Students walk out at St. Norbert over layoffs, transparency

Source: greenbaypressgazette.com

TL;DR

The story at a glance

Over 70 students at St. Norbert College in De Pere staged a walkout on March 27 outside Main Hall to protest recent faculty layoffs and call for input in decisions. Key figures include student organizers like Brooklyn Filtzkowski and Scotlyn Roemhilt, along with Vice President Joseph Webb and spokesperson Mike Counter. The action followed a town hall with 250 students and comes after the college's second round of cuts this year.[[1]](https://fox11online.com/news/local/st-norbert-college-students-stage-walkout-over-faculty-cuts-budget-de-pere-enrollment-humanities-education-university-programs)[[2]](https://www.aol.com/st-norbert-college-students-stage-200605152.html)

Key points

Details and context

The college faces national higher education trends like declining enrollment, leading to operational and personnel reductions plus program reviews—adding engineering while possibly cutting others. Students noted cuts announced before spring break affected diversity efforts and left gaps like philosophy professors for current classes.

One junior considered transferring due to poor communication on grad school advising; others fear retribution for protesting. The walkout built on prior dissent, with students emphasizing their tuition stake in decisions.

Vice President Webb highlighted peer closures to justify proactive steps, noting faculty-student ratios improved from five years ago.

Key quotes

"We disagree with the solutions that have been taken to address that declining enrollment... it's important to also focus on the students who are admitted at St. Norbert." — Scotlyn Roemhilt, sophomore humanities major.[[1]](https://fox11online.com/news/local/st-norbert-college-students-stage-walkout-over-faculty-cuts-budget-de-pere-enrollment-humanities-education-university-programs)

"These decisions are challenging... but they're necessary to ensure we're right-sizing the institution based on the declining student enrollment." — Joseph Webb, vice president for student affairs.[[3]](https://www.nbc26.com/news/local-news/in-your-neighborhood/de-pere/my-education-my-voice-st-norbert-students-protest-faculty-layoffs)

Why it matters

Small private colleges like St. Norbert face growing pressure from enrollment drops, forcing tough choices on programs and staff that affect campus culture. Current students risk disrupted advising, diversity support, and major options, while future enrollees see shifts toward vocational fields. Watch for program cut announcements or enrollment stabilization efforts, though more layoffs remain possible without revenue gains.