This year, I became one of the many women who leave their jobs because of sexual harassment. I always knew it was something that happened; I just didn’t think it would happen to me.

I’m not alone; reports have found that 60% of women say they experience “unwanted sexual attention, sexual coercion, sexually crude conduct, or sexist comments” in the workplace. It’s a scary and isolating experience, and deciding what to do about it is difficult. After it happened, I did everything “right.” I didn’t wait, I went directly to my HR representative, and I told the truth. It didn’t matter that I followed protocol; they still didn’t do anything about it. 

The fact that I reported my harassment already puts me in the minority. It’s estimated that 90% of people who are harassed at work never report it, for a variety of reasons. Some workers are undocumented and face the threat of deportation if they come forward, something their abusers know and exploit. Others are afraid of retaliation — a very real fear. 71% of people who report their harassment to The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission also report retaliation. Others simply don’t think they’ll be believed. Every day, women are forced into a situation where they must continue working with their harasser.

I continued working with the man who harassed me for six months. I would hide in the bathroom during downtimes on my shift so that I wouldn’t have to see him. My income went down as I gave shifts away on days I knew he would be working. Eventually, I was able to switch around my hours to avoid him, but even then, I never felt safe at work again. I knew that if anything happened to me, I would not be taken seriously.

So, I quit. But not until I found a new job, which took months, and not without taking a pretty significant pay cut. Again, this is a tragically common occurrence. For many, sexual harassment leads to not only to a decline in mental health, but significant financial stress. One study found that as many as 8 in 10 women who experience sexual harassment leave their job within two years. For some, this means leaving a job before a new one is found and facing the economic hardship of unemployment. For others, this means abandoning well-paying jobs or leaving their field altogether, limiting opportunities for career advancement or tenure. 

It’s also important to note that women of color are disproportionately affected by this. Already, women of color are presumed to be less competent no matter their qualifications. This negatively impacts their potential for professional advancement on top of all the impacts that sexual harassment has on their careers. The power imbalances between women of color and white bosses put them at an even greater risk. In 2016, black women reported harassment at 3.8 times the rate of white women. We know that most women never report their harassment, so it’s likely that the real numbers are much higher.

I paint a bleak picture, I know, but it’s important to understand that this is still happening and that despite all the progress that’s been made, too many employers still don’t take it seriously. It’s important to keep talking about the harassment we face, to continue to speak out against it and not let our stories be ignored or brushed aside. I want to talk about what happened to me because it wasn’t fair. It shouldn’t have happened and I won’t stop shouting until something changes. My story is not unique. I am not alone. And neither are you.  

Additional Information and Resources 

What it’s like to return to work after being sexually harassed

Guide for potential ways to respond if you’re being sexually harassed at work 

Racial disparities in sexual harassment statistics 

More information about workplace sexual harassment 

As we enter into the 2019-2020 school year, we are excited to introduce you to the brilliant, creative, and driven UMBC students working in the Women’s Center! Please take a minute or two to read through some short bios below, and hopefully, you’ll be able to meet and make friends with each one of these lovely folks working with us over the school year. Kaitlyn Kylus, Social Work, she/her

Hello! My name is Kaitlyn and I’m a junior this year. I’m majoring in Social Work with a minor in Psychology, and I’m super excited to be working at the Women’s Center this year. I can’t wait to meet you all!

Kay Hinderlie, Psychology, they/them

Hi folks! I’m Kay, and I’m a senior at UMBC. I am pursuing a BA in Psychology with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. When I’m not in the Women’s Center or in classes, you would probably find me watching cartoons or taking napping. I love trying new things! I’ve taken up playing video games and listening to podcasts less than a year ago. If you see me around, please feel free to say hi!

Morgan Mullings, Media and Communication Studies, she/her and they/them

Hi! My name is Morgan and I’m a senior here at UMBC pursuing a BA in Media and Communications major with minors in English and Cinematic Arts. I am a poet, photographer, and aspiring filmmaker and most of my work stems from my own identity and experiences as a woman of color. If I’m not working at the Women’s Center you can find me watching Ghost Shark (2013) with my friends. I am also a huge stationary nerd and I worked at commonvision so ask me any question about a piece of paper.

If I could be any mythical creature it would be a unicorn that only speaks in quotes about intersectional feminism.

Sam Hertl, Social Work, they/them

Hello! My name is Sam and I’m a Social Work major with a Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies minor at UMBC. I’ll be working in the Women’s Center this year to fulfill my senior year Social Work Field Placement. I’ll be helping facilitate the discussion groups Between Women and We Believe You. I am passionate about advancing gender equity especially with a focus on the trans and genderqueer community. I’m looking forward to the connections I will be making and the knowledge that I’ll gain while a part of the Women’s Center community!

Additionally, I’m a big animal person (please show me pictures of your pets)! I’m an RA on campus, an aries, an artist, and an activist. Feel free to chat with me anytime!

Hello Everyone!

Here is a message from Sydney Gaskins, the President of UMBC's Pre-Law Society.

If you are interested in, or considering going to law school this is the organization for you! We are extremely excited to welcome you to our organization. It's super important to us that we act as a useful and productive resource to you all throughout your time here at UMBC.  Our goal is that when it comes time to make a decision regarding whether you want to apply to law school, you have all of the information that you need. We are passionate about learning together and having fun while doing it.

So, Welcome! It's going to be a great year. We have exciting events and meetings planned for our members this year. We already have 3 different law schools signed up and confirmed to meet with our students, and biweekly general body meetings. In fact, our first one is today Wednesday 9/18/19 during free hour (12PM-12:50PM) in Math/Psych 101. If you join Pre-Law Society, you will be a crucial member of our team. We take an individualized approach and make sure that we cater to your specific needs when it comes to what you're hoping to get out of this experience.

If you're interested in learning more, attending our events, and getting prepared for your future Click here to join Pre-Law Society!!!!

Also, make sure to check out the attached flyer for more info about important upcoming dates!

Water Foundation Grant 
Assessing the Microbial Risks and Potential Impacts from Stormwater Collection and Uses to Establish Appropriate Best Management Practices
Deadline: September 24, 2019 
To assess the microbial risks and potential impacts from stormwater collection and onsite reuse to and help establish appropriate best management practices for stormwater harvesting/reuse and other stormwater control measures.
For more specifics. 

The Getty Foundation
Getty Scholars Grants
Deadline: October 1, 2019
Getty Scholar Grants are for established scholars, or writers who have attained distinction in their fields. Recipients are in residence at the Getty Research Institute or Getty Villa, where they pursue their own projects free from academic obligations, make use of Getty collections, join their colleagues in a weekly meeting devoted to an annual research theme, and participate in the intellectual life of the Getty. Applications are welcome from researchers of all nationalities who are working in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.
For more specifics.

Robert Woods Johnson Foundation 
Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Policy and Law Research
Deadline: October 2, 2019 
Policies for Action (P4A), a signature research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is issuing a special call for proposals (CFP) to advance health equity by actively seeking new and diverse perspectives from the policy research field. This opportunity is designed to support researchers from multiple disciplines to better understand and find solutions that will promote health equity and foster action on policies and laws that ensure all people in America can attain and preserve good health and well-being.
For more specifics.

NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program in Education Research 
Deadline: October 3, 2019
The Dissertation Fellowship Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These $27,500 fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere around the world. Fellows will also attend professional development retreats and receive mentorship from NAEd members and other senior scholars in their field. This highly competitive program aims to identify the most talented emerging researchers conducting dissertation research related to education. The NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship program will fund 35 promising young scholars for the 2020-2021 academic year.  Click hereto learn about the current fellows.NAEd will host a webinar for interested applicants on Wednesday, September 4th, 2019 at 2:00pm ET.  Register for the webinar and find the fellowship application form on the NAEd website: https://naeducation.org/naedspencer-dissertation-fellowship-program/

Institute for Research on Innovation & Science 
Deadline: October 15, 2019 
The Institute for Research on Innovation and Science (IRIS) seeks to fund researchers who will use the IRIS UMETRICS data to address questions about the social and economic returns to investments in research. IRIS seeks to enable fundamental research on the results of public and private investments that support discovery, innovation, and education on the campuses of U.S. universities. We accomplish that goal by: (1) collecting and curating data from universities around the country; (2) cleaning, integrating and protecting that data in our capacity as an IRB approved data repository; (3) partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to link university data to restricted federal micro-data; and, (4) making the resulting datasets as broadly available to research users as the law and responsible research practice allow. The IRIS UMETRICS dataset is available to researchers within the secure IRIS Virtual Data Enclave (VDE) environment. This dataset is comprised of three collections: (i) core files in which researchers find university financial and personnel administrative data pertaining to sponsored project expenditures at IRIS member universities during a given year; (ii) auxiliary files which provide researchers with look-up and contextual information on institutions, awards, vendors and subaward recipients, and (iii) linkage files in which researchers find crosswalks between IRIS data and external datasets (e.g., publications, patents, and federal award data) at the individual and award level. Awards up to $20,000 to support innovative research using IRIS UMETRICS data will be disbursed to the recipient’s institution. Funds can be used for personnel (e.g., research assistance, salaries, or stipend if recipient is a student), equipment, supplies, travel (may include travel mandated by the award), and other expenses (e.g., professional development and training). Awards must include no more than 12% overhead or indirect costs to be paid as a part of the award total. Applicants with proposals for projects with longer timelines may be considered, but the monetary award is limited to a 15-month time period beginning January 2020 through March 2021.
For more specifics.

Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council 
Deadline: October 15, 2019 
Insight Grants support research excellence in the social sciences and humanities. Funding is available to both emerging and established scholars for research initiatives of two to five years. Stable support for long-term research initiatives is central to advancing knowledge. It enables scholars to address complex issues pertaining to individuals and societies, and to further our collective understanding. Insight Grants support research proposed by scholars and judged worthy of funding by their peers and/or other experts. Insight Grant research initiatives may be undertaken by an individual researcher or a team of researchers working in collaboration.
For more specifics.

Princeton University 
Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellowships 
Deadline: November 4, 2019
The University Center for Human Values at Princeton University invites applications for Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellowships for the academic year 2020-21. Fellows devote an academic year in residence at Princeton to research and writing about topics involving human values in public and private life. This full-time visiting program is open to scholars in all disciplines provided their research plans qualify. In recent years fellows have been drawn from fields including philosophy, political theory, literature, history, classics, economics and law, but this list is not meant to be exhaustive.
For more specifics.

NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Education Research 
Deadline: November 20, 2019
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program supports early-career scholars working in critical areas of educational scholarship. Fellows will receive $70,000 for one academic year of research, or $35,000 for each of two contiguous years, working half time. Fellows will also attend professional development retreats and receive mentorship from NAEd members and other senior scholars in their field. Applicants must have had their PhD, EdD, or equivalent research degree conferred between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018.  This fellowship is non-residential, and applications from all disciplines are encouraged. The NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship program will fund 30 early-career researchers for the 2020-2021 academic year. Click hereto learn about the current fellows.

And please don't miss out on these Internal Opportunities:   

• September 25: Deadline for initial draft proposals for the Technology Catalyst Fund, with final proposals due October 16, to advance innovations originating from UMBC research to more commercially viable technologies.

• October 8: Deadline for the fall semester CAHSS Dean’s Research Fund (CDRF) funding opportunity.Provides up to $5,000 to support the research endeavors of CAHSS tenured and tenure-track faculty and lecturers.