State congressman visits Student Government

Rep. Luke Frederick visited the Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Government Wednesday to talk about his time in the state’s House of Representatives. 

Frederick, originally from Mankato, spent a year in the Americorps program before returning to Mankato to attend MNSU. 

Living off campus to save money, he started his time at the University without a plan for a major, but eventually went on to graduate in 2009 with a degree in corrections. 

Elected in 2020, the new representative visited the student senate to talk about his time in public service. 

One of his main points was the importance of listening to constituents. 

“Sometimes as a leader, one of the hardest things to do is to just close my mouth,” said Frederick, who went on to stress that this is particularly vital in areas of ignorance. “It just goes back to listening and understanding when I might not know something.”

The representative spoke about his time at MNSU, where he spent most of his time in Armstrong Hall. 

Armstrong Hall is currently undergoing planning for demolition and reconstruction. Frederick is currently the house author for the bill on the project. 

“It’s a place that means a lot to me,” said Frederick, “but there is a lot of room for improvement.”

Frederick also mentioned meetings he was a part of during his campaign in which he spoke with students about the problems they face, including mental health and food insecurity. 

“I was blown away at some of the work that needs to be done,” said Frederick, “and the work that is being done.”

The congressman also spoke about other pieces of legislation such as policing reform and mental health in education institutions. 

Social media was a topic for discussion during the presentation, with Frederick warning against improper usage. 

“Social media is a huge part of the world today,” said Frederick, “but it is also one of the most harmful things in the world today.”

Frederick made the point that being intentionally inflammatory on social media is not productive to society as a whole, and how he looks to work for his constituency.

“How is that improving the lives of the people, not just in my district, but the state as a whole.” said Frederick.