You are all invited to join your SAPH faculty for our 2023 Fall Open House from 12-1pm this Monday, 9/11 in the Public Policy Atrium!

Come out and meet your professors, learn more about opportunities and internships in your program, or just come for lunch! 

There is a $25 dollar raffle in bookstore funds for those who SIGN UP ON GROUPS AND ATTEND. So if you're interested in saving money on books, make sure you register here!

See flyer below for more details.

Unlock Better Communication and Leadership: Join the Interact Dialogues Program to enhance your skills in discussing challenging subjects with diverse perspectives. Experience small group sessions led by fellow students, happening weekly and discover vital dialogue abilities, nurture empathetic listening, exchange cross-cultural stories, and explore your own journey."

The "INTERACT" program is a 5-week dialogue program at UMBC for students. It consists of 4 short sessions where participants learn and practice skills to become inclusive leaders and engaged community members. Completing the program means joining a community of students dedicated to making UMBC an inclusive place. Dialogue in this contest is a purposeful conversation where participants listen deeply and share authentically. The program will have small groups of up to 15 participants, held at different campus locations, and participants will receive i3b swag, like a free t-shirt. Participating offers the chance to develop leadership skills, build community, and enhance a sense of belonging at UMBC.

Please use the QR code or click HERE to register. 

All of us at i3b are hoping that you are finding rest and peace during these summer months. You may have noticed that the group page that served as the i3b group page has reverted back to its original owner, The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity. In an effort to improve our targeted engagement, data, and assessment, our department has made the decision to create individual myUMBC pages for each center and the i3b department. Below is the list of our new pages:

• Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b)
• The Pride Center for LGBTQIA2+ Diversity (i3b)
• The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being (i3b)

As we continue to build out our resources we also ask for you to follow our Linktree pages and i3b Instagram linked below:

We appreciate your patience as we integrate these updates and onboard new staff. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at i3b@umbc.edu. 

- Angelina R. Jenkins, Assistant Director on behalf of The Mosaic team & i3b 

As another academic year is wrapping up, our staff would like to take a moment to congratulate all of the upcoming graduates. We would also like to provide some end-of-year updates with respect to some of the FAQs that we have received over the past few weeks. Feel free to spread this to your networks. 

As mentioned in previous messages and our recent social media communications, the deadline for voting on the name extension of The Pride Center is MONDAY 05/22/2022 by NOON. We invite both those within the community, as well as our allies to cast their votes. The name will be unveiled during our Lavender Celebration. Please click here to be redirected to the Name Extension Survey.

Today is the last day that The Pride Center will operate under its regular Spring Hours, closing at 9:30 pm. We will also have special hours tomorrow, Friday 05/19 from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Our center will close for the summer starting next week, Monday 05/22/2023, and will remain closed throughout the summer. We expect to reopen on the first day of Fall classes. Please note, that the space will not be reservable for any non-i3b related events, meetings, and/or trainings. Our staff will be available to meet upon request both in person or virtually. If you are curious about all of our spaces, please click here to be redirected to all of our hours. 

Our 10th Annual Lavender Celebration final event for the Spring semester. Please check out the full post here. 

You do not need to participate in the Social Media Campaign in order to receive your cords, however, YOU MUST complete the form linked on the myUMBC post in order to receive the cord. Please read the form in its entirety. You may contact our staff if you have any issues with completing the form. 

An RSVP is not required to attend the graduation, however, we will grant priority to those who do so. If you are a student, staff, or faculty member who plans on bringing loved ones who are non-UMBC members, please include them in your head count on our RSVP form. 

Cord Pickup: If you cannot attend the graduation or would not like to be named at the graduation, there will be pickup times for students on Tuesday, May 23 at The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being (IMPORTANT: We will only account for those who have filled out the form PRIOR to the Lavender graduation). 

SafeZone: Our SafeZone LGBTQIA2+ Allyship Development Workshop is back for the first time since our return to campus. Whether you are new to the program or have taken it already, we advise you to take the training as part of a refresher. All of our workshop dates are posted on our myUMBC pages on the following dates. An RSVP is REQUIRED!

We are so excited at the amount of growth in our departmental area within the past year. We will be reaching out to our LGBTQIA2+-centered organizations and close partners in the upcoming weeks to vision what the 2023-2024 year will bring. If you are interested in collaborating with us in any way, please do not hesitate to email me directly or i3b at i3b@umbc.edu. We appreciate your patience and eagerness to support our work! In the meantime, please check out our last Newsletter of the year!

In community,

Operating at normal hours - Monday, May 15, 2023 - Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Adjusted hours - Thursday, May 25, 2023

The Gathering Space will close for Summer 2023 on Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 8pm. The space will reopen in August for the Fall 2023 - Spring 2024 academic year. More information to come. 

***Temporary Summer Prayer, Meditation, & Reflection Space***

Starting June 1, 2023

The Commons, Room 328

Monday - Friday: 8am - 4:30pm 

• The Commons and the UMBC Campus will be closed on 5/29/23 in observance of Memorial Day.
• The Commons and the UMBC Campus will be closed on 6/19/23 in observance of Juneteenth.
• The Commons and the UMBC Campus will be closed on 7/4/23 in observance of Independence Day.

For all questions or inquiries about The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, please reach out to Matt Hoffman, Assistant Director, at mdhoffma@umbc.edu.  

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Operating at normal hours -  Monday, May 15, 2023 - Friday, May 19, 2023

The Mosaic will close for Summer 2023 on Friday, May 19th, 2023 at 6pm. The space will reopen in August for the Fall 2023 - Spring 2024 academic year. More information to come. 

For all questions or inquiries about The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity, please reach out to Angelina R. Jenkins, Assistant Director, at arjenkins@umbc.edu. 

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We are greatly appreciative to all of our UMBC family for a great year and look forward to seeing everyone again come fall!