October is Relationship Violence Awareness Month, and here at UMBC we take relationship violence prevention extremely serious. There is an entire month's worth of great events and programs happening during the month of October and we hope that you will support our campus by being present at some of them. 

If you have questions about any of the listed events or about relationship violence resources, please contact Jess Myers, Women's Center Director, at jess.myers@umbc.edu, 410-455-2714 or myself, Mickey Irizarry, Health Education Coordinator, at pirizarry@umbc.edu, 410-455-3752.

I’m writing and posting this reflection on the first year “anniversary” of the closing of childcare center on UMBC’s campus. That was a painful and stressful time on campus for many families and their children. Thankfully, UMBC is committed to being a family-friendly campus not only in name but in actions and renovations to restore the childcare center back to working condition will take place this year with a slated re-opening date of fall 2015.

But the issue of childcare extends beyond UMBC. Here’s some startling facts about the state of childcare in the United States.

In many states, the cost of childcare is more expensive than college tuition.

This high price of childcare is particularly important you take into consideration the following statistics found in a National Women’s Law Center analysis of state and national data that addresses the concerns related to low-wage jobs and the intersection of childcare:

• Over 1.2 million mothers with very young children (children ages three and under) are in low-wage occupations (those that typically pay $10.10 or less per hour)
• In every state, working mothers of very young children are disproportionately represented in low-wage occupations.

Moreover, low-wage jobs often entail unstable, unpredictable, or inflexible schedules and lack any paid sick or family leave which can make it difficult to arrange child care. For more information, you can read the full report here.

Getting your college degree and being a parent also isn’t easy. Check out a previous post from our former intern, Emily that specifically focuses the childcare issues faced by college student parents.

There’s also this report from AAUW that specifically addresses childcare issues on a community college level.

And the issue extends beyond access to childcare. These are just two personal stories I’ve heard recently from moms in my life…

A dear friend of mine just had her baby. Leading up to her due date, we spoke about her struggle to understand the ins and outs of her maternity leave (because newsflash: out of 178 nations, the US is one of three that still does not require paid maternity leave benefits). With only weeks to go until her due date, she realized she had been told the wrong information about her leave policies and now had significantly less time to take off during maternity leave than she originally thought. In the moment she wasn’t feeling well and was contemplating starting her leave early before the baby came. She shared with me feeling torn about taking the time off now before the baby was here so she could take care of herself or to save the time for later so she could spend it with the baby once he or she arrived. She asked: “how can I take care of my baby, if I can’t take care of me now?”

*Recent update… there’s a new push underway at the U.S. Labor Department for paid maternity leave. You can read the 9/24/14 article here.

Upon coming back from maternity leave, my sister-in-law, J, inquired with her HR department about a private space she could pump. She was referred to a single-use bathroom that was generally known around the office… and this is her exact quote… “as the place the guys went to take a dump.” J questioned that location as the only solution and asked if she could use a conference room when it wasn’t in use. She was told that using a conference room wasn’t sanitary for other people who use it… you know in case breast milk got all over the place.  Needless to say, she left the meeting crying and feeling pretty hopeless. Thank goodness, HR went back and did their homework and changed their statement when it became apparent that state law made it illegal for workplaces to designate public restrooms as lactation rooms. The next day they turned an empty office into a “wellness center.”

They were probably worried this would happen….

But all joking aside, for UMBC folks, please know the University System of Maryland has a lactation facilities policy and the Women’s Center is the official lactation room for campus. Moreover, on all college campuses that receive federal funding, pregnant and parenting students can find protection under Title IX  which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities.

During the various conversations I engaged in last year when the campus childcare center closed, it was important for me to emphasize that access to childcare wasn’t just a women’s issue. It was a parent issue. A student success issue. A retention and graduation issue. A work-place satisfaction issue. And, while all of that is true, access to childcare and family-friendly work policies are still also women’s issues that impact pay-equity issues, tenure and promotion issues, work-life balance issues and more. As a society, we need to do a better job at supporting our moms and families. It’s time for a culture shift and we all need to be a part of the solution.

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The Women’s Center has several resources that may be of interest to our UMBC moms and parents:

Mother’s Group list-serv: This list-serv allows members to connect with other moms and parents on campus. Looking for a suggestion for a babysitter, pediatrician, or childcare provider? Email the list! If you’d like to be added provide your contact information to womens.center@umbc.edu

myUMBC Moms and Parents Group: This is clearinghouse of sorts that the Women’s Center created to put all the parenting and childcare resources we know of in one place. Examples of links and documents include the childcare resource guide, employment protections, Grad’s School maternity leave policies, information about Title IX. This can also be a place for parents to post their own discussions or questions.

Childcare Resource Guide: Before the childcare on campus closed, the Women’s Center with the support of the President’s Commission for Women put together a guide to help parents find alternatives to childcare on campus, especially for kiddos between the ages of zero and two. Since the center closed on campus, we’ve added to the guide and continue to update it on a semester by semester basis.

Women’s Center Lactation Room: In addition to the private space, there is also a hospital grade breast pump and a mini-fridge to store your milk (away from everyone’s lunches and dinners).

Mother’s Group Meetings: This is a time for mothers on campus to get together and connect. We’re in the process of re-envisioning what these meetings can look like and how we can make it the best use of time for our busy moms. Stay tuned for updates on when the next meeting will be by following the myUMBC moms and parents page or joining the mother’s group list-serv.

Hi everyone, it’s me, Yoo-Jin!  This week I’d like to reflect on my TED Talk, Ray Rice, and abusers/ perpetrators of relationship violence. First of all, I couldn’t have done this talk without the help of our coordinator, Megan, who brought her incredible insight and wit to help structure my talk. As I was preparing for my TEDx Talk, which was about reframing the way we think and talk about relationship violence (and as a result acted or didn’t act when faced with it), I found that with the media outcry of Ray Rice’s video of him punching his then fiancee, Janay Palmer, my talk became relevant in a way that I hadn’t anticipated. As I went through my talk this past Saturday, I talked to the audience about three steps we can take to prevent and recognize relationship violence:

1. Think 
2. Speak
3. Act

I addressed the ways we often think of relationship violence in our society- in the most extreme cases, often involving celebrities and catastrophes (physical abuse, death, viral videos). This also affects the way we talk about relationship violence, zooming in, how we talk about both perpetrators (as people who are distant from us) and victims (as people we blame, to distance from us because we wouldn’t make the same choices they did). Through my discussion, I went through the hidden, pervasive, and invisible forms of violence that happen everyday, and I will tell you, I saw some uncomfortable audience members in the crowd. Yes, violence is a difficult and possibly uncomfortable conversation for anyone.

However, this issue was brought home to me in a different way. I found myself struggling with this issue specifically, now with a person on the other end: an abuser. How do I handle this? How do I talk to someone who does exhibit concerning behaviors? How do I talk to this person, who I’ve known and loved for years? As I searched through resources, I found an incredible lack of tools and realized how both sides of this issue are important. Of course, victims and survivors of abuse are important and deserve support and resources but how do we even begin to talk to abusers? Abusers who could be our friends, our classmates, our coworkers? Just like victims can be anyone…so can abusers. Abusers are not demons who are always entirely bad, psychotic people- their behaviors are unacceptable, but does that make them less valuable as a human being? This odd dissonance and guilt is associated with so many different factors- it’s interesting how this dynamic can flip: determining who gets the empathy and who gets the blame? It is clear to me, that the person who must take responsibility for their actions is the person who abuses other people, because at the end of the day, violence is never okay and is never acceptable. I did want to acknowledge this challenge that I faced and will continue to face in engaging in productive and appropriately empathetic dialogues with the abusers who might need help or seek change.

Rebuilding Manhood Applications are now available! 

What do you enjoy about being a man? What do you wish was different?
What does it mean to be a man? When and how did you learn to become a man? 

All undergraduate students who identify as men are encouraged to apply. 

Apply online at: http://womenscenter.umbc.edu/rebuilding-manhood/

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The deadline to submit your application of interest is Friday, July 25th.

It is an exciting time here at UMBC, as we prepare to offer our
Summer Day Camp program for the 35th consecutive year in operation.
The UMBC Summer Day Camp has a number of unique features that make
it an outstanding experience for the boys and girls who attend. We
offer a wide variety of structured activities in which children of
all ages and abilities will be able to take part in.

Some of these activities include sports of the week,
self-defense, tennis, arts and crafts, swimming, in-house field
trips, and recreational games. The children will also take part in
traditional activities appropriate for their respective age levels.
However, emphasis will be placed on participation rather than
winning. Swimming will continue to be an important part of every
child's experience at camp. Children will have daily group swimming
lessons in the morning along with a free swim period each
afternoon!

We will be using the Retriever Activities Center (RAC) located
on our beautiful campus, which includes multiple air conditioned
gymnasiums. We are excited to be able to offer VISA and MASTERCARD
payments again this year!

The camp will operate a total of nine weeks for children
entering grades first to seventh grade. This year's sessions will
run from June 16th to August 15th. The wide
variety of activities will be under the leadership and guidance of
competent and experienced counselors.

If you would like your child to attend, please request
information and a brochure as soon as possible. Enrollment is
limited and we cannot guarantee space. Camp space is filled on a
first-come, first-served basis.

For questions regarding camp dates, fees, or other general camp
information, please call (410) 455-1539 or (410) 455-2118. If you
have a specific camp question, you can contact Camp
Director, Whitney Smith at summerdaycamp@umbc.edu.

Thank you for your interest in our camp.

UMBC Relationship Violence Prevention Advocates

Position Description (Fall, 2014)

(applications  accepted on a rolling basis from April 18 through August 8)

The UMBC Relationship Violence Prevention Advocates program is a comprehensive program funded by a grant from Verizon.  The program changes each year and is designed to educate the UMBC Community on specific relationship violence prevention information.  The goals of the program are to systematically raise awareness and support for a campus to be without relationship violence and create an environment that encourages healthy relationships and the victims of relationship violence to come forward and receive support. Specific components of the program include:

·         Relationship violence prevention education and training for volunteer students, faculty and staff advocates who represent various groups and populations on campus. These advocates will help to educate the campus community about relationship violence prevention through their networks,  and serve as referral sources for those who have experienced or are impacted by relationship abuse/violence or have questions about unhealthy relationships.

·         Training for UMBC athletic coaches

·         Relationship Skills Program via the UMBC Counseling Center

·         Awareness, Education and Resources through www.umbc.edu/rvap

·         Bystander Intervention training through the Green Dot program (VP Student Affairs Office)

General Description:

UMBC Relationship Violence Prevention Advocates are UMBC community members who: a)  are able to provide relationship/dating/intimate partner violence prevention information to their community networks, b) observe the UMBC community and take notice of and report  community issues related to relationship violence to advocate trainers, c) encourage bystander intervention techniques within UMBC community network, d) make appropriate referrals, e) provide helpful resource information to their UMBC community network and individuals, f) support violence prevention efforts on campus, and g) volunteer to staff events (tabling, etc).

1.      Must attend training on August 25, 2014 from 9:30am-4pm

2.      Must attend the following Friday meetings at noon- August 29; September 5, 12, 19; October 3, 17, 31; November 14; December 5

3.      Must share educational information with your network of friends, colleagues, student organizations, team members, and at campus events

4.      Must utilize skills to make referrals, provide resources, intervene safely when necessary using bystander intervention skills.