Connectionary: How to make the most of the UMBC experience

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 20:50:38 -0400

The Connectionary program series is hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life to encourage and foster opportunities for conversation about issues that affect our lives here at UMBC. Facilitated by UMBC students in the ConnectionCorps civic dialogue program, these conversations help UMBC community members think about their own experiences and identify pathways to engagement, shared understanding, and opportunities for building a thriving campus community.

These sessions will be organized as dialogues, where the aim is to come to some shared understandings about what challenges and opportunities exist on campus. These will not be information sessions; participants should expect to be engaged in conversation about the issues, rather than just getting information.

Light refreshments will be provided. See below for a list of opportunities. Click on the event date links to go to the event pages for each of the sessions.

Affordability on Campus

Facilitator: Sebastian Zamora

The cost of college is on many people’s minds and is especially a concern for students who are navigating affordability on campus. What is there to be done about it? How should we make sense of what is needed for a college experience at UMBC to be affordable? What are the opportunities and challenges? Come join in a dialogue about affordability on campus and access to financial resources.

Tuesday, April 16 from 3 – 4:15 p.m. in PAHB 216

Friday, April 26 from 3 – 4:15 p.m. in Math/Psych 102

Tuesday, April 30 from 3 – 4:15 p.m. in PAHB 216

Fostering Professional Connections

Facilitator: Kathryn Rambo

Looking to form professional relationships with staff and faculty, but not sure where to start? Do you find it challenging to figure out how to have the right conversations with people to form professional connections? Join us for a dialogue about creating relationships between students and faculty and staff to generate genuine relationships in the atmosphere of professional academia as well as how to nurture it after first making a connection.

Monday, April 15 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. in Commons 329

Wednesday, April 17 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. in Commons 329

How To Be Involved

Facilitator: Manav Vaishnav

Being involved on campus can be challenging, especially when it comes to making choices about how you want to be involved, how much, and with whom. This dialogue is focused on the experience of being involved on campus. There are many different ways to get involved on campus and within student organizations. The goal is for people to come together and share experiences about involvement on campus. Come join in conversation about what it means to be involved on campus in a way that is healthy and fulfilling.

Thursday, April 18 from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. in Commons 318

Wednesday, April 24 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in Commons 329

Rethinking Research

Facilitator: Khiara Diaz

How do you get involved in research opportunities on campus? How do you connect with others around research? This dialogue is focused on staff and students discussing their involvement with research on campus. The goal is for people with similar field interests to come together and talk about how they got involved with research, how to come up with research topics, or current projects they are doing. Whether you are a research expert or just getting started, this event can broaden the way we all think about research. Join us for a conversation about research experiences at UMBC. Each session is tailored for a different UMBC college (in parentheses below), but all are welcome at each.

Wednesday, April 17 from 11 – 12:30 p.m. in Sherman 150 (CAHSS)

Wednesday, April 24 from 11 – 12:30 p.m. in Lower Flat Tuesdays (COEIT)

Wednesday, May 1 from 11 – 12:30 p.m. in Fine Arts 001 (CNMS)