For Nadia BenAissa ’20, gender, women’s, and sexuality studies (GWST), and Sam Hertl ’20, social work, UMBC has been a place to grow as leaders and advocates. Their college experiences have been defined by their work to educate, speak out, and create resources for survivors of sexual assault and LGBTQIA+ students at UMBC. 

As the university community has responded to COVID-19 and transitioned to a virtual environment, BenAissa and Hertl have held steadfast in their commitments. They have continued working to create supportive spaces online and make sure that survivor and LGBTQIA+ voices are heard. At the same time, as seniors graduating during a pandemic, they have been managing their own sense of loss.

Centering the experience of survivors

BenAissa became involved with the Women’s Center as a sophomore after supporting her best friend through the Title IX process. “We needed to do something with our grief, and our sadness at the outcome of the process, but at the time there was no discussion group around the shared experience of trauma when we needed it most,” she explains.

BenAissa began researching Title IX, the federal law that proxihibits sex discrimination, sexual assault, and sexual harassment in education settings, for a class. “Nadia’s incredible focus and sharp intellect showed in her fine work in that course,” says her professor, GWST Chair Carole McCann. 

Nadia BenAissa (c) and Haley Owens ’21 (l) speak with Pres. Hrabowski about We Believe You. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Then, in 2017, she and her friend founded We Believe You, an activist/advocacy and discussion group centered around survivors, with help from Women’s Center Director Jess Myers and Assistant Director Amelia Meman. BenAissa’s detailed research “prepared her to lead the We Believe You group through its subsequent challenges and successes,” says McCann.

While We Believe You was getting ready to celebrate its one-year anniversary in 2018, UMBC launched Retriever Courage. UMBC created this campus-wide initiative in response to a call from students, faculty, and staff for the university to better prevent and respond to sexual assault and violence. 

Seeing results

As president of We Believe You, BenAissa met with President Freeman Hrabowski and other campus leaders to discuss major challenges and possible steps forward. She then stepped into additional leadership roles as a member of the Retriever Courage implementation team and co-chair of the Student Advisory Committee.

At the same time, BenAissa accepted an invitation from Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski, Ph.D. ’17, public policy, to join the County’s newly created sexual assault investigations task force.

BenAissa’s collaborative work with students, faculty, and staff led to UMBC launching mandatory Title IX training and an Office of Equity and Inclusion, and hiring more counseling staff. As part of We Believe You, BenAissa also worked with the implementation team to develop two resource stands in The Commons. They will eventually be replicated at other locations across campus. 

“Through her leadership of Retriever Courage, Nadia has already changed the campus for the better in how we confront sexual violence,” says Kate Drabinski, GWST senior lecturer and director of the Women Involved in Learning and Leadership program.

“Nadia is a fierce advocate who consistently speaks truth to power on behalf of survivors,” Myers adds. I believe she’s helped all of us be braver in this work.”

Building space for LGBTQIA+ students

Hertl became increasingly involved in advocacy for LGBTQIA+ students, particularly trans students, as a member of UMBC’s University Health Services (UHS) Student Health Advisory Council. They used their voice to help find ways for UHS and the Counseling Center to be more affirming of trans students. Some of their solutions were simple to implement, but powerful, such as placing pronoun buttons in the waiting rooms for students to wear.

In their junior year, they attended a Women’s Center program and quickly became involved in the Center’s work. Eventually, they became a Women’s Center intern for their social work field placement. 

Sam Hertl (l) at a Women’s Center event in the breezeway. Photo courtesy of the Women’s Center.

In that role they served as a facilitator for Between Women. This discussion-based program centers the experience of women students who identify as LGBTQIA+. They also supported We Believe You, promoted Women’s Center events and resources, and began writing about LGBTQIA+ and accessibility issues.

This was all on top of the work supporting students as a residential assistant and social work courses, preparing for a public service career.

“In everything that they do, Sam strives to build an affirming, compassionate space for the LGBTQIA+ community,” says Meman. “Whether that’s in Residential Life, the classroom, or the Women’s Center, they are a truly rare person who is able to both bring people together and challenge them to be better human beings.”

Online community-building

The transition to online learning has been especially disruptive for the survivor and LGBTQIA+ communities, BenAissa and Hertl share. Both groups rely on communities of support, and have had to find new ways to connect online. BenAissa and Hertl have been determined to offer them continuity and community when they need it most.

Women’s Center groups like We Believe You’s discussion group continue to meet online. “I was especially impressed to see Sam easily replicate their skills of support once we moved online,” says Myers. “In virtual discussions they’ve modeled that care and compassion can be translated across distance and via our computer screens.” 

Hertl, second from right, with other members of The Women’s Center, including Myers (l) and Meman (r). Photo courtesy of the Women’s Center.

Still, online group meetings don’t meet the needs of all students. Hertl explains, “It’s challenging because survivors and LGBTQIA+ students may be in an unsafe environment—home with perpetrators or with family members who aren’t aware of how they identify or who don’t approve of their choices.” 

BenAissa and Hertl have also focused on using social media, which can be more anonymous, to connect students with resources. During Sexual Assault Awareness month, the Women’s Center created an online zine where survivors could tell their stories. They then hosted an Instagram Live event for contributors to read their submissions, or just tune in to hear others speak. 

“It’s all new territory,” says BenAissa. “We look at what we as individuals can do, continue providing resources on social media, and keep speaking out about issues like consent and boundaries. We can hold space for one another and be kind.”

Coping with loss, strengthening connections

During the distance learning period, BenAissa and Hertl also missed seeing their own support communities in person. They grieved the loss of spring community activities and the graduation experiences they were expecting. 

“I miss being on campus, leading the Take Back the Night march, and keeping people invested in what we’ve been building. There’s a lack of closure,” explains BenAissa. 

Nadia BenAissa walks with Take Back the Night. This sexual assault awareness event works to expose rape culture and to enable survivors and allies to share personal stories. Photo by Ian Feldmann ’21.

Still, she is doing her best. Over the last two months, BenAissa adapted her URCAD research on inequities in university Title IX processes into an online presentation. As captain of the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, she dealt with the disappointment of a canceled season. Still, she keeps in touch with teammates online, and she looks forward to joining the club’s active alumni community. 

Hertl feels melancholy at times, and thinks about missing out on this year’s Quadmania and Take Back the Night. Continuing to support other students as a residential assistant and through work with the Women’s Center keeps them centered and engaged.

“There are so many unknowns right now,” says Hertl. “I just want to make sure people know what’s happening and where they can go for help.” 

Continuing their commitment

Following graduation, Hertl will enter the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s accelerated master’s in social work program. There, they will focus on social policy and community action, particularly in working with trans and nonbinary people, as well as people with disabilities and people who are experiencing homelessness. 

Hertl has also accepted a 2020 – 21 graduate assistantship at UMBC. This means the university will continue to benefit from their commitment to inclusivity.

BenAissa plans to continue advocating for survivors in higher education. “I want to work to ensure survivors are centered in the policies that affect them and make sure they get the resources they need,” she says. “I’m not finished with this work, and I’m not finished being part of We Believe You, Retriever Courage, or UMBC.” 

“The work we’ve done through Retriever Courage is a step in the right direction,” BenAissa continues. “We’re headed toward the standard we need to have here, and we will exceed that standard because we are UMBC. And UMBC has been great at giving me ways to be my best.”

Article written by Eleanor Lewis, communication specialist in the Division of Student Affairs.

Featured image: BenAissa speaks at Take Back the Night. Photo by Ian Feldmann.

One year ago, the UMBC community spoke out about experiences, urgent concerns, and hopes for change related to sexual and gender-based harassment and violence. This September 18, student, faculty, staff, and administrative leaders of the Retriever Courage initiative hosted an open gathering to update the campus on early progress and next steps toward fostering a campus climate in which all feel a sense of belonging, safety, and support. The event drew about 150 UMBC community members.

“This is an important time in UMBC’s history, and we all must show up in this work,” said Candace Dodson-Reed ‘96, English, chief of staff in the President’s Office. Dodson-Reed will now also serve as executive director of the newly created Office of Equity and Inclusion, which will promote and coordinate the university’s core values of inclusive excellence, equity, and diversity. 

“I am constantly inspired by the students, faculty, and staff who are dedicating their time to Retriever Courage. I tell people that I dropped my daughter off at college this fall, and I want the same level of care for our UMBC students as I want for her.”

The event began with opportunities for community members to speak one-on-one with representatives of groups that have been implementing change on campus, including the Division of Information Technology, Counseling Center, UMBC Police (including the department’s new comfort dog, Chip), University Health Services, We Believe You, and the Women’s Center. 

Next, UMBC’s Retriever Courage Implementation Team spoke in a panel discussion. This included a Q&A session with attendees asking questions via notecards and an online submission form.

Facilitated by Dodson-Reed, the panel discussion included members of the Implementation Team. Student Advisory Committee Co-chairs Nadia BenAissa ‘20, gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, and Aliya Webermann, Ph.D. ’21, clinical and community psychology, participated. They were joined by Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee Co-chair Christine Mallinson, director of the Center for Social Science Scholarship and professor of language, literacy, and culture. Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee members Jess Myers, director of the Women’s Center, and Christopher Murphy, professor of psychology, also participated, along with Morgan Thomas ‘13, assistant general counsel. 

Community voices, community action

The discussion included powerful reflections by BenAissa and Webermann, on their feelings of anger and frustration a year ago, and the hard work, difficult conversations, and changes they have seen at UMBC since then.

BenAissa, who also serves as president of We Believe You, described the past year as an emotional time for her and for those involved in this work. “Last year, I was We Believe You’s discussion group leader, and I heard stories of how fellow student survivors were being let down,” she shared. “The University had not done well by our survivor community and something had to change. I can confidently say now that we are doing something, that Retriever Courage shows that the University cares about this issue and is working to make changes.” 

Today, BenAissa also serves as a member of Baltimore County’s Sexual Assault Investigations Task Force, created by County Executive John Olszewski, Jr., Ph.D. ’17.

Webermann, providing a graduate student perspective on the Student Advisory Committee, shares, “I feel we are making significant changes beyond sitting here and saying we are. I’m really excited by it. Students have been a big part of Retriever Courage. We’re not overlooked and ignored, and I appreciate that. We want you to know that change is happening.”

Mallinson spoke to the engagement of faculty, staff, and students over the past year to move forward in a way that truly reflected the experiences, values, and needs of people within the UMBC community. “Student activism really galvanized this initiative, but is has become overwhelmingly community-based,” she said. “The level of commitment by a diverse group of faculty and staff from across the University speaks to how this issue hits home for all of us as we do this work on behalf of all members of the UMBC community.”

“There is more to do”

UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski closed the event by thanking everyone involved in this effort, and specifically crediting the broader gender and women’s studies community and We Believe You students for their guidance. 

“People are…being honest in saying what we are doing well and what we could do better,” he told the group. “We need to continue to be vigilant and make this work part of our DNA at UMBC. Resources matter, and we are determined to be as responsive and supportive as possible. We’ve made considerable progress, but there is more to do.”

Progress shared at the gathering session stems from the spring 2019 release of three reports with recommendations on sexual violence/misconduct prevention and response. These reports were compiled by three groups: the Student Advisory Committee, Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee, and external consultants Jody Shipper, J.D., and Cherie Scricca, Ed.D. of Grand River Solutions, Inc.

In summer 2019, the Retriever Courage Implementation Team created workgroups focusing on core areas highlighted by the three reports. The groups focused on care and support, student training, the Title IX process, and communications. Their goal was to carry forward action items recommended in the reports. 

The UMBC community can learn more about these items and progress to date through a new dashboard, developed by members of the communications workgroup. 

Featured image: “Know About IX” informational poster at the Retriever Courage Gathering Session, Sept. 2019. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a national campaign focused on preventing sexual assault, harassment, and abuse, and it’s a month of great significance for the UMBC community. This year’s programming at UMBC is especially meaningful as the University responds to a call by students, faculty, and staff to do more to prevent sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct.

Retriever Courage: Speak, listen, learn, act

Retriever Courage was formed in fall 2018 in response to specific recommendations from students, faculty, and staff on how the university administration could improve community safety and wellbeing. The initiative outlined a shared governance process to better prevent and respond to sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct in ways that are inclusive, proactive, caring, and transparent.

This work involves dozens of partners across the university. They include the University Steering Committee, Retriever Courage Implementation Team, student and faculty/staff advisory committees, a prevention and response training implementation team, and procurement groups that assisted with the selection of an external consultant team now reviewing all related UMBC policies, practices, and resources.

“The thoughtful efforts of students, and the responsiveness of the University administration, faculty, and staff has been groundbreaking,” says University Steering Committee Chair Adam Harvey ’17, Ph.D. ’21, physics, who also serves as vice president of the Graduate Student Association. “Retriever Courage is beginning to transform the culture at UMBC and how people support each other in the campus community.”

At the same time, Retriever Courage partners say continuing to increase campus-wide involvement is critical to the long-term work of creating lasting change and growing a community where everyone feels safe and supported.

“Preventing sexual violence and misconduct is a collective and ongoing responsibility,” says Susan McDonough, associate professor of history, and affiliate faculty of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies.

McDonough serves as faculty co-chair for the Retriever Courage Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee. She shares, “We have joined together to show up and do what we do best – to learn about the history of our own policies and practices, to research ways that other institutions have tackled these issues, and to educate for awareness and prevention.”

“Sexual violence is not a special interest issue, but rather a social justice issue that impacts us all,” says Student Advisory Committee Co-chair Aliya Weberman Ph.D. ’21, clinical and community psychology. “Whether it is attending a Sexual Assault Awareness Month event, such as Take Back the Night; joining a group or committee working on these issues, such as We Believe You or Retriever Courage; or just telling someone impacted by sexual violence that you believe them and it’s not their fault; we can all make a difference.”

Commitment to action

Committee members share that several Retriever Courage projects directly responding to UMBC community input have been completed or are underway.

UMBC is currently distributing new campus ID cards that prominently display emergency resource information, and two Retriever Courage displays, including both on- and off-campus resources, were installed in The Commons. The displays are part of a pilot project proposed by the student activist/advocacy group We Believe You.

UMBC hired Jody Shipper, J.D., and Cherie Scricca, Ed.D. of Grand River Solutions, Inc. to work with Retriever Courage partners and the UMBC community during the spring semester. The consultants are reviewing UMBC policies, practices, and resources related to sexual assault prevention and response, and will share their recommendations in May.

Over 2,000 UMBC community members have participated in mandatory, in-person Title IX/sexual misconduct prevention and response training since December, and faculty and staff also completed a complementary online training. About 200 students are participating in an in-person pilot training project in April that will help determine a plan for training all students.

Facilities Management also continues to repair and add lighting in areas of concern to students.

Elle Everhart, staff co-chair of the Faculty-Staff Advisory Group and program management specialist in gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, says, “We are only just beginning to address the broader issues of toxic masculinity and rape culture on our campus, but the work done to date is a strong first step.”

“A 365-days-a-year undertaking”

As this work moves forward, the Retriever Courage partners are continually thinking about how the university can better support survivors of all identities and experiences. “We truly all know survivors whether we know them by name or not,” says Jess Myers, director of UMBC’s Women’s Center. “Our efforts to support survivors and cultivate a survivor-responsive campus need to be a 365-days-a-year undertaking,” Myers adds. “We all are responsible for this work.”

Implementation Team Co-Chair and Vice President for Student Affairs Nancy Young feels heartened by the work to date and committed to the work ahead. “We are encouraged by the engagement and collaborative spirit of our Retriever Courage partners and the UMBC community,” she shares. “The safety and wellbeing of our students and our entire community have been and must remain our priority in the long term.”

“The work of Retriever Courage is just the beginning,” says Young. “We encourage everyone to be involved as we make broader and far-reaching improvements in order to have a lasting impact.”

The UMBC community is invited to participate in Sexual Assault Awareness Month workshops and events organized by the Women’s Center and campus partners, including Take Back the Night on Thursday, April 18, 6 to 9 p.m.

UMBC community members can also get involved with Retriever Courage by contacting committee members and learning other ways to help prevent and respond to sexual violence/misconduct at UMBC.

Featured photo: A Take Back the Night survivor speak-out event. Photo courtesy of the Women’s Center at UMBC.

UMBC community leaders have announced the Retriever Courage initiative—the next phase in UMBC’s collaborative work to prevent and respond to sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct. In a message sent to the campus community yesterday, November 1, President Freeman Hrabowski, Provost Philip Rous, and University Steering Committee representatives from faculty, staff, and student senates noted:

Change requires the courage to speak out, to listen, to learn, and to take action. We must fully live our campus values—inclusive excellence, collaboration, innovation, and impact—to make UMBC a safer, more caring living, learning, and working environment for all.

The university has also just launched a Retriever Courage website to document progress in this long-term work, provide resources, share informative documents (e.g., policies, reports, research), and serve as a space for ongoing updates.

This new website also describes the shared governance and administrative teams moving this work forward:

• University Steering Committee, serving as an advisory body to the implementation team;
• Student Advisory Committee, to provide a voice for and share feedback from students, with representation on the procurement advisory group;
• Faculty/Staff Advisory Team, to provide a voice for and share feedback from faculty and staff, with representation on the procurement advisory group;
• Evaluation Committee, which will select an external consultant or firm to review all aspects of the university’s sexual misconduct prevention and response policies and practices, and training and awareness programs, to help determine where we can learn from other institutions’ best practices and evidence-based research;
• Training Implementation Team, to roll out and manage mandatory training; and
• Implementation Team, to continue addressing immediate, short-term campus needs, such as lighting, signage, and the new campus ID card, and other recommendations from faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Community members interested in serving on a committee or providing feedback in other ways are encouraged to contact their shared governance representatives or email retrievercourage@umbc.edu.

As the new Retriever Courage website describes, Faculty/Staff and Student Advisory Committees will take recommendations to the University Steering Committee. That group will then work with the Implementation Team to finalize recommendations to submit to UMBC’s vice presidents and deans. After these leaders review and sign off on proposed actions, policies, budget allocations, etc., they will then go the university president for final approval.

“Through continued work together, UMBC will become a stronger community,” yesterday’s university message concluded, “and we know this work will have a lasting impact on campus and beyond.”

Featured image: Retriever Courage description; photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

UMBC has taken important early steps in the long-term work of making the university a safer, more supportive learning community for all, with a focus on improving sexual assault prevention and response. This follows last Thursday’s community listening session on sexual misconduct and campus safety—an event that resonated deeply with attendees, who filled the Fine Arts Recital Hall and two overflow spaces across campus.

Guiding next steps is a leadership committee appointed by President Hrabowski, which met for the first time on Monday, September 24. This group will engage with student partners; faculty, staff, and student shared governance organizations; and other community members to review comments and recommendations received through the listening session and other outreach; engage external expertise to evaluate current policies, practices, and resources; and keep the UMBC community updated on progress.

Collaborative approach

Co-chairing the leadership committee are Vice President for Student Affairs Nancy Young and Vice President for Administration and Finance Lynne Schaefer. Also serving are psychology professor Christopher Murphy, whose research focuses on abuse and violence in intimate adult relationships, and Jess Myers, director of the Women’s Center and advisor to the survivor-advocate student organization We Believe You. Additional members include Assistant General Counsel Morgan Thomas ‘13, political science, who has deep familiarity with Title IX, and Chief of Staff Candace Dodson-Reed ‘96, English.

“As we’ve talked with and heard from community members over the past couple of weeks, it is clear that we must do more to support our students,” says Schaefer. “Having an environment where students, faculty, and staff take care of each other is essential. I am committed to doing all I can to make sure our community lives up to our values.”

Student Government Association (SGA) and We Believe You will be among the leadership committee’s core partners in the work ahead. SGA President Collin Sullivan ‘19, information systems, and We Believe You Vice President Kim Spadafora ‘20, mathematics, served as moderators for last week’s listening session, and have voiced their commitment to being engaged in this work for the long term.

“The past couple of weeks have been difficult for everyone in our community,” says Sullivan. “SGA’s first priority is to represent the undergraduate student voice. We are committed, more so than ever, to uphold this value through collaboration so we can all create lasting, meaningful change on campus together.”

“The best thing we can do right now,” Spadafora says, “is support survivors and continue to advocate for change.”

Institutional courage

Informing the committee’s work is current scholarship, highlighted by Myers and Murphy, on how the quality of institutional responses to sexual assault can profoundly impact students, potentially exacerbating prior traumas.

Myers explains that University of Oregon psychologist Jennifer Freyd coined the term “institutional betrayal” to describe the additional trauma that survivors of sexual violence can experience when an institution fails to prevent or respond appropriately to wrongdoings committed within the context of the institution. “This can happen in acts of commission or omission,” Myers notes, “such as failing to take necessary steps to prevent abuse, creating difficult processes for reporting, or failing to respond adequately. But UMBC has the opportunity to do something different—to embrace institutional courage.”

Institutional courage is another term coined by Freyd to describe, as Myers explains, “institutions working actively to listen to survivors and their allies, to hold themselves accountable for the harm done, and to honor transparency in the changes that need to be made. Institutional courage is about culture change.”

Thinking about how UMBC can embody institutional courage, Murphy says, “I believe in a multi-level and survivor-focused approach to violence prevention and response that includes universal messaging and media campaigns; mandatory preventive education for everyone (faculty, students, and staff); trauma-sensitive crisis response; advocacy and empowerment for survivors; intensive indicated and secondary prevention for individuals at increased risk for abuse or assault perpetration; vigorous protection of civil rights through Title IX; and full campus cooperation with criminal prosecution of sex crimes and relationship violence.”

Long-term process, near-term actions

The leadership committee recognizes that achieving lasting change will require an extensive, long-term process, bringing together a diverse range of UMBC community voices and additional expertise. As one of its first actions, the committee will engage campus partners in selection of a third-party consultant to inventory and evaluate existing UMBC resources, policies, and practices related to campus safety, particularly preventing and responding to sexual misconduct.

The group is also looking at more near-term strategies to make UMBC a safer, more supportive community. One initial idea, recommended by student leaders, is reprinting all campus cards to include clear information on how to report sexual misconduct and where to find support and resources. President Hrabowski, Facilities Management, UMBC Police, and student leaders will also soon complete a lighting tour of campus, to see where additional lighting may be needed.

Moving forward, the university can expect to hear regularly from the leadership group about action steps and how community members can be involved.

“It’s time,” Murphy says, “for all of us to listen to survivors, engage in serious and deep self-reflection as a campus, and to work together to invest the time and resources needed to provide everyone with a safe and productive educational experience at UMBC.”

Header image: Women’s Center resource table at the campus listening session. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Hundreds of UMBC community members gathered on Thursday, September 20, for an open listening session on sexual misconduct, in a painful and powerful moment for the university.

A large crowd rapidly filled the Fine Arts Recital Hall and then two overflow spaces in the biology building and library, connected through a live video feed. As everyone took their seats, ready to begin, a sense of quiet tension filled the space—a community taking a breath, ready to speak and to listen.

UMBC leadership, the Student Government Association (SGA), Graduate Student Association (GSA), We Believe You, Resident Student Association, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee co-organized the session. Collin Sullivan ‘19, information systems, president of the Student Government Association, and Kim Spadafora ‘20, mathematics, vice president of We Believe You, served as moderators.

Representatives from the UMBC Counseling Center, Women’s Center, University Health Services, Green Dot, and Relationship Violence Awareness and Prevention advocates were onsite to provide support if needed.

“This event is about listening,” said Spadafora, in her introduction. Sullivan emphasized that although the session was for all community members, and their support was appreciated, the organizers’ goal was to “center the voices of UMBC students.”

UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski also gave a brief introduction at the start of the session. Reflecting on a week of meetings with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and in particular hearing from survivors of sexual assault, he said, “I am so sorry. I want to say to all of you that I apologize, because we can do better and be better for you.”

All students deserve to be heard, President Hrabowski said, “So now, I’m going to listen.”

Over the next two hours, students and others came to the microphone or submitted anonymous comments through index cards and a webform. Many shared anger about painful experiences of sexual assault and struggles navigating campus support services and the Title IX process.

One core focus was the need for students to feel safe, and to feel that their concerns about safety are taken seriously. “I want to feel safe walking around campus,” said one student. “It’s important that we are heard. It’s important that we all feel safe,” said another. A third stated firmly, “Everyone on campus deserves an equal amount of safeness.”

Students also emphasized the need for the university to engage students in honest conversations about sexual assault, beyond a single listening session. “The university needs to find new ways to engage students on these difficult topics,” said one student. Another said, “Stop silencing our voices and start making changes.”

Many students simply wanted to be heard, to be taken seriously, and for the university to take to heart their experiences in determining active steps to make campus a safer place for all. “It takes courage to seek help,” said one student, “UMBC should make it easier, not harder.”

Students powerfully argued for change in how the university works to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual misconduct. Examples include requiring evidence-based sexual assault prevention training for all new students, faculty, and staff; expanding health services; and making the Title IX investigation process more responsive.

Speaking directly to the university leaders on the stage, one student said, “As the administration, you are in a position of power. Take that power and use it to fix this institution, and then share that knowledge with other institutions.”

Some students, as well as staff, also spoke of their deep connection to the UMBC community, and of that feeling as a driving force to improve the university. “I love this university too much,” said one student. “We can’t let this happen here.”

Following the event, President Hrabowski, Provost Philip Rous, and listening session partners responded with a firm commitment to taking both immediate and longer-term action to address several concerns brought by students. To begin next steps, they named a team to lead this work in collaboration with student, faculty, staff, and alumni leaders, effective immediately.

This team will be responsible for reviewing recommendations heard through the listening session, other meetings, and formal statements, in collaboration with campus partners. Members include Vice President for Student Affairs Nancy Young; Vice President for Administration and Finance Lynne Schaefer; Assistant General Counsel Morgan Thomas ‘13, political science; Chief of Staff Candace Dodson-Reed ‘96, English; Women’s Center Director and We Believe You Advisor Jess Myers; and psychology professor Christopher Murphy, whose research focuses on abuse and violence in intimate adult relationships.

In addition to moving the work forward, this group will also keep the campus updated on next steps and how UMBC community members can stay engaged.

The morning after the listening session, President Hrabowski spoke with the University System of Maryland Board of Regents about the event, and how student voices continued to echo through his thoughts. He was joined by Sullivan, Spadafora, and Adam Harvey, M.S. ‘17, a physics Ph.D. student serving as GSA vice president and newly elected chair of the University Steering Committee.

“Yesterday’s listening session was a powerful experience for all of us,” said President Hrabowski. “I continue to think about the voices, faces, and experiences of our students who spoke…I continue to feel the care and empathy shown by them and our staff and faculty who joined them to be supportive yesterday…We know we can be better.”

Header image: UMBC community gathers for the listening session, with university leaders onstage. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.