Keeping with the national DECA theme for the year, Mayville State’s Collegiate DECA (Collegiate Distributive Education Clubs of America) will “Make it Count” this year. Activities for the year are well underway, and much more is planned, including a celebration of national DECA month in November.

Members of the Mayville State University Collegiate DECA chapter attended the DECA State Leadership Conference held Oct. 15 and 16, 2013 in Fargo, N.D. The students had the opportunity to meet with other Collegiate DECA members from across the state, as well as with business professionals from the region.

Kyle Willkom from FOCUS Training was the keynote speaker for the conference. He encouraged members to be like ducks, smooth sailing above the water, yet working hard under the water to get where they need to go for what they need. One of the sessions at the conference was “Junk Night.” Each member was put into a group and given random items. Then each group created a product and presented an infomercial to the conference participants and judges.

The MSU chapter members found this conference to be a great team building opportunity and valuable learning experience. They are grateful to the Larson Leadership Foundation for providing partial funding for the costs associate with DECA members attending the state leadership conference.

Mayville State’s Collegiate DECA members are focusing on random acts of kindness in their daily lives, and they are recording them. The chapter’s goal is to record a minimum of 600 acts of kindness before December. These random acts of kindness are to be directed toward random people, not toward friends and family members.

MSU Collegiate DECA members will compete in the Career Development Conference in the spring semester. Their goal is to qualify members for competition at the International Career Development Conference that will be held in Washington, D.C.

DECA is a nationally affiliated organization with the core values of competence, innovation, integrity, and teamwork. Membership in the Collegiate DECA provides an excellent opportunity to build resumes, increase professionalism, and help ease the transformation from the classroom to the workforce.

The MSU Collegiate DECA officers for the 2013-2014 academic year are Wesley Bernier, president; Nisa Rajput, vice president; Amber Montag, secretary/treasurer; and Cierra Steele, marketing/public relations officer. MSU Collegiate DECA is advised by Mayville State faculty members Dustin Olson and Rob Johnston.

Membership in the Mayville State chapter has increased in each of the past three years. This year, more than 40 students are participating in club activities. Collegiate DECA has participated in various Mayville State campus events, including the Farmers Bowl parade and auction and the homecoming parade, and the group has plans to participate in more events on campus and in the community throughout the year.

Current information about Mayville State’s Collegiate DECA chapter is always available at https://www.facebook.com/MayvilleStateDeca