In Baltimore City this week, something is rising up for the first time in 11 years.

What is this timely zombie?

Why it’s the Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as Section 8.

This is a rare opportunity for city residents. The social service program that helps poor residents find affordable housing by giving vouchers to help towards the cost of rent/mortgage usually isn’t open to accepting applications. When it is, it’s open for about a week. This time it happens to be from October 22-30, 2014.

City residents that fill out their application correctly and are deemed eligible will be placed on the wait list. Then, a lottery system determines when residents will receive assistance.

There are 25,000 spots on the wait list. The city expects over 50,000 applications.

But once on the wait list, many hopeful residents can then expect to wait years without assistance. Sadly when an opening finally arises,  many eligible participants have changed contact details and thus miss out on this rare opportunity.

And a Section 8 voucher is not a golden ticket. There has been plenty of criticism about the housing one can afford with the vouchers.

Section 8 has been a social program staple for a long time. People are excited for the wait list to open, but city residents are reminded that the relief is not guaranteed.

It’s free to apply and residents might as well play the Section 8 lottery while they can.

Unfortunately, this zombie will go back to sleep right before Halloween, with no telling how long until it rises again.  

Welcome to Who Has it Rough?: Asia Edition!

Vying for this week’s prize, we have groups in Burma, China, and Iraq, who are currently facing oppression because of their ethnic identity.  Let’s meet the contenders.

First up, we have the  Rohingya: ethnic and religious minorities within Burma. Their living conditions are “apartheid-like” and fraught with violence.

Recently, the Burmese government offered the Rohingya citizenship for the first time.

Unfortunately, the offer comes with the condition that they self-identify as “Bengali”:  in other words, not actually Burmese.

If they refuse, they may be exiled to temporary refugee camps. 

 Next on our watch list are western China’s Uighur. Like the Rohingya, they are a primarily Muslim ethnic group. 

Uighurs report economic inequality and religious and cultural repression within larger Chinese society.

Their situation intensified last month, when Chinese government sentenced a peaceful Uighur dissident, Ilham Tohti, to life in prison. 

Finally, the Yazidi people in Iraq may be in the worst position of all. The Yazidi follow their own religion and inhabit areas near the border of Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.

Currently, the dreaded ISIS has besieged as many as fifty thousand Yazidis in a mountainous area without access to food and water. The situation is so dire that the UN Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights has stated:

“Actions against Yazidis may amount to attempted genocide.”

Nobody wins this game. 

If you live in a democracy like we do, you have this amazing privilege. You can vote.

True, some folks  show little interest in voting.

But in a few states, there are folks who remarkably want to make it more difficult for citizens to vote.

With just weeks left in the campaign, the US Supreme Court has allowed voting restrictions to take effect in Texas, Ohio, and North Carolina, while blocking a voter ID law in Wisconsin.

The common thread between each decision seems to be that the court is wary of changing the rules of the game so close to an election.

But the court itself has to take some credit/blame for the existence of many of these measures, as their decision to nullify sections of the Voting Rights Act in 2013 paved the way for many states to change their election laws without federal oversight.

The most extreme example might be the Texas ID law. It was deemed an unconstitutional poll tax in effect by a federal district court due to the fees levied on those seeking valid ID, and could disenfranchise around 600,000 mostly minority voters.

The Wisconsin law, which has been mired with legal trouble since it passed in 2011, could affect 10 percent of voters without the proper IDs, according to the law’s legal challengers.

And so at a time when many Americans feel apathetic about politics, for some the choice is being taken away all together.

Are voting rights under attack in the United States?

Often when we talk about race in the United States, the classic picture is that race is polarized into two: black and white. Starting from a very young age, I had never truly understood these divisions, and felt confused as to where I fit in. If I was labeled into a color, it was always “yellow” and it was often said as an offensive joke.  I didn’t understand my place…I wasn’t white and I wasn’t black. I remember looking around the demographics of my classrooms noticing that I often felt alone. In history class, we talked about Columbus, the slave trade, and 9/11, but rarely did we ever engage in dialogues about asians, much less Koreans, except in passing when we note that North Korea is still radically separate from its southern counterpart, and the fact that the United States fought in the Korean War.  I remembered a clear moment in my U.S history class when we discussed apartheid in the United States, and I sat in the room wondering which restroom and school, if any, would I have been able to use and attend if we were still in that time? Was I a person of color?

The ever familiar sense of liminality and not quite fitting in was also manifested in my college life through my labeled identity as an “ undocumented” student, or from opposing side’s terms, an undocumented alien. Already, I had felt a sense of confusion growing up all my life in a country where I didn’t always find people who looked like me or understood me or my background. My identity as a Korean-American was treated as a novelty, an exquisite chance for somebody to stumble through the two or three Korean words and Korean people they knew, as well as informing me how much they loved Korean food. Of course, many of these statements were harmless and were not meant to create the sense of separation and isolation that often came as a consequence. Statements like, “So, where are you originally from?” have been scattered throughout my life, and I felt a sense of guilt or confusion as I always explained (much more thoroughly than someone expected) how I lived in Maryland most of my life, lived in Washington State for when I was young, and oh, yes, if this is what you were really asking- my family is from Korea and I was born there.

Overall, I am still exploring my multiple identities and it has been quite a journey. Through my work at the Women’s Center and beyond, where I am surrounded by people who are ready and willing to engage in thoughtful and critical dialogues, I am inspired and gradually feeling that I am worthy and do belong in this space equally.

A really awesome and affirming article from Time, brought a lot of my insecurities and feelings to light, explaining that, this idea that Asian Americans are “tech” oriented and know how to sit in front of a computer, overlooks the disproportionate amount of Asian American tech workers and those in leadership. In addition,  “What it says is this: Asians and Asian-Americans are smart and successful, so hiring or promoting them does not count as encouraging diversity. It says: there is no such thing as underrepresentation of Asians and Asian-Americans. The problem with this belief, historians and advocates assert, is that it not only obscures the sheer range of experiences within Asian and Asian-American populations, but also excludes them from conversations about diversity and inclusion in leadership and non-tech sectors.” This statement rang true in so many aspects as I have had students and faculty alike, assume me to be in a STEM field or that I would be “good at math”, etc. I look forward to bringing to light these cultural stereotypes, assumptions, as well as working to break them, to work to have representation of Asian Americans as the diverse and whole people that we, and everyone else, are.

The Counseling Center is excited to announce that our newest resource, the MindSpa is now open and available for use!

The Mind Spa is a space within our center in which students can come to relax, de-stress, meditate, and learn techniques to regulate stress levels. Students can walk-in, or call and reserve our resources.  

Some of the resources we offer include, but are not limited to:

A Massage Chair (with pre-set massage programs as well as customizable massage settings)

Biofeedback equipment: Biofeedback allows you to control your bodies functioning through “feedback”, or sensors that monitor your heart rate. Research has shown that through making these subtle changes, one can significant positive impact on their overall well-being.  

Light therapy: Research has shown that light therapy is an effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or “the winter blues”. As the amount of natural sunlight waxes and wanes throughout the year, students may notice an increase in depression or lethargy. The lamp can increase energy and foster a positive mood, even on the darkest of days! The Mind Spa offers individuals a private space to utilize this treatment in conjunction with other services offered, or you can sign out the lights to try at home.

Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy is the practice of using natural oils extracted from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots, or other parts of a plant to enhance psychological and physical well-being. The various aromas from these “essential” oils is widely believed to stimulate brain function. It is also believed that the use of essential oils can help one attain a pleasurable emotional balance

Hot tea: Enjoy a cup of hot tea while you use the Mind spa resources.

Meditation space: The MindSpa contains meditation cushions as well as resources to engage your senses such as a SAND Box and a sand tray. 

Self-Help Resources: We have books and pamphlets on a variety of topics that you are welcome to use while at the mind spa

The Mind Spa is a space that students can use on their own. If someone wants an orientation to the space or have additional questions, they can make an appointment with one of the counselors at the front desk and we would be happy to assist you!

Also, there is no time limit. The Mind Spa is first come, first serve. The Mind Spa is open from 8:30am to 5:00pm.

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• Everyone, Literally Man, Woman & Child .Anyone who wants to learn  or teach about Web design and Front End Development.

Building on Student Success

UMBC launches holistic student support initiative following White House STEM education workshop on campus.

Faculty researchers, administrators, and staff across UMBC cheered when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced by teleconference on October 22, 2014, a groundbreaking series of awards for the university. NIH has granted UMBC over $18 million to create a national model of comprehensive support to expand and increase the success of students seeking degrees in the sciences, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

This funding is part of a $240 million, five-year NIH investment to enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce. Ten projects across the United States were awarded Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) grants, including the STEM BUILD@UMBC initiative. This initiative includes collaborations with five community colleges, Gallaudet University, and the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The STEM BUILD@UMBC initiative combines innovation with leveraging effective components of existing UMBC programs to create a multifaceted new student support model. It builds on the best that UMBC has to offer, from the supportive peer networks of our living-learning communities to the experiential learning of the Shriver Center and internship opportunities of the Career Center. The initiative pulls in the rigorous undergraduate research preparation that is a hallmark of the MARC U*STAR program, McNair Scholars Program, and our partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. It expands the community college partnerships of the Gates STEM Transfer Student Success Initiative and the proactive mentorship of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, and much more.

Bill LaCourse, dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and UMBC Provost Philip Rous, together serve as the award�s principal investigators and will direct the STEM BUILD@UMBC initiative.

�At UMBC, we believe large numbers of students from all backgrounds have the potential to excel in the sciences,� shares Bill LaCourse. �Through a university culture that values both innovation and assessment, we�re constantly developing more effective ways to support learning and degree completion, building on the diverse strengths our students bring to the table.�

Philip Rous shares, �This award recognizes the commitment of our faculty and staff and their demonstrated record of achievement in supporting the success of all students. It recognizes our ability to develop transformational initiatives that have a profound impact on the lives of our students and also serve as national models of student support.�

Unlike programs that focus on supporting students at extreme ends of the achievement curve, STEM BUILD@UMBC will focus on high-potential students who are at risk for not completing their STEM degrees but who, with extra support, are likely to succeed.

After a planning period, the program will launch with 20 BUILD Trainees from UMBC and 18 BUILD Affiliates from collaborating institutions and grow to provide direct support to a total of 80 trainees and 72 affiliates. Hundreds of additional undergraduates will benefit indirectly from BUILD initiatives that expand UMBC�s STEM success infrastructure, including new active learning courses, student professional development workshops, faculty training opportunities, a STEM milestone certificate, and group research experiences. The program will seek to establish a model that can be implemented on a national scale.

A White House College Opportunity Initiative workshop held September 16, 2014, at UMBC revealed a real hunger for well-evaluated approaches to improving STEM education nationwide, as many other universities struggle with lagging retention rates and achievement gaps, particularly in STEM. Building on momentum from President Obama�s College Opportunity Summit, the workshop engaged education leaders in discussing ways to improve STEM teaching and learning, to make STEM degrees more accessible to underrepresented students, and to increase degree completion and the production of highly skilled professionals in STEM areas.

STEM BUILD@UMBC directly responds to the concerns of top education leaders and the workforce needs identified by the President�s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The initiative represents an exciting step forward in developing an effective model to boost the success of more students in STEM and in all fields, at UMBC and nationwide.

(10/22/2014)

International Association of Sports Economists,
IASE organizes its XVIth Conference in Rio de Janeiro December 3rd to 5th 2014.

The conference is organized in cooperation with our local partner, the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV). IASE will hold its elective General Assembly on December 4th in Rio de Janeiro and a new board will be elected.

All the candidates can make themselves known by contacting either Placido Rodriguez, President of IASE (placido@uniovi.es)