PDF version - Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Student Life
already received services at home from a psychologist or psychiatrist and, when feasible, will coordinate
care with providers from their home community. Counseling services also coordinates care of students
as needed with other SMU offices such as student health, student life, and disability services.
The most requested service from counseling services is one-to-one personal counseling. Personal
counseling sessions are confidential; that is, information presented by clients is not released to others
without the expressed consent of the client. Through honest self-reflection, supported by the respect,
care, and expertise of the counseling staff, students are encouraged to awaken and grow in selfknowledge
and self-management skills. Clients are assisted to address their immediate concerns so that
they may maximize their success at the university and also develop problem-solving skills that they can
use throughout their lifetime.
Student Activities
The extracurricular aspects of student life prove invaluable in the development and growth of the
person. The university directly and indirectly encourages and provides for a wide variety of such
activities. Numerous student-run organizations and clubs provide students of Saint Mary’s University
occasions for personal and social growth. The director of student activities, leadership facilitates the
organization and club process, and advises the Student Senate. The director of activities advises the
Student Activities Committee (SAC), SMU Crew, and the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance Committee.
The Student Senate
Student government at Saint Mary’s University is vested in the student senate, composed of executive
officers elected by the student body at-large and senators elected by representative segments of
the community. The student senate conducts its business without interference from the university
administration and provides an active forum for student opinion and a practical means for student
participation in the life and governance of the university. The student senate has voting representatives
on various university committees. The student senate maintains its own budget and it delegates to the
student activities committee (SAC) the responsibility for providing an extensive program of activities and
social events. The student activities committee presents a variety of cultural and recreational activities
and programs. Concerts, comedians, novelty acts and weekly movies are regular features throughout
the school year. In keeping with the residential nature of the campus, programming meets the needs
of students on weekends as well as during the week. The university social calendar is maintained and
distributed on a regular basis by the student activities coordinator with assistance from SAC.
Intercollegiate Athletics
Saint Mary’s University athletic teams are members of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(MIAC). Approximately 25% of students participates in 21 varsity sports. Men compete in baseball,
basketball, cross-country, golf, hockey, soccer, swimming/diving, tennis, indoor track and field, and
outdoor track and field. Women compete in basketball, golf, cross-country, hockey, soccer, softball,
swimming/diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and volleyball. First-year
students and students transferring from other institutions are eligible to participate in accordance with
NCAA, MIAC and Saint Mary’s standards. A transfer student’s class standing is determined by the number
of semesters attended at the other institution and by the number of credits accepted in transfer by Saint
Mary’s. A student has 10 full semesters to compete in four seasons of any sport. Eligibility requires that a
participant be a full-time student and must successfully complete 24 credits during the two terms (fulltime)
of attendance that immediately precede the term during which he/she participates. Freshmen
must complete a minimum of 12 credits in their first term of attendance to be eligible to participate
with a team in the second term. Repeat courses previously passed do not count toward the 24 credits.
Saint Mary’s University has determined that a student on academic probation is ineligible to participate
in intercollegiate athletics during the probationary semester. Refer to the academic penalties section
elsewhere in this catalog for information regarding academic probation standards.
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