The Center for Multicultural Education (CME) in the upper level of Maucker Union was abuzz with activity as November’s edition of First Friday unfolded. This month’s focus, due to November being Native American Heritage Month, was on Native American culture.

Jackelin Rangel, program coordinator for the CME, explained the setup of the event. The back room of the CME was a Native American theme to add more variety of culture, which featured foods, arts and crafts.

Caitlyn Vanscoyoc, a freshman TESOL major said it is important to feature other cultures on campus.

“Our college tries to promote diversity, even though there isn’t really that much diversity,” Vanscoyoc said. “But having events like this lets people show their diversity to other students, and that’s a good thing.”

Mark Tate, a senior TESOL Spanish major, shared similar thoughts.

“It gives people an opportunity to see more that just Iowa,” Tate said.

For Rangel, it was important to expose students to experiences that they wouldn’t normally encounter aren’t used to.

“Culture is important because it’s helps you,” Rangel said. “It almost helps you prepare for the real world; being around something that you’re not familiar with. At the end of the day we’re all human, right? And it contributes to your holistic experience as a student here at UNI.”

Events like First Friday aren’t exclusive to UNI; Rangel said that events like this are held in places like San Antonio and Chicago, as well as on a national level.

“I felt that it was important to bring all kinds of different cultures here to the CME,” Rangel said. “Feature different cultures just so that people experience and are exposed to different things not just something that they’re always used to.”

Tate, having attended for fun, admired the setup of the event.

“The people who set it up do a really good job,” said Tate. “It’s really fun and there’s good food.”

Rangel hoped that students would not only take in the culture, but also meet new people through the First Friday celebration.

“I hope that they engage with someone that they didn’t know was a colleague of them. I want them to learn something new,” Rangel said. “I want them to get to know the CME and I want them to know that this is an area that they can come and be themselves.”

Unfortunately, if you miss the First Friday of a month, you will have to wait another month before for the next one. Each semester has a total of three First Friday events, each with a different theme. Though First Friday is the CME’s primary event, the CME is open to collaborating with students as well.

“They [students] can come into the CME at any time and reach out to us and ask to collaborate,” Rangel said. “Whether it’s [to] run a program, an initiative that they want to kind of jumpstart […] but if students come and ask for help for the CME, whether it’s funding or collaborative work or they have a new idea, I’m totally game for that”

Upcoming First Friday events will feature holidays around the world, Black History Month, Women’s History Month and Asian American Month, each paired with and highlighting different cultures.