Do you know an advanced-degree/graduate student who is attending the upcoming Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education (GCSHE)? Are they also doing interesting sustainability/environmental research or leading an exciting campus sustainability project? The session is looking for 8 graduate students to give super short 3min. presentations on their sustainability/environmental work as part of the live Sustainability on Tap (SoT) networking session I'm hosting at the conference. SoT is designed to be a fun, informal opportunity for grad students to present their research or projects to a supportive audience. Students can submit their presentation proposal here, preference given to proposals received by Sep. 19. More details below – please spread the word to any grad students you work with!

·         Session title: Sustainability on Tap! at the Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education

·         Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 14 at 3-4pm (Eastern)/2-3pm (Central)

·         Description: Busting through academic silos can be tough. Enter - Sustainability on Tap! For the past 4 years, this University of Texas at Austin event has brought together graduate students from every college on campus (yes, all of them!) to network and learn about sustainability research and initiatives that are typically buried inside an institutional silo. In this session, we'll give attendees the opportunity to experience the fun of a virtual Sustainability on Tap. Enjoy speedy student presentations, a beverage of your choice, and more cowbell! By the end, you'll not only learn a bit about sustainability initiatives across the nation, but you'll also have all the knowledge and experience you need to bring this event to your own campus. Cheers!

·         Ask: We're looking for advanced-degree/graduate students to present during this session. Use this form to submit a proposal to present your sustainability or environmental research, project, or passion to your peers in 3 easy minutes. All you need is 5 slides, an environmental/social sustainability angle, and a sense of fun. Any and all presentation ideas are welcome! Priority given to submissions received by Sep. 19. Sustainability on Tap will be limited to approximately 8 graduate/advanced-degree student presenters who will be selected to best showcase the diversity of sustainability and environmental fields and to represent a range of universities/colleges. Remember, you must be registered to attend GCSHE in order to present at or attend Sustainability on Tap.

·         Don't want to present? Not a grad student? That's OK! All GCSHE attendees are invited to join the Sustainability on Tap session! It'll be fun (did we mention the cowbell?)!

For more information please contact: 

Brianna Duran | Campus Environmental Center Coordinator | Office of Sustainability 

The University of Texas at Austin | 512-232-7840 office | 512-906-5503 cell

Pronouns: she/her/hers

FB: Texas Sustainability | IG: texassustainability | @KeepTexasGreen

https://sustainability.utexas.edu/

The National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) is available to students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and STEM education (includes some social sciences and psychology fields), and come with a 3-year stipend, worth more than $100,000 for your graduate education (Master's or PhD).

Online

This event is a two day workshop, Part 2 will be hosted on Saturday, September 11, 2021 from 3PM - 5PM. 

Are you a first year or transfer student? Are you a sophomore joining us on campus for the first time? Are you looking for opportunities to get connected, develop lasting relationships, and kick off the year strong? If you answered YES to any of these questions, i3b has you covered! Join us over the next several weeks for multiple chances to get connected! You can even grab an “i3b Punch Card” and be entered to win any number of prizes after you visit all three of our spaces.

Where, When, and How You Can Find Us:

Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Diversity programming and lounge space

The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity is located in TheCommons Building, room 2B23. You can connect with Carlos Turcios, i3b Coordinator, in The Mosaic, Tuesday – Thursday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or virtually during his virtual Office Hours Mondays and on Fridays from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EST at https://umbc.webex.com/meet/carlos6 

LGBTQ+ Diversity programming and lounge space

Join us in the Pride Center which is located in the University Center, room 201D. You can connect with Lucy Delgado, i3b Coordinator, in the Pride Center Tuesday – Thursday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or virtually during her virtual Office Hours on Mondays & Fridays from 10:00-11:30 a.m. EST at https://umbc.webex.com/meet/ldelgado 

Religious, Spiritual, Faith Oriented Diversity programming and gathering space

The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being is located in room 103 of the Center for Well-Being building, and prioritizes use for religious student organizations and students who need space for foot washing, prayer, and other related gatherings. The Gathering Space is open from Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Please contact Lisa Gray and Dr. Jasmine Lee with any questions or needs at i3b@umbc.edu. 

What’s going on and how you can get connected:

Interact Dialogues – September 5 – October 18, 2021

TheInteract Dialogues Program, is an experience designed for first year and transfer students to learn and practice skills to become inclusive leaders and engaged community members. Each dialogue group is facilitated by Resident Assistants and past Interact participants. You will meet in-person small groups for a short, weekly session to learn foundational dialogues skills, and to practice empathetic and generous listening, cross-cultural storytelling, and critical self-reflection. Participating in Interact also makes you eligible to apply for our IDEAL internship peer facilitators program! For more information or to sign up, email us atinteract@umbc.edu.

Calling from the Couch Virtual Open House – September 2, 2021 12:30 – 2:00p.m.

Join i3b's Carlos & Lucy as your hosts for our Instagram Live to give you a tour, as they call from the couches of the Mosaic, Pride, and Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being! You will have the opportunity to see our community spaces, learn about Fall programs, and also get to know more about Carlos and Lucy. We might run into some special guests along the way, so don't miss out! Tune in on Instagram- @umbc_i3b and you can also catch it afterwards on our page.Find out more information HERE!

Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being Open House – September 3, 2021 12:00-1:00p.m.

Join us for a peek into our BRAND NEW building and BRAND NEW space! The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being engages diversity at the intersection of religion, faith, spirituality, and holistic well-being. From 12:00-1:00pm you can tour our space, connect with i3b staff, religious organization members, student leaders, and religious/spiritual advisors. RSVP HERE!

i3b Welcome Home Reception – September 9, 2021 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate the racial and cultural, spiritual, and LGBTQ+ diversity of UMBC! This reception is for all students, staff, and faculty to come together, connect and build community. During the reception you will, have an opportunity to

·  meet our Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) staff

·  meet students leading diversity, inclusion and social justice efforts across campus

·  learn about cultural, spiritual/religious, and social action-oriented student organizations

·  learn about social justice and inclusion-based resources, including our three on campus spaces: The Mosaic and Pride Centers, and our Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being

·  connect with faculty and staff who are excited to meet YOU!

·  learn about our fall semester events and opportunities designed just for YOU!

RSVP HERE! Have any questions? Please contact Lisa Gray, Associate Director at i3b@umbc.edu.

Pizza @ Pride - September 17, 2021 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Join us in the Pride Center for our monthly event-Pizza at Pride! This will be an informal time to connect in the Pride Center, enjoy FREE pizza, and play games in the lounge. Our first theme is First Year! We want to especially welcome our first year students and those who will be on-campus for the first time to the Pride Center lounge space. Upper class and graduate students are welcome to share stories of their first year as we dive into #i3bfirstyear programming, and of course eat pizza too! All are welcome to attend. RSVP HERE!If there are specific dietary needs for this event, please don't hesitate to reach out to i3b@umbc.edu 

Bagels & Banter: What’s Up in 2021 Part II - September 24, 2021 1:00-2:15 p.m. @ The Mosaic

Bagels & Banter is Mosaic’s pop-up series where we discuss trending global, national, or population based topics in an informal casual atmosphere. A new academic year should mean new beginnings, right? Is it really a new beginning or has it become a 2020 "2.0?" Pop in to chat about what you're looking forward to in Fall 2021 or if you think it's time to return to your trial of 2021. This is a time to talk about anything that comes to mind from anything ranging from the most recent TikToks to recent topics in pop-culture. 

All are welcome to attend. RSVP HERE!If there are specific dietary needs for this event, please don't hesitate to reach out to i3b@umbc.edu 

Pangea Cultural Showcase – October 1, 2021 6:00-9:00 p.m.

UMBC is bursting with cultural diversity! We are so excited to partner with cultural and ethnic student organizations at UMBC to showcase everything from organization information to cultural traditions to meaningful dances and performances. Join us on October 1, 2021 from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. for student organizations, performances, & free snacks on The Quad.RSVP HERE!

“How to College” sessions w/ i3b & the Academic Success Center 

Transitioning into college is not always easy… especially if you are first in your family to attend, if you are a part of a marginalized community, or if you regularly find yourself with more questions than answers. Don’t worry, we are here to help! Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) has partnered with the Academic Success Center to bring you three sessions that focus on helping you develop the skills and tools you need to experience first year success! Sessions will take place virtually on October 19 and 26 and November 2 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. Not only will we explore academic success skills and principles, we will also explore tools for navigating issues of discrimination, bias and microaggressions within academic spaces, and focus on the many ways our identities are assets within the college environment. Join us by RSVPing below for any or all three of the following sessions:

How to College: Exploring Successful Skills and Tools for First Year Students

How to College: Knowing What to Expect and How to Navigate Identity-Based Challenges

How to College: Bringing YOU into the Classroom

Job: Teach SATs at Western HS with Yleana’s critical-thinking-focused strategies

The Yleana Leadership Foundation is a nonprofit that works with school districts, schools, and CBOs to decrease the opportunity gap by raising SAT scores.  Getting students in the thick middle of the academic bell curve into better colleges means getting better financial aid (starting life with less debt!) and making higher salaries (double or triple what they would have made at a less selective college!) - ultimately working to steadily erode the racial wealth gap.

What is the job?

• Western HS has asked us to find an SAT teacher to teach our strategies for the first period every day, in-person inside the building (or at least until BCPSS goes to some kind of hybrid/virtual model).

• We know every day can be a lot (commuting, etc!).  WE LIKELY WILL SPLIT THE JOB BETWEEN TWO TEAMS (find details under “There are two positions open”).

How are your SAT methods different from others’?

• We use critical thinking to help students break down the SAT as an instance of a standardized test, focusing on pattern recognition and the way the SAT wants you to start each problem. 

• We use a strengths-based approach - seeing the student through a lens of what she already knows, and building on that foundation: We’re not the Marines - we don’t break students down and build them back up again - mostly because it takes longer that way.  Most of the time, students walking into an SAT class already know most of the material they’ll need to succeed on the SAT.  We just help them figure out which formula solves which problem. 

• We focus on hearing the kernel of truth in a student’s utterance and using the 4 Es - experimentation, experience, and exploration to help students have epiphanies about what they’re learning.  

• We focus on growth vs. fixed mindset, grit/resilience, mindfulness, and do interventions and affirmations to help stop the effects of stereotype threat on the test.

• We use positive behavior modeling and teach through Socratic questioning (similar to a Harkness approach), so that the teacher is asking questions and prompting processes rather than lecturing at the front of the room.  

• It's a heady, exciting thing to teach this way, because you're really teaching the kids to be rock stars, and it honestly just feels amazing to be in that room with all those faces full of agency. :)  Read more about the 14 tenets of our instructional philosophy:bit.ly/Yleana-teaching-tenets

What time and how long?

• 8:15-9:15am daily at Western.  We’d ask you to be there a few minutes early and you likely would be out of the building by 9:30am.

• The opportunity would last all school year.  Western follows the BCPSS school calendar; you would be expected to also follow the BCPSS school calendar and stay with the program until the end of the school year on June 8 (or at the latest, June 15), 2022.

Is there a deadline to sign up? How do I sign up?

• We’re accepting applications on a rolling basis but have a hard final deadline of Sept 15, 2021. FIRST COME FIRST SERVED!

• Sign up here: 

https://forms.gle/9WketsTrMedMR2ha6

• You will need to take an SAT assessment; instructions will be emailed to you after you complete the signup form. Don't worry if you feel you didn't do "your absolute best" when you were taking the SAT in high school; you definitely "got smarter" in college and now taking it feels a lot easier than it did in high school!

There are two positions open:

• Lead teacher: Grad students/folks with significant classroom teaching experience strongly preferred for lead teacher. We can pay folks $43/hr and your university may be willing to offer Prac credit for this (UMBC is a definite yes for Prac 096 credit).

• Assistant teacher: Undergrad juniors/seniors and/or folks without classroom teaching experience.  We can pay folks $27/hr and your university may be willing to offer Prac credit for this (UMBC is a definite yes for Prac 096 credit).

• Nota Bene: We likely will double-staff the position and teachers will trade (one lead/assistant pair teaches M/W/every other F and one lead/assistant pair teaches T/Th/every other F).  This will help us account for teachers who are absent/have emergency situations come up, as well as making travel/transportation easier for students.

Do you provide teaching/training materials?

Yes.  We would ask you to teach our proprietary strategies, and would train you - we’d like to start as soon as possible.  Training is completely virtual and can be flexible according to your needs.

Do your methods work?

Folks may not have heard of Yleana or its results; check out what we've been able to do - 165 point AVERAGE increases with BCPSS kids! These numbers should establish the efficacy of the strategies you'd be teaching: