Recent Program Features

Minnesota State University branded Zoom backgrounds are available for faculty and staff to download.

Download MSU Zoom Background

How To Use A Virtual Background In Zoom

1. Download a MSU branded Zoom background.
2. Open the Zoom app and click the Settings button (gear symbol) in the top right corner.
3. In the Settings panel, select Background & effects from the menu on the left, then select the Virtual backgrounds tab.
4. Select an image, or upload an image using the plus+ button, to set your virtual background.

View video tutorial

How To Use A Virtual Background In Microsoft Teams

1. Go to your meeting controls and select More actions > Apply background effects .
2. Select Blur to blur your background, or choose from the available images to replace it. To upload an image of your own, select Add new and pick a .JPG, .PNG, or .BMP file from your computer.
   To turn off background effects, select .
3. Select Preview to see how your chosen background looks before you apply it, and then select Apply.

View video tutorial

Note: For the backgrounds that include University logos or the #MavFam hashtag, if you have screen mirroring turned on in Zoom, the words will appear backwards to you but will appear normal to the other people on the video call.

Good afternoon,

On Friday, April 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its position on the general public use of masks and face coverings in response to COVID-19. The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.  

This has led to questions from folks across campus. Attached to this message you will find FAQs on face coverings, directly from different pages on the CDC website.

What does the new CDC direction mean for Minnesota State University, Mankato employees?

In lieu of cloth facemasks, Minnesota State Mankato has a limited number of non-N95 dust-masks for voluntary use by essential employees who remain working on campus.

Supervisors should contact Environmental Health, Safety & Risk Management with a request for the number of masks needed for their employees. Please note, due to the limited quantity available, only one dust mask will be issued per employee. 

Employees should write their name on their mask to ensure they do not accidentally use someone else’s mask and follow these additional guidelines for safe usage:

• Do not leave masks unattended in someone else’s space.
• Do not hang masks from hooks or doorknobs by their elastic straps; this will prematurely degrade and stretch the elastic bands.
• Do not leave masks in direct sunlight. Sunlight will prematurely degrade the elastic bands.
• Refrain from taking the mask home for use out and about. Due to the limited supply available, these masks are for work-use only.

Please remember, the use of face coverings is a voluntary public health effort that is intended to protect others from people who do not know they are ill. A face covering of this nature IS NOT considered personal protective equipment (PPE) and does not protect the wearer from exposure. 

The most important ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 continue to be:

• If you feel ill, stay home and call your medical provider for guidance.
• If, while at work, you start to feel sick, go home and call your medical provider for guidance. 
• While at work, out and about and at home, don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth, and frequently wash your hands.
• While at work and when out and about, maintain a social distance of at least six feet. Other than your spouse, significant other or children, there is no need to come within six feet of each other.

Since there are known delays between exposure and the onset of symptoms, as well as lag time on testing and testing results, it is imperative everyone follows the above guidelines.

Finally, if someone on campus is confirmed to have COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will take the lead and contact the people they deem necessary with guidance. Not everyone on campus will be called, and the MDH will not share specifics of the impacted employee. The MDH must balance the public health needs with protecting the privacy rights of individuals.

Thank you for everything you are doing to stop the spread of COVID-19 and for keeping our students, faculty and staff safe during this time. Please contact me with any questions.

WORK SMART…..WORK SAFE!

Regards,

Chandler J. Holland
Director of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management

CDC Guidelines for Cloth Face Coverings

Dear Minnesota State University, Mankato Employee,

As our state responds to COVID-19, Governor Walz signed Executive Order 20-07 on March 17 to support state agency employees during this unprecedented time. This order provides one of the best paid leaves in the country for employees who cannot work due to certain COVID-19-related circumstances.

Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) rolled out the paid COVID-19 leave policy and request form on March 18 to state agency employees. Generally, all employees who can telework should. Employees who cannot telework may be reassigned or redeployed. For employees who can’t telework or be reassigned or redeployed, Paid COVID-19 Leave is available.

Last week President Trump signed into law a federal government emergency coronavirus relief package. It includes paid sick leave benefits for employees who must take time off because of the spreading virus, as well as expanded Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits for leave for school and childcare closures due to COVID-19. MMB has updated our state policy to comply with the federal law. The revised policy is posted on MMB’s website and is effective April 1.

The April 1, 2020 revised Paid COVID-19 Leave policy includes addition of:

• Paid school care leave for kids under 18, rather than only 12 and under
  • For kids older than 12, this is another use of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, is limited to a total of up to 12 weeks of FMLA at 2/3 pay, and runs concurrently with employees’ existing FMLA leave balance. The remaining 1/3 can be supplemented with accrued vacation or comp time. The total amount of FMLA leave available to any employee eligible for both FMLA and this leave will not exceed 12 workweeks in the fiscal year.  Employees who have already exhausted their FMLA balance for the fiscal year are limited to up to 80 hours of this leave (pro-rated for part-time employees) at 2/3 pay. The remaining 1/3 can be supplemented with accrued vacation or comp time.
  • At this time, we will not impose these caps and limitations on school leave for younger kids or children with disabilities who need care.
• Care leave for individuals other than family members
  • This is limited to 80 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees) at 2/3 pay. The remaining 1/3 can be supplemented with accrued vacation or comp time.
  • At this time, we will not impose these caps and limitations on care for family members.
• We expanded some uses for the employee’s health and caring for others, but generally our prior policy already provided the benefits required by federal law, and more.

Contact your supervisor to discuss your use of Paid COVID-19 Leave. To request Paid COVID-19 Leave, you must submit a Paid COVID-19 Leave Request Form to the Office of Human Resources for approval. You may contact Steve Barrett, Director of Human Resources at 507-389-2015 or hr@mnsu.edu with any questions.

Sincerely,

Richard Davenport
President

Steve Barrett
Director, Human Resources

Good afternoon,

I am writing today to update the campus community on a decision I have made to allow students to choose Pass-No Credit grading for their Spring 2020 courses. The decision to allow this option for students reflects the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in, moving all of our more than 3,300 courses to online or alternative delivery in such a short time.

Many other universities in our region, including the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin and Iowa State, have offered students P/NC or a similar option.

Beginning in early April, we will allow students an opportunity, ending April 26, to choose a P/NC grading system for any of their classes this semester. We will provide students with information and resources they will need to make an informed decision here: http://www.mnsu.edu/grading. We also encourage students to consult with advisors and instructors so they can make the best decision possible for them.

 We understand this decision will require additional work down the road to assure that students are held harmless for their choices. Until Thursday of last week, we were awaiting guidance from the System Office on this change. When we received word that it would be a local campus decision, Provost Cecil immediately sought input on the ramifications of the change through a survey of department chairs and consultation with FA leadership and others. Almost all of our chairs responded and we will use their feedback as a starting point in our work to address the implications of this change.

We have two goals during this crisis. First, we must keep everyone in our campus community safe. Second, we must assure that our students continue progressing towards their goals. This grading option will help our students stay on track.

If you have any questions about this change, please contact Provost Cecil in the Office of the Provost at provost@mnsu.edu.

I am proud of the way our faculty, staff, and students are dealing with this unprecedented situation. Thank you for everything you do.

Sincerely,

Richard Davenport
President