When war strikes in a distant nation, the only way that many Americans experience it is through the lens of the journalists and photographers who risk life and limb to get the shots that capture war’s horrors and tragedies. But what is the personal cost for those who show such courage?

Assessing that human cost to the chroniclers of war is the essence of Donald Maguiles’ play Time Stands Still, which opened last week at Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre with UMBC alumni Eric Messner ’01, acting,  and Mandy Moore ’07, acting, among its ensemble.

“When I was at UMBC I used to go and see shows at Everyman Theatre,” Messner recalls, “then for a time after graduating, I lived five blocks away from the theatre. It’s a place where I’ve always wanted to work, and now I’m getting that chance….  I’m so proud that I get to open the final season in their Charles Street space, the same space that I would go to see their plays when I was at school.”

Moore observes that “there are some very big fascinating questions being asked in our production.  I feel lucky to play such fun, joyful role in the discussion.  It’s that sharp kind of theatre where you are asked questions and not told what to think.”

“It’s a really great play,” Messner concurs. “There’s just so much going on emotionally and Donald Margulies has such a wonderful gift for writing dialogue.”

Time Stands Still runs at Everyman Theatre through Sunday, October 7. For more information and tickets, go to  http://everymantheatre.org/.

Mitch Case ’11, media & communication studies, and current UMBC junior Caitlyn Leiter-Mason, a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar majoring in Gender & Women’s Studies and Political Science, are blogging about their experiences as delegates to the Democratic National Convention this week in Charlotte, NC.

Their shared blog, A Tale of Two Delegates, follows their adventures as delegates for President Obama representing Maryland’s 6th and 7th districts (Leiter-Mason and Case, respectively).

Leiter-Mason is the current president of UMBC College Democrats, and Case served as president when he attended UMBC.

Read more at UMBC’s BreakingGround site. BreakingGround is at the forefront of a vibrant, new movement toward increased campus and community engagement—a movement that is now gaining ground nationally. In early 2012, two widely heralded reports called on higher education to play a central role in renewing American democracy and preparing citizens to tackle the challenges of our age.

PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP is dedicated to increasing the numbers and diversity of Ph.D.s in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields. PROMISE also provides a strong support system for underrepresented students of all fields, and for all graduate students. Come out for dinner and connections.

We have continually heard many of the same questions:

• Does UMBC have any other students who went to HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, or Native American Universities or Tribal Colleges?
• I came from a small town in the south. Are there any other students from Georgia or North Carolina?
• Are there any other students from the Caribbean?
• I heard that there are only a few graduate students from the African Diaspora, where are they?
• I miss being able to hear and speak Spanish. Where are the other students from Puerto Rico, Mexico, or South America?

This connection meeting will allow you to meet other students, staff, postdocs, and faculty members who also have similar experiences. Did you know that some of our faculty and staff are also from HBCUs, MSIs (Minority-Serving Institutions) or South America, or had the same kinds of experiences that you may be having now? Come out and meet them! We have faculty, postdocs, staff, and graduate students from Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, etc. We have members in our community who went to either undergrad or grad school or taught at Howard, FAMU, NC A&T, and more! We have people who have been active in the National Society of Black Engineers, Society for the Advancement of Chicano and Native American Scientists, the Compact for Faculty Diversity (includes social sciences and education programs), and other organizations that serve the needs of populations that are underrepresented in a variety of disciplines! Come on out and meet peers and mentors!

Dinner will be served. Please feel free to bring your family members, including children. If you are bringing family members, please let us know how many in the comments below. Children of our students always love it when we have programs in the game room!

Related articles

• How to fund your graduate education! Dr. Ordóñez Rozo and Dr. Carter-Johnson (PROMISE Alumni) present their award-winning seminar on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 (promiseagep.wordpress.com)
• Prepare for a successful Fall semester: Communicate with your faculty (A message for new and continuing grad students.) (promiseagep.wordpress.com)

PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP is dedicated to increasing the numbers and diversity of Ph.D.s in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields. PROMISE also provides a strong support system for underrepresented students of all fields, and for all graduate students. Come out for dinner and connections.

We have continually heard many of the same questions:

• Does UMBC have any other students who went to HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, or Native American Universities or Tribal Colleges?
• I came from a small town in the south. Are there any other students from Georgia or North Carolina?
• Are there any other students from the Caribbean?
• I heard that there are only a few graduate students from the African Diaspora, where are they?
• I miss being able to hear and speak Spanish. Where are the other students from Puerto Rico, Mexico, or South America?

This connection meeting will allow you to meet other students, staff, postdocs, and faculty members who also have similar experiences. Did you know that some of our faculty and staff are also from HBCUs, MSIs (Minority-Serving Institutions) or South America, or had the same kinds of experiences that you may be having now? Come out and meet them! We have faculty, postdocs, staff, and graduate students from Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, etc. We have members in our community who went to either undergrad or grad school or taught at Howard, FAMU, NC A&T, and more! We have people who have been active in the National Society of Black Engineers, Society for the Advancement of Chicano and Native American Scientists, the Compact for Faculty Diversity (includes social sciences and education programs), and other organizations that serve the needs of populations that are underrepresented in a variety of disciplines! Come on out and meet peers and mentors!

Dinner will be served. Please feel free to bring your family members, including children. If you are bringing family members, please let us know how many in the comments below. Children of our students always love it when we have programs in the game room!

Related articles

• How to fund your graduate education! Dr. Ordóñez Rozo and Dr. Carter-Johnson (PROMISE Alumni) present their award-winning seminar on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 (promiseagep.wordpress.com)
• Prepare for a successful Fall semester: Communicate with your faculty (A message for new and continuing grad students.) (promiseagep.wordpress.com)