissions page in PeopleSoft.

For more information, check out these user guides from SRHelp@umn.edu.

FERPA Q&A

Q: I’m an advisor and an instructor is asking for background on one of my student advisees. What can I share?

A: Our favorite FERPA answer applies -- it depends! The instructor’s “need to know” or “legitimate educational interest” governs what you are able to share. If they are teaching an upper division class and need to know if the student has met the prerequisites, you can share that information. If the instructor wants to see a student’s full transcript to see if they are usually a good student, they don’t have a true need to know that information, and it can’t be shared. When in doubt, ask the instructor for more information about why they need the private information and feel free to ask for FERPA advice by contacting tidball@umn.edu.