St. Thomas’s Student Homecoming Committee hosted a 4-on-4 football event at O’Shaughnessy Stadium Monday evening as a celebration to mark the start of homecoming week.
Five teams competed on two 40-yard fields set up in the stadium. The teams played two 10-minute halves and then swapped opponents in a round-robin style tournament.
The competition started at 6 p.m. and lasted until 8 p.m.
The Student Homecoming Committee set up events throughout the week as a precursor to the homecoming football game against Valparaiso on Saturday.
Gov. Tim Walz called on lawmakers Tuesday to approve a series of new moves to respond to the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccine and testing requirements for teachers, school staff, and long-term care workers, and measures to relieve strained hospital capacity.
The Democratic governor detailed his proposal in a letter to lawmakers that he released after meeting privately with legislative leaders. He urged lawmakers to approve the measures during a special session that was originally envisioned for last month to approve a $250 million bonus package for frontline workers who risked their lives in the pandemic.
Walz this summer allowed the peacetime state of emergency he declared at the start of the pandemic to lapse. That declaration gave him sweeping powers to respond to the pandemic, but it was unpopular with Republican lawmakers who accused him of overstepping his authority and cutting legislators out of important policy and spending decisions.
The governor said he doesn’t plan to reinstate the peacetime emergency, but acknowledged he lacks the authority to impose his vaccination and other proposals on his own.
St. Thomas broke records in welcoming 62 new international students in-person this fall despite an ongoing pandemic as the university provided support to foreign applicants in an effort to keep cultural exchange a priority on campus.
Even as vaccination rates climbed in the U.S. in 2021 and institutions eased COVID-19 restrictions, international students faced unique obstacles in their attempts to access higher-education in America.
“The main obstacle we’ve encountered was the closure of (U.S.) embassies because of the pandemic,” International Admissions counselor Amanda Hager said. “But the U.S. government has made a more concentrated effort on making sure students could get visas.”
For some international students, the pandemic played a major role in the decision to leave home; after having their lives paused, they felt ready to take on the challenge and start college in another country.
The growing number of international students on campus this fall will give students – both domestic and foreign – the opportunity to learn and grow with different backgrounds and cultures.
Annabelle Wiskus can be reached at wisk9881@stthomas.edu.