“The art of communication is the language of leadership.”

– James Humes

Communication skills have never been more important. Especially in the workplace (with everyday interactions between coworkers, bosses, and clients), public speaking is a vital skill to have and hone. SPCH 100 – Public Communication focuses on the content, organization, and the delivery of ideas to sharpen your performance and convey your message in a more effective and confident manner.

“Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.”

– Paul J. Meyer

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SPCH 100 fulfills the Arts and Humanities GEP and meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. The course is taught by professor Mitzi Mabe, who has been with UMBC since 1982. She attended UMBC for her undergraduate degree in English before receiving her Master’s in Adult Education and Applied Behavior Science from Johns Hopkins University. Mitzi Mabe has done extensive research in composition, interpersonal communication, and applied behavioral sciences.

• Leads the library’s investigation and implementation of emerging technology to better serve the campus.
• Develops a technology plan that builds on the University’s and Library’s strategic plans to address new opportunities and pursue possibilities of adapting and applying technology solutions.
• Participates in library planning; serves on library-wide and university committees and task forces including the Library Executive Council.
• Works in partnership with the campus Division of Information Technology for discovery, planning and implementation of new technology.
  
• Keeps current with trends and issues in the IT industry, including current technologies and costs.
  
• Provides leadership in coordinating and defining technology requirements for library-wide projects and initiatives.
  
• Oversees Library Information Technology Services composed of library faculty and staff and student employees and works with other areas of the library and university that are affiliated with technology.
  
• In partnership with the Division of Information Technology insures that library systems and computing are robust and operational.

• ALA accredited MLS or equivalent advanced degree.
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in IT-related project management in one or more of the following in an academic library setting:
• Database development
• Network engineering
• Hardware and software upgrades to mission critical applications
• Application development
• Experience with library technologies and technology planning and demonstrated knowledge of current technology trends.
• Strong analytical and decision making skills.
• Demonstrated project management experience.
• Evidence of leadership and management ability.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including ability to communicate clearly, knowledgeably and personably both orally and in writing.

Preferred:

• Knowledge and understanding of significant trends and issues in the application of information technology to libraries and higher education, including research support and information management services and solutions.
• Demonstrated experience in implementing new technologies or services, e.g. virtual servers, immersive technologies, and maker spaces.
• Experience working with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
• Experience developing IT policies for workflows and software support.
• Demonstrated record of participation in relevant professional associations and ongoing professional development.
• Experience working with a larger campus information and computing group.
• Experience working in a consortia of libraries.

Baltimore Center Stage is seeking a Business Assistant. The Business Assistant is assisting in the daily business operations of the theater. Responsibilities include: Accounts Payable, Banking, Credit Card Management, and assisting the Business Manager.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

The UMBC Field house opened inside the Retriever Activities Center in 1973. Since then, the sports arena has been renamed the RAC Arena, and has been the primary sports center for Retriever athletics since its opening. Despite the move to the Event Center by Volleyball, Women’s Basketball, and Men’s Basketball, the RAC Arena’s rich history and place in UMBC’s culture cannot be forgotten.

The RAC has been, if nothing else during its existence, incredibly intimate for the Retriever community. Due to its location in the heart of the school’s academic row, the three-floor gymnasium is in the ideal place for students to go to exercise between classes or after finishing for the day. Additionally, the Arena’s place at the gym’s center meant that students could support the school team between classes and build that sense of community. The RAC Arena is an incredibly congested court, with the stands as close as possible to the action. The small playing area carries noise incredibly well, always creating a great atmosphere by the UMBC faithful, even when the stadium was not at capacity.

During the era where the RAC hosted all of UMBC’s athletic teams, it also held all the athletic department’s offices and allowed for a powerful sense of camaraderie within the school. The sense of togetherness among the athletics staff was summarized by Associate Assistant Director of Communications Steve Levy when he said, “It was definitely a family type of atmosphere, from both within our department and the season ticket holders we know and see on a game-by-game basis, to the staff that comes to work the games.”

Many of the athletes that got to play in the RAC Arena also considered its 4,024-seater stadium a home away from home. Junior volleyball player Kristin Watson has played all three years of her collegiate career in the RAC Arena and, though she looks forward to playing her senior year in the new facilities at the Event Center, she also carries many memories in UMBC’s historical colosseum.

“It was one of the first places at UMBC where I felt like it was home for us [the team]. I started working out there the summer before my Freshman year, I was there at least two or three times a week working out or playing with the girls. Ever since, because I’ve lived close, I’ve worked out there nonstop during the Winter breaks. Our locker room is in there, it’s where we’ve played. It’s been our home away from home. If we all wanna talk to each other, just chill, we have our study hall. It’s the central place we go to,” Watson expressed.

Watson also has an incredibly unique view of the facility, not only as an athlete but also a student taking a class to help with the ESPN3 broadcasts of UMBC’s basketball games through the year. Watson was given the opportunity to produce the broadcast of the final game played at the RAC Arena, the Women’s Basketball game against Stony Brook on Wednesday, Jan. 31, distributed through the America East site.

The 2016 America East Defensive Specialist of the Year endearingly continued, “It was pretty cool to actually finally get in the producer chair, but it was nice to finalize our RAC experience and for me to be there with other athletes and other people taking the class to really make our mark there.”

Athletics’ Director of Multimedia Communications Zach Seidel reminisced over some of the great games he has experienced at the RAC Arena since his time as a student at UMBC in 2008 alongside Levy. Levy started, “That last men’s game, the atmosphere was amazing.” The Director of Communications also identified a few key other standout games for the Retrievers, including the Men’s Basketball team winning the 2008 AE tournament at home against Hartford, and the phenomenal turnout at the semi-final of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, where the men hosted Texas A&M University Corpus Christi with a sellout crowd.

Seidel picked out a few personal favorites of his own, “There were a couple men’s [basketball] games, the Citadel game last year, Darley’s three against University of New Hampshire, I think back to a couple women’s games. We hosted Virginia in a season opener and we were winning with four minutes left and ended up losing by 11. I think it was 2010, and the Virginia coach ended up setting an all-time coaching record here, so there was a lot of media and a ton of people. My senior year we were hosting Maryland, and we ended up losing by nine, but we were leading all game and I remember it was really packed and the feeling of, ‘oh my God, we’re beating Maryland,’ because they were ranked number four in the country at the time. And also, when Women’s Basketball ended up winning the title here [in 2010-2011].”

Even after the Arena’s retirement the RAC will continue to be an important part of student life at UMBC. UMBC’s Swim Team will still practice and compete at the RAC while the Track & Field team will continue practicing there. Seidel happily noted he has already seen students enjoying getting to play on the hardwood floor, and the gymnasium will be a bit less busy with less athletes trying to occupy the space alongside the rest of the student body trying to workout. The RAC’s office spaces will be renovated, though it is still unknown for what capacity or what the spaces will be used for moving forward.

Still, the opening of the Event Center marks a new era in UMBC athletics and student life. The new stadium will increase school prestige and aid in recruitment, and it is agreed speaking to anybody inside the athletics department that the time to move on from the RAC has come. However, speaking with those in athletics about the RAC Arena universally creates a melancholy mood. The weight of the memories of the RAC Arena are more than banners that now hang in the Event Center. The RAC Arena is formed by the dozens of Athletics staff that have worked there, the hundreds of athletes that have competed there, and the thousands of students who cheered the Retrievers on from their iconic yellow seats. That is the legacy of grit and greatness that the RAC Arena leaves behind.

Join Maryland Humanities Saturday, April 28, 2018 for an exciting day of student scholarship at Maryland History Day, where more than 650 outstanding middle and high school students from throughout Maryland will be showcasing their History Day research in papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites, and performances. Projects address a wide range of topics that explore the 2018 National History Day theme Conflict and Compromise in History.

It is 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday night and all Joshua Bell, a junior biochemistry major, can think about is heading to Late Night at True Grits for a cheeseburger and fries. For many students on campus, Late Night at True Grit’s is both a convenient meal option and a time to meet up with friends. The program, which offers an expansive menu from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. Monday through Friday at True Grit’s, is one of the only places to get hot food after 7:30 p.m. on campus.

As beloved as Late Night is to many a beleaguered student, many students feel that the program could better serve their needs. Moaz Hassanin, a junior chemistry major, feels that “late night could be open at, like, 8 p.m.,” because 8 p.m. is the time at which the late night meal period begins. Currently, the only dining options available at 8 p.m. are Salsarita’s and the True Grit’s Outtakes which primarily sells prepackaged foods.

Beyond that, some students take exception to the lack of nutritional options at Late Night and Outtakes. Junior political science major Jacquilyn Johnson said, “Pretty much everything at Late Night is fried, which is hardly healthy.” She added, “The salads are $6 and way more expensive than the other options.” On the other hand, junior psychology major Christina Paul commented that “the food at Late Night is good when you are up late studying.” She says the Late Night options are “comfort food.”

Some students feel that while the food at Late Night is good, the hours of operation are lacking. “I wish they were open on more weekends,” said Lisa Hong, a junior biochemistry major. She added, “It would be nice to have another option besides D. Hall and Salsarita’s on the weekends.” The lack of weekend hours has been a constant complaint from students who live on campus. In response, the Late Night program has been expanded to be open one weekend a month. But not everyone feels that it is enough.

“It’s like the campus keeps forgetting people live here on the weekends too,” Johnson said. UMBC has often been considered a commuter school and the lack of weekend dining options plays no small role in this perception. Many students have raised the point that the limited dining options on the weekends are part of the reason they do not stay on campus. Perhaps by expanding the Late Night program, UMBC could give students a reason to stay the weekend by giving them more of what they already want: a time to catch up with friends while eating chicken tenders.