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THURSDAY • OCTOBER 22, 2020
University Gives Spring Break the ‘Go Ahead’ Leadership Conference Comes to Campus ASHLEY OPINA STAFF WRITER
If there is one thing college students look forward to all year, it is getting a well deserved break from academia. More specifically, going on Spring Break. Due to COVID-19, numerous events such as homecoming, Thanksgiving break, and others alike, have been modified at Minnesota State University, Mankato. These cancellations and changes have led students to come forward with concerns regarding Spring Break. “It’s the one time of the year that actually feels like we get a break from school that isn’t for holiday purposes,” senior Katie Plath says. “If it gets canceled like the others, it would feel like another let down.” Luckily for Plath, President Richard Davenport sent out an announcement this Wednesday assuring the student body that spring break is a go. “I have determined that we will not make any chang-
COLIN HANKE STAFF WRITER
Visitors at Clearwater Beach, Florida, on March 18, 2020. (Chris O’Meara/AP)
es to our Spring 2021 schedule,” Davenport says. “We will start classes on January 11 as scheduled, recharge over Spring Break from March 8 to 12 and complete our semester on May 7.”
However, that decision is subject to change. The President’s decision to allow for the regular scheduling of Spring Semester is due to the low cases of COVID-19 at MNSU. With the help of
the Maverick community adhering to social distancing and safety guidelines, the
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RSO Bridges Gap Between Party Lines During Election JENNA PETERSON NEWS EDITOR With over two-hundred Registered Student Organizations at Minnesota State University, Mankato, it’s hard to tell which ones to join and know what they’re all about. BridgeMNSU is the organization to join if you like to get political while also listening to other people’s perspectives and opinions. While it’s a national organization recognized in many universities, with St. Thomas University and University of Minnesota being the other Minnesota chapters, as well as across the world, BridgeUSA brings students together to discuss politics rather than debating them. “The purpose of the Bridge conversations, through what we call the Bridge Mindset, is to discuss with people in order to understand where they’re coming from instead of debat-
IN THIS ISSUE:
Photo courtesy of BridgeMNSU
ing with one another,” states Andrew Weinzierl, MSU Student and member of the Marketing Team for BridgeUSA. There are a variety of top-
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ics discussed in these meetings. They all range from gun control to immigration and to the conversation of the use of GMOs and if they’re accept-
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able. While in these discussions, it’s important to note
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Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Leadership U is hosting the 2020 U-LEAD Conference Monday, October 19th, 2020 to Thursday, October 22nd. The University is committed to developing the leadership skills of students so they can apply skills to their future career opportunities. The conference hosts two different sessions each night. There are a total of eight sessions, and it is free to MNSU students. The sessions run at 7PM and 8PM and last an hour long. The sessions essentially provide an opportunity for students to grow and develop personally, academically, and professionally. The topics range from interpersonal communication, to study skills, and to navigating the job market. Arnavee Maltare, Vice President of Student Government and host of one of the sessions spoke about the way the conference will be hosted amidst the pandemic. “So, in the panel we had about six to seven participants on Zoom and then we had moderators,” said Maltare, “We talked about how we all had different experiences here at MNSU and about the kind of involvement we have here on campus. I think that my session went well because people were laughing at my jokes and seemed engaged.” The Vice-President went on to speak on the engagement of the students, “A lot of the students asked questions like, ‘What would you do better if you had to do it all over again?’ or ‘What kind of advice do
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THE HUNT BEGINS: MEDALLION HUNT
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