Some snow graffiti I saw at St. Olaf

I’m walking through campus and find juniors Meghan Bodie (sociology-anthropology) and Christine Franzel (biology) stamping out some figures in the snow.

Apparently it’s World AIDS Day, and the duo just wanted us to know about it.

It’s not just a passing fancy — and it tells something about the student body. Franzel is a member of the Oles for Global Health student group, and Bodie recently spent a semester in India researching the knowledge and awareness of AIDS among Indian college students.

(That’s not a party trip. Sounds like some serious stuff.)

Although Oles don’t seem especially granola-like, they’re pretty environmentally and globally aware. Almost 7 in 10 study abroad during their time here — in one of something like 50 countries – often under a program run by a professor.

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich

afriedrich@mpr.org

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.