Reposting on behalf of We Believe You Student Org. They are looking for new leaders for the 2021-22 academic year! The original post can be found here.

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It's that time of year again to start the process for Elections 2021-2020!

The following positions are up for election:

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

Project Coordinator

Advertising Manager

If you wish to run for an admin position, check out our current positions and complete the following Google Form by 11:59pm est. on Monday, May 24, 2021. Descriptions for each of the executive positions are provided within the form. Once the May 24th deadline has passed, we will post the candidates' information and everyone will have a chance to vote during the official voting period which will be held May 25 - May 29, 2021.

Note: President, Vice President, and Treasurer are all mandatory positions for student organization renewal. If you are unsure at this time whether you are eligible for a position on the We Believe You Executive Board, we encourage you to still complete and submit an application. All applicants will have the opportunity to meet with a current executive board officer to discuss their application and/or answer any questions regarding the e-board positions and assigned duties/roles.

For this election, we will be following and closely adhering to the recommendations provided by the Virtual Elections Guidelines from 2020, as well as guidance provided during the Mandated Annual Round Table for student organization officers.

What’s New? For this spring election, we will be trying something new which will include connecting with each candidate via phone/video conference and conducting a short 20-25min interview. If this is something you are not comfortable with, please indicate that on the application and we will find another way to connect with you that is accommodating to your preferences.

We want to extend our deepest appreciation for your patience during this adjustment period and hope to secure the best accessible route for voting as possible during remote instruction. If you have any questions about the election application or further inquiries regarding We Believe You, please email us at webelieveyou.umbc@gmail.com.Note: Email response time is typically 12-48 hours.

We wish everyone a very safe and happy summer break! We hope to see you back on campus very soon. 

Take Care and Happy Elections!

We Believe You Team

About Us: We Believe You is a UMBC student activist and advocacy group for survivors of sexual violence, interpersonal/ relationship violence, and/or power-based violence. We welcome all survivors and allies so long as they respect survivors and their truths.

A post curated by Women’s Center director, Jess Myers.

Last week, the Women’s Center celebrated our Returning Women Student Scholars + Affiliates graduating this semester at our graduation pinning ceremony for what will hopefully be our last and final totally virtual celebration. This event is a special tradition in the Women’s Center with its intentions rooted in creating celebratory space for both our continuing and graduating returning women students/adult learners who are UMBC students 25 years and older seeking their first undergraduate degree.

A group photo from the RWS End of Year and Graduation celebration.

These students are called “returning” because they often have various circumstances that have kept them from what our popular culture deems as a traditional college path and they are now “returning” to college to pursue their degree. Student scholars in this program not only receive scholarships to help financially supplement their tuition, but also benefit from tailored support and programming from Women’s Center staff through individualized meetings, programs, and events that meet the specific needs of older students on campus. Affiliate Scholars are also an important part of our program (and if you’re interested in joining, reach out to the Women’s Center!). This year we had our largest cohort of scholars + affiliates that included 32 students participating in this unique program.

In pre-pandemic times at this pinning ceremony, graduating seniors receive their Women’s Center Returning Women Student Scholars + Affiliates pin to wear at graduation along with a yellow rose. This year, we sent their pins to them via snail mail and they pinned themselves!

Upon their pinning, each scholar says a few words. Despite being in their own homes and not sharing physical space with each other, we still created a “collective assembly” in which graduates invited us to share in their joy, excitement, gratitude, and sheer relief. “I finally made it!” was heard more than once!

Anyone who has spent time in the Women’s Center knows that working with this special group of students is one of my favorite experiences in my role as director of the Women’s Center. At a university that celebrates, grit and greatness (even during non-pandemic times), no other student cohort exhibits both with such deep grace and humility. As individuals and as a community, they are brave and unstoppable. You can learn more by checking out this great Class of 2021 graduation story featuring adult learners and transfer students’ experiences. The feature includes two of our graduating seniors featured below!

So, it is with great joy that I invite you to join me in celebrating these fantastic students and their accomplishments. Below are this May’s graduating Returning Women Student Scholars who in their own words* share what they were involved in at UMBC, what’s next for them after UMBC, and advice they wanted to share with other adult learners.

Happy Graduation!!!

Charla Spano, Bryson-Neville Scholar
Major: Social Work

A self-submitted photo of Charla in her UMBC graduation stole. 

What was your experience like as an adult learner?
In the beginning, I remember feeling the need to explain to everyone why I was back or what stopped me in the first place. It was hard coming from community college where a lot of people took classes after work or were just returning. It was not out of the ordinary to be in class with a bunch of returning students. Luckily, being a social work major and being part of the RWS group I quickly realized it does not matter what stopped me or interrupted my education. The important part was that, I returned and I am working towards one of my goals.

Looking back on your experience, what is your advice for current Returning Women Students?
You can do it! and there are many of people at UMBC that want to see you do it!

UMBC’s 25th Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) reached more viewers than ever before, with visitors connecting online from as far away as Spain, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Bhutan, Germany, and the U.K.. Audiences logged more than 11,000 visits (compared with 8,000 in 2020) and posted more than 3,500 comments over the course of the week-long event. 

Winner of URCADs “Best Selfie With The Number “25”
Angelika Albertorio ’21, English and dance.

“While we are eager to get back to the live event, there are definitely aspects of the online event that have widened the scope of URCAD,” says April Householder, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships. “Presenters were able to invite friends and family members from other countries to view their presentations, and invite international scholars as potential future collaborators.”

Over 350 students presented projects, from novel artistic work to lab research to analysis of historical archives. The questions they asked reflected engagement with significant challenges and opportunities of today. 

See the full UMBC News story here:

https://news.umbc.edu/umbc-celebrates-the-25th-undergraduate-research-and-creative-achievement-day-with-an-expanded-global-audience/?fbclid=IwAR3nNzzqzmCZQu-NQxyQKVVxf6cfDNdVcnkmOwWFWapyOvFn9ZnhY9BM7es