UMBC finished in the top 10 nationwide in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge voting pledge competition for 2020. ALL IN encourages college students to pledge to vote to promote accountability, based on evidence that when people make public pledges, they are more likely to follow through. More than 600 colleges and universities participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. To view the leaderboard with the top 25 institutions in the U.S. by number of pledges, click here and scroll down. 

 

The UMBC community will learn how many students actually voted in the 2020 national election when we receive our report from the National Survey of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) sometime next year. In the previous presidential election in 2016, 85 percent of UMBC students were registered to vote, and 75 percent of those actually voted. UMBC’s overall turnout rate in 2016 was 25 percent higher than the national average for colleges and universities (source: NSLVE).

 

UMBC’s Cast Your Whole Vote campaign, organized by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life in collaboration with many departments, student organizations, and campus leaders, encouraged members of the UMBC community to learn about issues, engage in civil conversations, and contribute their time and talent to building a better world on Election Day and every day. Cast Your Whole Vote programs (all virtual) included Dinner with Friends (facilitated dialogues), Change Maker Dinners (facilitated small group conversations with local leaders and activists), Debate Watch events, Post-Debate Lunch & Learn programs, and Election Night Extravaganza (a community gathering to watch and make sense of election returns). 

 

Students, faculty, and staff members trained as facilitators have organized more than 20 post-election Together Beyond November programs to help participants renew their connections and support each other in this challenging time. The Center for Democracy and Civic Life is continuing to work with campus partners to support opportunities for civic learning and sustained engagement, including the STRiVE leadership for social impact retreat (apply by 11/15), Alternative Spring Break (apply by 11/23), and a conversation with Maryland legislators who represent UMBC (11/18; RSVP required).

My relief is tainted. When I first realized that Joe Biden was probably going to be President of the United States, I had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment that was almost immediately mellowed. In the back of my mind, I kept hearing Biden’s voice from the video clip that swirled around the internet where he stated, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black.” This message to the black community is disheartening because plenty of candidates claiming to represent us have failed to deliver on their promises. Their rhetoric has implied that we shouldn’t ask questions, just be satisfied with the lesser of two evils. The black community is often left with the bare minimum, and then asked why we aren’t happy.  Yet as the weekend progressed, everyone’s joy seeped into my own soul, giving me a sense of warmth that I hadn’t felt in years. I wanted to hold on to the feeling of togetherness and accomplishment of the people around me. 

While I am happy with the outcome of the election I am not ecstatic. This election did not diminish my resolve to work for positive change. I want people to know that the fight for justice isn’t over, and want to be sure they are not lulled into a false sense of safety just because we have someone who knows how to speak coherently leading us. While of course, it goes deeper than that, I am afraid that by comparing Biden to someone I have would describe as incompetent we place him on a pedestal he doesn’t deserve.

I am motivated to continue to have deep conversations with peers and those with more knowledge than me about the problems that have plagued this country since its founding. I am determined to find unity amidst the chaos because I do not believe that all people who disagree with me are filled with hate. For me, that means starting locally because that is all that I feel equipped to handle. At this point, I have met all of the representatives from my Maryland General Assembly district and talked to them about the policies they see as important and am in the process of educating myself on those issues so I feel more equipped to form my own opinions. 

I hate the idea that one party is inherently moral and the other is inherently evil. Both parties have work to do. Figuring out exactly what I want to accomplish is evolving with the knowledge that I gain from my representatives and my own research and discussion with my peers.  I am determined to work toward the world as I imagine it: the world as it could be. 

- What is leadership to you?
- What does a leader look like?
- How does leadership and activism intersect or show-up?

We want to spotlight your multimedia expressions, whether through visual art, poetry, or anything in-between, of what leadership means to you. Submissions are open to all UMBC students, faculty and staff! Deadline is December 16 by 11:59pm. Link to submit:tinyurl.com/leadzine - if you are unable to upload your submission using this portal, send your work to commonvision@umbc.edu with the subject line “LEADZINE”! for questions contact Coordinator for Leadership, Beatriz Gutierrez-Malagon at bgutierrez@umbc.edu #UMBC

The Office for Academic & Pre-Professional Advising has openings available for Winter Orientation Advisors! COVID hasn’t slowed us down at all, and Orientation is proceeding as usual – except 100% online. Advisors use Webex to meet with incoming students one-on-one to plan out and register for classes. No previous experience is required, and we will provide all training necessary!

Besides compensation, this is an excellent opportunity to gain professional and interpersonal experience. Depending on the field, your time as a student may not open you up to many client-facing interactions, and this is a pathway to gaining that experience. If you are considering a career in academia, meanwhile, advising experience is highly sought-after in faculty openings.

Graduate students are eligible to be compensated at the rate of $25 per advising session, with most Orientation days having opportunities for approximately four sessions.

More details are provided in the application attached, which is due HERE by December 2, 2020. We will also be hosting a number of informational sessions for those who may be interested:

- Thursday , November 12, 12-1 PM

- Monday, November 16, 12-1 PM

- Friday, November 20, 12-1 PM

I woke up this morning thinking about the election and thinking about safety. The “Election” took place on Tuesday evening, but it took us days to determine the final outcome. So many of us were anxiously checking the count and religiously reviewing credible sources, as we worked to get our heads wrapped around what our “tomorrow” would look like.

I am positive that we have all likely been anxious to some degree leading up to this year’s Presidential election. No matter what political leaning we each may have, which candidate we support, or which issues are important to us, the road to this year’s presidential election has been long and trying. Not just the election, but all that we’ve lived through in 2020 – uprisings in response to historical and present day racial injustice, natural disasters impacted by changes to our climate, and a global pandemic – has brought all of us to this same exact moment. What I also know is that the outcome of this election will impact each of us differently, and some of us disproportionately. Some of us are considering the outcome as connected to our political ideology, community values, and thoughts on government involvement, while others are thinking about the outcome as connected to our daily ability to safely live whole, full, and free lives. More than just the outcome of the final vote count, many of us are thinking about safety in the days ahead. 

At UMBC we value our diverse community and diverse perspectives. We also know that because we are a global community, guaranteeing safety for all can be challenging, unless we all commit to supporting one another. Acknowledging the inability to guarantee safety should not be a cause for concern, but an acknowledgement that we each experience the world differently, and that we should think proactively about engaging in self- and community-care. Safety as I’m talking about it here falls into three different categories:

No matter what, know that you are not alone. We are not all in the same boat … but we are certainly all weathering the same storm. What makes UMBC unique is our ability to keep our shared values and connected relationships at the center of all that we do - even weathering a challenging 2020 Presidential Election. As a UMBC student, faculty, staff member, or alum, you can find support from our community. There are a number of ways to engage in listening and dialogue with one another in the coming weeks ahead. As you weigh your capacity to engage with our community, your own family/friends, or even strangers from the internet, always make sure your safety (psychological, emotional, and/or physical) is your top priority. In the days ahead, commit to spending some time to think about how you will engage in self-care, community-care, and safety planning.