The Center for Student Enrichment Services held a student advocacy committee kick-off meeting Thursday night in Scott Hall and discussed its new student committee, as well as plans for a common application to streamline application processes for scholarships. Created in Fall Quarter 2014, the office, which is housed within the Department of Campus Inclusion and Community, works to support first generation and low-income students.

During the event, SES administrators encouraged students to join the student committee, which will help support the center in its efforts to create a safe space for Northwestern students who come from low-income backgrounds or are first-generation students.

“We definitely want the students to feel like this is their opportunity to contribute, to have their voices heard, to feel like they have someone who’s representing them on campus,” Christine Mendoza, SES administrative assistant, told The Daily. “We want them to feel like there is leadership here on campus that’s supporting them and rooting for them.”

Jacquelyn Lopez, a member of AmeriCorps VISTA who works with student veterans, low-income students and first-generation students at NU, said the purpose of the advocacy group is to give these students a voice in University decisions.

“Specifically with this advocacy group, we’re very excited just because I think it’s very important to hear what the students actually want and not just what … we think they need,” she said.

During the meeting, SES director Kourtney Cockrell showed a video from The New York Times of a group of first-generation students at Ivy League schools and the struggles they face when integrating to their new surroundings. Cockrell said being a first-generation student has now become an identity that didn’t exist in the past, which is why NU, with the support of groups such as Quest Scholars Network, has started the new office.

Cockrell told The Daily she expects to have the council running by Fall Quarter, although SES will hold more events this quarter.

Cockrell said the center is planning to launch an application next fall called the Student Enrichment Services Common Application, which she compared to The Common Application for undergraduate college admission. The SES application will allow students to apply for stipends to cover student activity costs or group fees through a single application rather than having to apply to multiple scholarships for different expenses.

“We’re working on something that’s going to streamline all of those opportunities (and) bring them all together under one online application so that students are able to know what’s available, have everything listed there, and be able to just apply one time,” she said.

Since she joined the center in October 2014, Cockrell said she has received positive feedback from several members of the NU community.

“I’ve had several students come in for one-on-one meetings,” she said. “I’ve had several members of (Associated Student Government) come in to think about how we can partner and work on more projects around inclusion, staff and faculty have been incredibly responsive.”

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