For the first time since last March, the Retrievers men’s basketball team took to the court of the Event Center on Saturday, to take on the Shenandoah University Hornets. This was the second consecutive year that the Division III Hornets made the trip to Baltimore to play UMBC. The Hornets played the Retrievers close in the first half of that Nov. 27 contest, trailing by only three points at halftime. However, in the second half of that game, UMBC found their rhythm, eventually beating Shenandoah 88-59. In that game, current graduate-forward Joe Sherburne led the team with 18 points.

Coach Ryan Odom changed his lineup on Saturday after junior-forward Arkel Lamar “overslept for something non-academic.” So, Odom turned to sophomore-forward Brandon Horvath to start at the forward position. But, this was not the most exciting turn of events for Horvath on the afternoon, as he was playing a game against his little brother Alex, who plays forward for the Hornets. “I was just really amped,” he said, as he was visibly excited to play against his brother after not seeing him for almost three months.

The first half of this year’s game was very similar to the one from a year ago. The Hornets were playing aggressive basketball, forcing 11 turnovers in the half. The Retriever’s offense struggled to find a rhythm due to the constant pressure from Shenandoah, struggling to score points until junior-guard KJ Jackson began to demonstrate his offensive prowess. Jackson registered 10 points in the half. In the last few minutes of the half, the Retrievers offense started to meld together, showing signs of overcoming the offensive woes that have plagued them early on this season. At the end of the half, fine passing from sophomore-guard Josh Rosario gave junior-forward Max Curran a path to the hoop and Curran subsequently unleashed a powerful dunk to send the game into halftime with a 29-24 score.

The second half would be much different. UMBC came out of the gates extremely strong, dominating the Hornets in every aspect of the game. UMBC started the half on a quick 30-6 run, capitalized by 10 points from Sherburne. Horvath would dominate the half, dunking twice, and registering 14 of his 19 points in the half. UMBC was in control of the game the entire half, with a barrage of three-pointers, and dunks they continued to pummel the defense of the Hornets until the clock finally wound down to 0, and the Retrievers won the game by a score of 93-45.

In the battle of the Horvath brothers, Brandon came out on top on Saturday. Brandon registered his first career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Alex scored only 3 points and 1 rebound. With about 7 minutes left in the game, the two tangled up resulting in a hooking foul called on Alex which resulted in 2 free-throws for Brandon. However, the two were all smiles after the game, taking a picture together at half court to commemorate their first meeting in the NCAA.

Worth noting: Curran scored 14 points, and barely missed a double-double with 9 rebounds but had to leave the game due to an apparent pinky-finger dislocation.

The Retrievers continue their short homestand on Monday vs Manhattan at 7 p.m.

Campus Life's Mosaic is excited to announce that we have TWO student intern positions open in our office to begin Winter 2019.  We are looking for excited, proactive, hard-working students our Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, programming and resources. 

We encourage you to visit the UMBCworks website to learn about all of the available positions listed below. All applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and are open until filled. The best consideration date for applying is Tuesday, December 4, 2018, by 10:00 a.m.

Vacant Intern Positions

Direct Supervisor: Carlos Turcios (carlos6@umbc.edu)

Mosaic Intern for LGBTQ+ Student Engagement and Allyship Development

UMBCworks ID: 9303248

Direct Supervisor: Erin Waddles (waddles@umbc.edu)

Mosaic Intern for Middle Eastern, Desi, & International Student Engagement

UMBCworks ID: 9303247

If you have any questions, please contact the position's respective supervisor. 

Important Notes: You MUST complete both portions of the application (i.e. myUMBC, Google Form).  On UMBCworks, please look up the UMBCworks ID. Our position descriptions are attached. Be sure to fully complete our Google Form. You may apply to one or both positions.

Shrijana Khanal is a Student Staff member at the Women’s Center. She is an Economics major with minors in Computer Science and International Relations. Shrijana is a co-facilitator of Pop Culture Pop-Ups at the Women’s Center. 

As my fingers traced the glazed, gold-plated title of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the seventh time, I felt the same rush of euphoria, nostalgia, and bittersweetness that I did when I read the books for the first time as an eager seven-year-old girl. The Harry Potter series became my refuge during the dark times in my life: an escape from reality and sad thoughts. At the quick turn of a page, I would be transported into another world: a place filled with adventure, love, and friendship. One of my favorite parts of reading the series was my quick attachment to  the characters. The character that stuck with me the most was Hermione, the fearless, smart, and empathetic female member of the golden trio. She became my fictional shero at a young age, and remained this way as I grew up. Hermione taught me that girls can be studious, warriors, and social activists all at once.

How many times did Hermione save Harry and Ron’s lives? Without her, they would have been slaughtered in the first book. There would be no story to tell about the Boy Who Lived without Hermione. I always admired her for her bravery and wit, whether in the classroom or the battlefield. She was not afraid to be herself. Despite being labeled a “bookworm,” “bossy,” and a “nightmare,” Hermione never abandoned her true qualities. She fought for herself and others along with what she believed in. As a young girl trying to maneuver through a harsh world, Hermione gave me the power to stay true to my values. She taught me that reading books and being the highest-achieving student in your class is cool, and something to be proud of. Hermione gave me the courage to take a stand for issues that were dear to me. She showed me that having emotions is not a bad thing. Most importantly, in a world that is always trying to tear you down, deter you from following your goals, or even presumptuously label you, being an unapologetic girl was the most positive, life-changing thing that could happen to me. For me, Hermione was the best friend and role model I needed.

I saw myself in her; she gave me the confidence to be who I am, a young outspoken, nerdy, and caring woman. Unknown to me at the time, she also gave me the confidence to be a feminist.

Being a woman of color, Harry Potter made it difficult for me to connect with the characters based on race alone, since the series only contained the bare minimum of diversity. However, I did not need race to feel a connection with Hermione. I felt connected with her through her qualities of being studious, kind, and brave. I could easily identify with Hermione because she was not perfect to begin with: she had to go through awkward transitions and transformative setbacks to fully grow. Her development from an “insufferable know-it-all” to a brilliant heroine made her an authentic character.

However, others may have not have felt this connection with Hermione as I did. Rowling shared that she made the character racially ambiguous on purpose after people were angry that a black actress was cast as Hermione in a London stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Rowling supported her claim by referencing Hermione’s frizzy hair and ambiguous skin color. The concept of a minority playing Hermione is something that makes me immensely happy, but why did it take so long for Rowling to highlight this fact, and for others to accept it? Is the concept of a female lead being played by a woman of color too absurd to digest? For me, this is not feminism. A white girl is not the only person with the power to possess the positive characteristics I saw in Hermione. It is important to see color, because not seeing race devalues what women of color have to offer.

Although the series was published 10 years ago, it is still relevant to my life and the lives of others (even with its sometimes problematic stances). Personally, I still revisit the books whenever I go through a tough change in my life, as a coping mechanism. Discussing the issues of the series forces me to grow from the innocence I had in my childhood while reading it for the first time. But through everything, Hogwarts will always be there not only to teach you to see the magical and real world differently, but to welcome you home each time.

Click on the links below to learn more about the topics discussed in this blog!

Importance of intersectional feminism

https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/01/why-our-feminism-must-be-intersectional/

How many times Hermione saved Harry and Ron’s lives

http://booksandchardonnay.com/19-times-hermione-granger-saved-the-day-so-harry-potter-could-prevail-in-the-end/

JK Rowling Loves Black Hermione Casting In ‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’

https://bust.com/books/15328-jk-rowling-loves-black-hermione-in-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child.html