Meeting with President Sheares Ashby 18 May 2023

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 09:41:08 -0400

Greetings All,

On Thursday, 18 May, Mickie, Tina, and I met with Dr. Sheares Ashby, the incoming UMBC President. This meeting served as both a follow-up to the SSM/VF luncheon of the week prior, as well as a chance to address some other concerns and areas in need of improvement.

The meeting was similar to the last, with a little more time for questions. President Sheares Ashby was receptive to our concerns, and (coming from UNC and other locations with a different atmosphere for service members) was surprised at the cultural disconnect at UMBC.

Mickie addressed issues with Vocational Rehab, including lack of UMBC institutional knowledge and procedures, and the difficulties associated with renewal. This discussion also included accessibility issues for SSM/VF who may have service-related injuries, and would benefit from increased UMBC awareness and action.

Tina addressed the disconnect between UMBC, Vet Centers, and other external sources. This includes the Center for Wellness and other programs. Tina also discussed issues with our year-long attempt to start a student organization for service members and their families, and we suggested that the entire process needed an overhaul. We also suggested that some organizations (like ours) would benefit from a hybrid status as a student extension of a permanent UMBC entity, which means the organization wouldn't be at risk of folding and restarting every few years.

I discussed a member of our community whose story of feeling disconnected, alone, and unsupported by UMBC is common among SSM/VF. This discussion referenced the common SSM/VF feeling of being ostracized, judged, or receiving hostile reactions from some students and staff. A portion of this discussion was related to service member injuries and disabilities. A larger message was the lack of military cultural competency at UMBC, and the fostering of an environment where SSM/VF choose to remain "invisible."

President Sheares Ashby discussed her takeaways as:

"Fix" the Finance Department so they know how to handle various stipends (military, disability, etc.).

Improve the sense of belonging in teaching spaces.

Improve cultural training for faculty and staff.

Pursue recommendations for connecting to the Vet center.

Consider connecting the SSM/VF student group to an advisor (making it more like how the Social Work or Psych Departments have internal groups).

Create accessibility spots for SSM/VF.

Please let us know if you have any Qs, and most of all, please let us know what issues you would like to see addressed.

-Steve