On Wednesday, August 26th 2020, the CWIT Student Council hosted their second town hall, open to all members of the community. Thank you to all the panelists for their precious time and advice.
We discussed some events and activities that are happening this semester for students interested in cybersecurity. More information about cyber related competition and certification happening virtually can be found in the recording. They could offer a great way to meet people who share similar interests and have fun!
Other subjects of discussion included tips for upper-class students who might feel “school sick” as they have less interaction with the campus, a description of S.I. PASS sessions for students who would like to test them, and the role of allies in CWIT and how CWIT empowers them to promote gender equality in the Technology field.
Some of CWIT ’s annual events like Bits and Bytes and Cyber 101 are still being organised and will need the input of members of our community. More details will be sent out later for people who are interested in getting more involved in the community.
CWIT recognizes the challenging times that we are facing both in the community and the world. Therefore, We emphasize the importance of referring to our Brave Space Guidelines. Being brave and pushing ourselves all the time, in person and in virtual environments.
If you need help or support related to all the injustice happening, to online classes, and to any other issues, the CWIT community is here to provide you with or direct you to adequate resources. Reach out to your peers, your peer mentors, and the CWIT staff. During the announcements portion, there were a few events that had links you could go to for more information:
For CWIT Community Trivia Night, please fill out this google form before September 18th.
Our CWIT Welcome Back Social is this week on Wednesday (9/2) at noon. Please click here for more information on that event!
To learn more about the town hall, you can watch the recording here.
To receive more information on events happening in the CWIT community, follow the CWIT Student Council page and the CWIT Affiliate page on myUMBC. Additionally, you can stay engaged with your community on Instagram. Follow our instagram page, @ umbc_cwit, and stay tuned for an exciting semester!
And finally, for us to improve on our events, please fill out this survey and let us know your feedback: https://umbc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6QojEUXk8DKTjTf
On Monday, August 17th, 2020, the CWIT Student Council hosted a town hall for new members of the community. We greatly appreciate the time our panelists took to share tips and advice with students.
We discussed engagement in the community and activities that CWIT is putting together to ensure that the community stays engaged amid virtual interaction.
Additionally, panelists shared tips on navigating online learning and virtual college life based on the experience they acquired during the spring semester. Some of the useful suggestions were: communicating challenges with professors as they arise, adjusting study habits accordingly, not being afraid of asking questions, and maintaining a sense of community by forming study groups and by engaging in peer mentoring activities.
Other points of the discussion included approaching professors and getting to know them, navigating online platforms (Blackboard and WebEx), and understanding the formats of online classes this fall.
Overall, the CWIT community aims to keep new members engaged and will do so by strengthening the peer mentoring program, as peer mentors will be important points of contact for incoming students. If you want to know more about the discussion held on Monday, feel free to watch the recording of the event here.
We know that you may still have questions regarding the semester and the plans in our community. Please, submit your questions through this form and join us on Wednesday, August 26th, 2020 at 12 pm for another town hall. All members of the community are invited!