Call for Events, Programs, and Ideas: Cultural Heritage Month Curations

DOIE is excited to work toward a unified announcement of events, programs, and initiatives in celebration of upcoming Cultural Heritage Months. 

This is your opportunity to highlight events and programs, or offer fresh ideas for engagement. Whether you are planning an event or simply have an idea you would like to support in bringing to life, we want to hear from you. 

We are currently curating for:

• Latinx Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15); 

• LGBTQ History Month (October); 

• Disability Cultural Month (October); 

• Native American Heritage Month (November);

• Black History Month (February);

• Women’s History Month (March); and

• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May).

DOIE invites UMBC-affiliated organizations and campus departments or offices to request financial sponsorships or collaboration to support AY25-26 initiatives that align with the university’s commitment to inclusive excellence.

Sponsorships of up to $1,000 annually are available per organization or department/office. 

Submit your request today!

Link to submission: http://bit.ly/DOIESponsorship

Eligibility

UMBC-affiliated organizations, offices, or departments may request sponsorship or collaboration for initiatives that:

• Advance inclusive excellence within the UMBC community.

• Align with DOIE’s vision, mission, and core values.

• Promote UMBC’s strategic priorities such as innovative teaching, civic engagement, accessible environments, or research that enhances inclusive excellence.

• Are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

3. Imagining Justice and Belonging Together, 11/19

This summer, UMBC is teaming up with the Maryland Department of Disabilities to upgrade nine teaching labs in the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building—marking a major step in fostering inclusive STEM education. The goal: ensure all students, including wheelchair users and those with various disabilities, can fully participate in core chemistry and biochemistry courses.

What's Changing in the Labs?

• Wheelchair-accessible sinks, fume hoods, lab benches, and cabinets

• Lowered equipment stations for independent use

• A research lab redesigned for accessible hands-on experience

Lecture Hall Upgrades Include:

• Wheelchair-accessible seating in multiple locations with fold-down tablets

• TV monitors for better visibility for low-vision students

• Standing desks and seating variations for diverse body types, pregnant students, and orthopedic needs

• Assisted listening tech and designated interpreter areas for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing

Additional accessibility projects include:

• Restroom renovations in the Biological Sciences Building

• Elevator upgrades across multiple academic buildings

“The Office of Accessibility & Disability Services greatly values our longstanding partnership with Facilities Management to assist us in the mission of inclusive access and elimination of barriers for all UMBC community members,” says Tawny McManus, Assistant Vice President for Accessibility.

Learn how these changes are reshaping inclusion in STEM at UMBC: Read more here.

See original post here:  https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/accessibility/posts/151158

DOIE Expands Confidential Advocacy Services to Support Students Affected by Gender-Based Harm

The Division of Institutional Equity is proud to announce the expansion of its services with a new Advocacy Program, co-located with the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center (WGEC). This initiative underscores UMBC's commitment to fostering a safe and equitable campus environment for all students.

Comprehensive Support for Survivors

The Survivor Advocacy program offers individualized, trauma-informed support for students who have experienced gender-based harm, including relationship violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and stalking. Whether the incident occurred recently or prior to attending UMBC, survivors can access services ranging from one-time consultations to ongoing support.

Introducing Respondent Advocacy

In alignment with UMBC's dedication to due process and educational equity, the newly established Respondent Advocacy program provides compassionate, non-punitive support for students navigating the Title IX process as respondents. This program emphasizes education, emotional support, and personal growth, encouraging students to engage in self-reflection and align with community values.

Confidential and Accessible Services

All Advocacy Services are confidential, ensuring that information shared by students is not disclosed to the Office of Equity and Civil Rights (ECR) or Title IX officials without explicit consent. This confidentiality fosters a safe space for students to seek assistance without fear of mandatory reporting.

Meet Our Advocates

• Kate Arbaugh, Survivor Advocate

• Lauren Allen, Acting Respondent Advocate and Senior Director of the WGEC

Contact Information & Website

Students seeking support can schedule an appointment by emailing advocacy@umbc.edu. Visit us at https://advocacy.umbc.edu/

About the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center

The WGEC advances gender equity from an intersectional feminist perspective through co-curricular programming, support services, and advocacy for marginalized individuals and communities. The center is located on the ground floor of The Commons, Suite 004.

[The services provided are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.]

Updated application details: 

To be considered, please use THIS FORM to provide the personal information and your statement of interest by May 30, 2025. Additionally, your immediate supervisor must complete and submit the Supervisor Support Form, indicating their endorsement of your participation and commitment to supporting your proposed Culture Builders initiative by May 30, 2025.

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Call for Culture Builders

We are excited to invite you to partner with the Division of Institutional Equity in an ongoing, community-wide effort to foster a more loving, inclusive, and just campus: Culture Builders.

Culture building is the intentional practice of developing shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape how we live, learn, and lead together. In a time marked by polarization and a loss of shared humanity, creating an inclusive culture requires all of us. Each of us has a role to play.

More than a semesterly speaker series, Culture Builders is a call to action. It’s a space where faculty and staff can deepen their commitment to inclusive excellence by:

• Engaging in critical conversations about identity, community, and belonging

• Centering shared values that draw us closer across lines of difference

• Exploring practices and programs that support inclusive engagement, teaching, service, leadership, and scholarship

• Co-creating a campus culture where everyone feels seen, valued, and supported

We invite you to join the fall '25 Culture Builders Cohort as a thought partner, co-sponsor, and co-facilitator. This fall’s shared text will be Critical Hope by Dr. Kari Grain—a powerful exploration of how we can lead with clarity, complexity, and care in the pursuit of justice. 

Drawing from the book’s key themes—including the importance of grounded action over naïve optimism, leading with imagination, and cultivating hope through reflection and radical relationships—our fall cohort will focus on how these practices can shape UMBC’s culture of inclusive excellence. Explore the fall themes HERE.

What to Expect:

• Small cohort experience: Only 8 Culture Builders will be selected per semester. Culture builders will represent their office/department.

• Shared learning: Culture Builders will participate in three virtual dialogues (July, August, and September) to explore the book and identify themes and values that can inform institutional change. We will provide each participant with a free copy of Critical Hope.

• Campus engagement: Each Culture Builder will host a fall event, program, or learning opportunity connected to cohort themes. We will provide up to $500 in funding per event.

• Community connection: All Culture Builders will promote and attend the fall Culture Builders keynote event in November. We will host and fully fund this event and provide 20 free copies of Critical Hope to audience members.

To explore the ideas behind the book, you can listen to the following podcast interviews with Dr. Kari Grain: Critical Hope for Educators: Equity Analysis, Possibility, and Responsibility. You might also read The Social Justice Turn: Cultivating "Critical Hope" in an Age of Despair by Kari M. Grain and Darren E. Lund.

If you’re already leading equity-centered work or seeking a way to begin, this is your invitation! Become a Culture Builder and help shape the culture we want to see at UMBC.

Hello! We were asked by a community member to share out this information regarding workplace protections for LGBTQ+ employees in the state of Maryland. Please see below:

__________________________

I hope this email finds you well. The mission of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) is to help prevent sexual assault, advocate for accessible and compassionate care for survivors of sexual violence, and work to hold offenders accountable.

Using grant funding from the Maryland Department of Health to expand our prevention work with LGBTQ+ communities, MCASA partnered with FreeState Justice – a statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization that provides direct legal services, policy advocacy, outreach, education, and coalition building in Maryland – to create a free self-paced training module, called Workplace Protections, Legal Rights, and Resources for LGBTQ+ Employees. This module educates current and prospective LGBTQ+ employees on their employee rights and available resources to recognize and report workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault.

This self-paced training module addresses the following topics:

• Key terminology, including a selection of LGBTQ+ identity descriptors, and terms related to workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault
• Federal and State legal protections and how to take legal action
• Where to turn for free legal assistance
• Supplemental information and resources

When current and prospective employees learn more about their legal rights, options, and resources, they will be better prepared to enter the workforce and remain in the workforce because they will have the knowledge and tools to recognize and report workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Increasing the economic empowerment of the LGBTQ+ community is a protective factor against sexual assault and other forms of harm. When employees feel safe and empowered, they are more likely to be productive and successful at work.

Please share our free self-paced training module -- Workplace Protections, Legal Rights, and Resources for LGBTQ+ Employees -- with your networks. Feel free to post this link on your website, send it out in newsletters, social media, or other forms of communication. 

If you have any questions, please let us know. I can be reached at agaragiola@mcasa.org or info@mcasa.org and Freestate Justice can be reached at LPruitt@freestate-justice.org