Kick off the the holiday season with a concert of the holiday's best music performed by the University of Minnesota, Crookston choir under the direction of Associate Professor George French. The concert will be held on Sunday, December 4, 2011, at 3 p.m. in the Hafslo Chapel located on the grounds of the Polk County Museum. The concert is free and all are welcome.

What: Holiday Concert by U of M, Crookston Choir
When: Sunday, December 4, 2011
Time: 3 p.m.
Where: Hafslo Chapel at the Polk County Museum

The Hafslo chapel, once a Norwegian country church built in 1888, closed in 1978. It was moved in 1983 to the Crookston campus where it was located for almost twenty years before it was moved to the Polk County Museum grounds located at 719 East Robert St., Crookston, Minn. The Polk County Museum is near Happy Joe's.

Rotaract, a Rotary-sponsored service club at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, announces a fundraiser to fight polio. This effort will raise money for and create awareness of the need for children to be immunized against polio. The club will sponsor "Pinky for Polio" on Monday through Wednesday, November 28-30, 2011, in the Sahlstrom Conference Center near the entrance to the Eagle's Nest.

A $1 donation is equivalent to one vaccination for a child, and participants will be recognized by the purple dye on their little finger. The fundraiser is driven by a desire to end polio by protecting children through the vaccine, and the "Pinky for Polio" campaign is named for the purple dye painted on a child's little finger to signify immunization against polio. The campaign has been going on for more than two decades.

To learn more about the effort to eradicate polio, visit www.rotaract.org.

"Thanks to the efforts of U of M, Crookston students, faculty, staff and Crookston community members the North Country Food Shelf got a little fuller just in time for Thanksgiving. Ninety seven pounds of food and $176 were donated to the North Country Food Shelf. This totals 958 meals that the food shelf will be able to provide to those in need over this holiday season!

UMC Peer Connections, a student mentorship program on campus coordinated several food drive initiatives to help fill the newly formed food shelf. Students collected canned goods at each performance of Zombie Prom last week thanks to George French offering to take $1.00 of admission for each person who made a donation. At the same time there was an ongoing change collection on campus to promote the fact that one dollar donated to a food shelf can be used to purchase five meals. Over Thanksgiving break U of M, Crookston clubs are being challenged to a food fight in order to collect even more food and donations. Student Programming and Activities for Campus Entertainment (SPACE) also donated to the cause by contributing their profits from the International Market.

Thank you to everyone who helped this local cause!"

Photo(l to r): Kristine Neu and Brooke Novak, Co-coordinators for UMC Peer Connections with the donations collected for the North Country Food Shelf.

The Sargeant Student Center Information Desk Thanksgiving Hours for Wednesday, November 23 through Sunday, November 27 are:
    Wednesday: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
    Thursday - Saturday: Closed
    Sunday: 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Lisa Samuelson
Director of Student Activities/Sargeant Student Center

Due to the historical limited number of residents remaining in the residence halls over Thanksgiving Break and UMC's contract with Sodexo, regular food service hours will be modified as follows: 

Brown Dining - Closes Wed., Nov. 23, 8:00 p.m. - Re-opens Mon., Nov. 28, Breakfast
Eagle's Nest - Closes Wed., Nov. 23, 7:00 p.m. - Re-opens Mon., Nov. 28, 7:00 a.m.
Evergreen Grill - Closes Tue., Nov. 22, Midnight - Re-opens Sun., Nov. 27, 7:00 p.m.
       
These closed days are not part of the campus meal plan, however various activities involving food will help accommodate those residents who are on campus during this break.  Please find below some of the planned activities:
 
> Fri., Nov. 25,  7:00-9:00 p.m. - Residential Life Movie Night, Centennial Lounge. Free pizza or subs and beverages will be provided for residents who register in advance.
> Sat., Nov. 26, 7:00-10:00 p.m. - Evergreen Grill (EGG) Activities (Wii/PlayStation3 Gaming, Guitar Hero, Rock Band and other activities). Various free Meal Combos will be provided for residents who register in advance.
 
In an attempt to get accurate numbers for the food, we require residents to register in advance by e-mailing Peter Phaiah (phaiah@umn.edu ) or by signing the Thanksgiving Break Meal Sign-up Sheet at the Centennial Desk.  These free meals will only be provided for those residents who sign-up in advance. The deadline to sign-up by e-mail or sign-up sheet is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23.

The Collegiate Crops Judging Team from the University of Minnesota, Crookston competed in the national crops contests recently finishing second in both the Kansas City and Chicago contests. Members of the 2011 team include seniors Chase Boen, Karlstad, Minn., double majoring in agronomy and agricultural business; Matthew Green, Greenbush, Minn., triple majoring in agricultural systems management, agronomy, and agricultural business; and Ethan Hulst, Crookston, Minn., majoring in agronomy. The U of M, Crookston Collegiate Crops Team is coached for the second year by Rob Proulx, a lecturer in agronomy in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department.

In their second place finish in the Kansas City, Mo., the team placed 192 points behind Kansas State University and 875 points ahead of South Dakota State University.  The contest, held on Tuesday, November 15, 2011, at the Kansas City Board of Trade, saw the team take first in grain grading, second in plant and seed identification, and second in seed analysis. A scholarship award of $500 from the Kansas City Board of Trade was awarded to the team for their second place finish. Individually, Hulst finished third overall with a first in seed analysis and earning honors as an All-American in grain grading and seed analysis (scores of 95% or better); Green finished sixth overall; and Boen finished seventh overall and earned honors as an All-American in grain grading (score of 95% or better).

With their second place in the Chicago Collegiate Crops Contest, held Saturday, November 19, at the Hilton Garden Inn, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., the team finished 215 points behind Kansas State University and 162 points ahead of South Dakota State University. The team was second in grain grading, second in plant and seed identification, and third in seed analysis.

In the photo, left to right: Coach Rob Proulx, Matthew Green, Ethan Hulst, and Chase Boen.

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Save on UMC Fashions, Novelties, Supplies and General Books

What: UMC Bookstore Holiday Scratch Off Sale*
When: November 21, 22, and 23
Where: UMC Bookstore, Sargeant Student Center

Can't make the sale? Shop online and save 20% on all UMC fashions November 21-23, 2011.

*One scratch-off card per customer. Savings good on regular and sale priced clothing, novelties, supplies and general books at the UMC Bookstore on Nov. 21, 22 and 23 only. Discount will be applied to your entire purchase of eligible merchandise. Bookstore staff must scratch the card at the register to receive a discount. No other discounts or membership offers apply. No other merchandise may be added once the card is scratched. Sale excludes textbooks, electronics, college rings, cap & gowns, computers, software, special orders, and gift cards.

Remember -- Monday's UMC Student Flu Shot Clinic.  Add this to your schedule!

What: Flu Shot Clinic for UMC Students
Date/Time: Monday, Nov. 21, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center

Please bring your student ID. 

Flu Shots are FREE and are paid for by UMC Student Health.

A junior business management major at the University of Minnesota, Crookston has been awarded the Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) award. Yangchen Gurung, Mustang, Nepal, received the President's SEED Award for Outstanding Scholar-Activism. Gurung will be recognized on Wednesday, November 16, 2011, at the University of Minnesota Equity and Diversity Breakfast held at the McNamara Alumni Center on the Minneapolis campus.

The Office for Equity and Diversity's SEED awards program honors and acknowledges diverse students who are doing outstanding work at the University of Minnesota, both in and out of the classroom. When she graduates from the U of M, Crookston, Gurung will be the second woman from her remote village high in the Himalayan Mountains to do so.  She hopes to return to her village and work to improve the lives of the villagers, especially the women and girls who continue to grow up in the shadow of inequality and oppression. 

"My lifelong dream is to help lift the poor out of poverty by giving them education and skills necessary to sustain themselves, their families, and their communities," Gurung states.

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YOUR DOLLAR... Could fill 5 empty plates!

Please help fill the newly formed North Country Food Shelf during this holiday season.

Donation jars will be located at the Information Desk, UMC Bookstore, Evergreen Grill, and the Eagle's Nest from Tuesday, Nov. 15 through Wednesday, Nov. 23.

Coordinated by UMC Peer Connections

The University of Minnesota, Crookston Veterans Club hosted a Minnesota National Guard color guard and a flag raising ceremony at the University of Minnesota, Crookston flag pole November 11, 2011, in commemoration of the men and women who died serving our country. Immediately following the flag ceremony a wreath was laid at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at the campus entrance.

In addition to the color guard and flag ceremony on Friday, the Veterans Club hosted a Veterans Day presentation in Kiehle Auditorium. Featured guest speaker Stewart Bass, a naval aviator who flew in WWII and was awarded the Navy Cross for valor in action, discussed the carrier war, operations in the Pacific, and flying the TBM aircraft.

Photos left to right: Military color guard raises flag while taps are played; Marty Breaker speaks of Veterans Day at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument; Stewart Bass was the Veterans Day speaker at Kiehle Auditorium.

Link to UMC Veterans Day photos on facebook 

Click link for additional photos 

Alumni from the University of Minnesota, Crookston gathered for a social on Thursday evening, November 10 in Fargo, N.D., at the Ramada Plaza Suites. The event is the second annual alumni social to be held in Fargo and more than 25 alumni attended the event. It was a great evening of reminiscing and reconnecting.

The alumni office is already making plans for next year's social! For information, contact Rose Ulseth in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

Photos left to right: Kari Moe '03, Cindy M. Bigger '79, and Barb (Scholberg) Ness '79; Greg Nathan '98 and Amy Loomer '99; Dustin Barton '04 and Josh Jaeger '04

The University of Minnesota, Crookston is celebrating Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, with several events.

First will be a flag ceremony, to be held at 11:11 a.m. at the flag poles on the campus mall.  Immediately following that ceremony will be a laying of a wreath at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial at the Campus entrance. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Both of these ceremonies will be accompanied by an honor guard from the Minnesota Army National Guard.

At 1:00 p.m., we will meet in Kiehle Auditorium to listen to Stewart Bass talk about the Carrier War in the South Pacific during WW II.  Stew was a TBM Avenger (torpedo plane) pilot, and was awarded the nation's second highest combat award--the Navy Cross, for heroism in action during some of the final naval battles of the war. The event is open to all.

We sincerely hope that you can attend one or more of these events to help us celebrate Veterans Day and honor those who have served and sacrificed to ensure our freedoms.

Link to  the UMC Veterans Day story

What: Free Diabetes Screening for UMC Students
When: Thursday, Nov. 10
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center

Thank you,

Stacey Grunewald, RN, UMC Student Health

Schedule an appointment now to meet with your adviser to plan your credit load and courses.
Click for Spring Semester 2012 Registration Queue

REGISTRATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) does not produce a printed version of the class schedule. This information is available exclusively on the Web www.umcrookston.edu/classschedule. The dynamic, online version of the class schedule updates continuously with class size information. The printable PDF version of the class schedule is current as of the date on each page.

ONLINE CLASS SCHEDULE
The preferred sources for up-to-date course information are the online class schedule and the online course search

Link to UMC Registration, Policies & Procedures for Spring Semester 2012

(Left photo) U of M, Crookston Soil Science students (from left to right) Lindsey Homelvig, Katelin Plautz, and Mark Mitteness are examining soil color, texture, consistence, structure, plant rooting patterns, and other soil features, to determine what horizons are present and at what depths their boundaries occur within the soil pit.

(Right photo) Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition students (left to right) Seth Dagoberg and Jayden Rollness are in the soil pit taking a soil monolith which is a vertical slice of the soil profile in its natural position. In addition, they are taking soil samples from each horizon in the profile for the determination of organic matter, pH and buffer pH, cation exchange capacity, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and soluble salts during lab.

There are 53 students in Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition. Soil Science is taught by Kristie S. Walker, Ph.D., and Brenda Miller of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department. The soil pits are located at the Crookston Airport.

Derek Cox, an aviation major at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, recently completed his student solo flight at the Crookston Municipal Airport. The Walker, Minn., native is a freshman and completed his solo flight on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. His advisor is Mike Vivion, chief pilot on the Crookston campus.

The significance of the first student solo flight cannot be overemphasized.  Landing an aircraft involves very difficult and complex eye-hand coordination. A student pilot begins flight training by learning a wide variety of tasks of which landing is one of the most difficult.  As flight training progresses, the ability to solo is largely predicated upon the flight instructor's assessment of the student's landings. Consistency is critical and sometimes one of the most difficult to achieve as even the best pilot can attest.

Around the middle of a private pilot's flight training, the instructor flies with the student having him/her land. The instructor will exit the airplane and endorse the student pilot certificate and logbook for solo. With that designation, the budding aviator is sent off for three trips around the traffic pattern each followed by that all important landing.

The University of Minnesota, Crookston's aviation program is a partnership in which aviation fundamentals are provided by the University of North Dakota (UND) Aerospace Foundation. To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu/aviation.