The Indigenous Peoples' Union is hosting a potluck-styled event in celebration of the spring season, the semester reaching its end and of the deep heritages of cuisines familiar to Indigenous communities - appropriately titled "Food Heritages Day."

Thursday, April 30th | 5-7 PM | Center for Well-Being 118

We will be enjoying a variety of dishes and drinks while having enriching discussions about the histories and pathways of different ingredients (wheat, maize, eggs, etc.) in relation to Indigenous peoples globally. For instance, frybread is a staple amongst Northern American Indigenous communities, in spite that wheat is not a native species to the Americas and is intertwined with colonialism, cultural adaptations, and food sovereignty.

Please RSVP by April 28th if you'd like to attend and let us know if you will bring a contribution. The contribution does NOT have to be food/considered Indigenous (we will have some 'Non-Native' dishes as well (ex. Flan)) as we'll be talking about foods and ingredients of all backgrounds and histories. Event is not limited to students. Come with an appetite, a contribution (encouraged), an interest to learn, and a tupperware!

The RSVP form is set to allow edits after you've responded in order to prevent duplicate responses. If you have any questions or inquiries, you can email one of the leads, send a message to one of our socials or email c280@umbc.edu.

• RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/AxKj4Lt45FfCZntv7
• Take a peek at what others are bringing here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/

"He is right; banana trees are not native to our El Salvador. Banana trees were introduced during colonialism between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries in Latin America through the development of plantations. Banana trees are indeed native to the South Pacific and Southeast Asian regions, Yes, under the lens of Western environmentalism, banana trees are an invasive species to my ancestral native lands. However, to us, bananas are not invasive; they are displaced relatives that have adapted well to our climates and are now incorporated into our traditional diets. Ultimately, the kinships and relationships we have developed with them have made them our relatives as well. All I can think of is that, like me and many Indigenous peoples in the diaspora, banana trees have also been displaced. We have been displaced from our native and ancestral lands and forced to adapt to our new environments and form new kinships with our new land." Jessica Hernandez (Maya Ch’orti and Binnizá-Zapotec) in Fresh Banana Leaves.

To see the original post, click here. 

Hello!

This is a reminder to join the LGBTQ FSA for our UMBC Talk on Friday 4/17 in Commons 318 to provide feedback on the draft inclusive excellence framework for campus. There are other sessions and opportunities but this is dedicated time for the LGBTQ FSA to provide input and share your story. I hope to see many of you there! Please share this with your fellow LGBTQ networks.

Please see event here: LGBTQ FSA and DoIE: UMBC Talk · LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association (Public Site) · myUMBC

Best,

Gavin

The Office of Health Promotion welcomed a new director, Brittany Goetsch, in October 2025. One of our Peer Health Educators, Kimia, interviewed her. Check it out below.

Kimia: Hi, Brittany! Thank you so much for meeting with me today. I’m excited to learn more about your work and the impact of the Office of Health Promotion here at UMBC. I have a few questions for you, and I’d love to hear your responses. Are you ready?

Brittany: Yes!

Kimia: Awesome. To start off, can you tell us a little bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career in health promotion?

Brittany: That’s a great question to start off. I have a background in public health; I have my Master's in Public Health. Previously, before grad school, I was in the Peace Corps in Peru and focused on health promotion, providing health information and health education to the young people in my town. I worked with children, middle-school-aged kids, as well as high schoolers. I focused primarily on high schoolers and then some young adults as well. We did some health groups and health programming with young adults in their college years. Then, I went to grad school and spent the last eight years at Johns Hopkins University at the Center for Communication Programs, focusing on international health and implementing a knowledge management project for family planning that was funded through USAID.

Kimia: What inspired you to join UMBC and take on the role of Director for the Office of Health Promotion?

Brittany: As I mentioned in my background, I’ve been passionate about health education, providing health education, and thinking strategically about health education programming and promotion throughout my career. The enthusiasm within this community is contagious. Everyone I spoke with was deeply engaged in their work, driven by a shared, passionate focus on the students. It is a motivating atmosphere, and I love to be a part of such an active, supportive, and dedicated community.

Kimia: So, as the Director, what does a typical day of work look like for you, and what are some of your key responsibilities regarding ongoing projects?

Brittany: That’s a great question! I am still in an intentional learning phase; mapping out how various departments and student initiatives interconnect. Because 'student health and well-being' is such a broad landscape, I’m focused on defining the specific role the Office of Health Promotion plays in helping students become their healthiest selves.

A major part of my work involves evaluating how we collaborate across the university to achieve that goal. I’m currently auditing our mission and objectives to ensure our programming remains relevant to an evolving student body. Specifically, I’m looking at assessment; how do we move beyond tracking participation to measuring real impact? I want to know if students are not only gaining knowledge but actually shifting their behaviors.

Alongside that strategic work, I collaborate closely with our Peer Health Educators. My goal is to ensure their experience is more than just a role, it’s a professional foundation that equips them with the leadership, communication, and collaboration skills they’ll need for future careers in health promotion.

Kimia: Looking ahead, what is your vision for the Office of Health Promotion over the next few years?

Brittany: My vision for the Office of Health Promotion is really to be a leader in the conversation on student health and well-being. I want our Office to be a place where students can come to learn about health and well-being, but also to be a place where students can come to be heard and to have their voices included in the conversation. I want to make sure that we are providing programming that is relevant to students, that is accessible to students, and that is meeting students where they are.

Kimia: As you mentioned, the Office of Health Promotion runs so many impactful programs. Could you highlight a few recent initiatives that you are particularly interested in expanding or developing further?

Brittany: That’s a great question, and I think that’s an evolving question. We continue to have conversations as a staff and with the Peer Health Educators to see where we can grow and where it makes more sense to take a step back. I think there are wonderful events that we've put on recently. The Peer Health Educators are creative and inspiring to me in the ideas they have come up with related to those events and really engaging the student body.

There are several different things we’re looking at as the Office of Health Promotion to expand into: how we update our workshop programming, how we better promote our workshop programming, and also how we engage with and promote our Mind Spa locations. 

Kimia: So, you mentioned the Mind Spa. Could you tell us a little bit more about what that is and how students can access it?

Brittany: Yeah, definitely! The Mind Spa is a really cool resource here on campus. It’s essentially a space for students to relax, de-stress, and take a break from their busy lives. We actually have several different locations across campus: The Center for Well-Being, Patapsco, Elk/Terrace apartments and the Library, third floor. 

The Center for Well Being, Elk/Terrace apartment and Pataopsco locations feature at least one massage chair, sand play, a relaxation corner with mats/pillows, sound and water machine and aromatherapy.

Students can visit any of these spots to use the resources by swiping their IDs. We are currently looking at ways to promote these spaces even more so every student knows they are available.

Kimia: Those sound great! Why do you think health promotion and student well-being are so important, especially in a university setting?

Brittany: I think student health and well-being are so important because they are the foundation for everything else that students do. If students are not healthy, if they are not well, they are not going to be able to be successful in their classes, they're not going to be able to be successful in their jobs, and they're not going to be able to be successful in their relationships. So, I think it's really important that we're providing students with the tools and the resources they need to be healthy and well.

Kimia: Definitely. How can students get involved with the Office of Health Promotion, and what advice would you give to someone who wants to make a positive impact on campus health?

Brittany: There are so many ways for students to get involved!

• Currently we are accepting applications for the Peer Health Educator program. This is a great way to learn more about health and well-being and to help other students learn as well. The application can be found on our myUMBC page and the link tree in our Instagram.

• Speaking of Instagram, students can follow us at @umbcohp, and/or email us at ohp@umbc.edu.

• Students can attend our workshops and our events. We have a lot of great programming throughout the year. Check out our myUMBC page to learn more!

• We are always looking for feedback from students! If you have ideas for programming or ways that we can better serve the student body, please let us know.

Brittany (cont.): As for advice, I would say to start small. You don't have to change the world overnight. Even small changes can make a big impact. And don't be afraid to ask for help. There are so many people here at UMBC who want to see you succeed and who want to help you be healthy and well.

Kimia: Those sound like amazing resources. Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with the UMBC community?

Brittany: I think the main thing I’d like to share is just that we’re here for you. Our goal is to support your health and well-being and help you become your healthiest self. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions or if you want to get involved. We are always looking for ways to better serve the student body.

Kimia: That’s great. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing all of this, Brittany. It’s been a pleasure talking with you today!

Brittany: Thank you! It’s been a pleasure talking with you as well.

Dear UMBC Community,

I am writing to provide an update on our efforts following UMBC’s 2024 agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to strengthen and expand initiatives for preventing and responding to reports of sexual misconduct and sex discrimination under Title IX. The agreement followed a lengthy investigation by the DOJ that found systemic failures in the university’s Title IX compliance between 2015 and 2020. 

The agreement is in effect through the 2028 – 29 academic year and commits us to taking many steps to bolster our Title IX office and its work, provide specific support for student-athletes and the Athletics Department, expand training for all members of the community, and provide financial relief to certain individuals, as determined and directed by the DOJ. 

The update provided here shares a report of progress since the fall 2025 update. As required by the agreement, UMBC submitted its fourth monitoring report to the DOJ this winter. The university has fully implemented all of the initial provisions of the agreement and remains in the monitoring phase of the agreement. Thus, the work that we continue to do goes above and beyond what is required under the agreement. It is not the agreement that drives our work, but rather our commitment to uphold the highest standards of care, safety, integrity, and accountability for our campus community. 

Our recent work includes:

• Increased engagement with our Coordinated Community Response Team to receive feedback on policies, procedures, programming, coordination, and communication efforts;
• Successful implementation of mandatory Title IX training for students and employees;
• Expansion of specialized education and training efforts to include offerings for those designated as confidential resources;
• Targeted support and resources for student-athletes; and
• Integrated use of restorative practices as an informal resolution method as appropriate.

The Office of Equity and Civil Rights (ECR) in particular bears a significant load of this work.  And, none of this is possible without the dedicated staff who work tirelessly across campus to uphold our commitment. Thanks to the many campus partners who continue to engage and support these efforts.  

Sincerely,

Tanyka M. Barber
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer

Greetings,

Our election ballot is now open to elect our academic year 2026-27 Executive Board!

Please use this link to access the election ballot form: https://forms.gle/ngFJzUY9BvUs6r76A

You may only submit this form once. Good luck to all candidates!

The form will close at 11:59 pm on Friday, April 24th.

Did you see the academy award winning film Sinners?  Come hear Phoenix' critical take on this and more!

Conceptions of Blackness: A Fantastical Re-Imagining of Black Heroism and Villainy

Presenter: Phoenix Gordon
Mentor: Sharon Tran, English

Oral presentation: RAC 106 | 10 – 10:15 a.m.

This study examines constructions of Blackness in relation to pain. I explore how Black heroism is accompanied by pain and whether it is still revolutionary when removed from it. The notion that Black people do not feel pain has been used to justify their dehumanization/villainization. Black presence in White-dominated spaces has birthed many polarizing categorizations of Blackness: “the good” versus “the ghetto”; “not Black enough” versus “Black enough.” Such distinct labels render Blackness only acceptable when gentrified by the removal of pain, and uncouth when backed by the acknowledgement of it. I analyze how Black creatives intervene in these narratives by engaging in textual analysis of historical and contemporary depictions of Blackness, informed by critical race theory, through film, television, and literature. By focusing on Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys, Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country (2020), and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025), I consider realist iterations of Black pain and how they are reconstructed through fantastical elements. When coupled with wizardry and vampires, I argue that audiences gain a whole new perspective of understanding Blackness, power, and oppression. These works recreate the Black “hero” and “villain” into multidimensional beings who do not exist solely in hardship, or as victims.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu

Greetings SWSA Members,

Our election ballot is now open to elect our academic year 2026-27 Executive Board!

Please use this link to access the election ballot form: https://forms.gle/KCWCUBMpHuTXr72z8

You may only submit this form once. Good luck to all candidates!

The form will close at 11:59 pm on Wednesday, April 22nd.

This Thursday, April 16th at 7:30pm, join this special event to honor Mr. Walter Lomax and the 5 year anniversary of the passing of the Maryland Walter Lomax Act. 
Gathering this event will be Mr. Lomax, elected officials, members of the Maryland state government, and others integral in the passing of the Act which compensates wrongly convicted and incarcerated individuals. 

Presented by the Department of English, The School of Public Policy at UMBC, The Dresher Center for the Humanities, The Shriver Center, the Department of American Studies, and the Department of Political Science.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

Location - PAHB 132

7:30-9pm

RSVP at https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/publicpolicy/events/152318

Hello everyone, 

Come out to our GBM happening on Tuesday, April 21st at 5pm-6:30pm in ILSB 116B for our election ballot! We'll touch on sustainable practices happening around the world and have discussions on how we can implement them in todays climate. All positions are up for grabs! Our interest form closes this upcoming Sunday

Voting ends April 19th, 11:59 p.m.

https://forms.gle/NTHPABwu5d9tHJhf8