Coffee Talk: Homelessness and Hunger Panel Discussion

Alright, true believers- I’m sure you all remember our last entry about Special Collection’s super-secret assortment of superheroes. Since then, you’ve seen the Thor movie. You knew you absolutely had to wait through the Captain America credits to find out more about the new Avengers movie. You might have even sat through the Conan the Barbarian remake (brave soul). And now you’re yearning for more. Plus, your eyes are getting crossed again with a new batch of journal articles. So let’s talk comics! In particular, let’s talk about Marvel’s eye-patched wonder, Nick Fury!

Made ubiquitous by Samuel L. Jackson, the character of Nick Fury first came into his own as the title character in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, the leader of an elite multi-ethnic, multi-racial WWII fighting unit. Fun fact: it’s a bit hard to tell the resemblance here, but Fury’s Commandos play a key role in Captain America: the First Avenger as the team that helps the Cap’n take on Red Skull. We’ve got several issues of the Sgt. Fury books, well worth checking out for their Kirbyesque art (we’ll explain that another time) and non-stop action.

Fury went on to bigger and better things as the first agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., a secret agency set up to counter all those evil secret agencies that were floating around in the 60’s. Starting with Strange Tales, and later moving to his own Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. , we see Fury change from a rough and tumble soldier of fortune to a super slick, super spy and finally to a super-soldier, always taking on seemingly insurmountable enemies and emerging victorious. As with the original series, these books feature some great art (especially the 15 issue run of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.), as well as lots! of! unnecessary! exclamations!  

So come in for a visit, comics fans! Special Collections will be open from 1 until 4 pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday all the way through finals, and until 7 pm on Thursdays. During the winter, we’ll be open by appointment only. To find our superhero lair, enter the Library Gallery and walk straight back- you’ll see our doors on the right. Secret identities will be protected with all due care. Please note that Batmobile parking is limited.

To browse all of the comics available at Special Collections, enter “comic books” in the “Collection” field in the following search; or put in more specific search terms to find the exact comic you’re looking for: http://umbc.pastperfect-online.com/37467cgi/mweb.exe?request=advform

Written by Steve Ammidown, Special Collections Student Assistant

Images shown are from the following issues:

Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. Marvel Comics Group v.1:no.31 (Jun 1966)

Strange Tales. Marvel Comics Group v.1:no.140 (Jan 1966)

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Marvel Comics Group v.1:no.4 (Sep 1968)

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Marvel Comics Group v.1:no.7 (Dec 1968)

Students completing internships at the Women’s Center work an average of 8 hours per week during the academic semester. The spring 2012 internship will begin in January and go through May.

Women's Center interns are an integral part of
the Women's Center staff, contributing to the Center’s mission of “assisting all women in achieving their full potential in education, career and personal life through academic and intellectual growth, professional development and personal empowerment.”

This internship may look differently from year to year depending on the intern involved because the Women’s Center strives to maximize on the current intern’s interests and strengths. While we are able to offer some flexibility, all interested intern applicants should work within the parameters of the description below:

UMBC Women’s Center Programming, Outreach & Activism
Internship

Programming:

·
Organize a program or
series on a topic affecting women and/or marginalized groups. Potential programs can be flexible to meet your interests and your academic program’s needs.

• Some ideas include: Women’s
  physical/mental health; Sexual education; LGBTQ issues; International women’s
  issues; Leadership development; Body image; Sex-trafficking; Feminization
  of poverty; Intersectionality; Media portrayals of women and girls.

·
In addition to a program
of interest, interns will be responsible for helping the Women’s Center staff
with programming related to 1) Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April) and 2) the Center’s 20^th Anniversary Celebration. Related responsibilities
include but are not limited to:

• Sexual Assault Awareness
  Month: helping to manage the Clothesline Project; organizing partnership
  with other universities for Take Back the Night options;
• Women’s Center 20^th Anniversary Spring Events: promoting Anniversary events; aiding in
  organization of previously planned 20^th Anniversary events

Outreach & Activism:

·
Update and add resources in the Women’s Center library and help manage/update the website

·
Generate fundraising and/or sponsorship ideas by working to partner with local and national organizations that may support the Women Center’s mission.

·
Write for the Women’s Center Newsletter about various topics and/or organize a group of interested students to create a feminist Zine on campus

·
Create ways to connect with non-traditional audiences about Women’s Center programs and services (e.g., Athletes, Greek Life, religious organizations, International Programs, Residence Life, etc.)

The Women’s Center is always looking for creative and inventive people to make a difference at UMBC.