Dear Students,

Student Affairs leadership wants to get to know you, hear how your semester is going, and listen to your hopes for your time at UMBC. Sign up for a 30-minute slot to have a conversation with our vice president and acting associate vice presidents. Chats will begin in February 2024.

Dr. Renique Kersh, Vice President for Student Affairs 

30-minute slots, weekly on Wednesdays,  4 - 7 p.m. 

The Commons 319

Schedule a time with Dr. Kersh!

Fritzie Charne-Merriwether, Acting Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Diversity

30-minute virtual slots twice a month on Thursdays, 4 - 6:30 p.m. 

Schedule a time with Fritzie Charne-Merriwether!

Topics that Fritzie Charne-Merriwether can offer resources and support for include:

**Campus life and engagement opportunities (clubs, greek life, intellectual sports)

**Campus events and facilities scheduling

**Cultural, religious, spiritual, and LGBTQ+ programs and organizations

**Democracy and civic engagement opportunities

**Food and financial concerns

**Leadership development opportunities

**Academic support and concerns  

Dr. John Fox, Acting Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

30-minute virtual slots twice a month on Tuesdays, 4 - 6:30 p.m. 

Schedule a time with Dr. Fox!

Topics that Dr. Fox can offer resources and support for include:

**Living on campus

**Commuting and Transit ridership

**Campus engagement, particularly for transfer, veteran, and adult learners

**Food, financial, and housing concerns

**Mental/physical health and well-being

**Student conduct and behavior

**Navigating academic concerns

We are excited to offer the UMBC community a 1-day skills-based training course designed to teach participants how to:

**recognize signs of mental health or substance use disorders.

**identify community resources.

**link people in crisis to the proper resources.

The course will consist of a 2-hour self-paced introduction course online, followed by a 6-hour virtual skills session with Mental Health First Aid instructors. You will learn a 5-step action plan and practice applying it throughout the skills section of the course.

Space is limited! You must register NO LATER than one week prior to the date of the training.

Upcoming dates:

**Feb. 29, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

**Apr. 11, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

**June 7, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

"Three Questions With" is an opportunity to celebrate and learn more about staff in the Division of Student Affairs. We're excited to kick off this series with Katie Chrzanowski '07 in DoSA Creative Services (who designs and produces "DoSA Matters")!

Want to suggest a Student Affairs colleague for "Three Questions With ..."? Email elewis@umbc.edu

In December 2023, Chris Ambrose, acting associate director for Residential Life, was elected to the Leadership Council of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) as the Coordinator-Elect for ACPA Chapters & Divisions. (He'll serve one year as a coordinator-elect, two years as a coordinator, and one year as past coordinator/advisor.)

Chris will work with all ACPA chapter and division leaders from across the US and beyond. He will provide voice, input, and perspectives of ACPA's chapters and divisions to the Leadership Council; serve as a voting member on the Leadership Council (after his elect year); plan and coordinate meetings of ACPA chapter and division leaders, including meetings at the ACPA Annual Convention; and communicate Association updates, requests, strategies, and concerns with ACPA chapter and division leaders. 

He has been involved with ACPA since he was an undergraduate and has since presented at ACPA local and national conferences and held leadership positions at the state and association levels. "I am really excited to engage with ACPA and the profession as a whole in this new, meaningful way," he says.

Chris joined UMBC on February 27, 2023 as assistant director of residential education and became acting associate director in fall 2023. His responsibilities include behaviors of concern case management, parent communication, director-level resolution authority, and communication to the VPSA office, as well as HR and payroll oversight and residential life organizational review. He also continues to supervise community directors, work with upper class and apartment residents, teach the RA class, lead the Residential Curriculum Committee, and oversee Residential Life's assessment initiatives such as Skyfactor. 

Hey Retrievers, stay up to date on all things UMBC by following these accounts on social media:

Get Involved

@umbcseb

@umbccampuslife

@umbc_offcampus

@umbcathletics

@umbcrec

@umbc_rsa

@umbci3b @umbc

@umbcgreek

@umbccareers

Stay Informed

@umbclife

@umbcpolice

@umbcsga

@umbcdining

@umbctransit

Study Hard

@umbc_advising

@umbclibrary

@umbcbookstore

Care for Yourself

@umbcrih

@umbcretrieveressentials

Serena Studivant, assistant director of commuter student success in Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS), was appointed 2nd Vice President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) National Alumni Association. In this position, she oversees membership of the association, maintaining the membership database and leading the membership committee, which hosts recruitment initiatives to encourage alumni to join the association as dues-paying members and to join a local chapter. Serena works to increase the association's visibility and sheds light on the advantages of being a member: to help attain new members, reclaim previous dues-paying members, and retain current members. Simultaneously, she serves on the association's Marketing and Advertising Committee as the chair of "The Hawk Flyer," and designs and disseminates the quarterly newsletter to all alumni. 

She graduated from UMES in May of 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Design, and a concentration in Commercial Photography. In 2023, she received the 2023 Distinguished Alumna award on behalf of UMES; the award recognizes the accomplishments of alumni from each university in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. 

Serena came to UMBC in June of 2023 and jumped into the swing of OCSS programming, advocating for commuter students and collaborating with campus partners. One of the programs she oversees is Good Morning Commuters, a weekly breakfast for commuter students offered every Tuesday during the academic year. It remains one of our most popular events for commuters. She is looking forward to hosting OCSS' Commuter Week (March 4 - 8). The theme is "OCSS Declassified Commuter Survival Guide" and includes fun and informative events to help create more awareness of the many resources available to commuters and their unique experiences.