A scavenger hunt put on by the University of Minnesota U Card Office challenged students with finding Goldy the Gopher’s U Card.

The scavenger hunt, which started on Oct. 2, aims to give students a break from school and will  continue through Oct. 18.

Nick Mabee, project lead for the scavenger hunt, said the goal of the scavenger hunt is to have students enjoy themselves while exploring campus and highlight what the U Card gives students access to.

The scavenger hunt’s first clues were released Oct. 2 to find Goldy’s U Card on West Bank campus via the office’s Instagram and website. More clues were released on Oct. 9-11 for the St. Paul campus scavenger hunt and will be released on Oct. 16-18 for East Bank campus scavenger hunt.

There will be one card hidden per week on each of the University’s campuses. Goldy’s U Card is hidden in an accessible area so all students can participate.

Those who find Goldy’s U Card win $100 in Gopher GOLD, which can be used to buy food and drink on campus, according to the office’s website.

This is the office’s first scavenger hunt in nearly 20 years, said Katie Ousley, University spokesperson, in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

The reaction from students was larger than anticipated. “There were a lot of students that came to our office in a panic and we were like, [it] hasn’t been found yet,” Mabee said.

Mabee grew up in Shakopee, Minnesota where each summer the town would host a medallion hunt. He decided to apply those memories to his job and let students catch a break from schoolwork. 

“[The medallion hunt] always brought up good memories about going around the city with my friends trying to find this medallion,” Mabee said.

The promotion also aims to increase the office’s social media presence, Mabee said.

The office’s Instagram page gained around 150 followers this past week, indicating student interest in the promotion, according to Mabee. Ten students also visited the office to ask for more clues than the ones officially released.

 Winning was not the expected outcome of the group that found Goldy’s missing card.

The clues were hard to decipher, Claire Furlong, a fourth-year nursing student at the University, said, and working in a group seemed to be the most effective strategy. 

Furlong and her friends had no plans to win. They had seen some clues on Instagram and decided to start their search during a homework break.

Furlong said she was close to giving up but decided to stick around a little bit longer. Before long, she stumbled upon a familiar face beneath a tree near Mondale Hall.

“I was heading back,” Furlong said, “then I found it, and it was kind of crazy.” 

The $100 was split between the group of three students. Furlong kept Goldy’s U Card as a souvenir. 

The office has plans for more promotions coming spring 2024, Mabee said.

Correction: The original version of this article included the incorrect dates for the scavenger hunt. Clues were released on Oct. 9-11 for the St. Paul campus scavenger hunt and will be released on Oct. 16-18 for East Bank campus scavenger hunt.