Planning Underway for Super Bowl Campus Impacts

Updated January 19, 2018

The countdown to Super Bowl Lll is underway. The University of St. Thomas is preparing for business continuity with increased security on our Minneapolis campus during this special event. Due to road closures in Minneapolis and increased population around the Super Bowl and Super Bowl Experience, we are expecting significant traffic delays and parking shortages for our Minneapolis campus from January 23-Feburary 6.

Students, staff and faculty of the School of Law; Opus College of Business; Dougherty Family College; and College of Education, Leadership and Counseling should have already received information from your college encouraging you to allow added time for traffic and parking if you are coming to the Minneapolis campus. Classes are expected to be held as scheduled. Any changes will be communicated by your instructors using your St. Thomas email.

Access to campus buildings will be restricted to main entrances only during normal business hours. All other exterior doors will be secured with authorized card access only. When entering campus, please use:

School of Law main entrance
Terrence Murphy Hall main entrance
Opus main entrance or Skyway doors

Public Safety is actively communicating with local, state and federal agencies in regard to any suspicious incidents or behaviors that occur on or around campus.

Additional officers will be on duty in each building and at each greeter’s desk.
There will be additional staffing for emergency response and deterrence of criminal activity.
Public Safety will be monitoring the Homeland Security Information Network operated by the Downtown Executive Security Group for real-time information and intelligence.

Our Minneapolis campus in particular will see significant impacts. Preparations have been underway for months and have involved the NFL, the City of Minneapolis Public Works, Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District, Super Bowl Host Committee, Minneapolis Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, Minneapolis Office of Emergency Management and others. As many as 1 million visitors and 10,000 volunteers are expected during the Super Bowl events. The majority of the visitors are expected to be in town Thursday, Feb. 1-Sunday, Feb. 4.

Super Bowl LII is not a one-day event.

Super Bowl Live is 10-day series of events running Jan. 26-Feb. 4.

Activities including free concerts, national media broadcasts, ice sculptures and food will take place on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Events will be held in the evenings beginning at 4 p.m. during weekdays and all day on weekends. During this time, streets from 12th Street to Sixth Street will be reduced to two lanes where they cross Nicollet Mall. Eighth Street from Marquette Avenue to LaSalle Avenue will be closed from Jan. 19-Feb. 7.

The main impact for our Minneapolis campus will be along its northeastern border. The Minneapolis Police Department will have officers along LaSalle Avenue. Intersections in the area will have police and National Guard presence.

Think now about how and when you access the Minneapolis campus.

Plan for increased auto and pedestrian traffic during this week.

Avoid scheduling events on the Minneapolis campus.

Departments and individuals planning meetings and events on the Minneapolis campus are encouraged to avoid scheduling them during the Super Bowl activities to avoid operational issues.

Plan for changes to parking and shuttles.

The surface parking lot near the School of law (Lot 3) has been rented by the NFL and will not be available Jan 26-Feb. 4. Alternative parking for up to 300 vehicles will be available in the Harmon Ramp at the corner of 11th Street and Harmon Place.

Members of the community who work and attend class on our Minneapolis campus are encouraged to carpool. Information about using public transit is available on the Super Bowl website.

Public Safety will evaluate the traffic conditions between St. Paul and Minneapolis for shuttle use. Shuttle users are asked to plan for delays due to increased traffic in the area. Visit the Shuttle Tracker on OneStThomas.

Classes will go on as scheduled.

The deans of each of our colleges and schools are having ongoing discussions about the impact Super Bowl activities could have on campus operations. At this time, all classes will go on as scheduled in their assigned classrooms in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Students are asked to stay in contact with professors for any changes to class locations.

Student, staff and faculty are asked to wear their St. Thomas identification DAILY during the next two weeks - either from a neck lanyard or belt clip. Prominently showing your ID card will help Public Safety with quick identification and allow for card swipe access into our campus.

See something? Say something.

Safety of our campuses and community are the top priority. Informed, alert communities play a critical role in keeping our campus safe. Suspicious activity is any observed behavior that could indicate criminal activity.

Factors such as race, ethnicity, and/or religious affiliation are not suspicious. Please only report suspicious behavior, including situations similar to but not restricted to what is described here:

Unusual items or situations: a person wandering the halls, not on the main skyway; a package or luggage is unattended; a window or door is open that is usually closed; or other out-of-the-ordinary situations.
Eliciting information: A person questions individuals at a level beyond curiosity about a building’s purpose, operations, security procedures and/or personnel, shift changes, etc.
Observation/surveillance: Someone pays unusual attention to buildings beyond a casual or professional interest. This includes extended loitering without explanation, particularly in concealed locations.

Public Safety urges you to be proactive and alert to help prevent crime and create a safer community. To report suspicious activity, contact Public Safety at (651) 962-5100 or for emergencies, (651) 962-5555. Describe specifically what you observed, including: