Journalism’s main purpose is to inform the public of what is going on in their government and within their communities. Often, this can cause people to be afraid to talk to journalists; they’re worried they’ll slip up, say something in an interview that is wrong or badly phrased and be publicly condemned by an unfeeling, faceless news organization.

The current administration’s clear distrust of journalists promotes fear of news media, as well as some legitimate missteps on part of a variety of major news sources, such as the recent controversial New York Times headline reading “Trump Urges Unity Vs. Racism” following the El Paso and Dayton shootings in August. 

We’ve seen this distrust firsthand at The Retriever. And we certainly wouldn’t argue that there isn’t room for some skepticism — not all newspapers, after all, are made equal. But because of this distrust, a particular troublesome pattern has emerged in which many of our requests for interviews are answered with a carefully written, overly formal PR statement. 

We get why that might seem like the better option, especially if the article’s subject is difficult or controversial. If you’re sending us a concise paragraph via email, you can read it a thousand times before you hit send. You can use spell check; you can ask other people to read over it. We also get that us requesting an interview feels a little bit like your mom texting you the phrase “can we talk” with no context and seven question marks. Your initial reaction is always going to be some combination of fear and annoyance.

It’s safer — or at least, it feels that way.

But the truth is, when you refuse to speak with journalists, two things happen: We look like we can’t do our job, and you look like you don’t care. PR statements are often cold, emotionless things. If you’re going to tell the campus something they won’t be happy to hear, the least you can do is show that you give a damn by sitting down and answering a few hard questions.

And if you’re worried that news organizations are planning to twist your words, don’t be. The current editorial staff of The Retriever works harder than ever to ensure our reporting is factual, thoroughly researched and balanced. You are not taking a risk by talking to us because this is a group of people that cares deeply about accurate reporting. And we always make corrections and updates when necessary.

Alternatively, if that’s your main concern, here’s another option: Release your statement and make sure your perspective is known.  Additionally, grant us an interview. Just as there are important details you worry about us leaving out of our reporting, we guarantee that there is also vital information that you’re not going to put in your campus-wide email blast.

For everyone who has been reading this article with an angry scowl on their face, thinking that this sounds remarkably like a situation they’ve been in before, this is not a condemnation. Our goal isn’t to reprimand organizations who have avoided talking to us in the past. It’s to remind everyone on campus that when we ask you for an interview, it’s because we want to write nuanced stories, rather than stories that only include one voice or one perspective. And when all we have to represent a particular perspective is a written statement, everyone suffers for it.

Our inboxes are always open. Shoot us a message. Schedule a meeting. Let’s talk.

Summer 2020

Are you a bold and creative thinker and an aspiring changemaker who is passionate about applying science and technology to create a more equitable, creative, prosperous, and sustainable world? 

Apply to Be A 2020 Station1 Fellow!

We invite you to apply to be in the summer 2020 cohort and participate in the Station1 Frontiers Fellowship (SFF) – a unique and exciting ten week residential science and technology-focused educational, research, and internship summer program with a focus on societal perspective, social innovation, and impact in the Boston region of Massachusetts in the USA.

As a Station1 Fellow You Will:

• Receive all expenses paid including a competitive living expenses stipend, housing costs, a stipend for transportation to and from Station1, commuting transportation costs to and from internships, and instructional costs; 
  
  
• Gain authentic, hands-on experience through an internship in a leading science and technology company or academic research laboratory;
  
  
• Participate in exciting, state-of-the-art research and development project in science and technology; Station1 supports projects across all of STEM majors including areas such as biotechnology, clean technologies and sustainability, agricultural technologies, civic technologies, aeronautics and astronautics, advanced manufacturing, 3D printing and digital automation, nanoscale materials design, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and more;
  
  
• Engage with a shared curriculum, unique in the nation and the world, focused on socially-directed STEM education and research which draws together critical perspectives on history, social studies of science and technology, equity, inclusion, sociotechnical studies of computation, social change and innovation, sustainability, and ethics of science and technology; 
  
  
• Gain interdisciplinary experience by interacting with guest instructors and mentors from a diversity of fields;
  
  
• Gain personal and professional experience through both the internship and a formal curriculum that focuses on areas such as: intercultural knowledge, inclusive leadership and collaboration, multi-modal communication, and more; 
  
  
• Have access to a creative co-working, collaboration, and learning space;
  
  
• Receive information and guidance on academic and career pathways including graduate school; and
  
  
• As a Station1 fellow alumni, become part of a network of exceptional professionals in the Station1 community beyond completion of the program. 

Quotes from the Station1 Fellow Alumni

"Station1 was everything I hoped for it to be. Amazing people, great internship and honestly the one environment I felt understood throughout the 23 years that I have been alive. Thank you guys for everything, I'll never forget you.”

“Station1 was a life-changing experience. I never imagined I would have tears coming down my cheeks when saying goodbye to my mentors, instructors, and fellows. They became my family and my home away from home. Thanks to my internship, I gained significantly hands-on skills that would be crucial for my career path. The curriculum at Station1 helped me to expand my horizons and to think deeply about all the connotations of technology and innovation. I now feel confident to seize every opportunity that comes my way and to always say, "Why not?" instead of "I cannot because..."

"The mentorship, community norms, and atmosphere at my internship was impeccable. I had a wonderful experience there working on approachable challenges that allowed me to build my confidence as an engineer that will help me when working at future opportunities.”

"My internship contained all the important aspects of a fulfilling research internship. It started with a critical review and took off from there. I was able to share my ideas both with my co-intern as well as my mentor. I felt like my ideas mattered and was able to adjust my research and protocol accordingly. I couldn’t imagine an internship without the support I received.”

"It was amazing being taught subjects that really run the spectrum while also discussing and collaborating with my peers. It kept me going through all these weeks getting to see and interact with everyone every Monday and Wednesday. I loved it.”

“The shared curriculum stimulated my professional growth in a way that I never thought it would. From the guest speakers, the assigned readings, LeaderShape, and the research activities I gained information and knowledge that make me a leader, a better professional, and undoubtedly a better potential engineer. I became able to differentiate equality and equity, and I got a good sense of the importance of equity in design. Overall, what I learned from this experience will accompany me throughout my life, especially in my academic and professional journey. They will serve as a reminder each time I think to give up when I face difficulties. Also, this experience represents a stimulus of engagement to me, a call to action that will awake my consciousness to contribute in making the planet a better place for human beings to live.”

"The Station1 curriculum targeted many aspects of my personal and professional life. As a scientist, it guided me to connect my research to relevant social issues. As a researcher, it gave me tools to approach my questions, succeed in a work environment and think in a broad perspective. As a person, I got to connect with fellows from around the country who share my motivation to impact society through research."

“Station1 and this summer, as a result, has been a life-changing experience. The Instructors gave me the space to be creative, think deeply, and make calculated goals and aspirations to be a future leader in a wide array of disciplines. They helped me embrace my true passion for helping people in urban communities and gave me the advice to be the leader and trailblazer in equitable education and policy. I will always remember this experience as one that changed my career trajectory forever and I couldn't be more honored to have been selected for such a once in a lifetime opportunity. I only hope something like this can be offered to more students of color and those of disadvantaged backgrounds to help others find their true passions and be the socially driven leaders of the future. Thank you for everything.” 

For More Information See Flyer and to Apply:

https://www.station1.org/sff

In the last five years, the number of undergraduates with registered disabilities at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County has doubled; it went from under 3 percent to almost 7 percent. UMBC follows the Americans with Disabilities Act as a guideline to accommodate the increasing population. 

In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, as a civil rights law to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities. ADA requires all public spaces to comply with its standards for accessibility, such as doors that are wide enough to fit a wheelchair or having an accessible path to entrances and exits. Although UMBC is an ADA compliant, many students still struggle with accessibility. 

“ADA is not enough by any means,” said Eiryn Griest Schwartzman, a disabled transfer student majoring in health administration and public policy. “Our campus needs to go beyond ADA compliant and into being fully accessible.” Schwartzman has been a disability advocate since they were 15 and currently serves as a board member for the National Council for Independent Living, one of the nation’s largest cross-disability organizations. They explained that a space that is fully accessible has the most accessibility possible for its type of facility, while ADA compliant spaces have only reached the legal minimum. 

One situation where the campus is considered ADA compliant but is not fully accessible is the way students enter Chick-fil-A or Starbucks. The most direct entrance is two sets of heavy glass doors that lack a button to automatically open it, making it impossible for many disabled students to use. However, there is an alternative route to get to Chick-fil-A and Starbucks that is completely compliant with ADA regulations, which involves entering the first floor of the University Center and then using a back entrance to the Chick-fil-A and Starbucks area. 

Another common issue is getting to the different buildings in the first place. UMBC’s hilly environment serves as a huge hindrance to physically disabled people on campus. After hearing Schwartzman’s personal struggles to get around, SGA senator Kai Hajos was inspired to work on creating accessibility transportation for campus. The idea is to have a transit route solely dedicated to helping disabled students. This transit route would be limited to campus grounds so students with cognitive accessibility issues, who may not remember at which stop to get off, would not accidentally end up outside of UMBC. 

“It could be something as simple as going around in a golf cart or a van,” Hajos, a junior studying biological psychology, said. He pointed out that it would increase opportunities for student employment on campus if the drivers were students.

There have been improvements to campus accessibility over the years, which have primarily been overseen by the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services (ADS). ADS’s mission is to ensure that every individual on campus, regardless of their abilities, can participate in all university programs through accommodations.

“We are always fixing and adding to campus through little things that make huge differences that students don’t always realize are for accessibility,” said Tawny McManus, Assistant Vice Provost for ADS and Director of Student Disability Services (SDS). For example, several bricks on Academic Row had become unsettled through the years, making the pathway unstable and dangerous to many disabled students, particularly blind students who use canes to navigate. Last year, ADS worked alongside Facilities Management to replace the bricks with smooth concrete, which is often mistaken for simple landscaping maintenance. 

In 2019, $700,000 have been spent so far on small modifications aimed to increase campus accessibility.  These modifications include changing all the doorknobs in Sherman Hall and the Math and Psychology Building from ball-shaped knobs that provide little grip to lever handle knobs that are much easier to grab. Many doors were upgraded to be push-button operated. ADS also worked to ensure that every new All-Gender Restroom added to campus was completely accessible. 

ADS sorts through complaints sent via their website for things on campus that need to be improved. One complaint frequently made is the lack of accessible parking. ADS has responded to the complaints by adding more handicapped parking in the Commons Garage but continued to get complaints because of the lack of spots in the Admin Garage. “You can’t make everyone happy, but we try to create a balance,” explained McManus. She reminds students that not every complaint can be fixed immediately. 

Part of the problem is the slow process they go through to get funding for the projects. ADS must make proposals for accessibility projects, which need to be approved by the state government before they can receive government funding, their primary resource. ADS sends about three proposals to the state government at a time, but proposals usually have to be pitched several times before actually getting approved.

One project that repeatedly went through the proposal process before getting approval is a new elevator in the Biological Sciences building. The only way that students with wheelchairs or mobility scooters can currently access the building’s research lab is to go through the Commons Food Services to use a freight elevator. ADS recognized it as a problem after a student directly complained to them, and there are now plans to complete the elevator this year.

“What is important to me is students getting involved, attending events, reporting problems they see, but also knowing that we are here to help,” McManus said.

Olubunmi Ayodele, a disabled SGA senator majoring in social work, psychology and anthropology, believes that SDS can do a better job in getting students involved. 

“Students have to reach out to [SDS], instead of them reaching out to students,” Ayodele said. “Not everyone is bold enough to reach out or even knows how unless [SDS] advertises it where students are.” She recommends that SDS sets up a table in the Breezeway to talk to students about what services they can provide and talking with students outside their office. 

“I hope everyone can see that SDS really are trying their best,” Schwartzman said. “But sometimes their best just isn’t enough.”

How can an Academic Success Meeting help me?

An Academic Success Meeting can help you identify issues in your academic life but also show you how to leverage strengths and be successful.

Academic Success Meetings can help you with the following things:

• Adjusting to College
• Building Beneficial On Campus Connections
• Career and Major Exploration
• Finding Resources on Campus
• Time Management
• Stress Management
• Study Skills

How do I schedule an Academic Success Meeting?

You can schedule a meeting Victoria Skinner at this link. 

“Hi! I’m the Coordinator of the First Year Intervention Program and Placement Testing at UMBC. I’m an alumna of UMBC and I’ve been with the Learning Resources Center in various capacities since 2011. I specialize in helping students adjust to college, build connections, explore majors and careers, and find on campus resources. I offer online and in person Academic Success Meetings and I’d love to talk to you! Click my name to schedule an appointment. If you have questions, email me at victor6@umbc.edu.”

Description

Named User Deployment update including Shared Device Licenses

Targeted Audience

MEEC member IT departments

Presenters

Steve Adler - Senior Solutions Consultant - Adobe Education

Description

Do you have students in class who can’t put their cell phones down, even for a second? Do you assign work on the computer, but notice that your students often wonder off to other websites that are not related to the topic at hand? Do you have students who come into class with red, bloodshot eyes, and struggle to stay awake because they were up all night long playing video games? Yeah, me too. Let’s talk about that.

Targeted Audience

Technology directors, special education directors, principals, teachers, counselors

Presenters

Josh Ratliff - Professional Learning Specialist