Hi Everyone!

As said in the newsletter, our Free Farmers Market for today and next week will be held in the Center for Wellbeing. We hope to see you there!

Hello everyone, we hope you’ve had a great semester so far! We’re half way through already!

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Updates and Events:

The Global Pantry Initative:

We’re expanding our pantry’s flavors from around the world to highlight different cultures in our diverse community! For the month of April, we will be offering ingredients from West African and East Asian regions. Stop by and explore while supplies last!

Free Farmers Market Temporary Room Change on 04/02 and 04/09:

Thursday, April 2nd & April 9th. Center for Wellbeing

Our Free Farmers Market for the first two weeks will be in the Center For Wellbeing from 2:00pm - 2:45pm!

Special Earth Day Free Farmers Market

Monday, April 20th 12-1pm. Commons Terrace.

We’ve partnered with Chartwells, Student Success Initiatives, and the Office of Sustainability to bring you an additional Free Farmer’s Market during the Earth Day Fair! This market will be outside on the Commons Terrace and will be our biggest market yet.

Money Smart Week Session - How to make it work: Smart ways to use campus and community resources:

Wednesday, April 15th 12-1pm. Commons 318.

We’re hosting a session to teach how to navigate campus and community resources. We understand that a good budget can only get you so far when it’s stretched thin. We’re here to tell you that you’re not bad with money, we’re experiencing a challenging economy. With that in mind, you can still make it work by taking advantage of existing resources both on and off campus!

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Data:

In the month of March, we’ve distributed 8.3k lbs worth of food and other household essentials, with over 2k visits to our pantry! This also includes calculations from our Free Farmers Market on Thursdays, our mini pantry in the police station, and vending machine.

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Suggestion Box:

To improve our services, and try to address everyone's different needs, we would love to hear your feedback!

https://forms.gle/oUvd1EaMcmmasKFn8

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read  our newsletter.

If you have any questions about what we provide, volunteering opportunities, or general inquiries, feel free to email us at retrieveressentials@umbc.edu at any time!

Sincerely,

The Retriever Essentials Team

Private room available in a townhouse for a male at Westland Gardens for a 3-month move-in, available from May to August. 

Fully furnished 2BHK townhouse: 

• Spacious Living Room with a sofa + TV. 

• Oven, Microwave, Fridge, Dishwasher.
• In-house Laundry(Washer + Dryer).
• Centralised Heater and Cooler.
• 1 min walk to the UMBC Bus stop.
• 10-minute walk to UMBC campus.
• Rent is 600$ + utilities.

DM for more information: +12029375716 or email me at IO95979@umbc.edu

Hi Retrievers!

Given the bigger and better space CelebratingOrgs 2026 will be in this year (UC Ballroom) we are looking for orgs interested is potentially performing at Celebrating Orgs! If interested, let us know here. 

We will also be creating a video featuring student organization officers discussing their experiences and passions for their organizations. Each clip will be 30 seconds to one minute long. If you’re interested in participating, you can sign up using this calendar link!

Dont forget to nominate your org using this form!

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in the RAC!
For the full schedule see:urcad.umbc.edu

Amy Taylor, Margot Anthony | Power and Control: The Impact of Religious Cults on the Lives of Women | Lauren Allen | Social Work | RAC Arena, 2-3pm, Poster #67

Stephanie Williams and Willow Brandy |Powerand Control: The Impact of Religious Cults on the Lives of Women| Kerri Evans | Social Work | RAC 230 | 11:00-11:15

As we prepare for our upcoming spring-themed event next Monday, I invite you to make a contribution to our PCC garden! If you access the slide using your school account, you can add your flower to the PCC Garden and share a fond memory that you've had so far this semester - it doesn't have to be PCC related. I can't wait to see what our garden looks like by Monday!

Access the community garden here!

Unedited Community Garden:

Come join us today in UC 310 for an engaging workshop with Chris Adams '15 about choosing the Right Co-Founder!

You have an idea and a business plan.  Maybe you're still in the idea stage and thinking about your business plan.  Do you want a co-founder for your venture?  If so, how do choose the right partner?  What should you consider in making this decision?

Building a business partnership is much like building any meaningful relationship—it often begins with optimism, shared ambition, and a common vision. But as ventures grow, circumstances evolve, and priorities shift, maintaining alignment can be both challenging and crucial to long-term success.

Come hear Chris Adams speak on Thursday, April 2nd from 4-5 pm in University Center 310 talk about this important topic!

In this session, Chris Adams will share his firsthand experiences navigating the complexities of co-founding and growing a business. Through candid insights and practical advice, you'll discover what to look for in a potential co-founder, common pitfalls to avoid, and proven strategies for fostering a partnership built to endure.

What?  A workshop on how to choose the right co-founder for your new venture!

Where?  University Center 310

When?  Today!  Thursday, April 2nd from 4-5 pm

********** Hot breakfast buffet was ordered for this meeting. please RSVP by 4/9. Thank you! **********

Note: This meeting is being scheduled by the Provost's Office and open to AAAFSC members only. 

Provost Engagement & Connection MeetingWhen: Thursday, 4/16 from 10:30am-11:30pm
Where: ITE 456
Limited seating.  Please RSVP by Thursday, April 9, 2026 via this Google Form and mark your calendar.  Thank you! 

In order to provide more visibility for SGA candidate endorsements, we have transitioned away from updating this myUMBC page to updating SGA's website.

On the All Election Candidates webpage, you can find an expander under each candidate's statements that says "Endorsements." It looks like the image below:

Clicking on this expander will reveal the full list of each candidate's endorsements that have been confirmed by the Election Board Chair.

Because of this transition, you will no longer find endorsement updates on this myUMBC page.

Title: Homophobia and Queer Repression in Watchmen

Mentors: Keegan Finberg and Sharon Tran, English dept.

Come see Esther's oral presentation at URCAD on April 22:  1:15-1:30 RAC 106

Abstract:

My honors thesis examines representations of queerness in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ superhero comic series Watchmen (1986-7), remarkable for its literary status and influentially mature take on the superhero genre. My URCAD presentation will give an overview of this thesis with a focus on analyzing how the character Rorschach constructs a superhero alter ego to repress his queerness and acquiesce to neoliberal norms of masculinity outlined by Margaret Thatcher’s British New Right of the 1980s. This reading is informed by methods from queer studies, superhero comic studies, new historicism and Marxism. I unpack the ways in which superhero comic tropes are subverted to portray repressed queerness, put those tropes into conversation with the politics of the AIDS epidemic, and consider Rorschach’s identity factors, primarily his lower working-class status, to explain why and how he represses his queerness in the manner he does. Ultimately, I demonstrate that considering Watchmen as a queer superhero story can open up new avenues of scholarly conversation for exploring the superhero genre’s unique capacity to portray repressed queerness via costuming. Given the current political moment’s rising homophobia, finding ways of seeing queer people in media, especially those struggling with homophobia, has become incredibly salient.

URCAD.umbc.edu