Recent Program Features

During college, many students become involved in organizations and extracurricular activities in an attempt to find something that they’re truly passionate about. Reece Podgorski was lucky enough to find not one, but two different passions in his last three years as a student.

Reece Podgorski, a junior Law Enforcement major, is the current Interfraternity Council (IFC) president and an active member of the Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) on campus. It doesn’t take much to know that these two organizations have provided very different experiences for Podgorski’s college career.

“ I think it’s pretty cool how I can balance two different worlds,” says Podgorski.

Before becoming the IFC president, Podgorski was the vice president of Member Education Development for the council and an active member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. In that role, Podgorski helped run the campus wide U-Lead conference. For the conference, he partnered with several student organizations, including Student Government, Delta Sigma Pi and the International Student Association, to create programming for upcoming student leaders on campus.

Podgorski also led member development opportunities specifically for Greek Life members. For example, he worked with Student Health Services to provide alcohol training for new members, sober monitor trainings for active members and continuing education to active members on various topics affecting the community.

Based on his positive work in the position, the Director of Greek Life and the previous IFC president encouraged him to run for president, a position that he had never considered. Podgorski took a chance and ran for the position, which he was happy to accept after being elected by his fellow council members.

As president, Podgorski’s role has changed—but he continues to work hard to improve the Greek Life community. He’s in charge of overseeing Greek Week, a homecoming week for Greek alumni to visit campus and participate in boat races, lip sync and other fun themed events. He also oversees members underneath him on the council to delegate tasks and assignments. In the fall, he will oversee the recruitment of new members to the seven active fraternities on campus.

In contrast, Podgorski’s ROTC experience has been very different. During his first year at Minnesota State University, Mankato, he was recruited for active duty and spent a semester in training where he experienced a lot of unique opportunities.

“I’ve got a lot of interesting experiences that many people probably can’t say they have had, like active shooter training, dealing with machine guns and handling grenade launchers. It kind of puts you in a different mindset,” says Podgorski.

With two very different organizations playing such a large role in Podgorski’s life, you have to wonder if they overlap or intersect at all.

 “They’re fairly different, but something you can get from both organizations is people skills,” he reports. “If you’re a second lieutenant, you’re probably going to be working with 60 to 70 people… You have to work with sergeants and NCOs [Non Commissioned Officers] to make sure all of the tasks that you need to complete are getting done, so it’s kind of like the delegation that I have to do on the [Interfraternity] council.”

Between IFC and ROTC, Podgorski feels like he’s gained invaluable experiences as a leader, in time management and with communication.  After completing his degree next May, Podgorski hopes to become a second lieutenant in the National Guard and then down the line, he hopes to work for law enforcement in his local community. Between IFC and ROTC, he’s hoping that he has set himself up to succeed in the future.    

“It has made my college experience very interesting and I think it has been a great opportunity for myself,” says Podgorski.

Dear Campus Community,

A member of the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus community has reported that they have been diagnosed with lab confirmed COVID-19 (coronavirus). While the Minnesota Department of Health has determined that the risk of exposure at our University is low, my thoughts are with this individual and my wish for them is a speedy recovery.

I understand that this news may create unease in our community. The safety, security, and health of our staff and students is our top priority.  To that end, we have followed cleaning procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and are working closely with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for further guidance. We are also working with MDH to identify and notify any close contacts.

The most important actions each of us can take to further protect ourselves include:

• Staying home if you are sick
• Washing your hands often with soap and water; covering your cough and sneeze; avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Practicing self-care by eating a healthy diet and taking time to rest
• Frequently cleaning all commonly touched surfaces
• Avoiding large gatherings

This is our first notification of a case of COVID-19, and we are thankful to this individual for their self-awareness and reporting their condition to Minnesota State Mankato. As access to diagnostics increases (through clinical diagnosis or laboratory confirmation), so will the number of positive cases – both in the wider community as well as here at Minnesota State Mankato. Therefore, we expect that future diagnoses like these will not necessarily result in school-wide communication.

If you feel you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, The Minnesota Department of Health recommends:

1. Stay at home for at least 7 days, and for 3 days with no fever and improvement of respiratory symptoms – whichever is longer. (Your fever should be gone for 3 days without using fever-reducing medicine).
2. Use the CDC website on how to Care For Yourself at Home with COVID-19.
3. If your household contacts were exposed to you while you had symptoms, they should try to stay home as much as possible for 14 days.
   1. They should closely monitor their health, and if symptoms occur, they must isolate themselves. More guidance on this can be found here: MDH COVID-19 Basics
   2. Use the CDC website for How to Minimize Spread.

If you are concerned about your personal health due to symptoms, please contact your medical clinic prior to arriving so they can take the necessary precautions to keep other patients and medical staff safe. There are many resources listed on our website dedicated to COVID-19 with reliable and up to date information. 

This is a challenging time, and I know many of you may be feeling stress or anxiety.  Faculty, staff, and students may call the Minnesota Department of Health hotline at (651) 201-3920 with questions about symptoms, treatment, or risk of COVID-19. An Emotional Support Help Line is available for all students at 866-342-6892, and Student Health Services is answering student questions related to COVID-19 at (507) 389-5591. In addition, both the University Student Health Services and the Counseling Center are offering remote services for students.  Of course, the Employee Assistance Program is vital in promoting well-being among our employees with confidential counseling services.

We will get through this together as a community, and will be stronger when we emerge.

Take care,

Richard Davenport
President

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Earlier today you received a message from Chancellor Malhotra (copied below) announcing Governor Walz’s Executive Order 20-20 which states, in part, that:

“Beginning on Friday, March 27, 2020 at 11:59 pm through Friday, April 10, 2020 at 5:00 pm, all persons currently living within the State of Minnesota are ordered to stay at home or in their place of residence except to engage in the Activities and Critical Sector work.”

The colleges and universities that are part of the Minnesota State system are among the entities identified as “Critical Sector work,” and thus, Minnesota State University, Mankato will remain open to provide essential educational services and resources for our students. Classes will begin again, as previously communicated, on March 30. 

Please note, this Executive Order does not restrict virtual work or telework (i.e. work from home), and in fact it encourages those Minnesotans who are able to telework to do so. Many of our staff and faculty are already engaged in telework arrangements and should continue to do so unless directed otherwise by their supervisors.

The University administrative team is diligently working to identify how Minnesota State Mankato will comply with this Executive Order to maintain the health and well-being of all our faculty, staff and students, while also providing the necessary educational services. More information will be forthcoming as details are finalized.

Thank you all for continuing the University’s good work during this time of uncertainty. Until my next message, be safe and well.

Sincerely,

Richard Davenport
President

Message to Faculty and Staff from Chancellor Malhotra

Dear Students,

Earlier today you received a message from Chancellor Malhotra announcing Governor Walz’s Executive Order 20-20 which states, in part, that:

“Beginning on Friday, March 27, 2020 at 11:59 pm through Friday, April 10, 2020 at 5:00 pm, all persons currently living within the State of Minnesota are ordered to stay at home or in their place of residence except to engage in the Activities and Critical Sector work.”

The colleges and universities that are part of the Minnesota State system are among the entities identified as “Critical Sector work,” and thus, the University will remain open to provide essential educational services and resources for students. Classes will begin again on March 30, through either online or alternative instruction. Your instructors will be reaching out to you with more details, if they have not already done so.

Although most buildings on our campus are now closed and most of our staff is working remotely, we remain committed to providing the services you need. More details about how to access the services you need can be found at www.mnsu.edu/coronavirus.

The University administrative team is diligently working to identify how Minnesota State Mankato will comply with this Executive Order to maintain the health and well-being of all our faculty, staff, and students, while also providing the necessary educational services. More information will be forthcoming as details are finalized.

Thank you all for remaining committed to your education during this time of uncertainty. Until my next message, be safe and well.

Sincerely,

Richard Davenport
President

Message to Students from Chancellor Malhotra