Meet Brian and Larry. They have decided to apply for a URA Award.

"There are three different awards this year," noted Brian, who was interviewed while blow drying his luxurious hair. "You've got the usual award, open to all majors and worth up to $1,500 and then you've got the Social Science award and the entrepreneurship award. Pretty amazing opportunity. And the deadline isn't until May 1st, so we've got plenty of time!"

"Really does help us with our research," added Larry, who was interviewed while combing his mustache. "And you can even apply as a group!"

URA’s provide up to $1,500 to undergraduate students to support their research or creative work with a UMBC faculty mentor on an original project. UMBC students of all years and disciplines are invited to apply, as long as they will remain enrolled at UMBC long enough to complete the proposed work.

URCAD Presentations Featuring 

International Research/Subjects

Come see these presentations at URCAD on Wednesday, April 24th by students who conducted international research or studied international subjects!

Ninja: Japan’s Soft Power And American Appropriation

Crysshelda Kosasih, Asian Studies

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

Create Freedom: 

Equipping Everyday People to use Art to End Modern-day Slavery

Mia Rickenbach, Theatre

Oral, 11:15am, UC 310

Becoming Survivor: Understanding Human Trafficking through Dance

Alexia Petasis, INDS/Dance

Dance performance, 10:30am, PAHB Dance Cube

Reconciling Nigerian Culture and Values with Western Culture: 

An Intergenerational Perspective

Chiamaka Ugboh, Gender and Women’s Studies

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

The Shamanic Shaping of Korean Society

Carley MacKenzie, MLLI

Oral, 2:00pm, UC 204

Modern Dualism in Korean Contemporary Art

Sarah Natterman, MLLI

Oral, 9:45am, UC 310

Traveling the Medieval Globe

Nathaniel Litsch, Daniel Choo, Tina-Marie Miller, Crysshelda Kosasih, David, Jessop, Kris Jefferson, History

Oral panel, 11:15am, UC 312

Humphrey Jennings: Voice of the People or Propagandist for The British Empire?

Morgan Miller, History

Oral, 10:30am, UC 3123

Conservative Interest in British Fascism in the 1930s

Adam Ng, History

Oral, 2:45, UC 312

Entrepreneurship in Eighteenth-Century England

Nikki Vietz, Amber Davis, Christian Adams, Anthony Jacobs, History

Oral panel, 1:00pm, UC 310

Ninja: Japan’s Soft Power and American Appropriation

Crysshelda Kosasih, Asian Studies

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

Evaluating the Impact of Early Childhood Malaria on Normal School Progression in Ghana

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Economics

Oral, 10:00am, UC310

A Comparison Between Social Service Delivery Systems in Ghana and the United States

Rebecca Mann, Social Work

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

Total And Methylmercury Exposure To Individuals In Artisanal And Small-Scale Gold Mining In Madre De Dios, Peru

April Laranang, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

Geographical Trends In Size And Fecundity Of Japanese Harvestmen

Genevieve Ahearn, Biological Sciences

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

Nest Predation Of The Bahama Oriole (Icterus Northropi) By The Black Rat (Rattus Rattus) On Andros

Matthew Kane, Biological Sciences

Oral, 3:30pm, UC 310

Speciation Of Elephant Ivory Tusks From Java Sea Shipwreck To Inform Ancient Trade Routes

Claire Scott, Biological Sciences

Oral, 9:45am, Room TBA

Nest Site Characteristics Of The Bahama Oriole: Habitat Requirements Of A Critically Endangered Species

Briana Yancy, Biological Sciences

Oral, 9:45am, FA Recital Hall

Using Molecular Sexing To Determine The Validity Of In-Field Sexing Methods

Cierra McKoy, Biological Sciences

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

The Ephemerality of Secondary Forests In Southern Costa Rica

Joshua David Slaughter, Geography and Environmental Systems

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Women’s Center is hosting its seventh consecutive Take Back The Night (TBTN) on Thursday, April 13th. Over the years, we’ve had a lot of questions about what Take Back the Night exactly is, why it looks the way it does, and how students can get involved. To help get those questions answered this year, we’ve doing a “What You Need to Know” series focused on TBTN so stay tuned for more posts over the next couple of weeks. This is the fifth post in the series and it focuses on the last part of Take Back the Night which is craftivism and community building.

Hearing and sharing survivors’ stories of sexual violence can be empowering, challenging, and emotional. We know that people process their feelings in different ways, and so following survivor speak out and march, the event continues with Craftivism on Main Street. This portion of the program is intended to provide space for reflection, creative expression, and community building.

When the marchers return to Main Street, there will be tables set up with art supplies for anyone wishing to contribute to one of the community craft projects we’ll have available: sachet bags to fill with scented dried flowers and herbs, the Clothesline Project, and the Dear Survivor scrapbook. We also encourage attendees to check out the resource tables to learn more about various campus and community organizations and services.

All are welcome to add a page to our Dear Survivor scrapbook, which features messages of hope, healing, and solidarity from survivors and allies who have attended TBTN in past years. The scrapbook can be found in the Women’s Center lounge.

Materials for the Clothesline Project will be available for survivors who would like to give voice to their experience by decorating a shirt that will be displayed during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every April, these shirts are hung shoulder-to-shoulder on a clothesline on Main Street to give public testimony to the problems of sexual and gender-based violence. Please note that while allies are invited to participate in the Monument Quilt and Dear Survivor scrapbook, the Clothesline Project is intended for those who identify as survivors.

For those who prefer a quieter space for reflection, there will be a self-care station set up in the commuter lounge available during the survivor speak out and the rest of the evening. There will be tissues, stress balls, coloring supplies, and other resources for self-care. The station also provides a more private space where attendees can speak with one of the counselors on call, if needed.

For more information about UMBC’s TBTN (check out Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter too by searching the hashtag #UMBCTBTN):

• Stop by the Women’s Center on April 17th to make a rally sign for the march
• A blog post about UMBC’s 2005 TBTN march written by alum, Dr. Grollman.
• The Women’s Center 2018 TBTN roundup
• A BreakingGround post about how the 2013 TBTN came to be – Our Own ‘Take Back the Night’

2019 URCAD Alumni Keynote Speaker

Dr. Eric Grollman

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Highlighted Events:

Other Events Throughout the Month Include:

Ongoing Events and Resources for Survivors and Allies: 

Student researchers and artists exploring LGBTQ+ themes!

When Eve and Eve Bit the Apple

Teresa Whittemore, Dance Performance

11:45am, Dance Cube, 337 PAHB

Traitor: An Animated Short

Julia Blurton-Jones, Visual Arts

2:30pm, Film, FA Recital Hall

Lesbian Activist Involvement In AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power(ACT-UP)

Kathy Robitaille, Gender and Women's Studies

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

Perspectives Of Queer Jewish Leaders On The Intersections Of Their Jewish And Queer Identities

Cliel Shdaimah, Gender and Women's Studies

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

Will You Listen?: A Critical Analysis of Gendered and Racialized Disembodied Voices in Contemporary Media Culture

Daniel Goldstein, Media and Communication Studies

1:15pm, Room TBA

The Effect of GSA Involvement on Attitudes towards LGBTQ Individuals

Trevor Pitts, Psychology

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

URCAD is Wednesday, April 24 from 9am-4pm.

For more info:

aprilh@umbc.edu

Baltimore Traces: West Baltimore Street Stories (panel)
DeAndre Bright, Tony Cano, Christian Howe, Adam Czarnecki, Daniel Eiskant
Oral, 1:45, UC 312

"A Model of a Negro Village": How Environmental Racism Affects the Health of African-Americans in Cherry Hill
Lydia Coley, American Studies

Poster, 1-2:30, UC Ballroom

Combating Academic Inequity: A Community-based Approach to Cultivating a Love for STEM within Students of Color
Shadia Musa, American Studies
Oral, 2:15, UC 310

The Baltimore Sun's Reporting Legacy: Understanding the White Press and Lynching Coverage

Julia Arbutus, English

Oral, 11:45, UC 310

UMBC provides many resources for the campus community to best prepare for tax season and to learn about financial literacy! 

Check out these upcoming free tax preparation events with UMBC VITA, a group of trained student volunteers who prepare tax returns for free. Eligible clients earn less than $55,000 in household income. Appointments are required. Email VITA@UMBC.edu to request an appointment.

• VITA April 5
• VITA April 6

April is also Career Month at UMBC, and there will be many events taking place around financial literacy and career readiness!

• Personal Branding April 4
• UMBC Suits You April 3 & 4

Check out more details and find upcoming events hosted by Financial Smarts @ UMBC!

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Women’s Center is hosting its 7th consecutive Take Back the Night on Thursday, April 18th. Over the years, we’ve had a lot of questions about what Take Back the Night exactly is, why it looks the way it does, and how students can get involved. To help get those questions answered we started the “What You Need to Know” series focused on TBTN last year and are continuing on the tradition, so stay tuned for more posts over the next week. This is an updated post to last year’s information focusing on the survivor speak-out.

The survivor speak-out is the heart of Take Back the Night. This is the point in the night where survivors are encouraged to come up and share their story with the crowd before the march throughout campus. As a survivor, sharing your story at TBTN allows you to publicly acknowledge your experience with a crowd that believes you and supports you.

Kayla Smith, UMBC Class of 2017, started the speak out in previous years and cherished that moment as a time where she could share her experience with people who she knew wouldn’t judge her. She could look out into a crowd of people who wouldn’t tell her its her fault, ask what she was wearing, ask if she was drinking, or tell her that she was responsible for her assault. “Speaking out about my assault empowers me to talk about my experience with confidence.”

This year we want to focus on dispelling the myth of the “perfect victim” that often times dominates sexual violence discourse. There are a variety of stories and experiences that are shared during the speak- out. Some may share stories or healing while others are still angry, sad, or scared. Many stories may come from women-identified folks and/but male survivors are also invited to share their stories at the speak-out. All of our stories and experiences are valid. And, no matter where you are at in your experience as a survivor (i.e. your assault happened 10 years ago or just last week) or what your identities may be, you’re welcomed to share your story.   

If you’re thinking about speaking at Take Back the Night, feel free to reach out to Women’s Center staff ahead of time if you feel like it would be helpful to talk to someone ahead of time about your story and how you may want to share it. Of course, we know many survivors may not plan on speaking at TBTN and then feel called to do so once the speak-out begins and that’s okay! If you feel uncomfortable sharing during the speak-out, that’s also 100% okay! There will be a chance to be recognized during the March at the Survivor Circle (which will be a new part of this year’s march – stay tuned for our updated What You Need to Know about the March post for more details!) or discuss your experience in a more intimate setting at We Believe You’s survivor discussion group post march.

It’s also totally okay if don’t feel ready to share your story at Take Back the Night – there’s many other ways you can share your story in less public ways throughout Sexual Assault Awareness Month (like making a t-shirt for the Clothesline Project or the other ways at TBTN we mentioned in the above paragraph) and Take Back the Night (counselors will be available throughout the event and there will be the self-care station). Survivors or anyone impacted by sexual violence can also always schedule a time to talk to Women’s Center staff – we’re quasi-confidential resources on campus and can link you to additional support and resources.

Here’s some helpful information about the speak-out we think is helpful for everyone to know whether they’re speaking or listening:

• Any one can be a survivor of sexual violence. Any survivor regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation is welcomed to share their story at the speak-out. At the beginning of TBTN’s creation the speak out was only for women, but we welcome men and all others who may have differing gender identities to speak out. We wish for the speak out to be an inclusive space of healing and representation of different identities can help dispel the dangerous “perfect victim” narrative.
• The survivor speak-out is intended to center the voices and experience of survivors of sexual violence. The speak-out is for allies to listen and survivors to break their silence. Thank you in advanced for respecting this request. Allies are also encouraged to attend the Women’s Center workshop on Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence on 4/11. 
• Since TBTN functions as a public forum, normal reporting procedures look a bit different. If you choose to share your story, and want to go no further in the reporting process, we encourage you not to disclose any names or other specific identifying information, such as locations or familial relationships, as those details may prompt staff to follow up with you for reporting matters. Staff are available at the event for those who do want additional resources and want to report their experience through UMBC’s Title IX reporting process or police.
• We ask that you try to limit your story to about 3 minutes. We know it may be hard to do so but we want to make sure as many survivors as possible can speak during the allotted speak out time which is one hour long. If you’d like to continue sharing your story, you may want to go to the We Believe You discussion group after the Take Back the Night march.
• Speakers will have the option to identify their story as confidential by placing a sign marked “confidential” on the microphone. Speaking from the “confidential” microphone prohibits anyone from taking pictures, quotes, or recording of any kind.
• Counselors-On-Call will be available throughout the evening. Any one needing additional support or simply needs to take a break are invited to visit the self-care station that will be set up in the Commuter Lounge.

For more information about UMBC’s TBTN (check out Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter too by searching the hashtag #UMBCTBTN):

• Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence Workshop information for students.
• Speak: Knowing a Survivor Without Knowing Their Story – a blog post on cultivating a survivor-responsive campus.
• The Women’s Center 2018 TBTN roundup
• The Retriever Weekly photo gallery of TBTN
• Stop by the Women’s Center on April 17th to make a rally sign for the march

Stay tuned for the next installment of what you need to know about TBTN 2019!