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2022-23 Report on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

About the Report

St. Norbert College’s mission is to embrace the Norbertine ideal of communio by providing an educational environment that fosters intellectual, spiritual and personal development.

We recognize that a diverse and inclusive community is not something that happens by default, rather it is a shared community effort that must be continually cultivated through thoughtful and intentional efforts.

While this report is unable to capture all of the ongoing activities related to our DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) efforts and achievements, we are taking this opportunity to share and recognize some key work and activities that have taken place and continue to take place. The work is ongoing, and the College is committed to setting strong goals and action steps, striving to ensure that our campus is a place of belonging for all students, employees, and visitors to the community.

Statement from the President
CEDI's Work 
Academic Affairs
Business and Finance
Enrollment and Communications
Information Technology (ITS)
Title IX Office
Student Affairs
In the News
Learn More

Statement from the President

To the faculty, staff, students and friends of St. Norbert College:

It's my pleasure to be a part of the college's first college-wide report on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. In a real sense, it's a testament to nearly two decades of hard work by the campus community that it takes an actual document to account for all the initiatives, programs and events focused on diversity and inclusion that have become a regular part of SNC life.

Yet a sustained, multi-pronged commitment is precisely what is required to effect genuine change, much less progress. Commitment to diversity and inclusion is not the kind of thing that can be measured, like temperature or time. As with our commitment to mission, an institution either embraces diversity and inclusion-and lives it, and honors it-or it does not.

Organizations tend to think this is a hard challenge, but at a place like St. Norbert College it really shouldn't be. When we speak of equity for all, we are really just talking about a logical extension of our core values, which obligate us to respect the dignity, identity, and background of all people. We are, indeed, simply adhering to the Gospel admonition to love one another.

I want to thank all of you, but in particular the members of the campus community who now and in the past have been active on the SNC Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, who have led the way in our efforts to make St. Norbert a fairer, kinder, and more equitable place.



President Thomas Kunkel
Interim President
St. Norbert College


Committee on Equity, Inclusion & Diversity (CEDI)

CEDI exists to help create a campus that is a place of belonging for everyone. This has been done through direct work as well as suggesting and advocating for services, policies, and practices to help make this happen. Some of the committee's work is done through the adoption of subcommittees or task groups. The following is a summary of the work completed in the 2022-23 academic year.

Several CEDI members worked on the creation of this first college-wide equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) report. The intent is to reflect a summary of the EDIB work and goals that were shared from members of the various department divisions throughout the college. It is likely that the format and detail of future reports may change after reflecting on this initial effort, but it is exciting to be able to package and present this compilation of SNC's 2022-23 projects, goals and events.

Another subgroup of CEDI members worked on EDIB strategic planning. They began with a review of the historical identified needs for SNC related to EDIB, and completed two assessment tools (the NERCHE self-assessment and CUPA-HR's DEI maturity index) to evaluate current status. A framework for CEDI strategic planning goals was developed that connects to the SNC strategic planning areas of educational quality, mission radiance, and financial strength and operational excellence. All proposed initiatives will integrate with the strategic plan. A draft of this plan was completed in Summer 2023.The subcommittee's work will continue into Fall 2023-24 semester.

CEDI’s Gender and Sexuality sub-committee reviewed the CAS Professional Standards for Higher Education and completed the CAS Self Assessment for LGBTQIA+ services. Recommendations for enhancements to services will be developed accordingly. This committee also provided feedback related to LGBTQIA+ services to support work in SNC’s Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grant. The new advisor for Spectrum Alliance served on this sub-committee, bringing regular updates from this student organization.

CEDI is continuing to work on understanding and supporting student needs and campus concerns related to EDIB.

CEDI Member list (2022-23)
Jessica Adams Nelson, Director of Wellness Promotion and Violence Prevention
Tanner Anderson, LGBTQIA+ Support Services Coordinator
Heather Butterfield, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources
Corey Ciesielczyk, Director of Academic Success, Support, Accessibility and Athletic Liaison
Miles Condon, Assistant Professor of Business Administration – Marketing
Karen Cortez, Student Representative
Stephanie Faudoa, Student Representative
Craig Ford, Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies
Christine Gill, Program Coordinator for Title IX and Student Affairs 
Wayne King, Student Representative
Hannah Kruse, Digital Marketing Specialist
Tom Kunkel, Interim President
Andrea Lee, IHM, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
Jamie Lynch, Associate Professor of Sociology
Bridgit Martin, Director of Student Inclusion & Belonging
John Miller, Dean of Curriculum and Senior Diversity Officer, Chair of CEDI Committee
Kasia Mills, Assessment Coordinator
Christina Mirisis, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages & Literatures
Sarah Olejniczak, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Title IX Coordinator
Mike Peckham, Director of Housing Operations
Annicka Rabida, Instructional Technologist
Martina Ramirez, Dean of Natural Sciences and Professor of Biology
Morgan Stacey, Athletic Department's Senior Woman Administrator and Assistant Coach for
Women's Hockey
Joe Webb, Vice President for Student Affairs

Academic Affairs

Here are just a few highlights for the 2022-23 academic year.

Humanities Division
The Humanities Division’s current strategic vision includes some great EDIB initiatives. They have been working on creating a Women and Gender Studies (WMGS) major, versus just a minor as an option. Another advancement is that Jump Start, the program that provides high school students an opportunity to earn college credit while in high school, was changed to be free for students who enroll in their high school's free lunch program.

English 
The English discipline has a deep investment in equity, belonging, inclusion, and diversity work, which is reflected in the curricular design, pedagogies, and community service work. In part, they launched a new curriculum with a Diversity Literature requirement, exposing students to inter-sectional points of view, and using anti-racist, inclusive, and trauma-informed pedagogies in classrooms.

History
In History, several new courses in Asian History were added to Peace and Justice. New First-Year Seminars on African American History and Conquistadors also enhanced the course offerings devoted to EDIB. In an effort to broaden interest in and awareness of pre-modern cultures and societies, the Program in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies hosted over 40 junior high and high school students for Classics Day in April of 2023.

Modern Languages and Literatures
Modern Languages and Literatures faculty developed new courses that address topics related to EDIB, including Special Topics and Spanish Senior Capstone courses. Theology and Religious Studies co-sponsored and participated in Coming Out Week and Month of Pride, including faculty presentations and a lecture by Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, KY. Faculty also co-led a session during Beloved Community Week.

Theology and Religious Studies
This discipline co-sponsored and participated in Coming Out Week & Month of Pride, including faculty presentations and a lecture by Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, KY, and co-led a Session during Beloved Community Week.

Natural Sciences
The Natural Sciences Division formed a Gender Equity Task Force in spring of 2023. A main goal involved addressing ongoing plans for the division to monitor gender equity efforts within the Natural Sciences. The work just began and will continue to develop over time.

Schneider School of Business & Economics
The Schneider School of Business and Economics continued to offer specific courses, such as Building Inclusive Workplaces (BUAD 612), Business Ethics and Values-Based Leadership (BUAD 610), and Business Ethics (BUAD 210), that focus on EDIB and ethics. In addition, SNC's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program contributed to the college's ongoing EDIB efforts by offering free tax preparation assistance to people with moderate to low income, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and people with limited English proficiency.

Athletics
Dr. John Miller, Dean of Curriculum and Senior Diversity Officer, led head coaches in a staff development opportunity centered on how to have a winning conversation by becoming an active, solution focused listener. Dr. Miller also served on the hiring committee for several key athletic hires. The student-athlete advisory committee partnered with several organizations, including Hidden Opponent, Special Olympics of Wisconsin, and Team Impact, to name a few.

Cassandra Voss Center
The CVC held programs to support social justice and the mission of our college, the most recognizable for those on campus being the yearly themed programming. This years theme, "Undefeated: Pursuing Justice Through the Power of Sport," considered issues of identity and power and its role in sports and beyond. Authors, athletes, scholars, and other individuals who are vested in making change covered issues around race, gender, sexuality, and identity more broadly. The CVC hosted four events open to the campus and community. Along with year Undefeated, the CVC hosted youth-facing programming, inviting youth from the greater Green Bay area to participate in programs focusing on identity and justice.

The CVC also continued to develop cohort-style learning and hosted two sessions of the Program for Inclusive Excellence, and one group in the Intergroup Dialogue and Equity Faculty Learning Cohort. The Program for Inclusive Excellence focuses on helping participants from community organizations cultivate an inclusive workplace.

The Intergroup Dialogue and Equity Cohort included SNC faculty members who worked to increase their knowledge around social inequalities and infuse their work with best practices of equity scholarship.

The Cassandra Voss Center continued to develop their virtual workshop space through the Racial Justice Workshop and Injustice on Campus series. Injustice On Campus focuses on examining how American college campuses can function as sites of injustice. The Racial Justice Workshop worked to help participants develop skills to equip members of the community to work towards anti-racism.

Lastly, the CVC led community outreach events. They developed six professional development programs for the entire staff and faculty of Bonduel School District, hosted multi-part virtual book discussions with employees of CONNECT, Powered by American Family Insurance, and welcomed members of the community to a night of shared stories centered around self-care at the Human Library event.

Center for Global Engagement
This year the Center for Global Engagement developed new Global Seminars, focused on diversifying student participation and geographic location (Sustainable, Environmental & Social Investing in Vietnam).

Another highlight was receiving $35,000 from the U.S. Department of State IDEAS Grant to help increase and diversify education abroad for U.S. students. Lastly, the Center celebrated 30 years of the English as a Second Language Institute, with over 2,400 students educated from around the world!

Mulva Library
The Mulva staff worked to ensure that all of their events had a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion focus. Also, as a team, they continually focused on trauma-informed care and conducted organizational TIC assessments. The staff also met monthly to analyze and critique white supremacy culture, in order to internalize and practice the antidotes to white supremacy culture as a team.

The archives librarians continued their work of classification and confrontation of hard histories in the archival collection as well as in classroom sessions. One aspect of this included making updates to ArchivesSpace to make the collections searchable outside of Archives for the first time. The library continued to add the college's hard histories statement in the description of materials that depict racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, and/or transphobic attitudes. In 2022, the majority of flagged items were photographic slides from the 1980's that depict cultural appropriation (through makeup, costumes, and props) in skits that students participated in during Winter Carnival festivities.

Norbertine Studies
Dr. Michael Holstead and Alex Gruber further developed the concept of a Norbertine pedagogy, both as a classroom resource for instructors and students, and as a work resource for employees, staff, and administration. In collaboration with Human Resources, Dr. Holstead has been planning a series of workshops on Norbertine pedagogy (one for staff and another for faculty).

Coming up, SNC will celebrate its 125th anniversary. In recognition of this milestone, the traditional Heritage Week will be expanded to Heritage Month for the 2023-24 event.

The Norman Miller Center for Peace, Justice & Public Understanding (NMC)
The Norman Miller Center for Peace, Justice & Public Understanding has drawn deeply from the human rights tradition while honoring the sacred dignity of all persons and advocating for the common good. In solidarity with all members of the human family, NMC programs were designed to cultivate awareness, compassion, and a commitment to justice and sustainable peace, both locally and globally.

In October, the Miller Lecture with former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, and human rights scholar, Micheline Ishay, addressed "Global Challenges to Human Rights Today," with a special focus on international justice and the preservation of democracy. The event also served as a book launch for the third edition of Ishay's Human Rights Reader, to which NMC staff and SNC faculty contributed. The book documents the historical development and progressive recognition of universal human rights, particularly with regard to historically excluded populations.

Other NMC programs welcomed indigenous, Hmong, and Palestinian voices, addressed Catholic identity together with LGBTQIA+ and African American perspectives, highlighted the work of multi-ethnic and intergenerational social practice artists, and focused on expressions of racism and resistance in the digital age. Two educational programs helped the community observe Holocaust remembrance: one addressed the issue of reparations and the other, on Yom HaShoah, focused on U.S. efforts to save the Jews of Europe. Finally, throughout the academic year, the latest eight member cohort of the Norman Miller Center Affiliate Faculty program read and discussed books that contributed to their understanding of racism, human rights, and discussions of such topics in the classroom.

Office of Academic Success, Support and Accessibility (OASSA)
This office continued support of advancing EDIB work. Efforts within accessibility services ensured equitable access for all students who have disclosed needs that have legal accommodations. The program coordinator for Black Student Success, a shared position with the Office of Student Inclusion and Belonging, has had a heavy hand in programming that directly impacts not only SNC's Black student population but also the campus.

Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE)
This year, an OIE student worker developed an EDIB dashboard, with the hope to publish it during the 2023-24 year. In addition, EDIB efforts and successes were added to the program review template beginning in Fall 2022, requiring all curricular programs to report on their EDIB work and results. OIE is also collaborating with the Office of Student Inclusion and Belonging for the Building Bridges program, which seeks to serve first-generation, low-income, and students of color.

Business and Finance

Auxiliary & Hospitality Services
Ruth's Marketplace offered Soul Food Thursdays in February to highlight southern cuisine in honor of Black History month. They also worked closely with Human Resources and the Office of Communications to coordinate an employee recruitment effort via radio advertisements to help reach our local Hispanic/Latinx population.

Human Resources
The Human Resources department, in collaboration with Academic Affairs, helped support a cluster hire to prepare for the 2022-23 academic year in an effort to increase diversity, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and improve retention. Human Resources also kicked off a self-paced, optional 21-day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge in April. This online opportunity was made available through the colleges membership with College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Additional learning opportunities for faculty and staff will be rolled out next fall.

Enrollment Management & Communications

Updates from the enrollment management and communications division encompass work from the office of admission, financial aid office and office of communications. These departments worked closely and in tandem with one another to help recruit and enroll students from all backgrounds.

Over the 2022-23 academic year, the division has engaged in partnerships and sought resources to open pathways to St. Norbert College for students from diverse backgrounds, including establishing a partnership with St. Joan of Antida in Milwaukee, Wis., collaboration with SNC’s Tori McNeal and Young Enterprising Society (YES) out of Milwaukee for campus visits, and conversations with All in Milwaukee to find ways to expand financial aid and supplemental advising support to high potential, limited-income, Milwaukee students.

The admission and financial aid offices created new and enhanced existing scholarships and financial aid for students from underrepresented backgrounds by adjusting the need-based financial aid model to lessen the burden on lower-income students. Partnership schools now receive an extra $2,000 a year, over four years.

Admission requirements were adjusted, as needed, to reduce bias. The office of admission worked with
faculty to continue offering test-optional admission practices allowing students to decide if they want to include their ACT or SAT test scores in their admission portfolio. Divisional members also received LGBTQIA+ training to
better help with building relationships and better communication with people who identify as LGBTQIA+.

Additionally, the admission and communications offices introduced online and offline admission materials in Spanish. Those materials include radio advertising and landing pages, development of an SNC overview video, the financial aid brochure and main recruitment pieces, Spanish-speaking tour opportunities/hiring of tour guides, and presenting at Mundelein High School parent night in Spanish.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

The ITS department has been working on updating many of the campus enterprise applications to incorporate the Gender Inclusive Campus Policy and Practices. As able, values in Banner, Slate, and Workday were enhanced to incorporate the policy's proposed gender, pronoun and preferred name fields. Several more systems are scheduled to be updated, including mySNC, Maxient, Raiser's Edge, and StarRez.

In addition to system updates that support inclusion and belonging, the ITS team continued to grow in its allyship support for the LGBTQIA+ population. Several members in the Enterprise Applications team completed the required training and serve as Safe Space Allies. And, as of this spring semester, the entire Academic Technology Team has been trained and serve as Allies.

Title IX Office

This year, the Title IX Office led the campus celebration and recognition of 70 years of SNC women graduates. In June 2022, Title IX turned 50. Events took place throughout the year to commemorate these two milestones. Initiatives focused on creating awareness and building understanding how Title IX started and what it looks like today. This included sharing Title IX-related developments on SNC’s campus, recognizing the role of women in the development of SNC’s campus community (including early women pioneers at SNC), and identifying continued equity needs for campus, specifically including topics of sex, gender, and sexuality.

In Summer 2022, the campus adopted the following formal language in the college’s Sex and Gender Harassment/Discrimination policy: “The college recognizes that some community members (students, staffs, and faculty) are or may be transgender, intersex, agender, or gender diverse, and that an individual’s gender identity and/or expression may change during their time as a member of the college community.” Gender Inclusive Campus Policy and Practice expectations were established for campus. Implementation of these expectations continues, including enhancements to campus services and additions to data collection tools. 

St. Norbert College was selected as a research project participant with authors of “Sexual Citizens” in a trial of their Sexual Assault Prevention & Campus Equity (SPACE) Toolkit. The SPACE project provides campuses with a new approach to sexual violence prevention – one grounded in a broad commitment to equity. It’s just one of a slew of
initiatives on campuses across the country to raise awareness of, and develop prevention programming around, sex and gender-based violence. The college is one of four institutions receiving support in implementing the project, and leadership of the project is shared between the Title IX Office and the VAWA grant.

In December, the college completed the final phase of a two-year program with NASPA’s Culture of Respect Collective, which included a rigorous self-assessment and targeted organizational change related to sexual violence. The changes that resulted from involvement in this project continue to be carried forward. A Sexual Assault Climate Study took place in Spring 2023 (and will continue every other year moving forward). Additionally, the office continued to respond to all campus reports of gender based violence, including sexual harassment, dating/domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault, including offering support to complainants and overseeing response processes.

Student Affairs

Campus Safety
A trauma-informed meeting space (Safe Space) was created in the Pennings Activity Center using funds from the VAWA grant. Similar spaces were also created in the De Pere Police Department, the Alumni House, and the Title IX Office.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Health Services
This year, forms were reviewed and updated to help assure effective and respectful communication between patients and staff. As part of this, chosen name/pronouns could be entered into the student’s electronic medical record. In addition, the electronic intake forms were updated to allow patients to disclose sexual orientation and gender identity. Cultural competency training was obtained by all staff Health Services and CAPS staff.

Center for Student Engagement
The center held various events that included an intentional focus on EDIB, including an Emerging Leaders retreat in September 2022 that offered conversations on building diversity awareness and the annual Student Leadership Conference in February 2023. In both the fall and spring semesters, the First Year Experience (FYE) Mentor training
included a session on diversity and issues such as addressing microaggressions and similar inappropriate behaviors or language. During the Week of Welcome, new students also received information regarding diversity and inclusion.

Emmaus Center
The Emmaus Center, along with several departments within Student Affairs, partnered to offer "Food Trucks and Fun" on August 22, 2022, (featured in the fall/winter edition of SNC Magazine), which brought together students who come to campus prior to move-in, such as STAR students, RA's, Emmaus center staff, and FYE Mentors. The event cultivated a spirit of belonging for both new and returning students.

Judicial Affairs
On their website, Judicial Affairs included a Spanish translation of the FERPA Guidance for Students. It has identified additional department web pages to translate in the near future and has reviewed its website for clarity and usability.

Office of Student Inclusion and Belonging (OSIB)
The Office of Student Inclusion and Belonging continued to serve as a primary resource for students and a host for many student campus events. A few events from the year included the Native American Drum and Dance Exhibition, Hispanic Heritage Celebration, Loteria Night, Tell Them We Are Rising, and the annual Soul Food Dinner. The "Green Knights Unite'' event in April brought the campus together to celebrate uniqueness and diversity. This new event was the result of a collaborative effort of different student groups and departments. Here are some additional highlights from the Office of Student Inclusion & Belonging:

  • For a Better Future, also known as Latino Recruitment Day, had just under 200 student participants from the Green Bay school district. Activities included a motivation keynote, campus tours, SNC student-led breakouts, lunch, and a scholarship writing workshop.
  • 97% of the students in the STAR program (the program for first year multicultural college students) indicated on a survey that the program assisted in their transition to college and in building a support system.
  • Knight Fadez, the on campus barber shop, provided a total of 160 haircuts during the 2022-23 academic year. In addition to enhancing appearances with a fresh haircut, Knight Fadez established an environment in which students of color can share their experiences, camaraderie, and fellowship. In addition to bonding with the barbers and each other over meaningful conversation and music, students had the opportunity to learn about additional campus and community resources. The barbershop has clearly followed its mission of promoting a sense of belonging and well-being, encouraging co-curricular engagement, and providing an additional layer of support to enhance the success of undergraduate men of color at SNC. Outside of operation hours, Knight Fadez serves as a meeting space for the Men of Distinction group.
  • OSIB recently took over support for some of the services in place for the LGBTQIA+ population. One key aspect of support involves allyship. This year SNC had approximately 90 committed staff, faculty, and students who served as Safe Space Allies, after having completed the required training. Each year several
    training opportunities take place, led by students and staff who are dedicated to increasing advocacy and support for the students.

St. Norbert College Parish
St. Norbert College Parish was an active participant in the Overcoming Racism events, including the Beloved Community Week kick-off; Eucharistic Adoration & Stations of the Cross to Overcome Racism. Additionally, the parish provided support for the Little Food Library on campus. This spring, the parish offered a bilingual Mass on April 2. Staff are planning events this fall to more intentionally support commuter students as well as Hispanic students and their families.

Residential Education & Housing (REH)
REH utilized a new two-track training session for Residential Assistants (RA’s), including Safe Space LGBTQIA+ training for new RA's and general diversity training for returning RA’s. In addition, REH facilitated a global roommate's social and educational program at the beginning of the fall semester. Approximately 50 students attended a welcome scavenger hunt for international students and their roommates. The REH staff also worked with the Center for Global Engagement to discuss ways to enhance international student experiences at SNC. In the Spring semester, RA’s supported Black history month by developing bulletin boards and supporting Black history programs and events for residential students.

In the News

A collection of news stories from 2022-23 that demonstrate SNC’s work towards more equity, diversity and inclusion.

Learn More

A great place to learn more about various campus initiatives is by visiting each division's web pages. Here are a few additional resources to check out:

Thank You

CEDI and our college community are proud to present our first annual report! It is important to recognize that a  diverse and inclusive community is not something that happens by default, rather it is a shared community effort that must be continually cultivated through thoughtful and intentional efforts. This report highlights the collective efforts and contributions of individuals across the college who have been instrumental in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

While this report is unable to capture all of the ongoing activities related to our EDIB (equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging) efforts and achievements, we are taking this opportunity to share and recognize some key work and activities that have taken place and continue to take place.

We look forward to building on this momentum in the years to come and continuing to work toward creating a campus community that is truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive for all.

We would like to extend a special thanks to our Student Design Team and 2023 graduate Mikaela M. Benitez for helping make this report a reality!

Please email cedi@snc.edu if you have questions or comments regarding this report or would like to learn more about SNC.

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