After a brief pandemic-related hiatus, Podward State is back, baby.

Hosts Matt Ogden and Matt Paolizzi are joined on Zoom by Onward State visual staffer, host-in-training, and State College townie Samuel Brungo to share his thoughts on Penn State students’ return campus and what they must do to keep the community safe.

Also joining the conversation this episode is former Onward State senior editor Mikey Mandarino, who breaks down the Big Ten’s controversial decision to postpone fall sports and how Penn State will handle a fall semester without football.

Podward State will release weekly episodes this fall on Spotify and YouTube. Each will feature discussions about all things Penn State, including sports, news, student life, and entertainment, and more.

You can listen to the new episode on Spotify and watch it on YouTube below. Feel free to check out our time-stamped list of discussion topics below if you’d like to jump right into a topic of your choosing.

0:00-4:19: Intro (featuring hosts Matt Ogden and Matt Paolizzi)

4:19-24:28: Students returning to campus (Featuring Onward State visual staffer and State College local Samuel Brungo)

24:28-33:52: Big Ten postpones Fall sports (featuring former Onward State senior editor Mikey Mandarino)

33:52-36:37: Outro (featuring an incredibly motivational monologue by co-host Matt Paolizzi)