[email protected] is a personalized digital platform connecting students to online tools and campus resources to help support their goals to Succeed, Thrive and Matter at the University of Minnesota.
[email protected] is built to align with on-campus health and wellness programs and resources and is divided into three main categories: Succeed—academic success and career preparedness; Thrive—physical and mental health; and Matter—sense of purpose and connection to campus.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is [email protected]?
[email protected] is a wellbeing portal for University of Minnesota System students offering tools, dynamic content, and resources built to align with on-campus health and wellness programs and resources, available 24/7 and 365 days per year. The tool is divided into three main categories: Succeed—academic success and career preparedness; Thrive—physical and mental health; and Matter—sense of purpose and connection to campus.
What is the tool designed to do?
With the development of [email protected], the University aspires to achieve four primary outcomes relative to student well-being: that students 1) have greater awareness and increased utilization of campus resources, programs and services; 2) take action and develop healthy behaviors; 3) have greater social connections to others; and 4) that staff have access to real-time information about student behaviors and needs to better inform decision-making, resource allocation and program offerings.
How will students use the tool?
Students sign in with their University email. The first time they log on, they will choose their campus location and have the option to create a confidential profile, choosing personal wellness goals and steps for success. Students choose what kinds of content they would like to engage with when creating a profile to support their personal wellness goals.
How does [email protected] work in concert with things like campus advising and other career-oriented resources?
The goal is for the tool to work as a compass, navigating students to programs, people and other support resources available on their campus. The tool will not replicate resources. Instead, it will help students identify their goals, such as who to connect with in their college about internships, or where to go for help writing a resume.
Does the content take into consideration important differences across cultures? Identities? Intersectionality?
Yes. In fact, this was one of the top priorities cited by the five campuses coming out of the vendor evaluations in June 2020. The review team felt reassured about the variety of content in the tool, and also devised space for a pilot phase to capture student feedback on this aspect and adjust as needed.
Additionally, as part of a study undertaken by researchers at UC Fullerton (and published in July 2020), 93% of students rated the site as “inclusive for students of diverse identities and backgrounds.” The participant group included 83.4% students from historically underrepresented groups. The study also highlights the platform’s ability to uniquely connect students of diverse backgrounds with well-being skills and resources to support their collegiate experience.
What do we know about the tool’s accessibility for individuals with disabilities?
The [email protected] platform is mostly accessible and improvements are actively being developed. The committee responsible for reviewing bids on the project utilized a scoring rubric that prioritized accessibility, to help ensure availability to the widest possible audience.
How will [email protected] be evaluated?
The vendor and University will work together to administer an evaluation of the impact of [email protected] based on established goals on an annual basis. The evaluation process will maintain the anonymity and confidential aspect of the user experience.
How does the site vet the thousands of pieces of content served to students, beyond campus-specific programs and resources?
Content is curated by a team that includes experts from higher education and a clinical psychologist. They use stringent criteria such as resource citations; evidence basis; authorship; attention to diversity, inclusion and trauma-informed language; open access; and open source.
Is this tool just for undergraduate students?
No. This tool was developed for all students in the University of Minnesota System, whether they be undergraduates, graduate or professional students. Students from all three groups were consulted during development and were tapped to provide feedback as part of the pilot program and Usability Lab testing during Spring 2021.
Student Privacy & Security
Security & Confidentiality
Welcome to YOU at UMN, a digital platform that connects University of Minnesota students to resources and helps them activate healthy behavior with a multi-dimensional approach to well-being. Unlimited use of this tool is free as long as you are enrolled as a student at the University. YOU at UMN will not connect your activity on the platform to your name, email address or any other form of identification, nor will it ever sell your information to any outside third party. No one at the University will have access to your specific history using this platform. The University’s risk analysis team has reviewed the platform to ensure this level of security and confidentiality.
When you opt-in to use YOU at UMN, the platform collects basic user information (name, email address, etc.). This information is collected to allow secure access to enrolled University of Minnesota students, staff and faculty and to customize resources for individual users. In addition, YOU at UMN collects aggregated product usage data (clicks, time spent on the site, search terms, etc.) each time students use the platform, meaning the data is only viewed in a summarized format and never connected back to individual users. For example:
- Data like names and email addresses are always encrypted in order to protect the student’s identity.
- YOU at UMN product analytics use aggregate data and are prevented from displaying small results sizes to administrators.
- No YOU at UMN information is ever sold to any outside third party.
- YOU at UMN works closely with University of Minnesota campus IT teams to provide documentation and meet or exceed requirements for data encryption, penetration and vulnerability assessment, security policies and accessibility.