Several student organizations on campus held events in hopes of encouraging voter turnout on election day. According to Adwait Shukla, president of Pitt’s Interfraternity Council and senior adviser of the South Asian Student Association, “If you want candidates who represent your interests, the midterms are where you should vote.”

Until about two weeks ago, Anvit Rai wasn’t familiar with the concept of colorism. “I had heard of [colorism], but I didn’t know how pervasive or important it was,” Rai said. “To a degree,...