On January 29, the Washington Post praised “The City of Devi” by Manil Suri, professor of mathematics, in a review by Ron Charles.

Proclaiming it “the best sex comedy of the year about nuclear war between India and Pakistan,” Charles commends the book for the fact that it “never dips toward cynicism, never loses its essential sweetness, no matter how cruel or kooky the action… the whole story manages to keep hurtling along toward a surprisingly tender ending.”

“Even amid the wondrous variety of contemporary Indian fiction, Suri’s work stands apart, mingling comedy and death, eroticism and politics, godhood and Bollywood like no one else,” he wrote.

The full review can be read here.

Please note that Saturday, Feb. 9th's training has been shortened.  Training is now set for Friday, 1-5pm and Saturday, 9am-2pm.  Additionally, MCSR Executive Director Neil Irvin plans to welcome participants at Friday's training.  Please RSVP to Lori Hardesty at lhardesty@umbc.edu.

This spring, the non-profit organization Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR), Inc. seeks 4-6 male UMBC students to serve as Men Of Strength (MOST) Club Facilitators to work with young men regarding "attitudes and awareness about bullying and sexual harassment, healthy relationships, and masculinity." MCSR is working with 2-3 sites in East Baltimore,which includes the Carmelo Anthony Rec Center. The hope is to recruit two males to co-facilitate these sessions.  Before the holiday break, MCSR hosted an Info Session to share more about this program. 

In order to become a facilitator, you must complete a 1½ day training, and are expected to implement the curriculum each week (@ 2-3 hours/week to include the time for travel). Sessions would take place this spring after school and would be during the week.  MOST facilitators would have the ability to be enrolled in the 096 Community Service & Learning practicum through the Shriver Center, a zero-credit transcript notation for participating in this service-learning opportunity.  

Next Friday, 2/8 (1-5pm) and Saturday, 2/9 (9am-2pm), Rhett Walker, MCSR Campus Training Coordinator, and his colleague Jason Page, will lead the training sessions. RSVP to Lori Hardesty, Assistant Director, Service-Learning, K-16 Partnerships at lhardesty@umbc.edu.  After you RSVP, you will receive confirmation on location, any preparation needed for the training, etc.

In the meantime, read a few BreakingGround posts from:

Jess Myers, UMBC Women’s Center, “Speaking Up to End Rape Culture” at http://umbcbreakingground.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/speaking-up-to-end-rape-culture/

Jeff Cullen, Student Judicial Services, "When Doing Nothing Is Not an Option" at http://umbcbreakingground.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/when-doing-nothing-is-not-an-option/

IES offers informative workshops on Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) on a bi-weekly basis throughout the Spring 2013 Semester. 

These workshops will take place in the Administration Building, Second Floor, Room 218

Schedule of Workshops:

CPT: 2/5, 3-4

  2/18 11-12

 3/5 12-1

 3/13 3-4

 3/28 12-1

 4/10 11-12

 4/25 2-3

 5/6 11-12

OPT: 2/5, 12-1

 2/18 2-3

  3/5 3-4

 3/13 12-1

  3/28 11-12

 4/10 12-1

 4/25 10-11

 5/6 3-4  

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) gives international students (F-1 status) the opportunity to work in paid internships off campus.  The CPT must be an established part of the curriculum, and almost always requires that students enroll in academic credit or PRAC notation.

 OPT is the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in your field of study at an off-campus location after (and occasionally before) you complete your studies. OPT is authorized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and requires support from the IES office via a new I-20 with an OPT recommendation on the third page.  OPT is NOT required for all F-1 students, but is a benefit of F-1 status available to graduating students if you would like to pursue it.