Author Archives: Stephanie Trottier

Hi, my name is Trisha and I am your student insurance advocate here at St Cloud State University! I will be available every Wednesday, starting September 14, in Lawrence Hall at the Center for International Studies. My office hours will be 2:30pm – 4:30pm. If you would like to stop by with questions or concerns regarding your International Student Insurance, I am here to help! Please note that if you are unable to reach me during these hours, I am also available Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 4:30pm at the St Cloud State University Medical Clinic. We are located on the 2^nd Floor of Eastman Hall. Please call or stop in and let someone at the front desk know that you would like to speak to me and I will try to meet with you then. You are certainly welcome to reach out to me via phone by calling 320.308.4855 or by email: studentinsurance@stcloudstate.edu. I look forward to working with you and helping you with all of your insurance needs!

– Trisha Feia
Student Insurance Advocate

There are new dental and vision plans offered through United Healthcare Student Resources.

How to purchase the optional Dental/Vision insurance through SureBridge:

Access the information at https://www.uhcsr.com/. The student should enter the school they are attending. Review the information for each plan and request a quote. The student will enter their Gender, Birthday and if they use tobacco. They will then enter the zip code for the area that their school is in and select Get Quote. They will choose a benefit level if they choose the Prime DVH plan. If interested in the insurance, the student can select add and they will be prompted to enter their school email address. The insurance company will then communicate with the student to get them set up.  The student will select their appropriate school and then scroll down to find the Voluntary Vision/Dental option. Once they click on this, the available plans can be viewed and a request for a quote can be made. If the student chooses to purchase one or more of these plans, they will have the option to enter their student email address and the company will contact them to set up coverage.

There is no deadline as these plans are available for purchase year round. There are certain stipulations that apply to the coverage in regard to when the plans will start to pay towards more extensive procedures. Please make the students are aware so that they don’t think they can purchase the plan in the case of an emergency and expect coverage.

Dear international students,

We hope you are doing well and remaining safe and healthy this summer.

The 2022 – 2023 International Student Health Insurance (the insurance required for all F-1 international students) has been added to your St. Cloud State e-services account for the amount of $2,119.00 for the upcoming policy year (August 10, 2022 – August 9, 2023).  This charge is to ensure that you are covered by health insurance during your academic studies for the upcoming school year at St. Cloud State University.

Provided below is the international student health insurance process for the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters:

Students have two payment options for the 2022 – 2023 International Student Health Insurance: Continue reading

It’s not too late to apply, but be aware that the deadline is just a few days away, May 2, 2022 at 11:59 pm PDT.

The Scholarship awards $5,000 annually to international graduate students who share Andrea’s inspiring commitment to international education, her passion for globalization, creative arts, and equal rights initiatives.

Eligible applicants: Continue reading

SCSU Students — Help Protect the Pack by getting your flu shot!

This year it is even more important to do everything you can to stay healthy, including protecting you and your friends with an annual influenza vaccination.

Get your flu shot at SCSU Medical Clinic

• Easy access on campus, Eastman Hall 2^nd floor (next to Shoemaker Hall)
• Schedule a time that is convenient to you: myhealthservices.stcloudstate.edu
• International Student Insurance holders: the flu shot is covered at 100% (no extra fees if you get your flu shot at SCSU Medical Clinic).

Need a reason?
Don’t let the flu mess up the end of your semester. Influenza can take a person out of action for a week or more. The flu vaccine is your best insurance against missing classes and events.

Bonus: When you get the influenza vaccine, you’ll get rewarded! Students who get a flu shot at SCSU Medical Clinic will get a free digital thermometer- while supplies last.

For more information, please visit the SCSU Medical Clinic website.

A message from the Bring Huskies Home Team:

Dear Campus Community,

As Spring Break comes to a close and we return to campus, there are a few new safety protocols to bring to your attention.

The number of COVID cases continue to decline in Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties. These counties, and almost all counties in Minnesota, have declined to CDC’s Low COVID-19 Community Level.

Starting Tuesday, March 15, masking will no longer be required on campus. Please note, and as shared in Chancellor Malhotra’s memo (March 1), as colleges and universities make the shift away from masking, this is “an institution-wide determination and individual faculty or staff cannot deviate from the institution’s overall approach”.

Therefore, students, faculty and staff will not be required to wear a mask anywhere on campus. However, anyone can choose to wear a mask at any time on campus for their own personal safety, and should be supported for that decision. Continue reading

A message from the Bring Huskies Home Team:

Dear Campus Community,

We have two updates to share with you. First, the CDC recently published new COVID safety guidance, based on “COVID-19 Community Levels”. These community levels (ranked at low, medium and high) are measures of three metrics by county. This information is available on the CDC website.

Second, Chancellor Malhotra has provided us with new guidance in his memo we received late yesterday afternoon (3/1/22). Per his guidance here is a summary of key points: Continue reading

St. Cloud State University continues to monitor the declining COVID-19 case rates on campus and across the state. We will continue to follow Minnesota State system office directives on masking and safety protocols on campus. The system office is also monitoring the COVID situation in Minnesota, and is in frequent consultation with the Minnesota Department of Health in evaluating campus health and safety guidelines. Continue reading

Dear Campus Community,

As we are learning the details of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, our hearts go out to students, faculty and staff with family and friends in this part of the world. This is a stunning tragedy for Ukrainians whose lives and futures have been immediately upended by the aggressive invasion and distressing circumstances that are sure to follow.  And for the world, these unfolding events threaten tremendous widespread political, economic and humanitarian fallout.

We are privileged on our campus to be a community of students, faculty, staff and administrators who represent cultures across the globe and offer opportunities for sharing perspectives. What happens to people in other parts of the world is not just someone else’s concern.  It is incumbent on us all to be informed and engaged in global issues and be especially aware of the troubles of those around us – to reach out with friendship and understanding at times like this.

As we support the members of our community who are either from or have close ties to Ukraine and Russia, please take notice of the resources that are available to every individual in our campus community.  Some offices that are ready to assist include Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and the Center for International Studies (CIS). I encourage our faculty and staff to listen to and support impacted students as we are in the midst of a busy semester.

With warm regards,

Dr.  Robbyn R. Wacker
President

Please remember that all international students who received US income during 2021 are legally required to file a tax return by the April 18, 2022 deadline.

Even if you didn’t work or receive income in the US, you’re still obliged to file a Form 8843 with the IRS.

St. Cloud State University has arranged access to Sprintax for you. It has come to our attention that some SCSU international students are using TurboTax instead of Sprintax, so we would like to stress the importance of using the latter. If you are an international student who has been in the U.S. for less than 5 years, TurboTax is incapable of correctly filing your taxes, and any tax return you receive through them may be subject to revocation by the IRS later. Sprintax, on the other hand, is able to help you correctly file as an international student. Continue reading