Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: Over 20 years! I started in 1988, as a full-time graduate student in Sociology. During my graduate studies, I worked part-time in the Office of Institutional Research and just after graduation, I was fortunate to be hired as the first Coordinator of Internships & Service-Learning at what was then called the Office of Professional Practice (later called The Center for Learning Through Work & Service, and ultimately named The Shriver Center). 

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: Facilitating creation of opportunities for outreach of university resources to our community.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most? 

A: I love being able to work with an incredibly diverse group of students and the number of hats you can wear while working: teacher, student, mentor, mentee, and most importantly, difference-maker. 

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC? 

A: Having the opportunity every day to interact with and learn from some pretty inspiring people. The students, staff, and faculty who I get to work with are so committed to creating positive change for themselves and others, ultimately to the benefit our community (whether local, regional, national, or global).

Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________” 

A: Spending as much time as possible with family and friends.

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share? 

I believe many things are best learned through experience, including how to change the world. You can’t fully explore and develop your ability to make a difference without actually giving it a try. I also believe that taking meaningful action with others to shape your community is one of the most important and fulfilling things you can do. But I’m not a fan of futile gestures--of fighting the “good fight” in some blundering way that doesn’t result in a win. I think if you’re going to invest time in trying to change the world, you should do it in a manner well calculated to produce the change you seek. That means being an entrepreneur: thinking clearly and analytically about problems, developing innovative solutions, making solid strategic plans, building helpful relationships, assembling and managing resources, inspiring supporters and sustaining their motivation.

Name: Phillip-Mathew Golden

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: 6 years. 

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: Facilities Staff Student Manager for Commons Operations.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most? 

A: I love being able to work with an incredibly diverse group of students and the number of hats you can wear while working: teacher, student, mentor, mentee, and most importantly, difference-maker. 

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC? 

Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________” 

A: Table Tennis. I'm the main coach and president of the UMBC Table Tennis Club, and captain of the UMBC table tennis team.

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share? 

Name: Sue Plitt

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: 8+ years. 

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: Guide students to help them achieve their professional goals.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most? 

A: I most enjoy working one-on-one with our students, helping them to identify their strengths and value so that they become more comfortable (and successful) with the job search process. 

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC? 

A: Persevere…you can do it!  I completed my bachelor’s degree two years ago and just finished my MBA…not admitting to my age but I’m definitely a non-traditional student.  It is much more difficult to complete a degree when you are raising a family and working full time, but well worth it.

Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________” 

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share? 

A:  Did you know our campus is connected to the Chesapeake Bay by water?  The UMBC campus contains four branches of the Herbert Run stream which connect near the southern border of campus. Herbert Run then flows about three miles through Arbutus and Halethorpe before joining the Patapsco River. The Patapsco River forms Baltimore's harbor and then enters the Chesapeake Bay…think about that before dropping trash into one of our campus waterways!

Name: Connie Pierson

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: As an employee,  11 years in OIR [the Office of Institutional Research].   Also a student from 1986 to 1992 (B.A. Economics/ Sociology; M.A. Sociology). 

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: I provide information and data analysis about UMBC and its community.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most? 

A: Getting to meet and work with many different people on and off campus. 

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC? 

Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________” 

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share? 

A:  I often see random numbers and think, for example “oh, that was the total enrollment in Fall 2003”…kind of scary.

In earlier posts I’ve described the roles of the SGA Senate and Finance Board.  This post describes the role of the Executive Branch: the largest part of SGA, but the one with the fewest elected positions.

Membership:  The Executive Branch consists of four elected officers—the President, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Organizations and Treasurer—and the staff members they appoint (with Senate approval) to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities.  The students appointed by the President to the positions of Chief of Staff and Director of various departments are known collectively as the Cabinet.  Only the four elected leadership positions are available now (the appointed positions will be opened up following the election). 

The application form (follow this link) contains information about the specific responsibilities of each of the four elected positions.  What follows is a general description of the entire Executive Branch’s role in SGA.

Guiding Philosophy:  The Executive Branch is focused on action.  It is organized to ensure maximum productivity, with clear lines of accountability.

While the elected members of the Executive Branch are highly visible, most members of the Executive Branch do the majority of their work behind the scenes, providing the crucial research, communication, relationship building and legwork needed to produce excellent programs, services and advocacy for students. 

For the elected members of the Executive Branch, the focus of attention and activity is the total impact SGA is having on the well-being of UMBC students.  They ask themselves, could we be functioning more effectively as an organization?  What capabilities do we need to develop in order to provide better services, and how shall we develop them?  Are we set up to connect with students in the ways that would serve them best, and if not, how should we adjust?  How can we support individual SGA members in staying inspired and being as effective as they can be in their roles?

For the appointed members of the Executive Branch, the focus of attention and activity is the specific outcomes expected from their projects.  They ask themselves, what are the steps I must take in order to accomplish the tasks that have been delegated to me?  With whom do I need to develop relationships in order to position my projects for success?  How can I communicate my progress and objectives in order to gain the support I need to succeed?  How can I involve students outside of SGA in my work in order to maximize the impact of my projects?

Questions about the Executive Branch, or about running for a position in SGA?  Send me an email at dhoffman@umbc.edu.  Be sure to get your application in by the March 12th deadline!

At its weekly meetings, the Finance Board reviews these forms and (for larger requests) meets with officers of the student organizations that submitted them, and considers whether each request meets the following criteria:

The Finance Board takes a vote on each request, approving it, disapproving it, or postponing consideration until a later date.  A majority of members must vote in favor of a request in order to approve it.  The President may veto allocations approved by the Finance Board, and the Finance Board can override the President’s veto by a 2/3 vote.

Guiding Philosophy:  Student organizations are key forums for students to participate in creating campus life and enhancing the experiences of every member of the UMBC community.  When student organizations are active and inspired, they can energize the entire campus.  When student organizations are poorly supported, confused and frustrated, their inability to contribute to campus life diminishes everyone’s experience.

However, because financial resources are limited, the Finance Board often finds itself in the position of saying “no” to student organization requests.  Sometimes the Finance Board must decline requests for worthwhile activities simply because there is only so much money to go around, and the Finance Board wants to use it to support the most beneficial events and projects.  By dealing fairly, openly and courteously with every request, and by making hard judgments to ensure that the available funds go to support the best initiatives, the Finance Board makes an important contribution to every UMBC student’s experience of campus life.

One of the Finance Board’s key concerns is being consistent in its judgments.  Two groups with equally good track records who submit identical requests a couple of months apart should not receive different treatment, both because it would be unfair and because it would confuse other organizations about what the Finance Board is interested in funding.  So with each decision, a part of what the Finance Board considers is whether it would be able to accommodate other groups making the same request.  For example, if the Finance Board receives a request to pay for one group’s t-shirts, it should consider whether it would be willing to pay for any other group’s t-shirts if the circumstances were the same.

Questions about the Finance Board, or about running for a position in SGA?  Send me an email at dhoffman@umbc.edu.  Be sure to get your application in by the March 12th deadline! 

Guiding Philosophy:  The Senate is a focal point for creativity and action.  Senators’ job description is intentionally more flexible than those in other branches, because the specific work Senators take on from year to year is most likely to change in response to new opportunities and needs.

The Senate typically works most effectively when students outside of SGA are involved in its work from the early brainstorming stage through the end of an initiative’s implementation.  Members of the UMBC administration and faculty are far more likely to take Senators and their ideas seriously when it is clear that many other students are involved and committed to the same goals.  While the Senate sometimes can serve as a problem-solver and advocate on other students’ behalf, it strives to keep other students at the center, and may even play a secondary but crucial role as a supporter of other students’ initiatives.

Because its initiatives can yield new programs and services that require implementation year after year, the Senate must cultivate support and cooperative relationships within SGA, especially with the Executive Branch.  Doing so diminishes the possibility that Senators’ good work will be abandoned at the end of their terms.

Questions about the Senate, or about running for a position in SGA?  Send me an email at dhoffman@umbc.edu.  Be sure to get your application in by the March 12th deadline!