__________________
This survey is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.
Graduate Assistantship Announcement
Division of Student Affairs
Research Assistantship: Graduate assistantship (Master’s or PhD level) will be available starting as early as July 1, 2025 (dependent on student availability) to work with Student Belonging & the Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being in the Division of Student Affairs at UMBC. With the support of the Director of the Center for Religion, Spirituality, & Pluralism who oversees the Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, the Graduate Assistant will help design systems to collect and interpret data, co-manage marketing and social media, provide logistical support for the Center, and help supervise student interns.
As one of the identity-based centers within Student Belonging, The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being serves as a spiritually-centered space where students and UMBC community members can gather at the intersection of religion, faith, spirituality, and other lived experiences. The Gathering Space prioritizes individual religious practice, opportunities to explore holistic well-being connected to religion and spirituality, and creating spaces to engage across differences, by centering the importance of interfaith work and dialogue. Within the Gathering Space, three core themes are emphasized: radical love & belonging, spiritual well-being, and energetic pluralism.
The duties of the assistantship will fall into the following areas:
Potential Opportunities:
Required Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Stipend: The graduate assistantship comes with a competitive stipend and is designed for up to 20 hours weekly. For more information regarding assistantships visit https://gradschool.umbc.edu/funding/assistantships/
Application: Please apply via Handshake (https://app.joinhandshake.com/stu/jobs/9798066?ref=preview-header-click&search_id=8d0cc551-049f-40af-ac5a-64f1bf2639dd) You will need to provide a cover letter about your interest, CV/Resume, and a list of three references with contact information via Handshake (at least one faculty member).
]]>Join us next week to celebrate Interfaith Week from April 21-25, 2025!
Here is a sneak peak of all the events to come!
Monday, 4/21
Interfaith Week Kick Off, 11:30-1:00pm
Tabling Fair on Commons Main Street (11:30AM-1:00PM)
This event will be a religious showcase. Different religious clubs will set up a table in Main Street with a poster explaining their club and the religion they practice. Much like Involvement Fest, each club will be expected to talk about their club but also have an emphasis on the religion itself. The goal is for students to come to each table and learn about the different faiths, traditions, practices, and other important aspects of the religion.
Human Library in Lower Flat Tuesday (11:30AM-1:00PM)
Come to our Human Library, a chance to hear from fellow students about their various religious and spiritual faiths. Ask questions and learn about various beliefs and traditions that you didn't get the chance to learn about before. Don't be afraid to ask questions as long as they are well intentioned. Snacks will be provided.
Tuesday, 4/22
MythBusters, 5:30-6:30 in Lower Flat Tuesdays
Our goal is to host a MythBusters event that includes an interactive event including a Kahoot game that challenges individuals to re-examine their mindset on “myths” or misconceptions that they have/have heard about their religion or another faith. Once the Kahoot is complete, we will follow up with an open discussion about other myths and questions with individuals from various faiths present to participate.
Wednesday, 4/23
Interfaith Candy Bar, 5:00PM-6:00PM in Commons, Main Street
Sweet tooths, unite! Make sure to stop by our interfaith candy bar. Come ready to connect with a diverse set of religious groups/traditions on campus through a sweet treat! This event is open to all members of the UMBC Community.
Thursday, 4/24
Liberty of Leisure: Desegregating Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, 1:30PM in CWB 101
Gathering Space intern, Kayla Brooks, will be presenting the research of her Master’s thesis. This presentation includes history about the interfaith engagement strategies utilized to desegregate Gwynn Oak Amusement Park.
Speed Faithing Event, 5:00pm (Commons 329)
Not quite speed dating– “speed faithing” is an opportunity to participate in an opportunity to engage in numerous 3-5 min. dialogues about faith and spirituality. These will be in moving groups of 3 or 4 and dinner will be provided.
Friday, 4/25
Join for Religious Practices in The Gathering Space!
Yoga: 9:00AM
Catholic Mass: 12:00PM
Jummah: 1:15PM & 2:15PM
Shabbat: 5:00PM
Mindful Nature Walk with Daniela: 3:00pm-5:00pm (meeting in CWB lobby)
Journey through the Herbert Run Greenway with our Gathering Space intern, Daniela. Take some time for personal reflection and mindful journeying.
Ice Cream Social 3:30PM (TGS Kitchenette)
Join us for a midday Ice Cream Social! Non-dairy and kosher options will be available.
These are amazing opportunities to connect with the UMBC community and other religious/spiritual organizations. We hope that you make some time to gather with us and we look forward to your presence and participation.
LET’S GATHER!
Position Type: Internship, Stipend, Undergraduate Student, Graduate Student
Handshake ID: 9726261
Hiring Manager: Dr. Ciara Christian
Term: Spring 2025 semester with the ability for renewal
Yearly Stipend: $1500
Do you always find yourself talking about social justice? Are you the friend in your group who's always adding “nuance” to the conversation? Then we’re looking for you! Social Justice Dialogue Facilitation Fellows work for the Center for Social Justice Dialogue and are supervised by professional staff within the Center.
The main role of this internship is to support the work of the Center for Social Justice Dialogue (CSJD) in cultivating a campus community where everyone feels empowered and equipped to engage in difficult dialogue across differences of identity, background, and lived experience. Built on a foundation of Intergroup Theory and other social justice education frameworks, interns will co-create and deliver workshops on topics of identity, social justice, and dialogue to student populations. Further, students will support projects including MediaBytes, Your Story Belongs Here, InterACT, FYS: Race, Social Justice, and Dialogue, and other departmental programs. They may also support collaborative dialogue programs in partnership with other departments on campus (e.g. The Women’s Center, Center for Democracy and Civic Life, Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging, etc). Facilitators are expected to work a maximum of ten hours a week which includes weekly staff meetings to engage in deep learning, prepare for workshops, and continue developing student-focused programming. Interns engage in ongoing training, reviewing key activities, facilitation skills, and foundational introductions to various social justice concepts. Interns must be available for these training sessions as well as program retreats.
Upon the completion of more advanced training (including Restorative Practices) and a full year of participation, students will have the opportunity to apply to a “senior internship” position to facilitate higher stakes dialogues.
Develop, facilitate, and promote peer-led workshops on topics related to identity, social justice, and dialogue to student populations
Engage in ongoing learning and development connected to dialogue and facilitation
Co-create the continued foundation for IDEAL and InterACT programs, as well as contribute ideas and content for workshop curriculum
Support CSJD programming through attendance, marketing/promotion, co-facilitating activities within larger dialogues and workshops, etc.
Meet with the primary supervisor and attend regular student staff meetings (dependent on student availability)
Serve as departmental “student liaison,” gathering information about current student “hot topics” and needs and wants connected to dialogue
Serve as an ambassador for IDEAL and InterACT programs, as well as CSJD more broadly
Follow all area regulations within the Code of Conduct (this is provided during the staff onboarding process)
Fulfill all other duties and responsibilities as appropriate and assigned (including, but not limited to occasional oral / written reflections, time tracking, etc.)
Must be a full-time, matriculating undergraduate or graduate student at UMBC;
Must have and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 (semesterly checks will be conducted);
Must be able to commit to a minimum of one full academic year for at least 10 hours per week;
Interns are strongly encouraged to enroll and fulfill all the requirements PRAC098 offered through the Career Center each semester, but especially for their first full semester of the internship program. Learn more about PRAC here.
Must be committed to being a positive role model and demonstrate leadership skills;
Must demonstrate ability to interact and communicate mindfully in person and online with diverse students, staff, faculty, and other campus community members;
Must be flexible with schedules depending on relevant programs, events and/or student professional development opportunities;
Must have flexibility to work evening and weekend hours on occasion;
Must attend all training sessions
Demonstrated experience with myUMBC, Gmail, Google Drive, Canva, Instagram,, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and/or Illustrator
Demonstrated basic knowledge in any of the following areas: the relationship between identity, power, privilege and oppression, intersectionality, social justice-related theories, intergroup dialogue (e.g. Critical Race Theory, Feminist/Womanist Theory, Queer Theory, Social Identity Theory)
Demonstrated leadership skills and experience through student organization leadership, civic engagement and/or activism
Have summer and winter availability; and
Have verbal, spoken, and/or written multilingual skills