Are you looking to get involved on campus?

Involvement Fest is the perfect place to get started and to connect with over 200+ student organizations. Stop by the RAC today from Noon - 2 pm! 

Involvement Fest will feature the following categories of organizations:

• Academic and Departmental
• Arts and Performance
• Career and Professional
• Club Sports
• Cultural and Ethnic
• Fraternities and Sororities
• Governance
• Hobbies
• Honors Societies
• Intellectual Sports 
• Media
• Political
• Religious and Spiritual
• Service

Head on over to the Welcome Week site to learn more and start connecting!

Graduate Experience, Achievement, and Research Symposium (GEARS) Committee

Fill out the form here to apply:

 https://forms.gle/7pH38HsawMbqtE3y6

Equity of Funds (EoF) Committee

The Equity of Funds committee oversees and makes budget recommendations for the GSA. The committee has produced numerous recommendations so far!

1. Review of Stipends for Senators, GSA E-Council, and GRP Members

2. Criteria for Senator Evaluations 

We are seeking enthusiastic members, preferably from CAHSS and CNMS, to join our team. Don't miss this opportunity to contribute to our vibrant community and gain valuable experience! Be a part of something great - Apply TODAY!! 

Number of members: 2 - 3 

Expected Stipend: $600 - $900 per semester (depends on number of members)

Time commitment: Events attendance plus 2 - 3 hours per week

To apply, please email your resume and details about your previous experiences to: Mrunal V. Jadhav: mrunalj1@umbc.edu 

The Graduate Student Success Committee (GSSC)

The Graduate Student Success Committee (GSSC) is on the lookout for dedicated members who are passionate about promoting holistic well-being for graduate students. Our mission is to act as resources and advocates for anything related to academics, mental and physical well-being. The GSSC emphasizes the interconnectedness of these aspects as crucial to graduate student success.  Our committee plays a vital role in facilitating events and disseminating information about resources available on campus. Here’s a glimpse of what we do:

- Serve as liaisons to graduate student resources.

- Organize the Graduate Student Fest every Fall.

- Host headshot events for graduate students.

- Build partnerships with campus entities like the AOK Library, PROMISE, and more.

If you’re passionate about enhancing the graduate student experience and would like to contribute, encourage you to apply! This is a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience while making a difference.

Number of members: 2

Expected Stipend: $700 per semester

Looking for representation: CAHSS, CNMS

Time commitment: Events attendance plus 2 - 3 hours per week

To apply, please email your resume and details about your previous experiences to: Lokesh Gupta Mamidi, vv11739@umbc.edu

Legislative Concerns Committee (LCC)

The Legislative Concerns Committee is dedicated to representing the interests of graduate students by addressing important issues and advocating for meaningful changes at UMBC and beyond. We focus on ensuring student concerns are heard, understood, and acted upon, working to create a better experience for everyone. by joining our committee, you'll have the opportunity to contribute to discussions that shape campus policies, improve student life, and foster a more inclusive community. 

Number of members: 1

Expected Stipend: $550 per semester

Looking for representation: CAHSS

To apply, please email your resume and details about your previous experiences to: Yash Soni, at ysoni@umbc.edu

UMBC’s 2024 fall semester is already poised to be one for the record books. With 2,250 new first-year undergraduate students, UMBC officially enrolled the university’s largest entering class in history. Campus also opened its arms and its doors to 800 transfer students and over 800 new graduate students this fall. 

“These students come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences from all over the world,” says Dale Bittinger, M.P.P. ’16, assistant vice provost for strategic undergraduate engagement, partnerships, and pathways. “They have impressive credentials—from valedictorians to community engagement to research and creative performance—and we look forward to them joining the UMBC community and all they have to offer.”

In an email to students marking the start of the semester, President Valerie Sheares Ashby wrote, “Anyone who knows me knows that the start of the academic year fills me with joy and inspiration. I am reminded of the meaning and importance of our mission and the remarkable human beings who constitute our beloved UMBC community.” 

In addition to sharing her excitement throughout events at Welcome Week, Sheares Ashby took time to note a few upcoming initiatives on campus, including announcing the new UMBC Institute of Politics (IoP)—an academic, political research, and public outreach center that will harness the university’s robust research capacity and civic-focused public mission to provide a regional base for local, state, and national political analysis. Led by Mileah Kromer, the IoP’s inaugural director, the institute’s most important purpose will be to provide UMBC students with unique opportunities for experiential learning and to build career-ready skills.

Embracing the UMBC spirit

Addressing this year’s new cohort of students at Convocation, Manfred van Dulmen said, “As provost, my commitment to you is that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you have access to a great educational experience and that you have the support to excel, graduate with a degree, and be ready to make a difference in your community and in the world.”

With a plethora of Welcome Week events, UMBC’s newest Retrievers took advantage of the many ways they could connect with their peers. Student Government Association (SGA) president, Meghna Chandrasekaran, political science and biological sciences, spoke at Convocation, sharing the importance and impact of being engaged with the campus while recounting how it was during her first weeks on campus that she found her niche in the SGA. 

“UMBC is a special place because the minute you become a part of our community, you are now part of a longstanding culture that promotes agency,” said Chandrasekaran, now a senior. “Even the smallest of actions like going to an organization’s meeting or hosting a grand scale event is part of that agency. It is all because you decided to fully embrace the UMBC spirit.”

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