POSTED MARCH 18, 2020 - INFORMATION MAY HAVE CHANGED.
Dear NSU Students:
As campus moves to online learning, please know that Northern faculty and staff are here to help you with this transition. Even if you’re not on campus, numerous resources continue to be available to you to support your learning and well-being.
You can continue to reach Northern faculty by email and most campus departments are staffed and available via phone or email. Please consult the online campus directory for phone numbers and emails.
This information is also available online by visiting our page dedicated to teaching, learning and working remotely. Please also check our COVID-19 page for updates.
Advising
Advisors are available for virtual sessions using Zoom, email and phone calls. Please contact your professional advisor for assistance. Students who have additional questions regarding advising or professional advisor assignments are encouraged to contact the Advising Center at advisingcenter@northern.edu.
Students can now register for summer 2020 classes on-campus and online. Self-service Banner registration for fall 2020 and spring 2021 begins on March 23. Please check Banner for your registration time and contact your advisor for assistance.
Campus Hours
Campus is currently closed to the public. Buildings will be locked at 6 p.m. for faculty, staff and students, including the Student Center. The Student Center will be open on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m.–1 p.m. and 5 p.m.–6 p.m. for meals only.
Counseling Services
Currently, Counseling Services are available in-person or via phone. Zoom sessions will be available beginning the week of March 23. Please call 605-626-2371 to schedule an appointment.
Disability Services
Disability Services staff are working remotely from home during this time (March 17–April 3). For assistance, contact Doris.Stusiak@northern.edu or nsudisabilityservice@northern.edu and provide a phone number where you can be reached.
Should you need any new or changing accommodations or have questions regarding accommodated testing due to the transition to online, please email using either address above.
Health Services
The Health Services office on campus is closed at this time. Please do not come in if you are experiencing any symptoms of the COVID-19 virus:
- A fever over 100 degrees F
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Have traveled to a high-risk destination in the last 30 days or been exposed to someone with COVID-19
Instead, call the Avera call center at 1-877-AT-AVERA (1-877-282-8372), or download the AveraNOW app to connect with a provider 24/7.
IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL 911
For all other health issues, please contact Aberdeen Family Physicians at 605-225-0378. When calling, please identify yourself as an NSU student. You can also contact your primary care provider.
Library Resources
The NSU library's chat reference service is available during normal office hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. To access library chat or read the full menu of library resources available, please visit this webpage.
Students, faculty and staff who need more in-depth research consultations can schedule a time for a meeting with a librarian via Zoom. To request consultation, please email reference@northern.edu.
Phones will be forwarded to appropriate staff members; so, librarians will answer phone calls during normal office hours.
- Resources:
- All online databases will be available to off-campus users.
- Thousands of electronic reference and general books are available full-text via the library.
- Interlibrary loans will be renewed with the lending institutions for the duration of a disruption. The library will work on a case-by-case basis to return items to lending institutions.
- Interlibrary loan of journal articles will continue.
- Librarians will work with users to renew borrowed materials and ensure items checked out from the NSU library are renewed and not accruing any fees.
- Archival items will only be available from the NSU library’s digital collections.
Residence Halls and Dining Services
Residence halls and dining services remain operation for those students who may depend on campus housing and dining facilities.
If you plan to return to campus during this period of online instruction, please complete the Spring 2020 Housing Continuance Form.
Dining services will be available the following times:
For Tuesday, March 17, through Friday, March 20:
- Wolves Den 8 a.m.-10 a.m., breakfast; 11 a.m.-1 p.m., lunch; 5-6 p.m., dinner. Action Station closed this week.
- Einstein’s: 7:30-9 am., barista only
- Papa John’s: Closed
- POD: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Weekend hours, Saturday, March: 21, through Sunday, March 22:
- Wolves Den brunch, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; dinner, 5-6 p.m.
- POD: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Papa John’s: Closed
- Einstein’s: Closed
Supplemental Instruction
Supplemental Instruction will continue at NSU via Zoom. Faculty already using SI in their courses will need to provide a Zoom link in D2L for dates and times of regularly scheduled SI sessions. At the regularly scheduled times, the SI Leader and participating students can enter the virtual classroom to participate in the SI session. To access Zoom, go to https://northern.zoom.us/.
Technology
Students needing technical assistance should contact Tech Support Services at 605-626-2283 or help@northern.edu.
There will be two identical “Learn from Home” virtual trainings available for students. Topics covered will include campus services, finding up to date information, how to use D2L, and how to be an effective online learner.
Friday, March 20, 2-3 p.m.
Monday, March 23, 2-3 p.m.
Please attend either session if you are able; otherwise, recordings will be available at Learn from Home Trainings. Your NSU login is required.
Our campus computer labs remain available to students should you need access. Please use health precautions outlined in previous messages when utilizing campus facilities. Locations include:
- Technology Center 13: Card swipe access for all students, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Spafford Hall Graphics Lab: Card swipe access for graphics students, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Beulah Williams Library (beginning March 23): Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
If you do not have access to a computer or the Internet, please email access@northern.edu for direct help. In addition, many providers are supporting the Federal Communications Commission Keep Americans Connected Pledge.
Tutoring
Tutoring services will continue at NSU via Zoom. If students want to make a tutoring appointment, they should contact nsututoringcenter@northern.edu and provide the following information:
- Name
- Course and instructor
- Times available between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (please provide at least three options.)
Students will receive an email with the date and time of their appointment, and a tutor will email them at that time with a Zoom link to log into the session. Students should have all relevant course materials with them at the time of the session. If students have additional questions, they can contact Vicki Evans, Tutoring Center director, at vicki.evans@northern.edu
We are here and want to keep doing all that we can to help you be successful in this period of online learning and to keep you on your course to earning your degree! While we wish we were all on campus together, enjoying the sunshine and watching our spring athletes compete, we know it’s more important for everyone in our community to be safe and healthy.
Go Wolves!
From your NSU Administrators and Staff