Student Assistance

Your StarID serves as your login for essential services at Southwest Minnesota State University such as E-Services, wireless and wired network connection, D2L Brightspace, Email and more. Your StarID is unique to you. Make sure you remember it and keep your StarID password secure.
To Activate or reset your StarID Password visit: https://starid.minnstate.edu/

Your StarID gives you access to all of these features and more:

• Campus computers, printers and scanners
• Online access to your courses schedule
• Your SMSU e-mail account
• A wireless network that covers every building on campus
• Online courses through D2L Brightspace
• Software downloads offered to current students. 

Many of these features are accessible off campus through the SMSU website.

SMSU MyWIFI:
Students should connect their devices using SMSU MyWifi. Connection to this network will be granted after accessing the passphrase portal with the Office 365 credentials (StarID@go.minnstate.edu) and authenticating with the method of choice.

The portal's address is www.smsu.edu/mywifi 

RESIDENCE HALLS:
Wireless Network – Students can connect their mobile devices, gaming consoles, streaming devices, and smart TVs using the SMSU MyWifi.

Wired Network – Each residence hall room is equipped with at least 2 active Ethernet network jacks. Be sure to register the Ethernet (wired) MAC address of your device, including any gaming, streaming or smart TV devices, in the MyDevices portal. https://mydevices.smsu.edu 

Any unregistered devices connecting to the network will fail to gain Internet access. Workgroup switches may work to add additional Ethernet ports in a residence hall room.

Gaming & Internet TV Devices on the Network: https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/devices-on-the-network.html 

Note:

1. All rooms in Sweetland Hall are equipped with active wired connection jacks at the bottom of the Mist Access Points on the wall.
2. Please refrain from using such devices as ‘personal WIFI routers’ and ‘hotspots’ while in the Residence Halls as they can interfere with the campus WIFI network and reduce the quality of service for everyone. Note that wireless printing capability is not supported in the Residence Hall network.

Students will receive important information on classes, financial aid, direct deposit and other University notifications via their campus email. You can access your Student Email through the web-based email portal and use your StarID@go.minnstate.edu, and your StarID password to log in. Your e-mail address is, usually, Firstname.Lastname@my.smsu.edu.

Access your email and Microsoft 365 Apps: https://www.smsu.edu/email/index.html 

MICROSOFT 365 APPS FOR STUDENTS
In addition to Microsoft 365 in the cloud, enrolled students can install Microsoft 365 apps on up to 5 devices with an active SMSU email account.

Microsoft 365 Apps is available for students to download (Includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Students will be able to install Microsoft 365 Apps on up to five personally-owned PC or Macintosh computer systems. Microsoft 365 Apps is supported by iOS and Android platforms.

• Instructions to Install Microsoft 365 Apps on your PC & MAC.
• Instructions to Install Microsoft 365 Apps on iOS Devices.
• Instructions to Install Microsoft 365 Apps on Android Mobile Devices.

With OneDrive, you can synchronize files between your computer and the cloud, so you can get to your files from anywhere - your computer, your mobile device. Students can store their documents, pictures, videos, and more.

Access OneDrive through Microsoft 365: https://www.smsu.edu/email/index.html

Instructions on how to login and use OneDrive: OneDrive Instructions

D2L Brightspace is an online learning management system used in Southwest Minnesota State University. For online and face-to-face courses, D2L Brightspace is used to deliver content and supplemental materials. D2LBrightspace also includes tools for discussions, announcements, assignments, quizzes, and grades.

Login to D2L at https://smsu.learn.minnstate.edu/

You will use E-Services for a number of things. First and foremost, Registering for Classes. When you log into E-Services, select Courses and Registration on the left side. Under this category, you can browse through all of the classes that SMSU will be offering in the upcoming semesters using Find Course. When you have selected course(s) to take, they will be in your Course Cart. Registration happens every semester. You will go sit down with your adviser and talk about which classes you will take. After this, your adviser gives you your Registration Code. Your Registration Window will tell you when you are allowed to register, and if you are unable to register for some reason, Check Registration Holds should tell you why. After you have registered, you will be able to view your class schedule by clicking View/Modify Class Schedule.

Grades and Transcripts will also be of use to you. Under this heading, click on Grades to view every grade you've received at SMSU. Your Interactive Degree Audit Report (DARS Report) is also important. When you go to speak with your adviser about registering for classes, you will need to print off a version of your DARS Report to go over with your adviser. This report is full of information. It shows you how many credits you've received, and what category they fall under. It tells you about your major and your minor, and how many credits you have left to attain to reach your goals. Many students find this DARS report to be confusing or difficult to read. If you are having troubles, please contact your adviser.

The Financial Aid tab is very important. You must go here to view your Award Letter. For more information on Financial Aid related topics, please refer to the Financial Aid Department.

Click here to access the E-Services login page.

Students can print using their personal computer at our campus library and labs. Once you queue up a document for printing, confirm the correct printer for your area and hit print. Contact the TRC helpdesk for help configuring personal computers to print.

There is a $25 print quota allowance for all students per semester. If you use up your quota, you can purchase more at the Technology Resource Center. You will be able to purchase more pages in increments of $5.00, using your Mustang Money.

If you do not have money on your Mustang Money account, you need to visit the Mustang Card Center, located in Student Center room 225 on class days between 9 am and 6 pm. You can also add to your Mustang Money account on-line at http://www.smsu.edu/mustangcard/ 

More printing information: https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/labs-printing.html

COMPUTER ACCESS FOR STUDENTS:
SMSU offers hundreds of computers (Windows and Macs) available for students to use across campus. All lab computers are accessible with a StarID and password.

Hours of operation, visit https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/index.html 

ZOOM:
Zoom is the official web conferencing tool for Minnesota State. Here is the link to the website: https://minnstate.zoom.us/ 

Signing in to Zoom: Please note, if you are signing in through a web browser, use your Star ID and password.

• A web browser will open to the sign-on.minnstate.edu site asking for your Star ID and password. Type in that information and press sign-on.
• Your browser should then ask if you want to open the Zoom app, Select Open or Open Zoom Meetings to host a meeting or join a meeting.

Zoom Help Center:
You can request assistance directly from Zoom 24 x 7, including public holidays, where agents or technical engineers are available for email or live support. You can also find self-service guides at the Zoom Help Center or watch some of the Zoom Video Tutorials. If you need something more direct, attend one of the live training sessions provided by Zoom. Pick a date/time that works for your schedule at https://zoom.us/livetraining.

Please watch the Zoom Video Tutorials, and contact the TRC if you have additional questions.

KALTURA:
Kaltura is a professional platform for video recordings, meetings, secure and published sharing with its own cloud storage. Videos created can be embedded into D2L.

• Visit https://mediaspace.minnstate.edu/ to access Kaltura
• Your username and password are your StarID and StarID password

Protect yourself by installing anti-virus and anti-malware software and following our best practices.

Passwords: Longer is Stronger
Passphrases are short sentences or combinations of unrelated words that seem random to a computer but make sense to you. Use a combination of upper and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols.

Phishing: If You Suspect Deceit, Hit Delete
Phishing emails use fear and demand tactics to obtain your personal information. If you suspect a phishing message, please notify the TRC Helpdesk. Then, delete the email!

Software Updates: Install Now, Not Later
Most major software vendors send software updates to your computer automatically. Be wary of Internet browser pop-ups telling you to “Click Here” to update your computer!

Multi-Factor Authentication
MFA (Multi Factor Authentication) is an authentication method that requires the user to provide two or more verification factors when attempting to gain access to services or systems

If you are a student who changed your legal name, contact the Registration Office (507-537-6206) to update your name in the SMSU directory.

Once your name has been changed with the Registration Office, you should contact the TRC if you wish for your new name to be reflected in your SMSU email. Please note that your StarID will remain unchanged.