Centennial Student Union Blog
As a technical lead with the Centennial Student Union Technical Services crew, Herve “Alvin” Mucyo demonstrates quiet leadership where “actions speak louder than words.” It was that natural-leader quality that earned him CSU student staff recognition and a place on the BEST Board. Outside the CSU, Alvin is active with the East African Student Association and Black Intelligent Gentlemen (BIG).
A new promotional video for the Centennial Student Union features a diverse group of students sharing the services, sights and sounds of the students’ House of Serendipity. Created for the CSU by staff and students with the IT Solutions Video & Digital Team, the 4:45-minute video features 23 different student hosts moving through key areas of the CSU. View the video on the CSU Serendipity YouTube Channel.
It comes as no surprise that Fall 2024 BEST Board honoree and Student Government President Roshit Niraula demonstrates a drive for leadership. His soft-spoken nature should never be confused with lack of confidence but rather as a respectful ability to challenge the status quo in a student-focused manner when necessary.
This week’s female Maverick Spotlight shines on Maddix Archer who is off to a hot start with the Maverick Soccer Team this season where she has tallied 3 goals and 2 assists through eight regular season games. Read about Maddix and her fun facts on the CSU Blog.
Star-studded junior wide receiver, TreShawn Watson lit up the month of September with top-notch stats. Even after not playing in the Sept. 28 matchup against Concordia St. Paul, the 6’4, 200-pounder from Chicago, Ill., headed into the Oct. 5 Homecoming game against Sioux Falls with six touchdowns, three coming from a brawl against Bemidji State. In that game, Watson had only five receptions but created three scores for the Mavericks.READ MORE ABOUT #6 ON THE CSU BLOG.
Kendra (Draeger) Youngberg was elected Student Senate Speaker during the Sept. 25 regular weekly meeting of the Student Government. Before being elected speaker, Youngberg served as the Legislative Affairs Coordinator and a Graduate Studies Senator. Youngberg of Waseca, Minn., is a May 2023 graduate of Bemidji State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in cellular and molecular biology with minors in chemistry and political science.
Campus bus service gets an EV presence with the addition of the new all-electric Maverick Shuttle to the fleet. Funded by 80 percent contribution from the Federal Carbon Reduction Program Act, the $95,000, 12-passenger shuttle now provides on-campus stops for customers used to the older Maverick Daytime Shuttle.
Since becoming the Social Media and Marketing Chair for the Student Events Team, Lexi Pedersen’s communication skills and tenacity helped drive a 400 percent increase in its social media reach. As social media chair, Lexi took a deep dive into social media best practices and began implementing the ideas that led to increased reach and efficiency.
The Centennial Student Union Blog was listed second globally among the best Student Union RSS Feed sites as compiled by Feedspot in its 2024 listing released Sept. 14. Feedspot’s best Student Union rss feed list is curated from thousands of rss feeds on the web and ranked by relevancy, authority, social media followers & freshness. In releasing its 2024 list, Feedspot credited the CSU Blog for news that “focuses on academic success, alumni spotlight, assistance, campus news, events, fraternity and sorority and more.” The CSU Blog placed second behind the Student Union of the University of Vaasa in Finland.
Abdalla (Abdul) Mohamed, Lead Building Assistant with the Centennial Student Union Operations Team, has gained responsibility and respect through his attention to detail, strong work ethic, positive attitude and a genuine caring nature. The high standard he sets for himself inspires others to do the same. Learn more about Abdul in the CSU Blog.
“Be grEAT,” a new mini-documentary following Maverick Basketball’s Malik Willingham premieres Friday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m. in Ostrander Auditorium Directed by Ben Stelter, a recent Bethany College graduate and national award-winning videographer, the film follows Malik’s final year as a Maverick and a life’s journey culminating in the 2024 NCAA DII National Championship. MORE DETAILS AT blog.mnsu.edu/csu
In her BEST Board nomination, Sofia Melendez was recognized for strong leadership whether it was among the Fraternity & Sorority Life Community and her Sigma Sigma Sigma chapter or as a Residential Life Community Advisor. “Sofia demonstrates a great deal of charisma and works well with many different groups of people,” her nominator stated. “She is direct and to-the-point, yet always respectful. She handles her responsibilities with tact and diplomacy, even when what she is tackling is a difficult situation. She also acts with integrity and strives to do the right thing.”
For more than a decade, Minnesota State Maverick student athletes have advanced one campus awareness program–the Mental Health Green Bandana Initiative. Participating MSU students heighten mental health awareness by tying a green bandana to their backpacks.
For the fourth time in a row, Minnesota State Mankato was named “Best University” and the Mavericks were Minnesota’s “Best College Sports Team” in the annual Star Tribune Minnesota’s Best Listing. The University and Mavericks have claimed the Gold Award every year since the contest started in 2021.
The Mavericks #13 bring a road victory to their Sept. 7 home opener after toppling #22 Northwest Missouri State 36-22 at a Thursday, Aug. 29, Show Me State Showdown. The Mavericks host Bemidji State on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. in Blakeslee Stadium.
In recommending Amalia Sharaf for the BEST Board, her nominator was impressed with her multitasking abilities. “Quite frankly, I don’t know how Amal does all that she does,” her nominator said. “Her impact and reach is felt both on campus and beyond. Not only is she an outstanding leader, but she is also fully engaged in pursuits related to her academic journey.” At MSU, Amalia’s campus involvements include Student Government, MavPASS, writing for the Reporter, Honors Program, Research Assistant, Graphic Designer for the Kearney Center, and more.
Per show student tickets are $5 for a full slate of 2024-25 main stage, studio and dance performances by the Department of Theatre & Dance. Shows include musicals “Cabaret” and “Cinderella,” fall and spring dance concerts along with “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Lend Me a Soprano,” “The Winter Tale,” “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again],” “Escaped Alone” and “Heroes of the Fourth Turning.”
FORERUNNERS: While the first three Mavericks to compete in Olympic track and field events didn’t reach the medal podium, their forever title as “Olympic Athlete” exemplifies what’s possible when channeling talent, training and dedicated perseverance. Denisha Cartwright (the Bahamas), Jabez Reeves and Emmanuel Matabi (Liberia)–set the bar for future Mavericks. Welcoming home Cartwright and her country’s fellow athletes, The Bahamas Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture said it best: “Only a small percentage of athletes worldwide earn a chance to compete on this prestigious stage. It reflects years of grit, sweat, hard work and relentless training.”
AUG. 8 – Denisha Cartwright, the first Maverick to qualify for Olympic women’s track and field competition, ended her Olympic bid Thursday morning. After finishing 19th in Wednesday’s opening round (top 18 advanced) Cartwright was first out of the blocks in her repechage round heat and had a visible lead when she clipped the second hurdle. She finished the race in eighth place. Cartwright, the winningest athlete in Maverick history, holds 30 all-America honors, 8 national championships and is the 2024 D2 Honda Women’s Athlete of the Year.
AUG 7 – Maverick sprinter Denisha Cartwright, running for The Bahamas, posted the 19th fastest time of 12.89 in the 100 meter hurdles in the Paris Olympics qualifying rounds. Falling just outside the 18 fastest qualifiers (by .04 second) advancing to the semifinals, Denisha gets another opportunity to advance in the repechage round (Thursday, Aug. 8 at 3:35 a.m. Central Time).