This week UMBC made history as the first ever No. 16 seed team to best a No. 1 seed in an NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Retrievers’ season ended last night in a hard-fought round two, but our UMBC community will carry the pride of this moment with us for years to come. And, through this achievement, the nation has come to understand what a special place UMBC is.
Thank you to the men’s basketball team and to coach Ryan Odom for the grit you displayed all season. And thank you to the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and others in Retriever Nation for your tremendous support.
The UMBC community will continue to celebrate in the coming days and weeks. Please stay tuned for details, and enjoy the rest of your Spring Break.
#RetrieverNation #UMBCproud

The racial geography of the United States of America is shifting. According to the Migration Policy Institute, more immigrants are on the way. The majority come from Asian, Latin-American and African countries.

South Asian-American racial justice advocate Deepa Iyer studies growing racial anxiety in the United States. “As minority populations grow, they feel more included. Yet, white populations fear how immigration could affect America,” she says.

Iyer uses kindergartners to provide a glimpse into the future of America’s racial climate. “[In] 2014, [we] saw more children of color in kindergarten compared to whites for the first time,” says Iyer. “By 2040, [sic] people of color will become the majority of the U.S. population.”

The term racial anxiety describes uncertainty and stress. Students in the workshop learned how it manifests itself through hate crimes, discrimination and vandalism.

The workshop focused on Islamophobia and acts of hatred toward Muslims and those perceived as Muslim. Iyer says, “In 2012, there was a shooting at a Wisconsin Sikh temple resulting in six dead and four injured. The shooter said, ‘I don’t like these people because they look Muslim.’”

Islamophobia is a form of discrimination often based on the premise that, “anyone who is Muslim or perceived Muslim is suspected as a national security threat.” Iyer says, “it affects more than Muslim communities. It also affects people who look South Asian.”

Iyer discusses the impacts of Islamophobia. “There is shame and self-editing. The minority hides their culture because they don’t want to appear threatening to others,” she says.

Freshman biochemistry major Mara Kushelman speaks about her experience with Islamophobia in Russia. “[When I lived there], the government was positive toward Muslims so they didn’t need to hide. In America, it’s different,” she said. Newsweek, however, reported in 2016 that the Russian government began pressuring Muslim communities to leave the country because of alleged concerns about extremism and terrorists.

Iyer explained that racial anxiety plays a role in Islamophobia, relaying that “there are white national groups as well as anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-black communities.” She mentioned the recent shooting in Parkland. Suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz might have had connections with a white nationalist group.

“When the offender is white,” Iyer says, “there are double standards. The [government] changes their approach depending on the race.”

In 2015, a student named Ahmed Mohamed brought his science project to school. Teachers assumed it was a bomb and called the police to arrest him. “They’re worried,” Kushelman says. “This fear came from stereotyping. There shouldn’t be any discrimination because you are different.”

Some people may find racism a difficult topic to approach. Iyer believes that the first step is to understand it. “We are responsible to understand the ways in which racism plays out,” Iyer says. “We have to open up about it rather than shy away from it.”

Students learned about “race plus discrimination” as a way to acknowledge racism. Iyer explains that everyone carries identities other than their race. “There is a twitter that talks about being Black and Muslim. These people experience two levels of discrimination.”

Iyer encourages students to intervene and question racism. “We build America’s culture. The beauty of America is that it’s an experiment. It is messy. It is wrong. It makes mistakes. But we can shift what being an American means,” says Iyer.

Hailing from the United Kingdom where she majors in American Studies at Swansea University, Sophia Woodruff, a study abroad student at UMBC and senior in Wales, delved into the details of her international experience. She spoke on her experiences coming to America, her time as an immigrant in Trump’s America and American literature.

Key differences between post-secondary education in the United States and the United Kingdom include the fact that “in the U.K., degrees are only three years,” compared to the typical American four-year bachelor’s degree. Woodruff says she wants to complete a master’s degree in American literature instead of a PhD because a master’s degree only requires one year to complete, as opposed to five.

“A lot of the books that I like,” Woodruff says, “are American; it follows my interest.” Her greatest interest in American literature focuses on the 1940s–1980s. She particularly enjoys “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt.

Woodruff intends to write a senior thesis on American college students and their identity on campus in novels. While her major is American Studies, her focus lies on American literature and politics. She enjoys the Beatnik era, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes; she admits her dislike of Hemingway, although she “appreciates the insight in Spain,” where she lived during part of her childhood.

Woodruff also expresses her appreciation of American poetry’s freedom in writing style: “We don’t have the same thing in Britain; it’s like Shakespeare — you have to have a rhyme scheme and it’s very structured.” She identifies more with the Beatnik generation because “[literature] was more accessible and there is more scope of what it means to be American and what it means to be a writer: it was people who were writing because that was their passion.” She added, “even though I’m not American, I could still identify with it.”

When asked about her transition to the U.S., Woodruff responded, “I think the transition wasn’t bad for me because a lot of people know about American culture through TV, through books, through music, through film. Being a student who is in American studies, I kind of understand the backstory to some of this culture and the increasing polarization and the American miseducation of Thanksgiving.” She added that someone asked her if Thanksgiving is a national holiday in Britain.

She has also visited the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she noticed that Dr. Freeman Hrabowski is included on a plaque of donors. She indicated that social media prepared her for America: “I knew about Flint and Black Lives Matter and the issues Planned Parenthood is having.”

When asked about her reaction to coming to America during the current presidency, she said, “this is going to affect my life in a way that other people in England won’t be affected by the results in such a direct way, although I am lucky in the fact that I’m white and not very religious.” She mentioned she knew a Muslim classmate who was advised to attend an international trip to Berlin instead of New York due to concerns about Islamophobia.

While her studies in the United States end this semester, Woodruff indicated that she has enjoyed her time in America and that this has been an enriching experience. She is one of a handful of international students from Wales and is on track to graduate in spring of 2019.

“It will rival the best arenas in the America East Conference.” These are the words of UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski III prior to the new Retriever Events Center being unveiled in January. With a $90 million investment in state-of-the-art facilities, UMBC has increased their efforts to be seen as more than just an academic school. The building will play host to Retriever basketball and volleyball games, as well as concerts and student engagements.

Successfully building a new Event Center starts with early planning. “I started as Athletic Director in July 2013, and plans were already in place to build it,” explained UMBC Athletics Director Tim Hall. “My role was looking at the drawings and renderings and making sure [the building] had what we needed to have a comprehensive athletic program. We re-conceptualized square footage [for efficiency]. ”

The 172,000 square foot multipurpose facility that seats 6,000 people for concerts and sports events has come a long way since that time. After initial tweaking of the plans, the next step was to get qualified workers to bring the drawings to life.

“We brought [Barton Malow Company as] the general contractor on board and worked very closely with facility [and event management done by Pinnacle] management,” Hall said. He also said that CannonDesign drew the building and Oak View did the event promotion.

Although the Event Center stands on the grounds of a public university and is built with funds from student tuition and fees, campus architect Joe Rexing declined to reveal the specific cost of each infrastructure or contractor. However, in general, it cost about $90 million to complete the project, and from that, $68 million was used for construction, architecture, licensing and fees. Despite the tightness of the labor market in the Mid-Atlantic region and a strict budget, the Event Center was completed on time.

Hall spoke about UMBC’s relationship with Oak View and Pinnacle Venue Services.

“We have had a great relationship with them,” Hall said. “They are very experienced with event management and we are an important client for them. Their customer relations is very good, labor [from them] is attentive and helpful, and the cost is in line with expectations. Pinnacle takes care of ambulances, security and ticket sellers, as well as promoting events. They were chosen because of their experience, ability and relationships with the promoter companies.”

So how will the event center improve fan support for UMBC basketball and volleyball?

“I always say that when you build something new, it’s a tangible sign to the outside communities that you take it seriously,” Hall said. “Division one athletics is important to the university, and it would help the team’s recruiting because it is one of the nicest facilities in the league. [The event center] will be better for fans because of the use of the video board and [because of] the possibility for interaction with the fanbase. We could not do that in the RAC because it is so dated.”

The Event Center is not the last big renovation for UMBC Athletics. In fact, the Event Center is not done just yet. “A few items remain to be completed,” Rexing said. “When weather allows some exterior work and site work will be completed.”  ​

In addition, there are already plans in place to improve the track and lacrosse stadium, as well as add general turf fields for student use. The RAC would also be renovated to exclusively handle student recreation wellness, intramurals and club sports.

Finally, Hall spoke about creating a culture where students like to come to games.

“We (Athletics) want to work closely with the Division of Student Affairs, SEB and SGA to [find ways to] get students more involved in coming to games,” Hall said. “We want to make the games an experience.”

Charlotte, North Carolina

Alumni, students, and fans converged outside of the Hilton in Charlotte, to cheer on the Retrievers as they boarded their bus to head to the Spectrum Center. Just like Friday, the band played the “UMBC Fight Song” as the players processed out of the hotel, and onto their bus. With determined looks on their face, and brand new Curry 5 shoe boxes in their hands, they headed out to continue their run into the history books.

Coming off a historic victory over No. 1 Virginia, the Retrievers were looking to continue their Cinderella run in the tournament, as they were set to take on the 9-seed Kansas State Wildcats for an opportunity to advance to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Entering the arena Sunday evening, there were a slew of disappointed North Carolina fans despairing about their halftime deficit to Texas A&M. The Aggies of TAMU would eventually go on to shock the 2-seeded Tar Heels, but that did not deter fans. Many of the fans in North Carolina baby blue gear stuck around to watch the Retrievers embark on history. The sea of blue turned out to bleed Retriever gold for the night, as they stood behind UMBC in their conquest.

The first half started tremendously for the Retrievers. Graduate-guard Jairus Lyles made two layups, and sophomore-forward Arkel Lamar hit a 3-point shot to give UMBC an early 7-0 lead. KSU came back with a layup of their own, but UMBC answered right back as senior-guard and media and communications major Jourdan Grant hit a 3-point shot to give the Retrievers an 8-point lead.

KSU answered with a mini 4-0 run, before sophomore-forward Max Curran answered with an easy lay-in. At this point, Coach Ryan Odom began to rest his star-guards Lyles and senior-guard KJ Maura alternatively, which opened a window for the Wildcats to begin a 19-6 run over the last 11 minutes of the half. The Retrievers struggled to make shots, but blocks by Lamar and steals from junior-forward Joe Sherburne, and Maura kept UMBC in the game. The Retrievers only made 7 field goals in the half, but used free-throws to their advantage to go into a halftime with only a 25-20 deficit.

But the Retrievers did not have enough steam to continue their miraculous story in the second half. The Retrievers opened the half with a much better shooting effort, with Maura shooting back-to-back 3-point shots to bring the Retrievers within 2 points.

The defense, and whit of the Retrievers were put on display as Grant and Maura terrorized whoever possessed the ball, each coming up with steals. Maura and Sherburne added to the spectacular play, each taking charges to give the Retrievers possession. But, they could not capitalize on their exemplary defense, as each team went scoreless for more than three and a half minutes.

There was not much action in the closing minutes, as Lyles uncharacteristically missed 3 free throws in the closing minutes. Lyles brought the Retrievers within 3 points with two minutes left in the game after driving to the lane and making a layup. But with a chance to bring the Wildcats into reach, Lyles missed a 3-point shot with 48.1 seconds, and Kansas took advantage. They scored 4 straight points, to secure the win. As time expired, junior-guard Isiah Rodgers got his first career rebound, and points.

”This loss does not take away what these kids have been able to accomplish,” said coach Odom after the game. “Just to be here is a blessing for sure. I wrote one word on the board after the game about how I feel about them, just ‘proud.'”

“We had a great season, we made history the other night,” said Lyles. “We wanted to win tonight, we felt like we had a good chance of winning but unfortunately we lost. We understand what we did [Friday], we understand what we did this season. We did the unexpected and we’re just proud of each other for that.”

The Retrievers walked to the UMBC crowd after the game, waved at the fans and thanked them for their support. Tears filled the arena, as the careers of seniors Maura, Lyles, and Grant came to an end. But, they did not end in vain. They made history, and led this team all season long, and will be remembered by the Retriever family forever.

“Undeniable. Mayhem. Brings. Crowds.”

When UMBC comes to mind, people typically think, “Isn’t that the school in College Park?” Well not anymore, the enthusiasm behind UMBC athletics has changed the way the school will be looked at until the end of time. For the longest time, UMBC was looked at as nothing more than a STEM school with very little athletic ability. The best thing about UMBC outside the STEM program is the ability to bring in a diverse group of students.

When it comes to sports at UMBC, they have been put on the back burner. The focus on the school is on the scholars and their ability to succeed in the arts and sciences. UMBC has been widely known as the little brother to the University of Maryland, College Park. Everything would soon change for UMBC as the world would see there is more to the school than just their smarts.

UMBC has had more than half of Maryland in the palm of their hands after their historic win against Virginia in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. There are no words that could describe what this exposure has done for the school. There have been a number of famous celebrities that have been shouting out UMBC and the entire basketball team. From Aaron Rodgers to the Baltimore Ravens to even the creators of the popular video game Fortnite, everyone has taken notice to this Cinderella team.

With the Retriever win on Friday, the school store on campus had a complete shutdown online due to the amount of merchandise being purchased. The popularity has caused UMBC online bookstore sales to surpass their yearly sales in just one night. The school has garnished a tremendous 24 million in revenue for advertisement.

Even assistant Athletic Director Mike D’Archangelo was surprised by the amount of fame the school is getting. “I know the amount of free advertising we’re getting is unbelievable but this is something that I could never imagine,” said D’Archangelo. He continued, “The map that the soccer team put us on in 2014 when we made it to the Final Four has just been surpassed.”

Over the course of the year, 87 percent of UMBC’s Athletics Twitter mentions occurred either Friday night or Saturday. It’s gotten so crazy that even the man behind the social media account, Director of Multimedia Communications Zach Seidel, has garnished a fair amount of fame from this weekend.

The alumni of UMBC see this as an opportunity to get quality players and promote the school to the entire nation. “This has put UMBC on the map, we’re on the news 24/7 now, it’s gonna help from an athletic and academic perspective,” said one alumnus at a reception prior to the game Sunday.

When asked about the impact of this tremendous moment, one alumnus compared it to the Super Bowl winning Philadelphia Eagles. “Certain things like the Eagles winning their first Super Bowl, that’s special for Philly, this is special for everybody, everybody is looking for us and will forever.” The aura that has surrounded the state of North Carolina and Maryland is unmatched. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Sunday night UMBC was bested by Kansas State 50-43. The entire arena was behind the Retrievers as they did everything they could to stay in this game. The contest was close all throughout, but UMBC ran out of gas and looked exhausted towards the end.

During the press conference, graduate-guard Jairus Lyles believes that the nation will have nothing but pride and respect for the team and what they’ve accomplished. “We’ve had tremendous support from our fans all year and I expect them to be very happy with us, proud of us so I expect a warm welcome.”

As The Retrievers head home, they will always be remembered in the NCAA history books as the team who did the impossible.