Welcome back to school, Retrievers! We hope that you had the restful break you all deserve. We also hope that you find great success in your spring semester courses; continue being tenacious and studious, but also make sure you set aside some time for yourself and your mental health! Also know that many resources exist on campus to help you define and engage with your self-care practices, such as Retriever Integrated Health.
The Student Government Association (SGA) is thrilled to be back in our office supporting you and addressing the many issues that still exist on campus. We want you to know that even though some of our functions have moved online, SGA is not online and we are accessible in physical spaces to support you. Feel free to stop by our office, Commons 2B20 or reach out to one of our officers if you need to get in touch with someone. Staff profiles and ways of getting in touch with us can be found on our website: https://sga.umbc.edu/.
If you are interested in being more involved in the work of SGA, you can get involved in many ways including attending Senate meetings (Mondays at 5:30PM), Finance Board meetings (Tuesday at 5:30PM), and applying for SGA Vacancies. Otherwise, feel free to check out any of our social media platforms for consistent updates on upcoming SGA events.
- Twitter: @umbcsga
- Instagram: @umbcsga
- Tik Tok: @umbcsga
Again, best of luck to you all this semester, and stay safe.
Yours in service,
Joshua Gray, SGA President
Sruthi Ramesh, Executive Vice President
Nailah-Bena Chambers, Vice President for Student Organizations
Ayah Aligabi, Treasurer
Registration is open for the Multicultural Leadership Cohort Experience (MLCE), a collaborative effort between Campus Life and the Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b), to be held during the Spring 2022 semester. The purpose of all MLE programs is to provide a space for students and student leaders who identify within diverse or marginalized backgrounds to discover their own capacity to lead, while also promoting a better understanding of their experiences, issues, strengths, and outcomes in navigating their own collegiate careers. The spring cohort experience is offered SOLELY for selected applicants (up to 18 undergraduate and graduate students). All locations for meeting dates and times will be announced via email to selected participants and invited through Google Calendar.
This spring, we will be exploring the concept of Deconstructing Grit and Greatness. We will do this in a leadership learning cohort by:
Enhancing participants' leader identity and leadership capacity using an identity-conscious lens and student development theories;
Increasing participants’ awareness of their personal abilities, identity development, and intersections that shape their story through authenticity, self-reflection, and cultural humility;
Exploring the role they play in developing relationships while building intra/intercultural connections;
And capitalizing on their unique differences, specifically in relation to their racial, ethnic, national, and other salient identity social groups
The first session will cover a brief overview of the program. However, please note that all details related to session topics will be only disclosed to the cohort. Additionally, as we continue to monitor all COVID related procedures, the first session will be held virtually followed by in-person sessions. This is subject to change according to university guidelines. Meeting dates and times are as follow:
Registration link: tinyurl.com/mle2022. Deadline for applying is Monday, February 14, 2022 at 11:59pm EST.
For questions or more information, contact:
What does Black History Month mean to the SGA?
Black History Month is a nation's attempt to right longstanding wrongs. Black History Month is a community's attempt to unearth the truth of their people that had been so deeply buried. Black History Month is an individual's attempt to pay homage to their ancestors and find themselves in a world they were not allowed to see themselves in previously. Since 1970, not long after UMBC's founding, we have celebrated a month of acknowledging and upholding Black communities for their multifaceted and impactful contributions to our society. To the SGA, Black History Month means the opportunity to support and progress the attempts of a nation, community, and individual to embrace Blackness in all shades, inventions, words, talents, contributions, and more.
SGA is proud to honor Black History Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the achievements of the African Diaspora throughout history. We also acknowledge and stand by our Black students, faculty, and staff at UMBC. As we kick off this month, make sure to check out and support our many Black organizations on campus and further build connections and community amongst one another.
And yes, one month is not enough, but know that we are engaging in intentional and critical conversations every day to enhance the experience of Black members of our community. Additionally, through the Diversity and Inclusion Framework for the organization, we are also evaluating our work and how, as an organization, we can be more just and uplifting to Black communities.
Thank you, and we ask that you please participate in the many programs and initiatives honoring the essence of this month.
Yours in service,
Joshua Gray, SGA President
Hazel Amanze, Director of Diversity and Inclusion
]]>Hi Everyone,
If you have been looking for your chance to get involved at UMBC, here is your opportunity. Please apply for a vacancy in the Student Government Association! All position descriptions are below as well as the application.
Position Descriptions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1po5TKWJOOd9Kl_DazurI4leGlmlpyoKEQtfF8febwUM/edit#
Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19Jx22yJj3qli4rSHiBbymdM51mux5zvbOau_6sPF8A4/edit
Applications are due February 9, 2022.
If you have any questions, please reach out to:
Joshua Gray, SGA President, joshuag4@umbc.edu; Wendy Zhang, Speaker of the Senate, wendyz1@umbc.edu; Rehman Liaqat, Chair of the Finance Board, rliaqat1@umbc.edu.
Yours in service,
Joshua Gray, SGA President
Dear UMBC Community Members,
On behalf of the University Steering Committee, we are writing to ask you to save Thursday, April 7 on your calendar for a Community Mental Health Action day. The USC will be working with partners across campus to host events both in person and online over the course of the day to promote mental health and community well-being. For now, we are writing to ask three things:
Please help make this day happen! If you have an idea for a workshop, class, conversation, or event that you would like to take the lead on, please email Susan McDonough at mcdonoug@umbc.edu. Alternatively, if you’re already programming an event that we can help advertise, let us know.
Please consider building this day into your syllabi and plans for the work day, perhaps with an assignment or readings that reflect the theme through the lens of your field, or perhaps with a study day to allow folks to participate throughout the day.
Join us on Apr 7, 2022!
We look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks and hope that you’ll all participate in some way in this important day.
Sincerely,
Susan McDonough, Chair, University Steering Committee
Wendy Zhang, Vice-chair, University Steering Committee