I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses. 

Name: Agnes Buanya

Hometown: Accra, Ghana/Liverpool, England/ Elkridge, Maryland

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: 3 years. 

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

A: The eternal cheerleader who wants to see everyone succeed.

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

A: I love feeling like I have made a difference in other people’s lives and on our campus. It makes life much more fulfilling.

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

A: I have learned that there are many many opportunities and a lot of people who want to help you. As college students we have the tendency to believe we can do it ourselves and not seek help but now I have learned that people want to be a part of your transition into the “real world.”

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

A: Using laughter to get through it all.
 

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:  My favorite place on campus is in any of the study rooms in the library. It may sound boring but sometimes when my life gets too “loud,” I like to go to one of the rooms and just sit. You will also catch me on any given Sunday having a relaxing study session.

I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses. 

Name: Jen Dress

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: Almost 10 years. 

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

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

A: I get to work with amazing students and staff.  I learn something new and laugh every single day!

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: Baseball, bbq, the beach, my beagle, and my little baby girl.  I like other stuff that doesn't start with "b," but those were the first things that came to mind.
 

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:  Wow, great question. I have a lot of fun stories to share, but one of my favorites is from 2004 when the Strokes played here, Justin Timberlake and then girlfriend Cameron Diaz were in attendance.  We brought them in the back door of the RAC and they just hung out in the seats with the rest of the crowd!

Yasmin Karimian                  2,015 votes      94.4%

Write-ins (total)                         120 votes      5.6%

  

William Joyner                   1,219 votes          56.8%

Emily Han                               876 votes         40.8%

Write-ins (total)                         50 votes           2.3%

Kaylesh Ramu                       1,959 votes      95.2%

Write-ins (total)                            98 votes        4.8%

Toby Le                                  918 votes

Gift Jayakar                            780 votes

Vikram Bambawale               766 votes

Dylan Cook                            709 votes

Damani Lewis                       705 votes

Benjamin Smith                    676 votes

Jasmine Batchelor                648 votes

Matthew McNey                   622 votes

Chidiebele Agha                   611 votes

Sumit Bose                             602 votes

Alex Gaines                           581 votes

Faiza Haq                                554 votes

Tae-Guyn “Tommy” Kim       533 votes

Opeyemi Faseyi                       518 votes

Leon Neufville                        480 votes

David Stonko                          478 votes

Buruk Hagos                           446 votes

Jair Thrasher                           425 votes

Chunhui Lin                            416 votes

Grant Foehrkolb                      410 votes

Edward K. Featherson             405 votes

Write-ins (total):                        54 votes

Jessica Ji                                 751 votes

Rosy Chirayath                      705 votes

Sekinah Hassan                    673 votes

Morgan Russo                       617 votes

Tehmeena Hassan               594 votes

Vladislav Azimhodjaev           579 votes

Asmita Adhikari                      473 votes

Catherine Dodson                   442 votes

Amond “Uche” Uwadineke     424 votes

Timb Mantegna                       361 votes

Nicole Laird                            358 votes

Write-ins (total)                         44 votes

   

No          851 votes                  40.5%

No          188 votes                  9.0%

No          420 votes                  21.1%

No          271 votes                  13.6%

Vote in the undergraduate student election from now until Wednesday night at midnight.  To vote, go to the SGA election web site (where you can read about the candidates) or follow one of the links below straight into Blackboard (choose the link that corresponds with your last name).

Last name starts with A - D
Last name starts with E - K
Last name starts with L - R
Last name starts with S - Z

Here's a by-the-numbers look at recent SGA elections:

Name: Lindsey Loeper

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: I’ve been back at UMBC and working in the Library since October 2007.  I was previously here as an American Studies undergrad from 2000-2004. 

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

A: I assist students and staff with historical research materials.

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

A: The University Archives have been getting a lot of use this year and it’s been really fun to work with these materials with the current students. Seeing the evolution and development of the campus, even over our comparatively short 44 years, can really foster that sense of school spirit that many claim is lacking within our student body (though that has never seemed true to me!). I also enjoy that through working with the University Archives I have the opportunity to interact with a wide range of departments and people across campus.

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

A: Being knowledgeable about our shared past can be a powerful tool. I saw this through community and local history projects as a student and am happy that I can now share this with students and the broader UMBC community.

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

A: Twitter, believe or not.  I've been using Twitter to communicate with other library and archives professionals and it has been a great resource.  I don't use it personally or socially and I don't talk about what I had for lunch.  It works for me kind of like an RSS feed - other people post pertinent links to new web projects, grants, reports, and articles, and they're all collected in one place.  A lot of professional organizations, libraries, and museums have accounts and they push out news and other updates; I imagine this is true for other professional groups as well.  My account is @dailyarchivist, if you're interested.

I'm also a huge fan of my adopted hometown, Baltimore, and the Baltimore Orioles.  I always like to root for the underdog!

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:  Collecting little-known facts is part of my job, so here are a few of my favorites. Students used to have tug-of-war competitions and raft races in “Library Lake” – now just called the Library Pond. Otis Redding performed on campus in 1967 during the 1^st Spring Week, UMBC’s early version of Quadmania. And a previous president wanted to change the university’s name to MIT: Maryland Institute of Technology. That didn’t go over very well, as you can imagine!

My favorite spot on campus as a student was the huge porch at Patapsco. As a staff member it’s probably the pond, which I walk by everyday on my way to work.

REFERENDUM A--SGA OFFICER ELIGIBILITY:  Do you support the following amendment to the SGA Constitution?  This amendment was adopted by the SGA Senate, and will take effect if ratified by students voting in this election.

Summary:  The proposed amendment would make more students eligible to serve in SGA by
(1) removing the minimum GPA requirement for officers not serving in formal leadership positions, and
(2) removing the requirement that SGA officers not be on "disciplinary probation."

The Details (Specific Wording of Amendment):  The first sentence of Article 5.2 of the SGA Constitution now reads, "In order to be eligible to seek and hold SGA offices, an individual must be a UMBC undergraduate, have at least a cumulative 2.25 GPA, maintain at least a 2.25 semester GPA while in office, and not be on academic or disciplinary probation."  The amendment would change this sentence so it reads, "In order to be eligible to seek and hold elected SGA offices, or appointed offices for which a stipend is provided and/or the officer is responsible for supervising other appointed officers, an individual must be a UMBC undergraduate, have at least a cumulative 2.25 GPA, maintain at least a 2.25 semester GPA while in office, and not be on academic probation."

Yes ___

No ___

REFERENDUM B--NON-DISCRIMINATION CLAUSE:  Do you support the following amendment to the SGA Constitution?  This amendment was adopted by the SGA Senate, and will take effect if ratified by students voting in this election.

Summary:  The proposed amendment would extend SGA's guarantee against discrimination to encompass discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression.

The Details (Specific Wording of Amendment):  Article 6.4 of the SGA Constitution now reads, "No UMBC undergraduate shall be excluded from any SGA forum or activity, or be granted or denied any benefit, on account of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, religion or political affiliation."  The amendment would change this sentence so it reads, "No UMBC undergraduate shall be excluded from any SGA forum or activity, or be granted or denied any benefit, on account of race, age,sex , sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability, religion or political affiliation."

Yes ___

No ___

REFERENDUM C--AUTHORITY TO AMEND SGA GUIDING DOCUMENTS AND APPOINT/APPROVE OFFICERS:  Do you support the following amendments to the SGA Constitution?  These amendments were adopted by the SGA Senate, and will take effect if ratified by students voting in this election.

Summary:  The proposed amendments would grant the SGA Finance Board equal authority with the SGA Senate to approve amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws.  They also would clarify the process by which positions that become vacant mid-year are filled, giving the Finance Board the opportunity to participate in approving certain appointments.

The Details (Specific Wording of Amendments): Article 2.4 of the Constitution now grants the Senate sole authority to amend the SGA Bylaws by a two-thirds vote of its entire membership.  The amended version of Article 2.4 would give that authority to "the Senate and Finance Board together" by "a two-thirds vote of each body's entire membership." 

Article 5.1.3 of the Constitution now gives the President approval to fill vacancies in the Cabinet, on the Supreme Court and on the Election Board subject to approval by the Senate.  The amended version of Article 5.1.3 would clarify that the President does not fill vacancies on Election Board other than the position of Chair (the Chair appoints the other Election Board members).  The amended version also states that "Presidential appointments to fill vacancies in the positions of Vice President for Student Organizations, Treasurer and Election Board Chair will be subject to approval by the Senate and Finance Board as specified in the SGA Bylaws."

Article 7 of the Constitution now grants the Senate authority to ratify amendments to the Constitution by a two-thirds vote of its entire membership, subject to approval of the student body in a referendum.  The amended version of Article 7 would give authority to ratify amendments to "the Senate and the Finance Board" by a two-thirds vote of each body's entire membership, subject to approval of the student body in a referendum.

Yes ___

No ___

REFERENDUM D--SGA SUPREME COURT STRUCTURE:  Do you support the following amendments to the SGA Constitution?  These amendments were adopted by the SGA Senate, and will take effect if ratified by students voting in this election.

Summary:  The proposed amendments would add four positions to the SGA Supreme Court and modify the Court's responsibilities.

The Details (Specific Wording of Amendments):  Article 4.2.1 currently establishes that the Supreme Court will be composed 5 officers appointed to 2-year staggered terms (3 commencing in odd-numbered years, 2 in even-numbered years).  The amendments would establish that the Supreme Court will be composed of 9 officers appointed to 2-year staggered terms (5 commencing in odd-numbered years, 4 in even-numbered years).

The titles "Justice" and "Chief Justice" would be changed to "Judge Advocate" and "Chief Judge Advocate" wherever they appear in the Constitution.

Article 4.2.2 currently gives the Supreme Court the power to adjudicate certain disputes when the party initiating the action has exhausted all "available" SGA adjudication forums other than the Supreme Court.  The amendments would change this phrase to "available and appropriate."

Article 4.2.2 currently empowers the Supreme Court to take "any of the following" specific remedial actions (and lists the possible actions, which include compelling SGA to transfer some of its funds and reversing decisions of the Election Board).  The amendments would empower the Supreme Court to take remedial actions "including, but not limited to" the listed actions.

The amendments would require that certain actions be taken in written form: "Court Orders" and "Notices of Termination."  Article 4.2.3 of the Constitution would read, "Remedial actions mandated by a court of the SGA shall be issued in writing in the form of a Court Order which shall describe the court's expected outcome and its deadline."  (Other sections would be renumbered to accommodate this new section).  Article 5.5.4, which establishes the process for removing appointed officers, would be amended to add the following text:

"All terminations shall be effective upon signature of a Notice of Termination by any officer with the constitutional authority to remove the addressee from office or issuance of a Court Order declaring termination.  Upon termination, all rights, privileges and access of the forfeited office shall be denied the former officer.  Any continued use of the above benefits by the terminated officer shall subject the removed officer to charges of violating the UMBC Student Code of Conduct.

Notices of Termination shall be any document stating the date and time of cancellation of an SGA officer's access to the responsibilities and benefits of his/her office before the completion of the office's natural term.  A Notice of Termination is valid only when completed by an officer with authority to remove the addressed officer from his/her office."

Article 5.5.4 also would be amended to clarify that the removal process described in the existing text applies only to appointed officers in the Executive Branch, not to other appointed officers of SGA (the section currently starts, "Appointed officers may be removed . . ."; the amended section would start, "Officers serving in appointed Executive Branch offices may be removed . . .").

Yes ___

Name: Brandon McClary

Q: How long have you been at UMBC? 

A: 4 years. 

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

A: Meyerhoff Scholar and Student Events Board President.

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

A: I could never imagine my collegiate experience without involvement in student activities. Whether it involves planning large scale events such as Quadmania or making someone’s day just by giving away cotton candy, it’s so gratifying to know that I’ve made an impact here at UMBC.

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

A: College isn't all about studying; it's about learning, learning that takes place both inside and outside of class. It's here that you realize what life is about and who you really are. During my time at UMBC, I've learned a lot about myself. I am a lot more confident in myself and in my abilities.

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

A: Chipotle and funny Youtube videos.  
My favorite-->(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nda_OSWeyn8)

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:  UMBC has an underground tunnel system. You're not supposed to go down there, but I know a few people that have. I heard somewhere that the tunnel system carried all the data, water, and electrical connections between buildings. Each building used to have at least one entrance door into this tunnel system, some more secure then others.

My advice:

1. Broaden your horizons. Don't do yourself the injustice of doing the same old thing. Get involved and try something new.

2. Don't complain and wait for things to happen on campus. If there is something that you don't like, do something about it and try to find a way to change it. Nothing is inevitable, but anything is possible.