By Carrie Wells, The Baltimore Sun

Morgan State University has opened an investigation into a student's allegation that members of a fraternity he wanted to join rejected him because he is gay.

Brian Stewart said he dreamed of joining Morgan's chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and thought members would be impressed by his academic accomplishments — Stewart said he was a White House intern — but he was rejected the day after his interview.

He believes it is because of his sexual orientation, citing social-media messages using an anti-gay slur that someone sent him and told him were between fraternity members.

"I couldn't even be angry because I was so hurt," he said.

Members of the fraternity chapter and the national organization did not respond to requests for comment.

A Morgan State spokesman, Jarrett Carter Sr., said the university opened an investigation into Stewart's allegation after he lodged a complaint last week.

"The university doesn't tolerate or accept any kind of discrimination," Carter said. "It's something that the university takes very very seriously."

Carter said that discrimination — in Greek life or elsewhere — is against university policy and that those found in violation can face disciplinary action after a review by a panel of students, faculty and staff.

Stewart, a 20-year-old senior business major, said he wanted to join Kappa Alpha Psi — Morgan's chapter is called Alpha Iota — because his pastor and mentor from his youth was a member. He said he grew up poor in Annapolis and that his mentor had a major influence on his life.

"What he offered to me, I wanted the ability to offer that to someone else," Stewart said.

Stewart said he is no longer interested in pledging the fraternity but that he filed a complaint because he wanted to raise awareness.

"I didn't know I was going to have no control — that my interview meant nothing, my achievements meant nothing, because they had already made up their minds," Stewart said.

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Meet Christine. She is a history major and current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) Scholar. Her research examines the Lost Colony of Roanoke as an historical and cultural phenomenon, specifically looking into the origin of the Dare Stones in order to define the root of the Lost Colony’s appeal to Americans and as a part of North Carolinian folklore. 

How did you find your mentor for your research project?
I had taken Dr. Bouton’s 342 history class on the American Revolution as a freshman and loved the passion he had for American history. When I began looking for a mentor, he was one of the first professors who came to mind; I knew he would have invaluable insight into not only the research process, but into the specific research I hoped to carry out.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
The Lost Colony is a story I grew up with, having spent much of my time growing up at the Outer Banks, North Carolina. During a stay there September of 2012, I visited Manteo and was intrigued even more by the mystery of the missing colonists. Interestingly enough, however, few people I spoke to outside of North Carolina had ever heard of the story – and as a born and bred Southerner, and an historian as well, I knew I had to do what I could to help preserve not only the legacy of the Lost Colonists, but their continued influence through myth, legend, and fact upon the American conscience.

Is this your first independent research project?
This is my first funded independent research; however, I’m simultaneously continuing to do research on Civil War-era Virginian plantations that grew out of a history class taken during my sophomore year at UMBC.

Do you get course credit for this work? How much time do you put into it?
I am not conducting this research for course credit. I spend about 20 to 30 hours a week on the project; during late July, I am spending ten days traveling to Manteo, North Carolina, as well as visiting Brenau University, Emory University, and East Carolina University in order to interview folklorists, historians, and locals of the Manteo (originally Roanoke) area.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
I was aware of the URA program through attending the URCAD presentations each spring.

Read her abstract here...

On Monday, November 4^th, UMB is hosting Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Craig Mello for a lecture followed by a Q&A session.  Dr. Mello is the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine and Co-Director of the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.  He has been a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator since 2000.  His pioneering research on RNA interference, in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Fire, has been recognized with numerous awards culminating with the prestigious 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

When:                  November 4^th, 2013 @ 9:30 am – 11:00 am

Where:                 Medical School Teaching Facility Auditorium

                              685 West Baltimore Street

                              Baltimore, MD 21201

 

The lecture is being sponsored by The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.  This interactive session will be filmed by The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative as part of its global program to help Nobel Laureates share their inspirational stories and insights. 

The DOE Scholars Program offers unique opportunities that introduce students or post-graduates to the agency’s mission and operations. Participants in the DOE Scholars Program gain a competitive edge as they apply their education, talent and skills in a variety of scientific research settings within the DOE complex. Appointments are available in a variety of disciplines at participating DOE facilities nationwide.

Being selected as a DOE Scholar offers the following benefits:

• Career possibilities with the nation’s leading sponsor for scientific research
• Opportunities to learn from top scientists and subject matter experts
• Stipends of up to $650 per week (depending on academic status)
• Travel arrangements to and from appointment site

Applicants must be US Citizens and undergraduates, graduates or post-graduates of an accredited college or university.  The program is open to majors in: Engineering; Physical Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Computer Science and Information Technology; Physics; Business; Policy; Program Management; Mathematics; Statistics; Safety and Health; Accounting and Finance; Law; Communications; and other related areas.

Want to learn more about the DOE Scholars program? E-mail doescholars@orise.orau.gov or visit website.

Meet John. He is a Bioinformatics and Computational Biology major and a researcher in the Undergraduate Biology and Mathematics (UBM) training program. His research attempts to document cases of gene flow between closely-related species of birds, particularly the Baltimore Oriole and the Mexican black-backed Oriole.

What research experiences have you had? 
I have been a part of the Undergraduate Biology and Mathematics (UBM) training program since last December. For UBM, I work in Dr. Kevin Omland’s lab and focus on resolving phylogenetic trees using species tree algorithms and parallel computing. Also, within the Omland Lab, I assist other laboratory researchers by going out in the field to record and catch birds.

How did you find the research opportunity? 
I actually found out about UBM through an email that Dr. Omland sent out! He was looking for a computational biology researcher to join the UBM program, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Who did you work with on this project?
I work with Tylynn Pettrey, who is an undergraduate and my partner in the UBM program. I also work with Dr. Omland, Dr. Matthias Gobbert in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and Dr. Frode Jacobsen in the Omland Lab.

Was this your first independent research project?
Yes it was!

Do you get course credit for this work? Paid? How much time do you put into it?
I do get course credit and I am paid. I put in between 8 and 12 hours a week during the semester.

What academic background did you have before you started?
I had a very diverse scientific background when I started in the lab. As a Bioinformatics major, I took courses in biology, computer science, chemistry, and mathematics - nearly all of the courses have paid off in some way or another.

How did you learn what you needed to know to be successful in this lab?
The biology and computer science courses I took were extraordinarily helpful in learning about my research topic and being able to implement the specific computer programs that I use. Also, the UBM program uses a mentor program in which older students “train” new members during their first semester on the project. My mentor, Leila Kazerooni, helped me learn more about the details of the project and taught me what I needed to know to become independent.

What was the hardest part about your research?
The hardest part is making everything work! I use many computer programs on a daily basis, and sometimes they do not all work the way I want. Solving the problems that subsequently arise is the most challenging part for me.

What was the most unexpected thing?
The most unexpected thing was the amount of traveling I have gotten to do. Within the last 5 months, I have gone to Puerto Rico, Chicago, and the Appalachian Mountains - all for research. When I first began work on my project, I had no idea that I would be able to go to all those places in the name of science. Being able to see and experience them has been the most unexpected reward my research has offered me.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! Professors are always looking for students who are interested and engaged, but the only way they can tell if you are interested is for you to make the first move.

What are your career goals?
Right now, I am focused on getting into graduate school and pursuing a doctorate. As of right now, I am unsure of a full-time career path, but I know I do enjoy evolutionary biology in general. I can certainly see myself in a career relating to that field sometime in the future.

What are you doing next for research?
For the next semester, I will be continuing to work in the Omland lab on my UBM project.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am involved all over the place! I am the Vice President of the Honors College Council (and a member of the Honors College), part of the orientation team as a Woolie, as well as a teaching assistant for Cell Biology and a computer science tutor. I also play the viola in the UMBC Community Symphony Orchestra and swim for the newly founded Swim Club.

Have you shared the results of your work with professionals in the field?
Yes I have! I traveled to the American Ornithological Union Meeting in Chicago, Illinois this August to present my research to professionals in the field of ornithology. I also recently presented at the South Eastern Population, Ecology and Evolutionary Genetic (SEPEEG) Conference in Mountain Lake, Virginia to an audience of evolutionary biologists.

Read his abstract here...