Welcome home to our campus community! We hope your semester is progressing well. 

We are writing to invite you to join us in a new initiative called UMBC Talks, which aims to enhance the sense of community, vibrancy, and well-being at UMBC. Over the summer, we worked with the UMBC Talks core team to prepare to guide group conversations about our experiences of inclusion and exclusion at UMBC. The hope is that by talking about our experiences, campus community members can reaffirm and deepen our collective commitment to UMBC’s core value of inclusive excellence. 

We would love you to participate in a series of two conversations we will co-facilitate. The conversations will take place on November 20 from 2:0 PM to 03:30 PM location to be determined (In-person), and on November 25 from 2 PM to 3 PM in location to be communicated later (In-person). All that will be expected of you is bringing your own stories and perspectives (as well as a pen or pencil and a notebook or paper) and engaging in what we hope will be an enjoyable and informative conversation. The learning we do together will likely inform the strategic planning process UMBC will launch later this year.

Please let us know if you can participate by signing on the Google form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YmsOuuCElX58Z3wYUKFs1ZjBAu21fSLbul6Ico2954U Because the second conversation will build on the first; it is important that you be able to participate in the entirety of each of the two conversations.

Please note that we have a limited slot for about ten students; we would appreciate it if you only sign up when you are sure to attend.

Reach out to the undersigned if you have any questions.

Chinonso Ezeobi | ug86132@umbc.edu

Jake Weissmann | yweissm1@umbc.edu

• Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b)
• Office of Equity and Civil Rights
• Center for Democracy and Civic Life
• A Guide to holding Virtual Circles (attached)
• Self-Care Tips for Dealing with Election Stress (attached) 

We especially want to highlight the Employee Assistance Program through ComPsych and Guidance Resources, which has a myriad of resources:

• Take advantage of up to 5 free sessions with a licensed counselor.
• Access live and on-demand webinars on various topics such as resiliency, emotional well-being, grief & loss, stress and anger management, plus many others.
• ComPsych Huddles: these are interactive online groups intended to help you learn, grow and explore topics meaningful to your own well-being goals and self-care journey.  When you join a Huddle, you will have the opportunity to learn key information on the topic, engage in discussion with your peers, and participate in live practices - all led by a ComPsych care professional. Huddles are offered on a variety of well-being topics aimed to improve self-care, resiliency, and well-being.

UMBC is a community that values inclusion, diversity, and respect for all people. We must continue to affirm these values through both our words and our actions. 

• Mileah K. Kromer, Associate Professor of Political Science & Director of the Institute of Politics, UMBC
• Michael Nance, Associate Professor of Philosophy, UMBC
• Carolyn Forestiere, Professor of Political Science, UMBC