Dear CSS Community Member,

 

The middle of the new school year is upon us!  To ensure your housing needs are met (and to hopefully alleviate some of the pressure that students feel this time of the year) we have put together a short newsletter for our residents.  The articles below provide some helpful information about keeping your apartment warm, some "fun facts" about our professional live-in staff, as well as important reminders about building services and academic support. 

 

If you have any questions about the information below, please contact the Residential Life Office at 218-723-6391 or [email protected].  


Best of luck to all of you as you near the end of this semester!

Room Opening?
Residential Life Learning Outcomes
Academic Support is Available!!
Smother a Baseboard Blaze
Winter Break Building Close Time-line
Staying on Campus During Winter Break
Like Residential Life on Facebook
Bed Bugs and Beyond
Get to Know your Residential Life Staff!
Room Opening?

The Residential Life Office would like to remind students that you may have a new student placed in your room, at any time during the semester. When we place students, we do our best to make the best matches possible.  However, the most important factors in any good roommate "match" is a shared commitment to honest discussions and open communication among all the residents.  

 We would like to remind all students that when you choose to attend the College of St. Scholastica, you choose to engage in transformative learning. Transformation requires an open heart and open mind. We expect all people to live with others with openness, hospitality, respect and love of the Benedictine traditions. If you have any questions regarding this policy or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact our office. If this is too long, let us know!
Res Life Learning Outcomes

The Office of Residential Life and Housing has identified learning outcomes for students who actively participate in a communal
learning environment.  Identifying learning outcomes for our residents, provide direction and intention to the work of our profes-
sional and student staff.  Our efforts and programs are designed to
provide students opportunities for personal development and growth.
Specifically, students who live on campus will be able to:
  • Develop effective communication skills for interpersonal relationships.  
  • Apply critical thinking skills to their personal lives.  
  • Examine their individual identity through the identification of personal/professional/social/academic goals and values.  
  • Articulate the importance of living in a multi-faith, multicultural  community. 
Academic Support is Available!!

Final exam week will be here before you know it, and as your courses undoubtedly heighten in difficulty and professors' increasing expectations, remember the Center for Academic Success (CAS) has your back! It's never too late to connect with a tutor, study group, or Supplement Instruction (SI) leader. Below are links to the schedules for various services:



Second, after Thanksgiving break, WellU and Academic Support Services will offer stress relief workshops to teach students skills that, when employed, will lead to ideal performance before and during finals. 
 
The first session, on December 3rd at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union, will cover stress experienced while preparing for Finals Week, and the second session, on December 9th at 6:30 p.m. also in the Student Union, will address tips and strategies to use while taking exams. 
 
 Questions? Contact Jessica Johnston at [email protected]
 

Smother a Baseboard Blaze

 

Hey, front apartments crew! 

 

As the cold closes in and the heat starts to pump through the buildings, please take precautions when using your baseboard heaters. Baseboard heaters, as I have personally experienced, can be a major fire hazard. I accidentally let my blankets lay against the heater by my bed and I woke to a smoke-filled room and a charred fleece. 

 

Be sure to have the area around your baseboard heaters cleared of all belongings and furniture. Furniture should be kept no closer than 6 inches to the heater and it is wise to periodically check the area around these heaters to make sure that nothing has fallen on or been pressed against them; it's not infrequent for curtains and extension cords to rest against them. Lastly, be sure to clean your baseboard heaters occasionally because the build-up of dust and even hair can cause a fire. 

 

 In our old-fashioned dwellings, precautions can save the day- and keep the place intact. If you have questions about safety issues surrounding baseboard heaters, do some research online or ask your RA. Thanks!   

   

Your Housing Move In/Out Dates "At a Glance"

Dec. 11:  
Deadline to submit a request to stay on campus during the semester break.

Dec. 19:  
Halls close at 5 p.m. for Semester Break

Jan.  12:  Halls open at 10 a.m.

Apr.  30:  Last day to request to stay on campus from May 10-13

May 9:  Last day to remain in campus housing (without a late Departure Request)

May  13:  Last official day for extended stay in your spring residence.
Do you need to stay on campus during the winter break?

For your safety, all buildings will be closed during the winter break beginning Dec. 19 through January 12, 2014. If you need to remain on campus during this time, you will need to submit an online request using the link below.

 

Request to Stay on Campus During the Winter Break

 

Residential Life on Facebook

Stay connected with Residential Life through our new Facebook Page! Here you can see what's happening in the halls, meet the Residential Life staff, and connect with other residents. 

 https://www.facebook.com/CssHousingResidentialLife

 

Bed Bugs: Being Proactive Goes a Long Way! 
 
Here at CSS we have luckily never had an incident where bed bugs have hit our campus and impacted our students. However, we would like to be proactive in making sure we don't have that happening anytime in the near future.

In this little article we will give some background on these little buggers, dispel a few bed bug myths, and provide some helpful preventive tips so you don't have any bed bugs joining you in while you catch those Z's.

Bed Bug Basics

  • Bed Bug Color: Unfed adult bed bugs are mahogany to rusty brown color. Engorged bed bugs are red-brown color after a blood meal. Nymphs (baby bed bugs) are nearly colorless when they first hatch and become brownish as they mature.
  • Count of Legs: Six legs
  • Bed Bug Shape: Unfed bed bugs are flat and broad-oval. Fed bed bugs become swollen and more elongated.
  • Bed Bug Size: Adult bed bugs can reach a size of about 1/4 inch long. Nymphs range from 1.3 mm to 4-5 mm.

Possible Signs of Bed Bugs

 

The following are common signs of bed bugs and can be symptoms of a possible infestation:

  • Small red to reddish brown fecal spots on mattresses, upholstery or walls
  • Very heavily infested areas may have a characteristically sweet odor
  • Red, itchy bite marks, especially on the legs, arms and other body parts exposed while sleeping.

Lastly, here is a great YouTube video that talks about bed bug in college residence hall.  

 

As mentioned above, we have never ran into this here at CSS.  However, we may at some point.  The more you do to prevent this on our campus the better.  As we move toward breaks (Thanksgiving and winter break) many of you travel.  Make sure you are not the roommate to come back to campus and bring bed bugs into your room. 

 

Consulted Sources:

National Pest Management Association (NPMA). http://www.pestworld.org/all-things-bed-bugs/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html

Orkin Pest Control, LLC. http://www.orkin.com/other/bed-bugs/

Orkin Bed Bug Infographic: http://cdn.orkin.com/images/bed_bugs/bed-bug-infographic_1602x1202_original.jpg

 



Your 2013-14 Residential Life Team 

 





Louanne Johnson; Residential Life Data Coordinator

 

I love to cook, garden and crochet. I hate long, cold winters

 

 

 

Joelle McGovern; Assistant Director of Residential Life

I may not live on campus, but I do live just a few minutes away (some of my neighbors are CSS students :) 

 






 

Ted Nielsen; RD of Front Apartments

I moved to Duluth from Minneapolis to work for the CLEAN Recovery Program at the College, and now Reslife as well as in other endeavors. 

 

 


Jessica Johnston; Coordinator of the Academic Support Services and Member of the RL Duty Team

I work for Residential Life because on campus housing is where living and learning converge. I love learning, and as so many students know, learning rarely occurs in isolation, but rather in community, and inside and outside the classroom walls 

 





 

 

Katie Wieliczkiewicz; Coordinator of Somers Hall & Residence Hall Association

I live here to promote community and have insta-friends. I love rugby, baking, knitting, and good clean fun. Visit me in the cube!

 

 

 

 
 
 
Regina Adamy,  Office Coordinataor







Justin Juntunen; Coordinator of On-Campus Apartments & Academic Role Model (ARM) Program

 
There are many reasons that I love working in Res. Life.  I love learning.  I love learning with other people.  I don't think that learning only happens in a classroom.  Being a part of this community, supporting it in the moments we celebrate, and the moments we all struggle is important work.  Work that I'm honored to be a part of each day with you.  I've loved being here and living here.  My wife Gretchen and I live in Cedar Hall, and welcome the chance to get to know you!  
 

 


Tressa Erickson, 
Residence Duty Team
Recruitment & Retention Coordinator with Admissions 
 
I am excited to live on campus because I love the sense of community that we have here, and I want to help CSS residential life be the most bold and Benedictine it can be!"


 

Save the Dates!
 
 
 
 
December 3 
Residential Life Recipe Contest!  
 
Students can bring samples of their favorite recipe, along with a copy of the actual recipe, to Res Life on Wednesday, December 3, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. 
A Panel of Experts will determine the top three winners!

Prizes:   
1st Place - $50
2nd Place - $35
3rd Place - $25

____________


December 5
Ugly Sweater Contest
 
Grab your favorite "Ugly" sweater and stop by the Residential Life Office for a picture!!  Who
knows - you may just earn this year's "bragging rights!
 

 
  
Helpful Resources
 

2013-14 Residential Life Resource Guide