Finding your people, finding your space and finding your home away from home — the college experience hinges on these connections, especially for ethnically diverse students at the predominantly white University of Wisconsin.
At the heart of UW’s campus stands the Gymnasium and Armory, or the Red Gym for short. Home to the Multicultural Student Center, it stands as a physical embodiment of UW’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Yet for students of Middle Eastern and North African descent, something crucial is missing — a dedicated space they can call their own.
While the MSC houses cultural centers for Black, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American and Indigenous students, MENA students continue to struggle for official recognition and representation within the university’s multicultural framework.
The absence of a MENA cultural center represents more than just a missing physical space. It symbolizes an institutional blind spot that leaves MENA students feeling invisible and unsupported.
A dedicated center would provide guaranteed spaces specifically designed for MENA students and programming. During March’s MENA Heritage Month celebrations, the absence of dedicated space created tangible challenges — prayer rooms quickly reached capacity, event venues had already been booked and MENA-identifying students had nowhere consistent to generally gather during campus hours.
The constant shuffling between borrowed spaces undermines the sense of belonging that comes with having a permanent cultural home. A MENA cultural center would eliminate the perpetual guest status that these students experience, instead offering a space that provides institutional recognition and a place to call their own on campus.
For many MENA students, this reality creates a stark contrast between the university’s public commitment to diversity and their lived experiences on campus.
Haia Al Zein, Internal Affairs Chair for Associated Students of Madison, spoke with The Badger Herald about her experience as a MENA student coming to campus.
“When I came here as a freshman, especially like my first semester when I didn’t have the foundation of friends I have now, I felt so left out,” Al Zein said.
Al Zein’s experience echoes a common sentiment among MENA students who arrive at UW from more diverse communities.
Coming from Milwaukee, which has a more substantial MENA population, the cultural isolation at UW was jarring for Al Zein. This disconnect prompted her to begin advocacy work during her second semester, launching a MENA project with ASM aimed at establishing a dedicated cultural center.
Push for recognition
The push for a MENA cultural center emerges from a genuine need for community, recognition and belonging. Without dedicated resources and spaces, MENA students often find themselves navigating the university experience without the institutional support provided to other minority groups. This disparity creates an uneven playing field that affects everything from social integration to academic performance and mental well-being.
As universities nationwide face increasing pressure to meaningfully address diversity and inclusion, the absence of MENA-specific resources at UW highlights a gap between institutional rhetoric and action.
Despite advocacy from student-led efforts similar to Al Zein, progress has been slow and has included obstacles. The current political climate surrounding diversity initiatives has further complicated these efforts, leaving many MENA students questioning the university’s commitment to serving all members of its diverse student body.
“I thought that such a big university like this would actually encourage more diversity and inclusion,” Al Zein said. “But in reality all they did was kind of dismantle any student that wanted to do anything with DEI.”
This gap between the university’s public statements on diversity and its actual resource distribution leaves many MENA students feeling overlooked and unrepresented on campus.
Belonging with no blueprint
Some MENA students at UW say the absence of a dedicated cultural center symbolizes their institutional invisibility and the university’s failure to fully recognize their unique cultural identity and needs.
Dana Tabaza, who reignited the fire for MENA inclusivity as the MENA cultural programming intern for two years, described what a cultural center would mean.
“[The space would be] a manifestation of all the hard work that we did, recognition for this community that is long overdue, this community that has been in the shadows for years intentionally by this university,” Tabaza said. “Bringing them to the front and giving them space is a sign that they see us and that we are no longer invisible,” Tabaza said.
Emphasizing that official recognition through a dedicated space would validate the MENA community’s presence and contributions to campus life, Tabaza said.
Maha Mustafa, president of Muslim-interest sorority at UW Alpha Lambda Rho, spoke with The Badger Herald about the practical importance of having a physical space for MENA-identifying students.
“A physical space is so important,” Mustafa said. “The motto of the MSC is ‘home away from home,’ and lots of other identity centers are really able to feel that because they have a physical space to sit in, to nurture their identities in, but because MENA has a lack of that, I don’t feel comfortable calling it my home away from home necessarily.”
This absence of dedicated space forces MENA students to occupy general areas in the MSC, further reinforcing their perception as an afterthought in the university’s diversity framework.
More often than not, MENA students consistently occupy the general spaces of the MSC because there is no designated space for them.
The struggle for recognition extends beyond a physical space — MENA students face challenges in the current political headwinds that have created significant barriers to their advocacy efforts.
“Because of the political climate that we’re in now, even then the political climate that we were in then, made it really hard for me to even move forward with this project,” Al Zein said.”It was really hard to talk to people that were higher up on this campus that actually cared about it because none of them said that it was gonna work or happen.”
This resistance has forced MENA student leaders to adapt their advocacy strategies. Al Zein has shifted toward more internal, grassroots approaches rather than public campaigns.
“I’ve come to realize that that project is not feasible now or ever because cultural centers all across the Big 10 are getting dismantled,” Al Zein said, referencing the concerning trend of diversity initiatives being scaled back at peer institutions. “No one knows what school is going to be next. No one knows if UW-Madison will be next.”
The uncertainty surrounding diversity initiatives creates additional stress for student advocates already juggling academic responsibilities and personal challenges.
Despite these obstacles, MENA students continue to build community through student organizations and informal gatherings, creating the support networks that the institution has failed to provide.
“I’ve just learned that advocating for MENA rights in a way that’s more internal is way more important,” Al Zein reflects, “because once you do it externally, no one takes you seriously.”
Efforts continue without walls
Despite institutional resistance, MENA students at UW continue to pursue recognition and community formation. Their persistence underscores both the community’s resilience and the potential for a dedicated cultural center.
For student advocates like Tabaza, a MENA cultural center represents the beginning of a more comprehensive recognition.
“It shows that our advocacy and efforts aren’t starting to waste and that it’s going to culminate into something bigger, a space where students can be recognized,” Tabaza said.
Tabaza emphasized that a cultural center would only be the first step in meeting the broader, long-neglected needs of the MENA community, describing it as the start of a cumulative process of long-overdue recognition and support.
While MENA students have long been an integral part of UW’s campus, it was not until 2018 that programming efforts first received institutional support. However, a five-year hiatus in formal MENA-specific programming at UW led former then-Ooperations Iintern Dana Tabaza to rekindle MENA programming’s momentum in Fall 2023.
Student Affairs Communications representative Darcy Wittberger highlighted existing initiatives developed in response to student interest, which include programs aimed to celebrate MENA culture and build community among students.
“MENA Programming was established within the Multicultural Student Center in response to growing student interest in celebrating and exploring the expansive MENA community on campus,” Wittberger said.
Wittberger said programming is an avenue through which MENA students’ need for spaces on campus to belong in and celebrate their culture could be satisfied. She emphasized the importance of collaboration with student organizations, which has led to increased event attendance, revealing increased student engagement and interest in MENA culture.
Wittberger suggested a shift in focus toward offering resources other than a physical space for MENA students.
“Our aim is to build momentum and opportunities for a more inclusive campus community, less focused on assigning square feet to specific groups and more intent on integrating services, programs, resources and practices that help all students feel welcome no matter where they are on campus,” Wittberger said.
This approach contradicts the university’s historical practice of providing dedicated centers for other cultural groups, raising questions about consistency in diversity policies.
Students demand lasting change
The effort to establish a MENA cultural center at UW reflects more than a desire for a physical space — it embodies a broader call for institutional recognition, equity and belonging.
While the university positions itself as a leader in diversity and inclusion, the persistent exclusion of MENA students from the infrastructure that supports other communities highlights a contradiction between stated values and implemented policy.
MENA students are not asking for special treatment, they are seeking consistency with other marginalized groups that already benefit from dedicated centers. These spaces offer more than room for gathering — they serve as hubs for identity development, peer support and cultural affirmation.
Without one, MENA students are left to rely on general spaces or temporary programming, reinforcing the perception that their presence on campus is peripheral rather than integral.
University representatives point to cultural programming as evidence of inclusion. But, these efforts, while appreciated, are insufficient. Events and workshops, no matter how well attended, cannot replicate the day-to-day support and stability that a dedicated space provides.
Nor can programming alone address the deeper issue — a lack of formal recognition that MENA students are a distinct and vital part of the campus community.
This exclusion becomes more pronounced in the current political context, where DEI efforts are increasingly scrutinized or scaled back. Students note the growing trend across peer institutions to reduce or dismantle cultural centers altogether.
In this climate, the absence of a MENA center is not merely an oversight—it is a vulnerability. Without formal structures in place, the needs of MENA students risk being further marginalized.
Yet, even in the face of institutional resistance, MENA students continue to build community through alternative avenues. Student-led advocacy efforts have filled some of the gaps left by UW, offering spaces for connection and cultural engagement.
These grassroots efforts have been central to fostering a sense of belonging, particularly for students who arrive on campus without an established support network.
Still, the burden of building community should not fall solely on students. The responsibility to create an inclusive environment lies with the institution.
As former programming intern Dana Tabaza said, MENA students will likely remain invisible without continued advocacy.
Going forward, MENA student leaders are looking to build coalitions, document their experiences and draw from the successes of other cultural centers. Their goal is clear — to secure lasting recognition within UW’s multicultural landscape. The creation of a MENA cultural center would not only validate their presence, it would reaffirm the university’s stated commitment to supporting all of its students.
The question is no longer whether MENA students belong at the table. Their leadership, resilience and contributions have already answered that. The question now is whether the university will meet them with action or allow this disparity to persist.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on May 7 to more accurately represent a statement made by Student Affairs Communications representative Darcy Wittberger.
