Image taken by Matt York for AP Photography, courtesy of NPR.

The Men and Women in Black are at it again.

They’ve kept the nation on edge waiting for two big politically-charged decisions.

First up: the Arizona tough and daring immigration law.

The Supreme Court delivered their decision for that case on Monday (available here).  The jurists decided to strike down several key provisions of the controversial law.

These included the banning of illegal immigrants from seeking work in public places, made it a state crime to not carry immigration papers at all times, and allowed police to arrest immigrants without a warrant if officers believed they had committed a crime which made them deportable.

Despite these changes, the court did uphold one of the most controversial provisions of the legislation, which required police officers to check the immigration status of people they stop, even for minor traffic offenses.

Reactions to the court decision varied. President Obama has said of the decision,

“I am pleased that the Supreme Court has struck down key provisions of Arizona’s immigration law…At the same time, I remain concerned about the practical impact of the remaining provision”.

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said of the decision,

“Today’s decision underscores the need for a President who will lead on this critical issue and work in a bipartisan fashion to pursue a national immigration strategy…I believe that each state has the duty–and the right–to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities”.

However, the Republican governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer called the decision,

“A victory for the rule of law”.

With the Supreme Court set to release another landmark decision Thursday, this time on the “Obamacare” health care law, we here at US Democrazy can only guess at the electoral fallout that will stem from the Supreme Court’s moment in the spotlight.

Here is a fun Mr. Rogers remix to make the week wonderful. A challenge: try to watch this video without feeling like you’re five again.

The Women's Center is planning our returning women's group meetings for next year and we want to hear from our returning women's community! Please let us know when you can attend and what works best for you.

We're also looking to offer workshops again this year and maybe even some other new programs. Let us know what you want!

To help us gather the most accurate information, please only fill out this survey if you identify as a returning women and plan on being a part of the community next year. Thank you!

DoIT is offering Blackboard Drop-in Sessions to assist and help faculty prepare for fall courses.

Virtual Sessions:

This fall, DoIT will be piloting several virtual drop-in sessions using Bb Collaborate, a web-conferencing tool. Any faculty members with Bb questions may participate in these online sessions. Dates and times are listed below. For more information on accessing these online sessions please visit http://umbc.edu/go/bbdropin

Face to Face Sessions:

The following F2F sessions will be held in ENGR 025.  A DoIT staff member will be available to work one-on-one with users who show up during the designated times.  Please note that this is not a formal Blackboard training class.  Users may show up or leave at any point during these sessions. Additional dates and times may be added as demand warrants.

Every day, we in the office of Alumni Relations hear about students making the most of their time here at UMBC…and beyond! However, many of these students wouldn’t be able to attend UMBC without the scholarship support they receive.

There are students like Jeremy, who fell in love with the poetry of Marlowe and Donne and took acting classes at UMBC. We just found out he got a great job in publishing after graduation — congratulations, Jeremy!

There are students like dance major Paige, whose life was turned around by the chance to volunteer in Haiti as junior. We got to see the amazing piece she choreographed during Undergraduate Research & Achievement Day — well done!

And, there’s Gift — a member of the class of 2012 who plans to study cardiology next year, and who hopes to someday open a free clinic in his native India. Clearly, he was aptly named!

Students like Jeremy, Paige, Gift — and so many others — thrive at UMBC because of the community, the challenges, and the learning experiences they find in such great abundance here. But, without scholarships, many would not have the chance to even start.

Please make your gift to UMBC before the end of the fiscal year (June 30). You can support student scholarships, your favorite academic department, a sports team, or the university’s greatest need. Every gift counts!