Highlighted in this week’s Beehive Blog:

 

STUDENT SUCCESS DAY

This is your chance to make friends, connect with faculty, and meet staff—all while attending sessions tailored to help you crush it at RCTC and beyond! We’re covering everything YOU said matters most, with topics like boosting your study skills, mapping out your college journey, managing your finances like a pro, taking care of your mental health, and so much more!

Your go-to hub for the day is D2L Brightspace—just look for the SSD course right alongside your other classes. The course is already open, so jump in now to check out the schedule and start planning your day of success.

Check out the Student Success Day Website.

 

UNITED WAY 211

United Way 211 provides free and confidential health and human services information. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to connect you with the resources and information you need. If you’re looking for information about services available in your community for you or a loved one, they can help.

Text MNHELP to 898-211(TXT211) or call 211 (toll free at 1-800-543-7709) to speak with one of their highly trained information and referral specialists. Your call is completely confidential, and they have call menus in English, Spanish, and Hmong. Interpreters are also available for any language.

Visit the 211 website to learn more or to explore resources and support that may be available.

 

SCHOLARSHIPS

RCTC is an exceptional value, but there still may be financial struggles associated with attending college. Scholarships help to ease the financial burden for many students and do not need to be repaid.

Thanks to our generous donors, the RCTC Foundation will offer over $100,000 in scholarships for Spring 2025. Scholarships help pay for tuition, textbooks, and class fees, and each award is based on a variety of criteria such as major, demographics, financial need, GPA, etc. The scholarship application for the Spring 2025 semester will open from October 14-November 17. Please view the RCTC Foundation website to learn more.

 

WEATHER/EMERGENCY CAMPUS CLOSINGS

When emergency situations – severe weather, power failure, fire, loss of water, or other serious event – force the closing of the campus or the cancellation of day, evening, or weekend classes, RCTC uses several means of communicating to our campus community. The decision to suspend operations and/or cancel classroom instruction and activities is made as early in the day as possible.

Snow/Storm Closings

Weather reports are monitored 24/7 by College officials. The decision to cancel classes is made after an assessment involving the following criteria:

• Severity of the weather conditions
• Expected duration of the storm
• Vehicular travel conditions throughout the service area
• Ability to render campus and outreach center roadways, sidewalks, and parking lots safely usable

If a decision is made to suspend morning classes, notifications will be sent prior to 6am or as soon thereafter as possible. A decision regarding evening classes may be made by 3pm or as soon thereafter as possible.

When inclement weather strikes the area, students are advised to first consider the conditions in their immediate area relative to traveling safely. Conditions may vary significantly within the service area of the College and its outreach centers. Decisions regarding College operations are made on the general status of the overall service area.

Students are ultimately responsible for their own safety and travel decisions. Coursework is also the continuing responsibility of students. A decision to be absent from a class for any reason does not exonerate students from their full responsibility to complete all prescribed coursework. If you decide not to attend class, please notify your instructor(s).

In the event of a closure or other emergency, all RCTC students and employees will receive an email to their RCTC email address. Other platforms are available including phone call, text message, and alternate email. To sign up for RCTC Alert visit https://rctc.portal.finalsiteconnect.com/.

 RCTC closings are also distributed to local television stations for broadcast including KTTC, KAAL, KIMT, and KXLT.

 All closing information can also be found on RCTC’s website, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

 

GET READY FOR STUDENT SUCCESS DAY!

As a student, you can maximize your safety on campus by:

• Trusting your instincts.
• Displaying an aware, confident attitude.
• Being alert to your surroundings and other people.
• Having direct eye contact with strangers approaching you.
• Taking your belongings with you wherever you go.
• Parking in a well-light area.
• Locking valuables in the trunk or glove compartment of your car.

If it’s dark, and you are unable to walk with others, call Campus Safety at 507-280-5050 to request an escort. There is no need to walk alone!

Please visit the Campus Safety website to learn more about staying safe on campus.