We are pleased to announce that more than 25 of our PROMISE students and affiliates will be attending the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Compact for Faculty Diversity/Institute on Teaching and Mentoring: http://www.instituteonteachingandmentoring.org/Institute/index.html in Atlanta, GA, October 20-23, 2011. The SREB participants will be discussing some thoughts related to their experiences and plans in this thread.

What makes UMBC offerings in the arts and humanities unique? Why might you choose to attend a UMBC theatre performance, humanities forum lecture or arts exhibition? And, perhaps most important, what does the arts and humanities experience at UMBC feel like?

Read about the new branding campaign for the Arts and Humanities at UMBC at http://www.umbc.edu/window/branding_ah_2011.html

There is a GREAT line up of events for this year's DVAM that we're hoping will generate  some great discussion and awareness. Please save the date and try to come to one or more of these events!

For more questions, feel free to contact the Women's Center!

For many of us, October is a time that the leaves begin to change to beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange; the weather begins to get bit more crisp in the mornings and the longing to pull out sweaters and scarves is upon us. Fortunately, if cold weather and falling leaves aren’t your thing (and even if they are), there are a ton of other things to celebrate, acknowledge and participate in during the month of October.  You can start by going to the search engine of your choice and typing in “October Holidays”. On this particular day, I came to a great page that highlights “bizarre, unique and special days” that take place in the month of October and break it down by monthly celebratory events as well as those which are weekly and daily.

In this particular month, there is a lot to look forward to.  October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Vegetarian Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Pizza Month and so much more! These unique days present an opportunity for you get involved in your community. Here are just a couple of suggestions to get you started:

·         Make a card for our amazing housekeeping staff on 10/2, National Custodial Worker Day

·         Smile at a stranger on World Smile Day (10/7)

·         Work with your Resident Assistant (RA) to plan a wing outing to the Maryland Race for the Cure (10/23)

·          Challenge yourself to be a vegetarian for a week (or maybe even just a meal). True Grits has a ton of vegan and vegetarian option to tempt your taste buds!

·         Join your Community Activities Board (CAB) in planning a pizza tasting party to sample local establishments

·         Grab a friend and attend at least one of more than 20 scheduled events bringing awareness and prevention to domestic violence in our communities.

·         Engage the student organization you are involved in to do something for “Make  difference Day” (10/22)

The first week of October has also been named “Get Organized Week”. With midterm exams right around the corner, this could be a really wonderful opportunity to look into what habits and behaviors you are engaging and the level of success those choices have yielding. It may be time to switch up how you are keeping track of appointments and class meetings, the way you are studying and how you are keeping track of papers and emails for future reference.

A few of the sites referenced in this article to get you on your way!

§  A site for fun and funky holidays: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/october.htm

§  Susan G. Komen, Race for the Cure: http://www.komenmd.org/site/c.ddJIKPNnFkG/b.2530875/k.BEBF/Home.htm

§  University Health Facebook Page :https://www.facebook.com/umbcuhs

§  UMBC Relationship Violence Awareness and Prevention: http://umbc.edu/rvap/

Article by Jacki Gloger

PLEASE COMMENT AND SHARE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO THIS OCTOBER!