The Election Board recently received multiple election complaints pertaining to a posting for Genevieve Okoro’s Senate candidacy that was pinned to a bulletin board in the main lobby of Erickson Hall. The complaints alleged violations of the following election rule:

Rule 18: “Campaigning in the residence community is restricted by Residential Life policies, which are designed to ensure a comfortable living environment for residential students, in addition to the following instructions. Door-to-door solicitation, including knocking on residents’ doors, is prohibited. No posted advertising (except on a resident’s door by the residents themselves) or residential mailbox ads by individual candidates are permitted in the residential community. Postings and mailbox ads are permitted if they are sponsored by the SGA Election Board and include all candidates’ information. Furthermore, active campaigning is not permitted in residential facilities and True Grit’s; only passive campaigning is allowed in these locations.”

After careful review of the complaint and 2026 Election Rules, the Election Board agreed that this posting was a violation and opened an investigation. They were unable to confirm who put the posting on Erickson Hall’s bulletin board. As a result, no individual sanction can be administered.

On behalf of the Election Board, communications were shared with multiple UMBC professional staff members—including the Dean of Students, Executive Director for Residential Life, Erickson Hall Community Director, and Assistant Director for Residential Education for Staff Training & Development— updating them on the Election Rules connected to SGA campaigning in residential halls. They removed the posting and indnicated that they will sensitize residential staff to SGA’s Election Rules.

The Election Board would like to extend thanks to the individuals who filed this complaint without taking any direct action on their own to remove this posting. Your trust in the system and willingness to let the Election Board decide next steps are highly appreciated.

The Election Board wants to reiterate that any student who believes that they have witnessed an Election Rules violation should report a complaint to the Election Board, remembering that complaints must be filed by 48 hours after an alleged violation is discovered OR by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 19th-- whichever is earliest.

Art Rysing is this Saturday, 4/18. With now 200+ RSVPs, we can use your help with the day, mostly before the event.  

Doors open just after 12pm, with stations beginning at 1pm.  Stations run 1-3pm. Dr. Sheares Ashby is the lone Guest Speaker scheduled, and will kick off following performances.

Do you like arts & crafts?  Does setting up and/or folding chairs bring you joy?  Are you THE ultimate hype person?  Do you have a good sense of direction?  Is "collecting" one of your talents? Are you a great solutions thinker? Might you like to help the Empanada Lady distribute empanadas? (yes, that's a real task).

If any/many of these answers were "yes," we've got something for you!!!!  Complete the Google Form, Art Rysing 2026 Volunteer & Orientation Sign Up

To get a sense of the event, watch the 2025 HIGHLIGHTS REEL (created by Digital Empath Studio)

We’re looking for university students who are interested in sharing their perspectives on social and political topics on a new and growing social media platform.

Whether you identify as progressive, democratic socialist, moderate, or anywhere in between, this is a space for open, thoughtful, and respectful dialogue.

If you’re interested in expressing your ideas, engaging in meaningful discussion, and connecting with other students who care about what’s happening in the world, we’d love to hear from you.

📩 To get involved, email: reachthereset@gmail.com

Welcome to Week 10 of the Tabletop Gaming Club!

Things are really warming up this week, humid and horrible with temperatures getting up to the 90s (Perfect time to touch some grass!)

Club will be held at the Usual place and time, Tuesday / Thursday 7-10pm in ILSB116B so be there or be circular.

Now lets get into the all important announcements for the week!

Thursday the 16th will be our semester D&D PVP tournament! Come one, come all to participate in our bracketed PVP tournament and compete for Glory! (and some cool D&D related prizes). Newbies and veterans alike are welcome, as well as people not even involved with the club. We do however need more DMs for the tournament so please reach out to any of our Club officers if you are interested! Rules are attached to this myUMBC post. Reach out to club officer Izra with any questions!

Now for the important one: OFFICER ELECTIONS Signups are still going on, and we are extending the date to this friday 4/17!

Like I mentioned in my heartfelt plead last week, The club needs an entire new officer board as all current officers are graduating and we really need some enthusiastic people to hand the club off too (And all the clubs inventory, lots and lots and lots of board games and TTRPG stuff, and more!) I think I speak for all the officers when I say we love and care about this club and want to see it continue for many more generations of UMBC students, providing a fun and inclusive space for them to be themselves and pursue their nerdy interests. As of right now only 3 people have signed up to run, and of those 3 currently nobody is running for treasurer, a position that if left unfilled causes the club to disband. Additionally we always want to see as many people running for officer positions as possible, keeps things interest. So please even if you only have a slight interest, consider running so that this club can continue for years to come!

Sprouts, the new garden hose has been put in! Please be patient as we are trying to get the previous nozzle on the new hose. Water is running through the hose smoothly! Happy gardening!🥕🥒🥦

Hello Retrievers!

Club elections are April 27th! Interesting in becoming a board member, or know someone who is? Make sure sign up before the date on this Google Form: https://forms.gle/vTxUFkpfDC4uG46g8

Interested in trying out for the competition team? If you have any questions regarding the team, the type of competitions we attend, or related information, message a board member or approach us after today's meeting! Tryouts will be held on May 1st and 2nd, with applications closing April 24th. Make sure you sign up with this Google form before the deadline: https://forms.gle/yDUSLrvNihou5cxu5

Want to learn more about Reverse Engineering? Vice President Charles will be presenting on Ida, a reverse engineering tool, for Tuesday 14th's Technical Workshop, from 7:15-8:15pm in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building (PAHB) 108. Join in-person or online through the Webex: https://umbc-students.webex.com/meet/CyberDawgs

Stay Cool,
Hamza Nasher-Alneam
CyberDawgs Secretary

All COEIT undergraduate students are invited to complete the 2026 COEIT Undergraduate Student Voice & Experience Survey.

This survey aims to understand your experiences in your major, classroom interactions and environment, campus involvement and resources, and the diversity and inclusion within COEIT. As this is the first time we're offering this survey since 2016, your feedback is incredibly valuable in helping the COEIT community collect critical benchmarking data.

Take the Survey Here: https://umbc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5iI6xaFXbYdbZGu 

Survey Deadlines & Prize Drawing:

• Priority Deadline: Monday, March 23, 2026

• Final deadline: Sunday, April 19, 2026 

• Incentive: Complete the survey by the priority deadline (3/23/26) and select "yes" for the very last survey question to provide your email. This email address will only be used to enter you into a prize drawing to receive $25 Retriever Dollars (multiple winners will be selected!). Your email address will not be linked to your survey responses.

All students studying a COEIT major received an email from Dean van Briesen that includes the survey link and additional details. 

We encourage you to complete this important survey by the deadline! 

Join the CWIT Student Council on Wednesday, April 15th at 12:00 PM in ITE 456 for Pizza for a Purpose!

This is your chance to enjoy some free pizza while completing a major survey about the COEIT environment, your voice matters, and your feedback helps shape real change.

Can’t make it? No worries, you can still complete the survey by April 19th.

Come out, grab a slice, and make your voice heard. We hope to see you there!

REPOST: UMBC Talks: Inclusive Excellence

Contribute your story, voice, and perspective

Inclusive excellence has long been a cultural touchstone at UMBC. Before now, we haven't had a definition or any other shared language to describe what we mean. This is your chance to inform our definition. Leaders in the Division of Institutional Equity have drafted a framework for inclusive excellence, and we want your input! 

The framework aims to articulate our community's shared commitments in a way that can communicate our values, guide action, inspire new collaboration, and support the development and implementation of UMBC's next strategic plan.

Join The Centers for Social Justice Dialogue and Democracy and Civic Life for UMBC Talks, which are 90-minute, co-facilitated dialogues designed to support your engagement with the framework. Each UMBC Talk will be the same, so please sign up for the one that best suits your schedule. We hope to see you there. Come and leave your mark on this important moment in UMBC's history. 

Upcoming Spring Semester Open Forums

Wednesday, April 15, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., UC 312 - Open to everyone. Conversations will be held in mixed groups.

Friday, April 24, 10:00 a.m. - noon, UC 312 -Foregrounding graduate student experiences but open to everyone, with opportunities for all participants to be in conversation with people with similar UMBC affiliations.

Friday, April 24, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., UC 312 -Foregrounding undergraduate student experiences but open to everyone, with opportunities for all participants to be in conversation with people with similar UMBC affiliations.

Tuesday, April 28, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., Virtual - Open to everyone. Conversations will be held in mixed groups.

Stay tuned for potential additional dates! Download the attached flyer to post or share. Please RSVP by indicating that you are attending on the specific event page, linked above. 

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UMBC Talks is a collaborative initiative that aims to enhance the sense of community, vibrancy, and well-being at UMBC through guided community conversations that reestablish our commitment to inclusive excellence and foster a sense of pride for what it truly
means to be a UMBC Retriever. Using this framework offers a dialogic process for gathering community input on shared values.

If you have any questions about this feedback process, please feel free to reach out to Drs. Ciara Christian and David Hoffman at culture@umbc.edu.

These events 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.

Clair Volkening (B.A. 2023; Communication and Technology track; she/her) is a former English major now working as a Technical Writer contractor for the federal government. Access past alumni spotlights here.

At UMBC, I studied English and was a member of the Humanities Scholars Program and the Honors College. In my junior year, I got involved with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life and the Academic Success Center (ASC). Through this work, I realized I was fascinated by the how and why we learn—from the way a tutoring session affected a tutees confidence to how our society perpetuates beliefs via implicit or explicit education. In my senior year, I honed in on this interest through an English Honors Research project with my advisor, Professor MacDougall.

Before graduation, I didn’t know what I wanted my career to look like, I just knew that I really enjoyed engaging others in the writing and learning process. Now, I work as a Technical Writer on a contract with a military training academy. My everyday tasks include working with instructors on their course materials, and I am being exposed to an entirely new area of technical education and methodology. Ultimately, the same question arises regardless of the learning sphere: how and why do we learn? I am grateful to UMBC and my many professors for teaching me to ask that how and why—whether the topic be as small as my own, or my team’s, writing or teaching, or as large as the rhetoric surrounding big-picture societal issues.