Editor’s note: Haia Al Zein is a contributing reporter with The Badger Herald. In the context of the story below, Al Zein spoke only in the capacity of her role as an intern with the Associated Students of Madison.
When Haia Al Zein began her time as a student at the University of Wisconsin during the fall 2023 semester, she said she felt a sense of culture shock. Having grown up in Milwaukee in diverse settings, Al Zein felt a lack of comfort on campus that she had been familiar with at home.
On campus, the journalism and legal studies student stepped into a role as an intern with the Associated Students of Madison, UW’s student government. Throughout her internship, Al Zein has been working to establish a Middle Eastern and North African student center on campus.
It is a project Al Zein, who is Iraqi, intends to see through until her graduation. Wednesday evening, Al Zein was appointed to serve as ASM’s Diverse Engagement Chair for the 2024-25 academic year. This position will enable Al Zein to continue advancing the center’s creation.
Al Zein hopes creating the student center will further foster a sense of community for MENA students on campus. She pointed to events at the Multicultural Student Center that have provided her with the sense of community she has missed since being on campus.
“All the times I feel really confident on this campus are when I’m at MSC events,” Al Zein said. “It’s really helped me feel included and part of something. It’s a different type of safety, and I think it’s really important for everyone to feel that.”
UW currently offers MENA programming through the Multicultural Student Center. Most recently, the MSC hosted six events as part of MENA Heritage Month. Despite progress made on campus to support MENA students, many have advocated for the university to create a dedicated MENA space on campus following increased reports of bias and hate, according to previous reporting from The Badger Herald.
This semester, Al Zein has worked to garner support for the center by building connections with individuals and cultural organizations across campus. She started a petition, which currently has more than 300 signatures in support of the center.
Among the students who have signed the petition is Roseann Sous, who became friends with Al Zein in an Arabic class on campus. Sous said she signed the petition because she sees the importance of a physical space in building inclusivity, which strengthens the campus community, and UW as an institution.
“Just having a room, whether it’s to study or to hang out with friends, is a safe space for people,” Sous said. “I think it’s really important.”
Al Zein hopes the creation of the center will help bring more MENA students to campus. She said people from her hometown have expressed reluctance over coming to UW due to a lack of diversity and support. Having a physical space could make prospective MENA students feel more confident they will find a community on campus, Al Zein said.
A specific location for the center has not yet been determined, but Al Zein hopes it can be in the Red Gym, where other identity centers are located. Al Zein emphasized the MENA center would not only exist for MENA students, but also for students looking to learn and connect with other cultures on campus. She envisions a MENA student center where everyone is welcome.
“People genuinely do care,” Al Zein said. “And they care about making others feel good. I feel that’s a shared common ground people have — to make others feel included and feel happy where they are.”
