As previously announced to the campus, Professor Rebecca Boehling, the Director of the Dresher Center, will become Director of the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, Germany, in January.  A distinguished scholar of the Holocaust, World War II, and early postwar Germany, Dr. Boehling has served as the founding Director of the James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities, making it a highly visible and important presence on campus in supporting and advancing scholarship in the humanities.  We are all indebted to her for outstanding work with the Dresher Center and her role as a champion of the humanities and the liberal arts.

I am delighted to announce that Jessica Berman, Professor of English (and Affiliate Professor of Gender + Women's Studies, and of Language, Literacy, and Culture), will become Director of the Dresher Center in January, 2014, when she returns from a year's leave.  Dr. Berman is the author of two heralded books on modernism, co-editor of the book series Modernist Latitudes at the Columbia University Press, and a Board Member of the American Comparative Literature Association.  She has also served as Chair of the UMBC Research Council and for the past six years has chaired the Department of English.  We are fortunate indeed to have a scholar of Professor Berman's stature and skills bring her experience and vision to the Dresher Center.

I am delighted as well to announce that Professor Beverly Bickel of the Ph.D. Program in Language, Literacy, and Culture (and Affiliate Assistant Professor of Gender + Women's Studies) will direct the Dresher Center from January 2013 through December 2013.  Dr. Bickel is a talented administrator, who has most recently served as Acting Director of LLC, and an innovative scholar in such areas as new media and globalized communication and culture.  Under her leadership, the Dresher Center will continue to move forward in supporting and enhancing the humanities and humanities scholarship at UMBC.

The Dresher Center has become a major institution on campus thanks to the leadership of Dr. Boehling.  I know that Professors Berman and Bickel will sustain and build upon the achievements and momentum established by Professor Boehling.  They will be supported in this by Professor John Stolle-McAllister of the Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication, who this semester has taken on the positions of Director of the Humanities Scholars Program and Associate Director of the Dresher Center.

 Mark is a junior studying Sociology. 

“I couldn’t tell you the meaning of existence. It’s different for everyone I suppose. I can tell you this though. The happiest moments of my life have occurred in a room full of difference, of unknown beginnings and uncertain ends. I’ve never been happier than when I’m meeting someone new. I’m an explorer, you could say, but I explore the landscape of human experience. Every conversation is a new expedition, a new chance to discover the unknown. That is what Diversity means to me. It’s the fuel of my spiritual economy.”

*The Diversity Educator Interns are undergraduate and graduate students who  co-facilitate cross-cultural and diversity awareness discussions and educational workshops across campus.

Q. What made you get involved with The Mosaic Center as a Diversity Educator Intern?

A. I found an advertisement for UMBC Talks, and after attending one I saw the smokin' cool "Meet the DEIs" board in the Mosaic Center. So I inquired about what exactly a DEI was, and I thought it'd be cool to learn about diversity education.

Q. What's your favorite moment as a DEI so far?

A. We were doing a presentation about cross-cultural communication, and within five minutes of being there this guy, this top-dog, let the entire class know that he "did work" with women. It was very funny.

Q. What has surprised you most about working in a Center for Culture and Diversity?

A. I was really surprised by how much the position has broadened my ability to think outside the box.

Q. Do you find anything challenging about being a DEI? If so, explain.

A. There haven't really been too many difficulties thus far although I'd like to increase the number of different workshops we have to offer.

Q. What might someone be surprised to know about you?

A. Well, I'm secretly a legendary Go-Kart Racer. Also, once upon a time my goal in life was to be a Loli-Pop kid from The Wizard of Oz. One Halloween I dressed up as one of those happy midgets, and I basically chugged helium so that I could keep the voice all night.

Q. What's it like to be a Diversity Educator Intern for The Mosaic Center?

A. Imagine that your mind is a treasure chest with a lock on it, but inside that chest there are a thousand little miniature boxes with locks on them too. Inside every box is a gem, an idea waiting to be discovered. The cool thing about being a DEI is that you get the key to open the big chest, and if you're lucky you can pop open a couple of those mini-boxes too.

Q. When you aren’t performing DEI duties, what are you most likely doing?

A. I like stories. Whether they're written, spoken, or in some cinematic form, I spend most of my free time seeking out cool stories. I really enjoy meeting new people too, so I spend a lot of time just walking around and looking for interesting people to start up conversations with.

Q. How would (someone) describe you?

A. How many words can they use to describe me? Most people would probably label me as sarcastic with a melodic voice. (Melodic is such a cool word) I try to base my actions off of the people I'm surrounded by at the time, so I adapt myself to whoever I'm with.

Q. What do you wish other people knew about The Mosaic Center?

A. I wish they knew about all the cool events that The Mosaic Center co-hosts and sponsors, such as UMBC Talks.

Q. What would you say are some of your strongest beliefs about diversity?

A. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, it exists. If you want to make friends, form bonds, and maybe seek out future family members, you have to know how to relate to people. So how do you relate to people? You can't do it by assuming that everyone thinks like you do on every issue. You have to be prepared to discuss things, to change your mind, to learn about new ways of living. Basically, you have to be willing to open your "treasure chest" of a mind and let things in.

Q. What's your personal philosophy on what should be done about promoting communal diversity and inclusion?

A. Step 1: Relax. If someone says or does something that offends you, you have to realize that more often than not it's not on purpose. People don't often go out of their way to annoy people they don't even know. I know it seems that way sometimes, but people are generally good. The moment you're angry, the moment you write them off, is the moment you lose. You could've just lost a lifelong friend or a true love--whatever that is.

Step 2: Listen. Before you voice your opinion, see what someone else has to say. Maybe you disagree with them completely, but the first step to understanding something is to acknowledge that it's worth your time. You do that by listening.

Step 3: Don't try to "fix" stuff. You can't solve difference. It's not something that can be overcome. It's something to be appreciated and welcomed. New ideas always make the end result better.

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Want to know more? Contact mosaic@umbc.edu - to request a workshop for your group or org complete a workshop request form! http://my.umbc.edu/groups/themosaic (form must be submitted at least two weeks in advance)

Khristina is a senior studying Anthropology with a minor in Sociology. In addition to her studies, she participates in several extracurricular activities, particularly those that have to do with volunteerism, activism, and social justice. Currently, she is a member of SGA’s Service & Volunteer Activism department, Vice-President of the student org Students Abolishing Slavery, and a Campus Ambassador for the organization “Half the Sky,” which raises awareness about the oppression of women and girl’s worldwide and works to turn the oppression into opportunity.

*The DEIs are undergraduate/graduate students who co-facilitate cross-cultural & diversity awareness discussions & educational workshops across campus.

Q. What made you get involved with The Mosaic Center as a Diversity Educator Intern?

A. I wanted to be a DEI because I felt that in this position I would be able to foster cultural sensitivity, openness, and unity on campus by educating my classmates on issues of diversity and intercultural communication.

Q. What's your favorite moment as a DEI so far?

A. My favorite moment so far has been spending time with my fellow DEIs. They are all great people!

Q. What has surprised you most about working in a Center for Culture and Diversity?

A. I’m surprised by how much work is put into teaching people about culture and diversity. There is a lot of planning involved in developing the presentations and the materials used in them.

Q. Do you find anything challenging about being a DEI? If so, explain.

A. Sometimes it is difficult to balance my DEI duties with my student duties. There have been times outside of my internship hours where I have been thinking about my duties as a DEI when I should have been focusing on homework.

Q. What might someone be surprised to know about you?

A. I don’t think there is much about me that would surprise people, as I’m a pretty honest and open person.

Q. What's it like to be a Diversity Educator Intern for The Mosaic Center?

A. Since this is only the second semester of the program there are a few kinks to be worked out, which can be frustrating at times. For the most part though, it’s great. I feel that through the presentations we put on I’m becoming more confident in my public speaking and I’m learning important skills such as how to successfully interact with an audience and how to be a better teacher.

Q. When you aren’t performing DEI duties, what are you most likely doing?

A. Homework and extracurricular activities such as, Anthropology Council of Majors, Oxfam Club, Amnesty International Club, and SGA Service & Volunteerism executive board!

Q. How would (someone) describe you?

A. People would describe me as extremely motivated, friendly, and outgoing.

Q. What do you wish other people knew about The Mosaic Center?

A. I would like my fellow students to know what The Mosaic Center is and what we do! So many of them still have to ask, which makes me sad. We offer a lot of great programs and the space is available for them to make it their own. I wish students would come inside and eat lunch, talk to friends, and do homework.

Q. What would you say are some of your strongest beliefs about diversity?

A. I believe that diversity should be something that brings us together instead of separates us. We are all different and we should celebrate these differences and experience what life is like for those who are unlike us.

Q. What's your personal philosophy on what should be done about promoting communal diversity and inclusion?

A. I believe that talking about racism, sexism, discrimination, prejudice etc. is the only way that communal diversity and inclusion will succeed.

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Want to know more? Contact mosaic@umbc.edu - to request a workshop for your group or org complete a workshop request form! http://my.umbc.edu/groups/themosaic (form must be submitted at least two weeks in advance)