Real People Profiles: Jamie Adasi
I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses. 

Name: Jamie Adasi 

Hometown:  Rockville, MD 

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: 3 months! J 

Q:  What is your current title (job or student organization position)? 

A:   Graduate Coordinator for Cultural & Spiritual Diversity, Office of Student Life. 

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A:   I help students develop cultural awareness that will last a lifetime! 

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most? 

A: Interacting with passionate, amazing and engaged students, faculty and staff who see themselves as both leaders and social change agents. 

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC? 

A: To get involved! We are all here to learn and get degrees, but what will set us apart from others when we graduate and are applying for jobs/graduate schools? Most of the time it’s the co-curricular things that we got involved with. These can also be hands on experiences that help us shape who we want to be and what we want to do with our lives (study abroad, service/volunteerism, student group involvement, etc…). 

Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________” 

A: FOOD! Haha I’ve always said that I’d be willing to try any food once (except for the food that I’m allergic to—shellfish and peanuts/tree nuts). 

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share? 

A:  This is one that I’m still working on since I’m so new, but what I’d like to say is that the Mosaic Center’s doors are open to ALL students, faculty and staff. So if you just need a place to chill out during your busy day, stop by and vent, or meet up with others, stop on by and someone will be here to help you! J
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If you've attended a Welcome Week program, participated in a leadership retreat, sought medical care on campus, lived in a residence hall, joined a student organization, shot pool in the Commons Game Room, danced at a Ballroom event, attended a campus job fair or ridden a UMBC Transit bus, you've been touched directly or indirectly by UMBC's Division of Student Affairs.  The Division encompasses the Offices of Residential Life, Student Life and Off Campus and Transfer Student Services, The Commons, Event Planning and Conference Services, University Health Services, University Counseling Services, Transit Services, Student Judicial Programs and the Career Services Center.

What I find remarkable and inspiring about the Division's new mission statement is that it unites all of these different departments and their myriad initiatives, programs and services behind the shared purpose of student learning and success.  Here is the complete statement:
The Division of Student Affairs facilitates learning and prepares students for success in our multi-cultural and increasingly global society and work force.
 We will accomplish our mission by:
  • providing and co-creating programs, services, systems, facilities and environments that foster learning and personal development.
  • collaborating with and facilitating relationships between students and among students, faculty, staff and others from the university and community to integrate curricular and co-curricular experiences.
  • leveraging the expertise within Student Affairs to assist faculty, staff and students in areas of strength such as interpersonal and cultural competence; civic engagement, community and leadership development; work force and career development; public health and safety.
To me, it's impressively--and appropriately--ambitious to envision students' many interactions with all of the Division's offices as opportunities for real learning and growth.  It's an especially inspiring commitment in light of the statement's acknowledgment of students as partners and co-creators of their experiences.  It makes all the difference that the Division aspires to carry out its work with students, rather than just providing information and services to students.

In addition to the mission statement, the Division has adopted the following strategic priorities:
I participated in a meeting yesterday at which leaders from the Division's various departments started to develop plans for shared work to address these priorities and fulfill the commitment set forth in the mission statement.  There is plenty already happening in the Division relating to the strategic priorities, but the participants started to identify gaps and envision new collaborations.  As UMBC's Vice President for Student Affairs Nancy Young observed, translating these broad principles and priorities into practice will require that Student Affairs staff engage in the same sort of democratic interaction and problem solving that we hope to help students master.  It's a good challenge for the months ahead.

So what do you think?  What aspects of the new mission statement and strategic priorities surprise or intrigue you, and what questions do they raise for you?
]]> If you've attended a Welcome Week program, participated in a leadership retreat, sought medical care on campus, lived in a residence hall, joined a student organization, shot pool in the Commons... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-mission-statement-for-student.html https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2968/guest@my.umbc.edu/d9e838cd9f1444ee92c0d4c0f155bf35/api/pixel campus-culture campus-services Co-Create UMBC https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 5 0 true Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:34:00 -0400 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:34:00 -0400 Real People Profiles: Christopher Moss
I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses. 

Name: Christopher 'skooter' Moss 

Hometown:  Ijamsville, MD 

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: As a student, or as staff? Ha ha. I started attending UMBC when I transfered in the summer of my Junior year, Fall 2006 

Q:  What is your current title (job or student organization position)? 

A:   IT Support Specialist for The Commons. 

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A:   I fix problems and find solutions for making the Commons more efficient. 

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most? 

A:I love the community that exists at UMBC, both faculty and students.  I had the privilege of being a part of the student body prior to transitioning into my role in the Professional Staff world, and I feel as though having experienced both has given me a unique perspective in my role.  The people at UMBC are what make all the difference, student and staff alike! 

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC? 

A:  Trust yourself.  You are the only one who truly knows what you are and what you are capable of.  And on the same note, never sell yourself short.  We are our worst critics, when usually unecessarily so. 

Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________” 

A: Creativity, it's what keeps me going during the day. 

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share? 

A:  Don't be afraid to try anything once.  That is what will make your experience at UMBC worth it!
]]> I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/10/real-people-profiles-christopher-moss.html https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2953/guest@my.umbc.edu/8c884e696f37cbd474e93661e7fedcbe/api/pixel real-people-profiles Co-Create UMBC https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 18 2 true Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:41:00 -0400 Real People Profiles: Richard Byrne
I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses.

Photo by Teresa Castracane
Name: Richard Byrne 

Hometown:  Philadelphia, PA 

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: Five years total: Three as undergraduate (1984-1986) Two as employee (2008-present). 

Q:  What is your current title (job or student organization position)? 

A:   Editor, UMBC Magazine.

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A:  Collaborate with talented design team to create a magazine that tells UMBC's story. 

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most? 

A: The chance to meet the wonderful alumni, faculty, students and staff of UMBC and hear the amazing things that they are doing 

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC? 

A: I went to UMBC before UMBC was the honors university it is today. But the faculty, students and academic leadership of that era laid the groundwork for where the university is today. How? Hard work and determination. (So many students worked their way through UMBC in that era.) Focus on academics. (Faculty and academic leaders cared about students; students cared about classes).

Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________” 

A: Albin O. Kuhn Library 

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share?

A:  Favorite spots? The library. Fine Arts. (That was where I learned so much.) 

Have to mention a few professors who had a big influence: Emeritus professor of history Robert K. Webb (who will lecture on campus in October); Former UMBC English professors Tom Vargish, Jim McKusick and the late Phillip Landon; English Department's Tony McGurrin.
]]> I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/10/real-people-profiles-richard-byrne.html https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2875/guest@my.umbc.edu/2cf004f0d50605b5f30d25657df060a2/api/pixel real-people-profiles Co-Create UMBC https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 3 0 true Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:10:00 -0400 Date changes for October! 10/8 seminar [Fac(x,y)]... Full Title: Date changes for October! 10/8 seminar [Fac(x,y)] moved to 10/22, 10/20 seminar [IRB, RCR] moved to 10/26We’ve had a change in schedule for our October seminars. OLD DATE: Oct. 8. NEW DATE: Oct. 22 “When Faculty Say ‘x’, They Really Mean ‘y’, Part IV: Understanding Your Professors and Their Requirements “ Friday, 10/22/10 4:30 – 6:30 PM Academic IV, Lecture Hall 4 Dinner will be served. RSVP: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/4750 To post questions [...] ]]> Full Title: Date changes for October! 10/8 seminar [Fac(x,y)] moved to 10/22, 10/20 seminar [IRB, RCR] moved to 10/26We’ve had a change in schedule for our October seminars. OLD DATE: Oct. 8. NEW... http://promisesuccessseminars.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/date-changes-for-october-108-seminar-facxy-moved-to-1022-1020-seminar-irb-rcr-moved-to-1026/ https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2861/guest@my.umbc.edu/078e6be79407268c4cb91d4daa3d4177/api/pixel agep gradstudents promise promise-marylands-agep seminars workshops Grad Student & Postdoc Development https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/gspd https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xsmall.png?1695134616 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/original.jpg?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xxlarge.png?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xlarge.png?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/large.png?1695134616 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/medium.png?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/small.png?1695134616 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xsmall.png?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xxsmall.png?1695134616 PROMISE @ UMBC: Support for Graduate Students 3 0 false Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:36:49 -0400 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:36:49 -0400 Stone Upon Stone October is American Archives Month, a celebration of the importance of archives: collections of documents, images and artifacts from the past.  UMBC's Albin O. Kuhn Library is marking the month in several ways, one of which is to run a series of essays by members of the UMBC community about their experiences with archives.  My essay kicks off the series.  It's called Stone Upon Stone, and it's about how I found my place in the history of my undergraduate institution.  Read it here.  You can check out some of the Albin O. Kuhn Library's archives here, here and here.
]]> October is American Archives Month, a celebration of the importance of archives: collections of documents, images and artifacts from the past.  UMBC's Albin O. Kuhn Library is marking the month in... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/10/stone-upon-stone.html https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2848/guest@my.umbc.edu/58b630b25251645d6d273e99cbf9187f/api/pixel events Co-Create UMBC https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 3 0 true Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:07:00 -0400 Dissertation House Includes Leaders and Students from... Full Title: Dissertation House Includes Leaders and Students from Three Campuses

Today marks the second session of the “Dissertation House for Employees” at UMBC.  We had some extra slots on our roster this year, so graduate students from the three campuses who’d requested a spot in any available DH were invited to join the group.  Some of our employees at UMBC are in doctoral programs at College Park, so it helped to have some of the College Park DH students present to provide connections.  At present, the room is quiet, and students in doctoral programs at UMB, UMBC, and UM College Park are working on their dissertations.  Here are some photos from last week, including books on statistics and the new APA Style Manual which are available in the UMBC Bookstore in the Commons.  Comments from participants continue in this thread: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/todays-september-24th-dissertation-house/#comments.



Filed under: Dissertation House, UMBC, University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), University of Maryland College Park Tagged: Dissertation, Employees, Thesis, UMB, UMBC, University of Maryland College Park, Writing ]]> Full Title: Dissertation House Includes Leaders and Students from Three Campuses Today marks the second session of the “Dissertation House for Employees” at UMBC.  We had some extra slots on our... http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/dissertation-house-includes-leaders-and-students-from-three-campuses/ https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2822/guest@my.umbc.edu/9c4f6030e8bd2d0cdac3f2b0a196be07/api/pixel dissertation dissertation-house employees thesis umb umbc university-of-maryland-baltimore-umb university-of-maryland-college-park writing Grad Student & Postdoc Development https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/gspd https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xsmall.png?1695134616 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/original.jpg?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xxlarge.png?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xlarge.png?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/large.png?1695134616 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/medium.png?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/small.png?1695134616 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xsmall.png?1695134616 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/066/fd3771a0ce0803416cfb6a914448d0d0/xxsmall.png?1695134616 PROMISE @ UMBC: Support for Graduate Students 0 0 false Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:15:03 -0400 Real People Profiles: Stefanie Mavronis
I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses. 

Name: Stefanie Mavronis

Hometown:  Baltimore, Maryland (More specifically, Dundalk)

Q: How long have you been at UMBC?

 A:  I just started my third year at UMBC.

Q:  What is your current title (job or student organization position)? 

A:   I have a few different titles on campus. I'm the Lead Design and Marketing Director for the Student Events Board and the Lead Designer at commonvision: UMBC Print and Design Center. I also serve on the Women's Center Advisory Board and am a Sondheim Scholar.

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: I design the marketing materials for SEB and student organizations around campus.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most? 

A:Not only am I excited to have an actual outlet for art and design on campus, especially since it's outside of my major, I really enjoy thinking creatively about issues the campus community faces, whether that means a lack of school spirit, difficulty marketing and advertising to certain parts of the campus, or issues relating to school policy. I like to combine my skills in media and politics to explore new ways of thinking about things and finding the best and most efficient ways to make things happen. It's also great to be a part of an organization like SEB because of the constant interaction I have with the campus community. Working events is a great way to get student feedback and make connections with my peers.

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC? 

A: I think the most important thing I've learned here is to go for it! This isn't an intimidating campus and the campus community as a whole is very welcoming to newcomers or people with new ideas. If something seems impossible, try thinking about it a different way. I've definitely been in a lot of situations where my peers have felt disillusioned by the state of things of the school administration, but it's been important to try to rethink the issue at hand and discover an alternate way to achieve it. Basically, this is a really supportive environment and I don't think that students should feel limited by anything other than a lack of time to try everything!

Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________” 

A: Lately, I'd have to say the Yum Shoppe. Especially over the summer when I was working on a lot of design projects at the same time and was feeling stressed, having the ability to walk down to the Yum Shoppe and grab some vegan cookies, ice cream, or an awesome micro-brew of root beer was the pick-me-up that I needed.

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share? 

A:  Everyone should visit the Women's Center! Even though I don't have as much time as I'd like to spend there, you can always be sure to find an interesting conversation or just spend time in a place that you feel safe. It also has a lot of resources that are sometimes unknown by the vast majority of students, like a rad mini-library (lots of the books focus on gender issues), free tea, and a lot of comfy seating. It's a great place to meditate and chill out and they even offer yoga classes and film screenings regularly!
]]> I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about themselves... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/09/real-people-profiles-stefanie-mavronis.html https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2769/guest@my.umbc.edu/2f70e3636a4f491b52ede7dea019b9ab/api/pixel real-people-profiles Co-Create UMBC https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 20 11 true Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:06:00 -0400 Shopper Mentality
When I purchased my first external hard drive about 20 years ago, I knew I was getting a fantastic deal.  I had taken the time to drive out to a parking lot near the beach, where some discount outfit was holding a one-day sale.  For only about $600, I was able to purchase 105 megabytes of storage, more than triple the capacity of my computer’s internal hard drive.

This past Friday, I purchased my second external hard drive: 500 gigabytes of storage, enough to hold all of my photos and sound files with plenty of room to spare.  If the per-byte price had remained at its 1990 level my new hard drive would have cost me roughly $3 million—and that’s without adjusting for inflation, which would have jacked up the price another couple of million dollars!  But in fact, it cost me $72.  And instead of driving for an hour to a sale in a distant parking lot, I bought it on Amazon.com.

The truth is that while the U.S. economy is in the tank and a lot of people are hurting, in some ways it has never been easier to be a consumer.  Our ability to access information, goods and services on demand is unparalleled in human history.  Our expectations and sense of entitlement are so fantastically high that we—OK, I—get frustrated when it takes an extra 10 seconds for a web browser to load a file it might have taken a month to locate and acquire when I was in college.

I love being an empowered shopper.  But I believe our shopper mentality—our insistence on convenience and instant gratification, and our sense of entitlement—is a root cause of the degraded state of our politics.  As one of my intellectual heroes, Harry Boyte, and his colleague Nan Kari have written: “From a nation of free citizens, we have become a nation of individualists and consumers for whom liberty means the right to be left alone and the right to choose among brands of toothpaste.”*  The work of building a prosperous, just and healthy nation involves very little instant gratification.  But many citizens have no patience for the messiness and compromises, the hard, sustained work and sacrifices necessary to real progress in building strong communities, restoring the economy, improving public education and preventing climate change.  What too many of us want to hear from politicians is, “It’s OK, I’ve got this.  Don’t worry; it’s all perfectly simple.  You want the benefits of government without the burdens?  No problem.  I’m on it.  Just vote for me on Election Day, and your problems will be solved.”  And there is no shortage of politicians who are eager to tell us exactly what we want to hear.  As Boyte recently observed, even President Obama has shifted from the campaign rallying cry of “yes, we can” to a governing rhetoric of “look at everything I’m trying to do for you.”

As a person who believes that a profound change in our politics is possible in the years ahead, I’m deeply encouraged by what I see around me each day on this campus: shared governance, innovations in student empowerment  and service-learning, and a culture of entrepreneurship that rejects complacence.   I believe what we’re seeing in this collaborative work at UMBC is a glimpse of our civic future.  But as a voter in the 2010 election, I’m impatient with the status quo.  I want our aspiring political leaders to challenge and support me as a civic producer, not isolate me with promises of a shopper’s paradise.

*Boyte, Harry C. and Kari, Nancy N. (1996). Building America: The Democratic Promise of Public Work.  Philadelphia: Temple University Press.  P.16.
]]> When I purchased my first external hard drive about 20 years ago, I knew I was getting a fantastic deal.  I had taken the time to drive out to a parking lot near the beach, where some discount... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/09/shopper-mentality.html https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2760/guest@my.umbc.edu/ea16b1eed9f1e1abeb5c5ca57aa13812/api/pixel civic-engagement politics state-and-national-elections Co-Create UMBC https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 5 0 true Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:21:00 -0400 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:21:00 -0400 Join/Nominate the First Year Council The First Year Council is a forum for first-year UMBC students to learn, grow, contribute, and have fun together.  With guidance from an experienced student leader and support from advisors in the Office of Student Life (including me), FYC members participate activities that help them get connected and make a difference on campus. 

To join the First Year Council, new UMBC students can be nominated by any student organization on campus.  Here is how Sunaina Khandelwal, the student leader who will be working with this year's FYC, describes the opportunity: 
Every year, the Office of Student Life assembles a First Year Council to give freshman and new transfers an opportunity to meet other motivated peers, get involved on campus, develop leadership skills and assume leadership and responsibility to make a difference at UMBC.
New members get nominated to the council by the Executive Board of each student organization. So,
Freshman and Transfers: If you want to become a leader in the beginning of your UMBC career, get a member of the executive board of an organization that you are part of, to fill out the attachment form with this email if you want to be part of the best.
Exec Boards: Identify your most motivated freshmen and transfer members and give them an opportunity to develop themselves. This way, you will also be identifying a representative for your organization for the entire freshman community.
To obtain a form, or if you have any questions, email Sunaina at khasun1@umbc.edu.  The deadline is this Friday, October 1st.  You can submit the forms via email to Sunaina, or in hard copy to my office: Commons 2B12 (slip them under the door if I'm not in).
]]> The First Year Council is a forum for first-year UMBC students to learn, grow, contribute, and have fun together.  With guidance from an experienced student leader and support from advisors in the... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/09/joinnominate-first-year-council.html https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/2747/guest@my.umbc.edu/bd51f0dd2402de6f6ded9806aa4e3fb7/api/pixel first-year-council Co-Create UMBC https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 6 0 true Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:33:00 -0400