With the start of 2023’s spring semester, there are new Cardinal First and Transfer centers on campus. Located in Seybert Hall, these centers provide a designated space for these groups of students on campus. While NCC finishes the final touches to the centers, students in the meantime are already putting the rooms to good use.
Transfer center
Entering through the front of Seybert Hall, after heading up the small set of stairs to the first level of the building leads to the front of the Transfer center.
One of the main features of the room is a large square table that lines the wall. These counters offer “Transfer Treats and Teas.” In line with the name, the tallest section of the counter has jars filled with candy and other treats. The shorter counter hosts objects necessary for tea, including cups, a water heater, and a selection of tea packets.
Wide windows also allow natural light to filter in. In front of this window is a row of hanging plants, providing some greenery to the room. A small round table surrounded by chairs sits to the right of the window. At this table, three students were conversing while eating their lunch. One was willing to provide their input on the new transfer center.
“Since its opening this semester I’ve been able to have lunch and finish homework assignments, as well as have some friends that I met from the transfer student network last year,” said Roger Staudenvaur, ’25.
The difficulties of transferring into colleges and the desire for easier connection with other transfer students have been expressed in past years. Julie Carballo, who is the founding director of Cardinal First and the current Assistant Dean for First Generation, Transfer and Veteran Initiatives, had information to share about the new centers and the related initiatives.
Administrative perspective
Carballo didn’t shy away from using numbers to showcase the populations of students these centers serve. As she shared, around 800 first-generation enrolled at NCC this semester. When comparing to the around 600 transfer students, there is a degree of overlap. Around 43% of first-generation students are also transfer students. And around 73% of transfer students are also commuters. Carballo expressed the importance of these centers in providing a place for transfer and first-generation students to study, socialize, get their questions answered, and just call their own.
She also shared some of the work that went into creating these centers. In 2021, the college created a transfer task force to look at all things transfer-related in the college including transfer student experiences. Then around a year ago, Carballo moved into her current position. In this position, she began developing transfer student engagement and support initiatives.
In creating the transfer and cardinal first centers, the college brought its interest in sustainability into play. Carballo emphasized that almost everything in those centers is repurposed, with some specific items such as books, board games, and plants being donated. The only newly purchased item was the TV for the first-generation center. Wanting to learn about the history of the building and its namesake, Carballo was able to share some of what she found. For instance, Seybert Hall was dedicated to Bishop John Seybert, just as the Bishop was dedicated to education and learning among the mainly German-speaking church members of the local Evangelical Association. This Evangelical Association was eventually called the Evangelical United Brethren and is now known as the United Methodist Church.
Among the other initiatives offered to transfer students is the presence of transfer student faculty mentors, located in 22 departments. Also able to provide mentorship and contact are transfer student network leaders, who are transfer student peers. Also offering Transfer Tuesday lunch workshops each week during the first two months of a semester, transfer students can mingle and settle into the community.
Cardinal First center
Straight across and to the right of the Transfer center leads to the Cardinal First center. NCC’s first-generation college student program has helped students and received national recognition. Now it has its own center on campus. This center is slightly larger than the Transfer center, including a couple of rows of long tables surrounded by walls of windows.
When entering, there is a large bookcase with a selection of books and a multitude of Cardinal First objects, such as a piggy bank with glasses and a spinning wheel. Additionally, armchairs surround a small circle coffee table in the front right of the room. On the table was a copy of 30 N. Literary Journal. Hanging on the wall above this sitting area, a sticky note tells of a “Coming Soon – 50″ monitor/TV”.
These new spaces allow students places to work, relax and connect with other students.
More on involvement
The transfer and cardinal first centers are hosting an all-campus open house on Feb. 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition, every week they put up a “Question of the Week” for students to answer. They also set out a “This or That” game for students to vote on a particular side. Students vote by adding a marble to the side they support. As students are not always in at the same time, this provides an asynchronous way to encourage student engagement.
