Student Inclusion & Belonging: What We Do

Everyone is welcome at St. Norbert, and the college embraces and celebrates the rich diversity found among its students, faculty and staff. One way it does so is through the programming and services sponsored by the office of student inclusion and belonging.

Two of the office’s most popular annual events are Fiesta and the Soul Food Dinner. Fiesta, held in September – aka Hispanic Heritage Month – is a festive evening with a Hispanic-inspired dinner, keynote speaker and, this past fall, a performance by Milwaukee’s Dance Academy of Mexico. The Soul Food Dinner, held last month during Black History Month, featured a Soul Food meal and sneaker ball, plus a speaker on sneaker culture.

These events, celebrating the gifts of the Hispanic and African-American communities, both sold out, with some 150 to 180 attendees at each event from the St. Norbert campus and area community. But Student Inclusion & Belonging offers so much more, says Kristin Espinar, the office’s assistant director.

The office works with student groups like the Latine Student Union, Black Student Union and Knights En Route, an organization for commuter students. Native American and Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage are celebrated annually, and the office offers support and resources to LGBTQIA+ students.

In addition, Espinar and her group work with Men of Distinction, a male leadership and empowerment program for students of color, and the Students Taking Academic Responsibility (STAR) program supporting first-year college students. And the list goes on.

Because Student Inclusion & Belonging works so closely with these groups, Espinar says they’re akin to a family.

“Our space is their space,” she says. “The student groups hold their meetings here, we have beginning- and end-of-year parties here, and we’re always open for students to just hang out. We’ve got a microwave here and food pantry; sometimes students come here to study or even take a nap between classes.”

To get a sense of the breadth and depth of the office’s activities, Espinar encourages parents to follow its Instagram and Facebook pages. She also notes she’s bilingual and happy to chat with parents in Spanish.

“Our office is open for everybody,” Espinar says. “Parents can stop by and get to know us and our office, which has lots of resources. We’re also eager to collaborate with students to put on whatever events they’d like to do.”