MCC debuts new series

On Wednesday, Feb. 11 the Multicultural Center hosted a night of conversation titled “Voices at the Table: Understanding the Hidden Curriculum.”

The conversation invited students to learn about the unwritten rules of college and provide strategies to help them do their best.

This event was held within the Multicultural Event Space, facilitated by Jesus Medina Jr. (SJU ‘25) and Multicultural Center Director Malik Stewart.

The Multicultural Center aims to educate and uplift all students and to develop cultural awareness and agility.

Their services are extensive, including first-generation student support, international student services, multicultural and LGBTQ+ programming and a variety of workshops and trainings.

The Voices at the Table series is meant to be about creating an inclusive space that welcomes and engages students in an open dialogue, specifically about finding a sense of belonging within higher education, with a focus on allowing students to share personal experiences and identity, community building and maintenance through meaningful conversations.

The Voices at the Table: Hidden Curriculum dove into the hidden curriculum in higher education and the effects that it has on students.

After attending the event, the Multicultural Center hopes that students will learn to recognize these unwritten rules and find ways to find solutions to uncover success in higher education.

One of the hosts, Jesus Medina Jr., graduated from CSB+SJU this past year.

His focus is to build community, support students and help them flourish inside and outside the classroom.

In providing this support to students, Medina hopes to create spaces where students feel encouraged and empowered to be themselves and reach their goals.

When asked why holding the Voices at the Table event is important, Medina said, “Holding this event is important as many students are affected by not knowing about the hidden curriculum when coming to college. I want to provide this space for students to help them learn about it.”

Medina will act as a guide and leader for not only this week’s Multicultural Center event, but also future events involving the Voices at the Table series.

Medina hopes that the students who attended this program learn to understand the hidden curriculum, learning how it can affect success and assist them in finding solutions that ultimately support their accomplishments at CSB+SJU.

Medina will host this event alongside Malik Stewart, Assistant Dean of Multicultural Services.

Stewart has been with CSB+SJU since 2014, assisting with student development and guidance.

His goal with students is to help them decide on majors, explore careers, navigate relationships with friends and family while in college and uncover being the “only” in a classroom or team setting.

With the Voices at the Table event kicking off a series of events, Malik Stewart reflected on what the Hidden Curriculum event means for students.

“Understanding the hidden curriculum is like finding small hacks that help increase your confidence navigating campus life. I hope students leave with a clearer understanding of how college really works.” Stewart said.

Besides the Understanding the Hidden Curriculum event, the Multicultural Center created a series of conversations all under the title Voices at the Table.

These upcoming events will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Multicultural Center, spanning from February to April.

Topics that will be featured in the Voices at the Table events include Navigating Impostor Syndrome, Power of Mentoring, Cultura y Mental Health and Navigating Relationships at Home.

This event series is meant to assist students in learning about new perspectives and ideas all within a safe space where conversation is encouraged, and connections can be made.