The entrance to the Link Inclusion Lounge.
By Ryan Connell, Assistant Director, Student Experience and Housing
Renison has enthusiastically opened its doors and embraced the launch of a new Link Inclusion Lounge this Fall. As a space dedicated to encouraging student connection and support at Renison, the new space strives to meet an important necessity every student has when they come to university: a need to belong.
Finding belonging as part of any community is easier said than done, however. Especially for students from equity-deserving populations, barriers persist that prevent students from finding acceptance, community, and belonging during their academic journey. For this, the Link Inclusion Lounge is an important bridge to further cultivate inclusion in our community.
Beginning with a series of consultation sessions in Winter 2024, Renison’s Student Experience and Housing team wanted to gain a deeper understanding of how students feel they belong – or do not belong – at Renison. As part of the conversation, students were asked about ways Renison could help them strengthen their connection to other students while also learning what ways they could receive more meaningful support.
For the purposes of this initial work and to ensure capacity within Renison to provide adequate support, five specific equity-deserving communities were identified: 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Plus) students; Black, Indigenous, and Racialized (BIR) students; self-identified mature students; neurodivergent students, and; international students and English language learners. From the consultation sessions and an online feedback survey, numerous students shared glowing examples of ways they found Renison to be a welcoming and inviting community that provides positive support. But like any community, work can be done to provide more connection between equity-deserving student groups, as well as opportunities to access support.
Following from this, the Student Experience and Housing team launched the Link Inclusion Lounge, located not far from Renison’s Cafeteria. The Lounge, featuring new furnishings with warm-coloured walls and decorated artwork from local Black, Indigenous, Racialized, and queer artists, is a space that welcomes students to relax between classes, as well as a venue for event programming. Beginning in September, the Lounge has received students for dedicated social events including Queer and Cozy, Neuro Night, Racialized Students Hangout, Chinese Students Hangout, and Mature Student Coffee Chat. While the University of Waterloo’s Office of Indigenous Relations and the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre provide considerable mentorship and support for current Indigenous students on campus, Renison understands the importance of ensuring Indigenization and decolonization is embedded through its work. To help usher this work, Renison has partnered with the Moose Hide Campaign, an Indigenous grassroots-led initiative to combat gender-based violence. Through Link Inclusion Lounge programming, Renison already incorporated the Moose Hide Campaign into Waterloo’s Consent Week and distributed moose hide pins to encourage men and all students to speak out against gender-based violence in our communities.
To achieve our mission of inclusion and belonging, Renison has introduced two new Inclusion Coordinator roles with offices within the Lounge. The Inclusion Coordinators, who are Renison Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students completing their practicum in the space, are responsible for facilitating events, workshops, and training for the student community. Additionally, the practicum students are responsible for coordinating outreach initiatives to help students navigate the resources, supports, and services available across campus.
The Student Experience and Housing team will be facilitating an open house in October for the student and employee community. To learn more about the Lounge and its events and opportunities, visit the Link Inclusion Lounge webpage.