PARENTS and FAMILIES
Welcome to Our South Dakota Mines Family
There's a world of information connected to your student's college experience. To help you navigate that world, we've created the Parents-Family webpage for parents, guardians, and other family members.
Questions? We're here to help!
Contact:
- Dr. Joseph Dlugos, Associate Vice President for Student Development/Dean of Students
or Shelly Tupper, Assistant to the Dean/Office Coordinator
at 605-394-2416 or
DeanofStudents@sdsmt.edu
Join our Parents/Family Mailing List
. . . and let us do the work of keeping you informed. You'll receive a brief monthly
Mines Family Matters email, to update you on what's going on here at South Dakota Mines, and other correspondence will periodically be sent as well.
Important Dates
To plan for future travel and holidays, check the South Dakota Mines
Academic Calendar with key dates for this year and coming years. Visit our
Events Calendar to find out all that's going on at South Dakota Mines.
61st Annual Family Weekend: October 22-23, 2021
Please check out the family weekend schedule for events happening on those days.
Parent/Family Orientation
Football Parent/Family Orientation & Move In - August 7-8, 2021
Please check out the football parent/family schedule for events happening on those days.
Volleyball, Cross Country, Soccer, & Cheer Parent/Family Orientation & Move In - August 14-15, 2021
Please check out the volleyball, cross country, soccer, & cheer parent/family schedule for events happening on those days.
Parent/Family Orientation & Move In - August 19-20, 2021
Please check out the parent/family schedule for events happening on those days.
Guidebook for Parents
Compact, but comprehensive, the
Guidebook for Parents is updated each year to supply the information parents need most.
Download the .pdf.
In an Emergency . . .
In a campus emergency or weather event, students will receive an alert on their phone and/or email through our Campus Alert system. Encourage your student to sign up for this as soon as they have their Mines student email address. In their Campus Alert account, they can add multiple phone numbers, including yours, for the alert message delivery. Our website homepage will include a red message bar with the emergency status and link to the Emergency webpage for more information. The university Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter will also be avenues where information is shared.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Our
Financial Aid department offers resources for students and parents including a
Financial Aid A-Z Index for details on specific topics. Scholarship information: South Dakota Mines is unusual among universities in the way scholarships
for incoming freshman students are handled. Learn more at our
Scholarships webpage and check out a list of "hand-picked" (i.e vetted) scholarships (STEM Scholarship list): opportunities for math and science students.
Payment Due Dates/Payment Plan Options*
All account balances are due in full, or payment arrangements (Payment Plans or Financial Aid Deferments) made, by the final due date listed for each term. Payment Plans are provided by an external vendor (Nelnet).
*For questions about Payment Due Dates
or Payment Plan Options, please contact the Student Accounts/Cashiering
Office at (605)394-2372, email: Cashier@sdsmt.edu
FERPA Release**
In order for South Dakota Mines to discuss a student’s account or grades with anyone other than that student, a FERPA Release Form must be signed by the student. Students may submit the form below to the Registrar's Office via their Mines Student email
account to registrar@sdsmt.edu. ONLY THE STUDENT MAY SUBMIT THIS FORM. This form can also be signed by the student in the Office of the Registrar.
FERPA Release Form
**For questions about the FERPA Release, please contact the Office of the Registrar
Student Health and Help
Visit our student
Health and Safety webpage for links relating to the health and well-being of your student while attending South Dakota Mines. Information includes
clinic services,
immunization requirements, as well as
counseling and
disability services. South Dakota Mines counselors are here to help students develop more personal awareness and to learn the skills they need to be successful. We
offer support and assistance with a variety of personal, academic, and relationship concerns. Our approach is collaborative, goal-oriented, and multicultural-sensitive. Find out more at the
Counseling section of our website.
Academic Assistance and Enhancement
South Dakota Mines students tackle complex subject matter and may at times have rigorous schedules. If your student is concerned they might be falling behind or struggling with a difficult course or concept, encourage them to look into
free tutoring resources here on campus. Their academic department may have resources as well. We encourage every student to consider a period of
study abroad, one of the most enriching experiences a student can have.
Accountability - Consumer Information
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) requires that student consumer information be made available to prospective students and families. Links to this information are conveniently gathered for you by the Registrar's Office on their
Consumer Information (Accountability) webpage and include:
- General Institutional Information
- Student Financial Assistance
- Health and Safety Information
- Student Outcomes information (in accordance with the Student Right-To-Know Act)
Stay in Touch with All Things "South Dakota Mines"
It's easy to stay in touch with the latest news from South Dakota Mines. Read our
monthly@mines , look for our twice yearly
Hardrock Magazine, and check out our
South Dakota Mines Foundation Update newsletter.
Or stay connected through social media:
Make a gift to the South Dakota Mines Parent Fund
The South Dakota Mines Parents Fund provides support to students in need due to a financial crisis, and does so through the Student Emergency Needs Fund. Occasionally a student faces a financial hardship due to an extenuating personal crisis. Donations
are made through South Dakota Mines Foundation.
Some situations where the South Dakota Mines Fund has helped:
- Parent passed away unexpectedly — lack of funds to attend out-of-state funeral
- Commuting student’s car broke down—lack of funds for repairs
- Uninsured student encountered outstanding medical bills due to a major and unexpected illness
- Home destroyed in fire—no place to live