“In the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program, we drive home two points. One: we teach children. Two: children are people. It sounds simple, but we tend to forget that children are younger versions of us. Sometimes in a “STEM” program, we become fixated on the math or biology, when what belongs at the center of all we do is the students.” — Rehana Shafi, director, Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program

Lydia Coley ’20, American studies, has started a new adventure this semester. Twice a week she wakes up by 5:30 a.m., crosses Baltimore City from north to south, and arrives at Maree G. Farring Elementary/Middle School by 7 a.m. to do what she has been preparing for over the last three years—be a student-teacher. As a scholar in the Sherman STEM program, Coley is among a group of future mathematics and science teachers who will eventually work throughout the Baltimore region and across the state, focusing on high-need schools.

She listens, observes, supports, and learns from her mentor teacher. Sometimes, this means she’s in the front of the classroom or leading small groups as she begins to transition into next semester’s role as a full-time lead student teacher. But what we found when UMBC Magazine followed Coley for a day, was not a student but a natural leader. 

Coley smiles at the beginning of the day and enthusiastically welcomes each of the 90 students she is there to support. “This is a collaborative effort. I am here to learn from my mentor and to support students, but really most of the learning comes from what students are willing to share with me. They are also my teachers.”

It is 7 a.m. and Lydia Coley, a first-semester student teacher at Maree G. Farring Elementary/Middle School smiles at her day ahead. Her duties include supporting students while her mentor teacher leads lessons and, when possible, Coley leads parts of the lesson in small groups.

Coley runs into her mentor teacher, Theresa Frey, who has been teaching for 19 years. They take a few minutes to review the day and head in to prepare.

Coley signs in at the office and makes her way to her classroom. Maree G. Farring is 23% English language learners. Many students’ first language is Spanish.

It’s preparation time! Coley finalizes the details as she changes the date and takes note of the objective for the day. The cactus theme of the classroom encourages students with signs like “Looking Sharp” and “We Are on Point.” Coley’s classroom has about 30 students in each of the three blocks throughout the day. She helps the first block by putting all the chairs down for them because soon the students will come in with breakfast baskets and books in hand. 

The day starts quickly. Frey and Coley go over the materials for today’s lesson—telling time counting by fives and a number line. Every minute literally counts!

Students begin to arrive but there is no time to waste. Coley goes over last night’s homework with a student while she finishes her breakfast. One-on-one time is precious and Coley is happy to provide it. She is also passionate about students eating fresh food as she studies the correlation between nutrition and academic behavior. She wants them to have time to eat so they also have time to think.

Coley leads the students through some critical thinking about how a clock ties into multiplication and number lines. Students compare answers and discuss the possible options by using their own clocks.

It’s time to delve deeper. Coley engages students to identify parts of a clock and determine the correct time using a variety of strategies. When she asks what time is shown on the clock (2:30 p.m.) one student smartly calls out “dismissal time!” The rest of the students show their work on whiteboards and raise them for a quick check.

Coley becomes a student as she quietly observes her mentor teacher think out loud about the various ways to solve a word problem. “I became a teacher because I love learning. The classroom is full of ideas. It’s not only a place for academics but a place to build empathy,” she explains. “It is important for students to experience someone that respects, supports, and has a positive influence over them.” Coley looks forward to transitioning into a lead student teacher for third-grade mathematics and sixth-grade social science in the spring.

Each student requires a different type of support. Coley takes time to help a student think through the connection between her diagram and her multiplication process. “One of the greatest challenges in teaching math is that many students don’t feel they are good at math,” she explains. “It is my job to help them believe in themselves by showing them how these skills are connected to their lives.”

The first block of math is done. Students follow Coley to computer science for more applied math. Two more 90-minute blocks of math follow with two other classes of students to support before calling it a day.

The bell rings. It’s 2:30 p.m. and raining but students don’t mind. It is time to head home. Coley helps a student keep their hood on as they rush out the door. Teachers and students share smiles all around.

Quiet fills the classrooms and the hallways. It is the perfect time to catch up with a fellow alumna, Olivia Grimes ’19, individualized study and early childhood education, a first-year teacher at MGF. They exchange stories and Grimes gives advice on how to adjust to the full-time workload when Coley comes back in the spring.

It’s 3:15 p.m. and the day is done. Grimes and Coley head home with thoughts of equations, stories, and fun ways to educate their students tomorrow.

*****

Since its inception 12 years ago, the Sherman STEM Teaching Scholars Program has supported more than 150 students in becoming culturally responsive and compassionate STEM educators by collaborating with UMBC faculty and local, high-need schools. Currently, nine students and 13 alumni of the program are leading and learning in zip codes across Baltimore City. 

All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11.

Earlier this year, Chip interviewed for the coveted position of campus comfort dog with UMBC Police Sergeant Jamie Cheatem.

There’s no denying that any day we get to interact with Chip is the best work day, so we were thrilled when Sergeant Cheatem agreed to let UMBC Magazine follow Chip around for a day on the job as a campus comfort dog. UMBC is the fourth U.S. campus to welcome a comfort dog, and we wanted to see what Chip’s day-to-day duties looked like.

Chip lives with Sergeant Cheatem and his family and gets a ride to the office with her favorite UMBC police officer.

Her day continues as Sergeant Cheatem completes necessary tasks at the police station before heading down to campus.

On the way to hang out with some students, Chip runs into someone who looks familiar and excitement ensues.

Chip loves her fellow Retrievers and they love her. They show their affection through Chip’s favorite activity—getting her belly pet.

Chip doesn’t make it very far down Academic Row before more admirers stop to say hi.

Although it may look like Chip’s on-campus duties involve getting the attention she deserves, she also attends events like the Retriever Courage Fall Gathering, which featured a variety of resource tables and a collection of updates about the steps the University is taking to improve its response to, and ultimately prevent, violence in our community.

Chip also responds to requests from specific departments, like when Undergraduate Admissions wanted to let the incoming class of Retrievers know that their acceptance letters were on the way. Chip was the first in the class of 2024 to get her letter!

At the end of the day, Chip is still a young pupper and needs time to frolic and get her energy out.

****

All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11, featuring Sergeant Cheatem and Officer Chip. 

There will be bedrooms available in January 2020

 text 4432979266 to me for the message and  tell your name and your email@UMBC.edu, I will back to you ASAP. Thanks!

Looking for two room mates to share 3 bedroom 1.5 bathroom in a townhouse on Gloria Ave.

Features:

- 0.2 miles from Maiden Choice Bus Stop (4 mins walking)

UMBC Chess has continued its strong performance with another high-ranking finish at the leading intercollegiate team championship in the Americas. The Retrievers placed ninth out of 63 teams at the 2019 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, held in Charlotte, North Carolina, December 27 – 30. 

To reach this ranking, the UMBC Chess A team earned victories over the A team from the University of Pennsylvania as well as the B teams from the University of Toronto, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Pennsylvania. After tying Harvard in round five, UMBC had its sights on a spot in the Final Four, but didn’t quite reach that coveted status this year. UMBC finished ahead of Harvard, Princeton, and MIT. The Texas Tech University A team won the competition overall. 

Tanguy Ringoir ‘18, financial economics, M.A. ‘22, economic policy analysis, the captain of UMBC’s A team, ranked 29th in individual competitor performance. 

The UMBC Chess B team finished in 29th place overall, and earned victories over Western Washington University, UCLA, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley D team. 

“While we didn’t quite make it into the Final Four, we are happy with our overall performance,” says Ringoir. He shared that the team enjoyed preparing for the competition by recently participating in a tournament closer to home, in Rockville, Maryland.

UMBC’s 2019 A team includes grandmaster Ringoir; international master Rohan Ahuja ‘21, computer science; woman international master Mai Narva ‘22, psychology; international master Matyas Marek ‘22, computer science; and woman international master Ewa Harazinska ‘20, chemistry, as an alternate. 

The UMBC Chess B team includes Maor Leker Locker ’20, biological sciences; Nathan Sukhyun Janus ‘20, mathematics; Danielle Sharp ‘22, mechanical engineering; and Douglas Malcolm ‘23, computer science. 

Alan Sherman, professor of computer science and electrical engineering, serves as director for UMBC Chess. Joel DeWyer, associate director for campus life operations, is the team’s business manager, and Igor Epshteyn coaches UMBC’s Chess B team.

For the past 28 years, UMBC has participated in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, and has won or tied for first place at the championship ten times. UMBC Chess has also advanced to the President’s Cup, known as the Final Four, each year between 2001 – 2015, winning six times.

Banner image: Members of the UMBC Chess team. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

UMBC is so firmly established in the Baltimore region and as the home of over 80,000 Retrievers, it’s hard to believe that only four decades ago, our university was in danger of being permanently shut down. 

Picture this: On March 2, 1981, a thousand UMBC students and faculty gathered in the Quad chanting into megaphones, shouting cheers, and proudly waving poster exclaiming, “SAVE OUR SCHOOL!” Local TV news crews flocked around the protest gathering footage of UMBC’s largest mass meeting to date. “Up your nose, we won’t close!” students cheered as they marched to the dining hall to await a speech from then-Chancellor John Dorsey and UMBC President John Toll to discover the fate of their beloved university. Was UMBC going to be shut down indefinitely?

One of the largest rallies in UMBC’s history was sparked by controversial reports released by the Baltimore Sun Papers, News American, and the Washington Star stating that the State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) may submit a proposal to turn the Catonsville campus into an industrial park. The proposal was put forth by the commissioner of higher education, Sheldon Knorr.

Toll denied that there was any legitimate threat, but students were unsatisfied with such a simple response and clamored for more answers. 

A rally to remember

As reported in the March 4 edition of The Retriever, multiple student groups such as the Student Government Association, Black Student Union, the Chinese Student Association, and others helped organize the rally. SGA President, Scott Rifkin ’81, biological science, shouted his frustrations and roused the crowd of students.

“Somebody is serious about this proposal, and if we aren’t, we could be at the University of Baltimore by next year,” he said followed by deafening roars of approval, according to the student paper.

Students stood on tables, chairs, and each other’s shoulders to get a glimpse of Toll as he delivered his speech to the agitated crowd. 

“The newspaper reports were demoralizing and damaging,” Toll said. “If the threat is real, we are prepared to fight it.” 

Current UMBC archivist Lindsey Loeper ’04, American studies, created an online archive summarizing the raucous event for the university’s 50th anniversary. While gathering the information for the archive, she noted a certain joy in immersing herself in this historical event. 

“There are so many myths and stories about UMBC’s history, and one that I remember hearing was about Chancellor Dorsey standing on the table in the dining hall and addressing the crowd of students—I wish I had a picture of it,” she says. “It was interesting to see the event unfold through the newspaper clippings and administrative records and correspondence. The SBHE proposal really seemed to blindside a lot of people.”

Reason for concern

While the administration denied reports of the university closing at the time, there were many reasons why UMBC may have been on the chopping block. The relatively young 14-year-old university had few alumni and still laid in the shadows of the older Maryland institutional branches. University of Maryland, College Park and University of Maryland at Baltimore had a combined 300 years on UMBC, leaving the school politically and economically disadvantaged. UMBC also lacked a public image, something that then-Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Walter Jones asserted, was the early administration’s fault.

“The administration was very, very late recognizing the need to build a public image for UMBC rather than just have one shaped,” Jones said in The Retriever article. 

The fundamental problem was that the SBHE failed to understand the purpose of a “research-based” university, noted Jones, who asserted that UMBC required a closer student-teacher ratio and that a specialized laboratory open year-round was necessary to the growth of the university. He stressed the importance of a higher education public research institution in the Baltimore area.

The research-based vision continues to guide the development of UMBC, and also defines the current reputation of the institution. UMBC is regularly recognized for its teaching and innovation as well as faculty research. 

“This event was one of a number in the 1980s that shows how UMBC was trying to figure out where it fit in the academic community in Baltimore, in Maryland, and in the larger national scope,” Loeper asserts. “I think it shows that universities continually go through periods of stability and periods of change.”

 Where would we be without UMBC?

The SBHE would eventually adopt a proposal in April 1981 that left UMBC untouched and allowed the campus to remain open. Nearly 40 years later, UMBC and its alumni have changed the trajectory of countless lives through the years—students have gone on to serve as the U.S. Surgeon General and be voted in as the first African American and first female Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates; they also work behind the scenes to create the sounds and ambiance that so many of us enjoy in the Star War franchise. Yet none of this would’ve been possible had campus been turned into a bleak industrial park. 

There will be bedrooms  available  for summer break or fall semester  2019 student(lease 9 month or longer)

price ：   $420  /month about + utilities (average $50/month/per month)+ wifi $10/per month

Location: Walking distance to UMBC about 5 minutes.

If interesting, please contact me :

e-mail,  lidimin@gmail.com or text 4432979266

If you’ve ever searched online for a place to eat in Baltimore, chances are Ekiben has popped up as a top destination again and again. Or, if you followed along with this year’s fried chicken sandwich feud between two fast food joints, you’ll have seen plenty of Baltimoreans resolving the issue by pointing to Ekiben’s classic Neighborhood Bird steamed bun. Yelp, Buzzfeed, and other national outlets reaffirm that this small storefront serving eclectic pan-Asian fare is worth the trip to Fells Point (with a second location in Hampden to open soon). Steve Chu ’12, economics, co-owner of the restaurant along with two other UMBC alumni, writes how the store owes its origins to UMBC and Baltimore City, and why these Retriever chefs care so much about the communities they serve.

Food has always been about community to me. My father worked endless hours running his Chinese restaurant, but on Mondays, he closed the restaurant and the whole family—aunts, uncles, grandparents—would go out to eat dim sum for breakfast. There’s be like 50 plates on the table. My relatives would urge me, eat, eat, try everything. 

When Ephrem Abebe ’13, web development and information systems, Nikhil Yesurpriya ’13, M.S., ’16, biological science, and I started Ekiben in 2013 we wanted other people to enjoy food together, specifically this weird combination of Chinese/Taiwanese/Indian/Ethiopian cuisine. It was completely natural to us, coming from the food-focused cultures we came from, that food could unite disparate groups of people. The fact that Ekiben has been such a hit in Baltimore blows our minds, but is exactly what we hoped would happen.

When we met at UMBC—Nikhil and I through suitemates and Ephrem and I while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in Baltimore City—I was studying financial economics, but it was so heavily focused on crunching numbers. I switched to a straight economics major early on after I realized that I wanted to learn more about how people thought and behaved with money. My background from UMBC has helped me tremendously in my career. 

Gib Mason ’95, economics, taught a course on entrepreneurship that gave me the confidence that we could take this leap, buy a hot dog cart, and sell meatballs or spicy tofu at farmers markets, which is how we started out. He steered the class away from traditional homework assignments and asked us for our reasoning behind our answers instead. That still resonates with me as a business owner. 

Gathering community around us has come as naturally as combining our love of food into affordable and delicious dishes. Fells Point has been like home to us, and Baltimore has supported us every step of the way. Even in unusual ways—getting the original food license for the hot dog cart as a couple of 20-somethings was so much easier than we anticipated. The licensing board was so supportive after we explained our vision, but that came as a complete surprise to us.

What came next could be surprising to some in the restaurant business, but in Baltimore, this seems par for the course. After struggling with our hot dog cart-turned eclectic Asian fare cart for about a year, we got invaluable support from other local chefs. Ekiben wouldn’t exist without the guys behind Black Sauce, Damian Mosley and Michael Singleton, and Ben Lefenfeld from La Cuchara. Our friendships with other local chefs led naturally into collaboration and guest chef takeovers.

The best example of that communal approach to food in the city is the Charm City Night Market—think of an Asian open air market, tons of people and amazing food—organized by Stephanie Hsu and the rest of the local Chinatown Collective. We were really proud to be a part of the inaugural year and subsequent events. It does what we want for the city. It brings people of all demographics together, and it’s always so densely packed, and there’s so much great energy in it. 

We’ve partnered with so many excellent chefs from Baltimore and beyond, and this is another way we get to cross-pollinate with talented craftspeople. There’s this push for food to be “traditional” or “authentic” but at it’s best, food is art. And ultimately, we just want to make food that tastes good and build up the community while doing so. We start that goal in the restaurant, investing a lot of energy into developing leaders in the company. We have staff that’s been with us since the beginning. I hope the supportive culture that we built really just kind of oozes out, and it spreads.

And Baltimore has supported us every step of the way. Baltimore has raised us. Literally, this restaurant was built on every $7 meal we served at any market that would let us sell there. We didn’t have a Kickstarter page, we just had Baltimore showing up to buy our food.

At those family dim sum breakfasts, as communal as they were, my relatives were not encouraging me to start my own restaurant. They actually loudly and emphatically (to put it politely) tried to steer me in the opposite direction. They, like so many other immigrants, had come here with very little and worked so hard to break away from that poverty. They didn’t want to see me take that same road, I guess. But in the end, their harsh words really spurred me to succeed. How could I fail when they had given so much to make a successful life here?

—Steve Chu ’12

*****

Header image: Abebe and Chu work together in the small prep space where customers can watch their orders being created. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11.

Commencement may be over, but the confetti lasts forever. This December, we celebrated the achievements and accomplishments of the class of 2019. President Freeman Hrabowski addressed the magnitude of the occasion saying, “Today, graduates, this is a time for dreams fulfilled.”

Some of our graduates called UMBC “home” from day one, and some found us in their second act. Some pursued their passions, and some found new ones entirely. Some relied on a tight-knit family structure, and some leaned on community support. But all of our graduates are bringing the knowledge they gained at UMBC to their futures. We can’t wait to see what’s next for these members of #RetrieverNation!

Graduates and those cheering them on can share memories, well wishes, and photos through #UMBCgrad, and view UMBC’s Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter accounts for coverage of the festivities. Videos with captioning from both ceremonies can be found on UMBC’s YouTube page.

All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.