A look into the past year at MNSU

The 2020-2021 academic year at Minnesota State University was full of historic moments, including protest, elections, and a new university president. As students return to campus for another year, it is time to review exactly what happened last year. 

An ongoing affair includes protests and rallies, especially those aimed towards politics and racial tension. Students and faculty at MNSU made sure their voices were amplified throughout the year as they tackled Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate, and President Donald Trump.

In the vein of politics, many MNSU students had the opportunity in the fall to vote in their first Presidential election. In this election there were various topics at stake– coronavirus, immigration, and health care, to name a few. 

Another election centered around MNSU students was the Student Government election, where Reauna Stiff and Kara Svercl were elected as President and Vice President, respectively. In this next year, the two will be working towards resolving off-campus housing issues and focus more on student basic needs. 

Long-standing University President Richard Davenport also served his last year in his role and handed off this responsibility to President Edward Inch, who began in early July. This replacement will bring a new set of ideas to the campus and student life. Inch is looking forward to getting to know the student population and narrowing in on their concerns. 

In terms of sports, the MSU Mavericks carried on the tradition of exceeding expectations set by their fans. First, the wrestling team placed tenth in the NCAA Championship. In terms of individual placements, Trevor Turriff took second in his weight class and Kyle Rathman took seventh in his weight class. 

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams made their way to the conference championship, but fell just short of advancing forward. The men’s team lost in the first round of the tournament against Minnesota State University, Moorhead, where the Mavericks lost in overtime by 12 points.

The women’s team also made a close call in the tournament where they played against St. Cloud State University and lost by 2 points.

On the rink, the Maverick hockey team made school history by competing in the Frozen Four championship for the first time. The team’s road to this tournament was highly anticipated, as their season record ended as 22-5-1. 

The Mavericks faced off against St. Cloud State in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania with hundreds of MSU fans cheering them on both in Mankato and Pittsburg. With tensions high and excitement rising, the Mavericks fell short and lost 4-5 in the final moments of the game.

Following these events, MNSU is looking forward to giving its students a seemingly normal semester with in-person classes and events that represent a traditional college experience.