Since the world saw Luigi Mangione’s unmasked face, memes began to spread around his looks, and campaigns for his freedom took the internet by storm. 

Photos of Mangione, who was identified and charged in the murder of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson, can be found all over social media. One commentator compared this flood of pictures to an “endless photo shoot.”

Ruth DeFoster, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said this fascination and glorification of crime and criminals is nothing new. 

“Luigi Mangione is a murderer, but we built up this mythos around him and made him stand in for ways we all wish to push back against the system,” DeFoster said. 

White criminals are often the ones who are celebrated, DeFoster said. 

“If Luigi Mangione were Latin, if he were Black, I do not think that we would be seeing the level of support and romanticization that we are seeing with him,” DeFoster said. 

When a white man commits a crime, people often say he was misunderstood, bullied or pushed, DeFoster said. 

DeFoster sees an overlap between this case and the general true crime community since consumers of this content tend to be mostly female. She said the resolution evident in many of these cases gives women a sense of control in a scary world.

“Even though real life is full of uncertainty and ambiguity, in the true crime landscape, there is a lot of certainty, and I think that is really appealing to women,” DeFoster said. 

There is an overlap with this particular case where the audience is primarily female and the assassin is a conventionally attractive white male, which creates a perfect storm, DeFoster said. 

Laurie Ouellette, a professor of communication studies, cultural studies and comparative literature at the University, said especially with interactive digital media, people feel they are no longer just watching but can actually become a part of these crime stories. 

“There is a way that social media allows people to be a kind of jury outside of the usual parameters or rules of the legal system,” Ouellette said. “For some people, it can be an opening up for the operation of power and decision-making.” 

Ouellette said the media also played a role in specifically stereotyping Black men so that in many people’s minds, they are already criminals, with this systematic stereotyping often not getting much attention. 

“In these cases, I think there is something in the whiteness of all these young men that seems important,” Ouellette said. “They transcend the way the media usually represents criminals, and there is a glamour factor.”  

Ouellette said there are often broader cultural and political reasons people become so passionate about some of these cases, often because they tap into some kind of tension. 

The case of the Menendez Brothers, for example, where sexual abuse is involved, taps into the idea of people wanting to make a difference or feeling like something is unjust, which can get complicated, Ouellette said. 

DeFoster said a lot of people feel what Mangione did was justice, which makes them feel his actions were valid. 

“He has taken this drastic action, but he has taken it to ostensibly mitigate a problem that a lot of people have,” DeFoster said. “That is why in addition to all of the other reasons, there has been a lot of this sympathy for him.” 

DeFoster added there is a larger constellation of factors in these systemic institutional inequalities Americans feel helpless about, which are especially represented in this particular case. 

Erika Heil, a third-year student studying forensic psychology, said often when criminals are white, conventionally attractive or have a lot of money or power, people feel as though they did not do anything wrong. 

“I think people construe their perception on the case itself just because of how they perceive the person who committed the crime to be,” Heil said. “They construe their belief on if this person is guilty or not because of their looks, their wealth or whatever power aspect there may be.” 

DeFoster said the immense popularity Mangione has gained on social media may have an effect on his criminal case because it may be more difficult to find an unbiased jury. 

“I think this is a unique case because he sort of tapped into a cultural zeitgeist of weariness around our extremely exploitative healthcare system,” DeFoster said. ”Mangione has become sort of a folk hero, despite being someone who murdered another human being.”

The University of Minnesota’s National Retail Federation Student Association (NRFSA) works with students of all majors who are passionate about the retail industry.

The club hosts various events where students can network and connect with professionals within the industry to develop their career skills. 

Jacquelyn Dufner, a third-year student and the club’s president, said NRFSA aims to engage students with the retail scene, especially in Minneapolis. In the past they have worked with several retailers including Best Buy and Target.

The club also connects students with businesses and boutiques as well as entrepreneurial designers, Dufner added. 

In the past semester, the club hosted several events such as DIY gameday gear, an alumni panel and a variety of guest speakers.

“One of the executives that came in to talk to us was from New York City, and she is a VP at Macy’s,” Dufner said. “It was just great to have such diversity on our panels this year to provide students with such great insights, knowledge and tips.” 

Brooke Jackson, a third-year student and the club’s vice president, said being a club member has been a great way to meet people and network with professionals. Though she said it can be quite scary to talk to professionals, being a part of the club helped her ease those fears. 

“It can seem so daunting with things like Linkedin and Handshake, but we really want to be a resource and advocate for all of those students who are struggling and don’t know how to take these next steps,” Dufner said. 

One skill Jackson said she developed since being a part of the club is her confidence. Club activities have forced her to get out of her comfort zone and gain skills she will use in the business world. 

Every January, club members have the opportunity to attend the National Retail Federation Student Program Conference in New York, Dufner said.

“You are in a room with about 1,500 other extremely passionate retail students, and we just get to listen to some of the most amazing professionals in the industry right now,” Dufner said. “Two years ago, we got to listen to Steve Madden about his journey.” 

Jackson said when she went to the conference in 2023, she was able to participate in a roundtable event where she talked to different retail professionals. It was both helpful and inspirational for her. 

The conference also discussed artificial intelligence in the retail industry, which plays a huge role in determining how consumers shop, Dufner said. She was able to take the knowledge she learned and spread it to club members. 

“It was just great to see such passionate people involved in the industry giving you their story about how it changed their life,” Dufner said. 

The conference is fully funded by the University, according to Dufner.

The club also participates in corporate company tours, Dufner said. Last year, the club visited Merchology, a company that creates and distributes products for other companies to put their logos on.   

The tours are a great way for members to see the behind the scenes of what a day in this field would look like, Jackson said. It can help members figure out what they want to pursue or not.

Dufner said the club is what brought her passion for retail merchandising to life.

“It made me love what I am studying, and it makes me so excited to pursue a career in this,” Dufner said. “I am applying to these crazy internships I never thought I would be able to get and moving to these next stages.” 

Jackson said being a part of the club has allowed her to be a part of something bigger at the University and make connections that she is grateful for.  

“I feel like I would not be who I am today without NRFSA,” Jackson said. “It has brought me so much confidence.”

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota announced on Dec. 2 that it received a three-year grant from the Albert Victor Ravenholt Fund.

The grant awarded two doctoral students, Elise Holmes and Sydney Redepenning this year. They will participate in a scholar program and work directly with CIDRAP’s director and executive team to advance the center’s work on focusing on different public health priorities.

The Albert Victor Ravenholt Fund is a private foundation that funds general support for various grantees, including the University of Minnesota Foundation.

CIDRAP Director Dr. Michael Osterholm said this program will help public health students in research opportunities, advocacy and work and career development. 

“What we are trying to do really is to find students that will be the leaders of public health tomorrow and be supported in their activities,” Osterholm said. “This is a way to help do that.” 

Osterholm added the program will allow Holmes and Redepenning, along with future students, to free up their time to work on any number of things so they can be the leaders of tomorrow. 

Holmes, whose main area of interest is antimicrobial resistance and vaccines, said the program will allow her more flexibility and the opportunity to travel for her research. 

“Some of the potential partners for the project I am working on are in the U.K. and a couple other places, so it might potentially lead to the opportunity to go to a conference they hold each year over there,” Holmes said. 

Since Holmes is already working full-time at CIDRAP, she said the program will also allow her to decrease some of her hours and focus exclusively on her research and studies. 

Holmes talked to Redepenning about using the extra time they will be given to work on new projects, such as continuing to produce Osterholm’s podcast, “Osterholm Update,” which discusses and analyzes the latest infectious disease developments. 

Redepenning said she is excited, honored and grateful to be selected for the program. 

“Elise is someone I really look up to, and she inspires me in the way that I want to work, so seeing my name next to hers definitely has given me some feelings of imposter syndrome,” Redepenning said. 

Redepenning said the main change for her in being a part of this program will be spending more time on projects she finds interesting and having added flexibility, which is rare in academia. 

“There are two main things that there usually are not enough of in universities anywhere,” Redepenning said. “They do not have the time, and they do not have the money. Being able to have more of those two things is overwhelmingly exciting.” 

Osterholm said public policy and financing of public health are in uncharted territories right now, especially with the incoming Trump administration and his potential cabinet leadership. 

“Failure in public health is not an option,” Osterholm said. “There is still much more to be done.” 

Osterholm said they have never been in a situation where the actual practice of public health has been threatened like it is now and that is why it is important to have talented individuals like Holmes and Redepenning. 

His job going forward is to help them make connections, experience things they otherwise would not and share with them lessons he has learned over his 50 years of experience in the field. 

“We will not be able to change everything,” Redepenning said. “But, having programs like this around the country is going to be critical in preparing for future pandemics and combatting a lot of the anti-science rhetoric spreading, especially with the uncertainty that lies ahead for public health.”

In a small music practice room in Middlebrook Hall last fall, members of Toadstool began perfecting their craft.

With a bass player, guitarist, drummer, keyboardist and lead singer, the band is composed entirely of second-year students and collaborates on every song they create.

Maddox Wurzbacher, a second-year student who transferred to the University of Minnesota from North Dakota State University, said he went around asking people if they played instruments during his first week on campus. If they said yes, he would add them to a Snapchat group chat, which garnered about 100 members.

From that large group, he plucked a few people who stood out to him, such as James Chiri, who would later become Toadstool’s guitarist. 

Wurzbacher also met David Steiner, the band’s drummer, in Middlebrook Hall and Pierce Brown, the lead singer, through a mutual friend. Bass player Eddie Tidball recently joined the band in October.

Wurzbacher named the band after a story about his brother from when he was young. 

“When I was yet to be born, and my brother was three years old, he told my parents to name me Toadstool because he obviously did not have a concept of what a socially acceptable name was yet,” Wurzbacher said. “So, I was going to be called Toadstool if my brother had any say in it.” 

The band usually meets once a week to practice in Wurzbacher’s room, where they keep their drums, guitar, keyboard, amp and soundboard. They released their first EP, “Germination,” in May. 

“James is my roommate, and we have two others who like to jam with us, so we have a little, mini apartment jam session every week or two,” Wurzbacher said. 

The band played its first live show at The Subterranean in October, which is located in the Como neighborhood in the backyard of another local band. 

Toadstool will be playing at the Subterranean again Friday. 

Wurzbacher said his main goal in performing is for the audience to have fun, and if they are having fun, that is all that matters to him. 

“I hope people can resonate with what we are singing and playing about,” Brown said. “I hope we are clear in communicating about who we are, and I hope that someone can feel more connected and see themselves in us.” 

When the band is playing music, Wurzbacher said they are showing people what goes on inside their brains. The music shows people a part of them they would not otherwise know. 

Chiri said he enjoyed seeing the community that formed the night they had their first show. It was special to see different friend groups all come together in one space and bond over the band’s music. 

“The fact that we can make anyone feel anything, if they hate us, love us or feel anything, is just awesome,” Wurzbacher said. 

Wurzbacher compared performing music to moving a boulder. He said it takes a lot of work, and you may not know if you achieved anything specific, but you do know you changed something. 

Wurzbacher said he could not imagine being a student without being in a band.

“I am probably a better student because I am in a band,” Wurzbacher said. “I have a time crunch I actually have to hold myself accountable to, and if I want to have a good show, I have got to get my homework done.” 

Chiri said as a landscape architecture student, he is constantly learning about ways to foster creativity and to create something from nothing. He is inspired by the more mundane things in life.

“I really translate that education into my music playing, or at least I try to,” Chiri said. “And that is how I view my improvising and what I try to bring to the band whenever we get together.” 

Brown said being a part of the band fulfills a part of his soul, and he is happy to be a part of something that feels good and everyone cares about. 

“It is fulfilling to get together with a group of guys and make something that sounds good,” Steiner said. “It is fun to do, but it also fulfills yourself as a musician, being able to create something that not only I enjoy listening to, but other people do as well.” 

The University of Minnesota’s Art and Drawing Club brings student artists together to build a strong artistic community on campus.

This is their first semester as a club as they aim to help students achieve their artistic goals and have fun with like-minded students. 

Fleur Buchholtz, a second-year student and the club’s president, said the club meets every Monday, and members have time to pursue whatever art they want. However, there is a prompt every week for those in need of some inspiration. 

“We have a lot of people who draw with colored pencils or markers, and we have a few students who paint,” Buchholtz said. “We have also had some people bring their crochet stuff and other fun mediums that are pretty traditional when you think of art.” 

Chase Grivna, a second-year student and the club’s marketing officer, said the club provides a casual space for students to hang out, do art and take a load of stress off their day. 

Buchholtz said some members also work on digital art and animation. 

Both Grivna and Buchholtz helped create the club last year, though the group did not become an official club until this semester. 

“Last year I was a biology major, and I felt like I was not able to connect with other artistic students like myself,” Buchholtz said. “I really wanted to create a space where artistic students can meet, find each other and really build this community.” 

Grivna said the club provides a space for students who pursue art as a hobby to express themselves creatively, especially if they do not have an opportunity to do that in their classes. 

The club is currently trying to get grants from the University so members can take part in additional activities such as field trips to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. 

Buchholtz said the club’s most rewarding aspect is watching people make friends and become closer. 

“It has been really nice to see because I think there is a theme within the artistic community where a lot of artists have struggles socially connecting with other people,” Buchholtz said. “So, it has been nice to have this space for these people to feel comfortable and safe, opening up to others like them and seeing them shine.” 

Since the beginning of the year, Grivna said he has noticed the differences in some members’ personalities and how they have opened up more. He added how nice it is to see they have created something that can bring people together.

The club is open to people of all skill levels, according to Buchholtz. Though it is still in its beginning stages, she wants to grow membership through more events and opportunities for people to meet each other and network with other artists. 

“We have several people who have never drawn before when they first came to the club,” Buchholtz said. “Some of them are not artists, but they still try, and I think it is really incredible we are inspiring them to delve into that if they are interested in it and want to improve that skill.”

Working at European Wax Center as a receptionist two years ago, Corin Barnhart was looking for a way to spend her time when she came across a YouTube video that taught her how to crochet. 

Now, Barnhart, a second-year student at the University of Minnesota, runs her own crochet business, “Corin Crochets,” selling her pieces to fellow students and people across the country through Poshmark, an online fashion marketplace. 

Barnhart said at first it was hard for her to learn how to crochet because she had only knitted, and that was what she was used to. However, after a few tries, she was able to perfect her crocheting craft. 

In class, you can most likely find Barnhart crocheting. 

“I do 99% of my crocheting in class, and I don’t really crochet outside of class time,” Barnhart said. “So, I need a pattern that is fairly simple, works up quickly and doesn’t use expensive materials.” 

To create her products, which are usually hats, Barnhart starts by shopping for yarn. 

“Shopping for yarn is very fun,” Barnhart said. “You get to feel all the textures, and you can see all the fun color variations.” 

Barnhart said she usually sees yarn and thinks of all the things she can make with it. However, she is selective with the yarn she uses.

She could use solid-colored acrylic yarn, which is usually cheaper, though she prefers cotton or wool because it comes in more interesting patterns and gives a “cool” effect. 

Drawing inspiration from Pinterest and clothing she sees while thrift shopping, Barnhart gets to work. 

“One of my biggest challenges is being able to charge and feeling guilty to charge enough to cover the cost,” Barnhart said. “Realistically I should charge more to cover the cost of materials and amount of time it takes, but I would rather sell some than none.” 

Barnhart charges about $25 for most hats she sells to students on campus but charges more for shipping fees on online orders. 

Lola Ehrenberg, a third-year student and Barnhart’s friend since fourth grade, said Barnhart has gifted her a variety of homemade crochet items. 

“She made me one of those really thick yarn, super soft blankets, and she made me a sweater for my birthday last year,” Ehrenberg said. “She has also given me a plethora of hats, especially the cat hats.” 

The cat hats are a kind of hat Barnhart makes that have two cat ears at the top. According to Barnhart, they are one of her most popular sellers. 

Ehrenberg helps Barnhart promote her business through social media and word of mouth. 

Last year, Ehrenberg said she taught Barnhart how to make posters on Canva. She also encouraged her to advertise on the University Snapchat story because there are a lot of students on it she could sell to.

Barnhart also taught Ehrenberg how to crochet after giving the hobby up, Ehrenberg added. 

“I crocheted previously when I was younger, and I quit because it was too hard, so I lost the skill,” Ehrenberg said. “Corin helped me pick it back up, and then I made us both matching scarves. A small repayment of all the things she’s gifted me.” 

One of the reasons Barnhart said she enjoys crocheting is because it is a nice activity to do with other people and it keeps her hands busy. 

Barnhart also sees crocheting as part of a larger movement for slow fashion and handmade goods. 

“A lot of people don’t know that crocheting can’t be done by a machine, so if you see crochet in a store where it is being mass produced, someone is probably being paid $1 an hour to do that,” Barnhart said. 

Barnhart said crocheting is hard work and takes skill. While knitting can be done by a machine, crocheting cannot. 

“It is nice that I can make some money from my hobby, but I also believe in doing things just for the enjoyment of it,” Barnhart said. “I would crochet either way, regardless of the money.”

Despite the safety concerns Lime scooters present, many University of Minnesota students find them to be convenient modes of transportation. 

The University signed a contract with Lime in 2022 in hopes of making transportation easier and reducing fossil fuel emissions from other modes of transport. The contract is renewed annually. 

John Mark Lucas, the transportation programs manager for the University’s Parking and Transportation Services (PTS), said the main goal of the partnership was to provide students with another transportation option for short-distance trips. 

Another reason was to reduce the University’s traffic, Lucas said. 

Callie Burch, a second-year student at the University, said she often uses Lime scooters to get to class. 

“I am kind of bad with time management, so using the scooters allows me to get up later and not worry about having less time to prepare for class,” Burch said. 

Claudia Staut, a third-year student, said she also uses Lime scooters for time management reasons. When she is late for something, Staut said she uses Lime to get her to where she needs to go. 

“I like the convenience and how you can use it once, leave it and not have to worry about it ever again,” Staut said. “It is also fairly inexpensive.” 

Despite their convenience, Burch said she has fallen off Lime scooters multiple times. 

“Sometimes they go really fast, and I feel like you never know if you are going to get one that is janky or needs updates,” Burch said. “I was on one with a wheel that started moving funny, and I flopped forward.” 

Another time, Burch said she was swerving to try to avoid somebody on the sidewalk but drove into the grass and fell.

Burch said she does not like to ride Lime scooters on the street since the street near her apartment has a lot of fast-moving cars, which stresses her out. 

Staut also said she ran into a moving car while on a Lime scooter. 

“I was in the bike lane, and the car was turning right,” Staut said. “I didn’t notice it was turning so suddenly, and it didn’t see me, so I ran into the side of it and fell off of the scooter.” 

Staut left the incident with a scraped ankle and a couple of scrapes and bruises, but she said she is thankful she was not more injured. 

Staut said one of the more dangerous areas to ride on a Lime scooter is around Athletes Village, where there are many pedestrians and cars.

“The road conditions are also not great over there,” Staut said. “I saw someone flip over their scooter from a pothole.” 

Lucas said PTS works with the city to provide as safe an infrastructure as possible. This includes general bike lanes and separated bike lanes, which the University will be introducing to provide more separation between bikes and scooters as well as bikes and vehicles. 

On weekends, Staut said she sees a lot of students riding Lime scooters under the influence.

“I will be out and I will just see some people that are just a little too rowdy being a little unsafe with the scooters,” Staut said. “You can tell they are definitely not sober.” 

Of injured scooter riders, 29% reported consuming alcohol in the 12 hours before riding, according to a 2018 study by Austin Public Health in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Lucas said the scooters shut down at midnight every day. They open again at 4 a.m.

One of the main safety concerns brought to PTS is conflict with pedestrians, Lucas said.

“We have implemented slow zones where we have a lot of pedestrian interactions, and we are continuing to add them,” Lucas said. “There are also no ride zones where you cannot ride at all.” 

Lucas added Lime has a rider education program on its app, which gives riders a quiz. If riders choose to take it, and they pass the quiz, they are offered 50% off on their next ride.

Lucas said PTS is working to make the Lime scooter system more equitable. This year, PTS is working with Lime and International Student and Scholar Services to make sure anyone who has financially subsidized financial aid qualifies for their Lime Access program, which provides discounted rides. 

With this program, users will receive 100 rides at 75% off, according to the University statement. 

“We are working towards making sure that accessibility and equity are something that will be more balanced,” Lucas said. “We want everyone to have a transportation option regardless of what their financial capability is.”

The results of the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 5 sparked conversation among University of Minnesota students with negative reactions.

With President-elect Donald Trump winning, students are concerned about what the next four years will look like.

Benjamin Lindeen, a fourth-year student, said he was a bit surprised Trump had won, but he also knew it was going to be a close race. 

Lindeen said that based on the polling data and the generally more positive sentiment around the Harris-Walz campaign, he believed Vice President Kamala Harris would score a narrow victory.

Osama Jerome, another fourth-year student, said the results of the election do not reflect the direction he wants for the country. 

“I think the country has a lot of very significant issues and problems, and I think Donald Trump is not equipped to deal with any of them,” Jerome said. “His biggest solution to every single problem is mass deportations. You can’t mass deport your way out of economic turmoil.” 

Abbie Swenhaugen, a third-year student, said she hopes the next four years can serve as a reflection period for the country. 

“We should think about where we hold our values and how we can use our values to vote,” Swenhaugen said.

Swenhaugen said she hopes the country can come to a common consensus where people realize how important it is to have a variety of  perspectives in government in order to ensure democracy. 

Lindeen said the Trump administration during Trump’s first term was unproductive and based on the Biden-Harris administration, he believes Harris would have been able to do a better job.

“If you look at what Trump ran on in 2016, it was, ‘Build the wall, drain the swamp, lower taxes and repeal and replace Obamacare,’” Lindeen said. “Of those things, only one happened, and that would be tax cuts.”

Lindeen said he believes Trump and Republicans have duped the working class into believing they have their best interests at heart. 

“Biden is one of the most pro-union presidents in modern American history, marching on picket lines, whereas Trump really is not,” Lindeen said. “He did not get any major endorsements from unions, and he’s mostly focused on helping the top 1%.”

Jerome said he does not think the Democrats have been effective in explaining how they will help the economy. 

“Sure, the economy might be doing well for people who have money and resources, but it is difficult for me, as a computer science student, to find a job, and I think the economy is not stable for a lot of people,” Jerome said.

Jerome said inflation is a primary concern for many Americans, and Trump is running on a policy that plans to implement tariffs taxing imports from foreign countries. 

If Democrats hope to win in the future, Lindeen said they should reinvigorate the message that the Democratic party is the party for working-class people and they support labor unions and manufacturing. 

Swenhaugen said she hopes Trump’s policies make things more affordable, though she does not expect it. 

Despite Trump’s denied association with Project 2025, Swenhaugen said she hopes not to see any of its policies come to fruition.

“The biggest one for me is getting rid of the Department of Education,” Swenhaugen said. “Our education systems are literally the most fundamental part of how we run as a country.” 

Swenhaugen said she is grateful to live in a state where women’s rights to abortion are protected, but she worries about her family and friends in other states who do not have the same protected rights. 

The results of the election will have a significant impact on the country, Jerome said. 

“You cannot implement the policy of mass deportations without destroying significant communities throughout the United States,” Jerome said.

Jerome added he believes the budget cuts and austerity measures the Trump administration plans to run through will leave many communities under-supported. 

Many of his friends and family feel disengaged and want to give up on the country, which Jerome said he sees as harmful. 

“You can never stop fighting, and you should never stop advancing your own interests,” Jerome said. “They never stop, so why should we?”

PERMIAS Minnesota is an Indonesian student organization based at the University of Minnesota and is open to all Indonesian college students and alumni in the state of Minnesota. 

The club aims to create an Indonesian community that supports the development of its members through different events and activities. 

PERMIAS stands for “Persatuan Mahasiswa Indonesia di Amerika Serikat,” which translates to “Indonesian Student Association in the United States.” 

Jonah Sitorus, a first-year student and the club’s public relations officer, said PERMIAS provides a safe space for Indonesian students, and even those who are not Indonesian, to express their ideas and be more involved in the community. 

Sitorus said people can find connections through the club, given that a lot of the club’s board members are University alumni, many of whom are involved with other organizations.

“We really just promote community, and being in our community helps you both professionally and personally,” Sitorus said. 

Benedictus Punjab, a third-year student and the club’s event organizer, said a lot of its events involve games as a way for members to connect with each other. 

Punjab added the club will do a gift exchange in December where members will serve Indonesian food, play games and celebrate Christmas. The event will also be right before finals, so people can discuss their feelings about the semester. 

Punjab said the club’s biggest event, “Indofest,” will most likely be in the spring semester at Coffman Union. At this event, PERMIAS will share about Indonesian culture including some of the languages and musical instruments native to the country.

According to Punjab, the event will feature traditional Indonesian dances and educate people about the country itself, which has over 1,000 ethnic groups.

Sitorus said it is nice to be able to talk to people from the same ethnicity as him because he is not often surrounded by other Indonesians in Minnesota. 

As a first-year student, Sitorus said the club has also been a helpful way for him to get to know other people on campus and learn about other student organizations. 

Risel Matani, a third-year student and the club’s other public relations officer, said PERMIAS wants to invite other people from different cultures to be involved in the future. Matani added being a member of PERMIAS has positively impacted him.

“Coming in as a transfer student from Seattle, I did not know anyone else around campus or in Minnesota,” Matani said. “PERMIAS provided that space and community that welcomed me with open arms.” 

Punjab, who is also a transfer student from Seattle, said he was scared he would not make new friends at the University or adapt to the new environment and culture. 

“I feel like they welcomed me as not just a community, but as a family,” Punjab said. “They understand me because they have the same culture as me.” 

The University of Minnesota’s Chroma Collective student group provides an exclusive space for students who identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color within the College of Design.

The group meets twice a month and hosts affinity events, which are events open to only students who are Black, Indigenous people or people of color, to come together and speak about their experiences as well as open events that any undergraduate or graduate students can attend.

The group is a part of the College of Design’s Design Justice initiative, which is led by a collective of students, staff and faculty. These groups offer affinity spaces, certificate programs and consulting services to promote justice-centered design education and practice.

Neha Shyam Aramkuni, a fourth-year student and the club’s president, said one of the events the group hosts is called “Spill the Tea,” where members can share their feelings about things going on within the College of Design.

“During our last session, we got really into it, and we were just talking about our grievances with how things are being run in the college,” Shyam Aramkuni said. “We just don’t feel heard sometimes, and it is nice to have that community where you can be heard and just talk about things.”

Shyam Aramkuni said the College of Design is a predominantly white space and knowing there are other people out there who share similar experiences as them has been beneficial.

The group recently hosted a cultural potluck where people brought in food from their cultures and got to try food from others, according to Shyam Aramkuni.

Luzia Stern, a third-year student and the club’s vice president, said they were inspired by the Director of Design Justice Terresa Moses, who works directly with the group. They came across Moses during a speech she gave their first year.

“The ideas that she was sharing with us, her speech, all of it aligned with me so much that it kind of inspired me to go down the path I am today, which is a direct connection between social and political activism and art,” Stern said.

Shyam Aramkuni said the group has allowed them to feel more free to incorporate activism into their design.

“I moved here when I was 14 from India, and my parents told me to not get involved politically,” Shyam Aramkuni. “I have opinions, and I was not really allowed to state them.”

Now, after being more involved in the Chroma Collective, Shyam Aramkuni is more open to activism and doing designs they believe will have more of an impact.

Irene Zeng, a fourth-year student and the club’s secretary, said the club provides her with a calm, relaxing space.

“I never feel stressed when I am around these very cool people, and I feel like our events are very inclusive,” Zeng said. “Everybody always feels comfortable speaking, and even if we don’t know each other, we make it a very welcoming space.”

Stern said the group is also planning a community food drive and a collage event where they will be creating art about issues they each personally care about.

Stern said they enjoy the multilingual aspect of the club.

“It is nice to see people come together from different language-speaking countries and be able to speak to each other in that language as well,” Stern said. “I think it is just beautiful to see.”