As the UMBC men’s soccer team pushes for a high standing ahead of the playoffs in November, the senior players will look to lead this relatively young team to success. At the forefront of the charge is Retriever captain and senior-midfielder Patrick Jean-Gilles. He often starts Retriever attacks by winning the ball off the opposition and passing the ball forward. He has also provided an assist this season to sophomore-forward Cesare Marconi’s game winning goal against Rutgers.

Jean-Gilles, a financial economics major who is of Haitian descent, considers all his teammates his brothers and plays Fortnite and sports video games in his spare time. He describes himself as a sports fan and his favorite teams include the Chelsea Football Club, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Capitals, New York Yankees and the New England Patriots. He also likes to watch Tiger Woods and tennis legend Roger Federer.

Jean-Gilles lists his favorite movie as Marvel’s Avengers, and he likes to eat steak and mashed potatoes. As a young child, he acted in children’s theater, but now he cannot imagine himself not playing soccer. Jean-Gilles’ father, who also used to play soccer, began teaching him to play at age three. In his teenage years, he captained for the DC United Academy before being called up to the U-18 United States national team camp in 2014. He requires a nap before every game to play at his optimal level. He plans to pursue professional soccer after graduation and then work where his financial economics skills are desired.

“[I decided to come to UMBC because of] the soccer program,” Jean-Gilles said on how he believes UMBC can help him reach his goals. “They hit a high in 2014 [when the Retrievers made the final four]. I knew that the soccer program was one that would have national visibility. Also, UMBC is strong in academics and I had heard good things about Coach [Pete Caringi Jr].”

“[Caringi Jr.] plays an offensive, aggressive style of play,” noted Jean-Gilles. “He doesn’t like to play defensive and he is goal oriented.”

Jean-Gilles said he believes that this year’s version of the Retrievers has the talent and the wherewithal to win a championship. He also believes he has a big role to play in coaching his less experienced teammates.

“[There are] a lot of new faces, but everyone gets along,” Jean-Gilles said. “Team chemistry is very good, and everyone is ready to give 100%. It is team-oriented. One of the big lessons [I have learned] is that the team is bigger than yourself. It’s less about my individual performance and more about how I can influence others and work harder for my teammates. With the younger players, we want to help them to understand our philosophy and our approach to games here. We want to make sure they are comfortable so they can feel [like] a part of the team and a part of the UMBC community.”

His personal goals this year, especially as he is a senior and about to leave the team, are to win a championship and make first team All-Conference. He also dreams of a UMBC championship win at the Retriever Soccer Park.

“The team can go as far as it wants to go,” Jean-Gilles said of the team’s chances. “We have the talent [to win the championship], we just have to work hard, put performances together and keep getting victories. That’s what matters. A dream I have always had is hosting the [America East playoff] final at UMBC. Lifting the trophy in front of thousands of fans, the fans rushing the field and lifting the players up as we hold the trophy. I want that to happen this year.”

“U Must Be Cinderella.” “All Bark and All Bite!” “Bracket Busters.” “UMBC Makes History.” Each of these slogans can frequently be seen on apparel worn by students around UMBC, and each slogan refers to the same event: the historic defeat of the University of Virginia, a number one seed, by our very own 16-seed UMBC Retrievers in the 2018 NCAA March Madness basketball tournament.

All UMBC students saw some outcomes of this event: merchandise logos, social media celebrations, countless newspaper articles and of course a massive welcome to the basketball team. But have they missed a much larger effect on the community?

According to Assistant Vice Provost Dale Bittinger, this year’s freshman class of 1,794 students is the largest in UMBC history. The first-year application pool was also the largest it has ever been, with 11,720 applicants. Why the sudden increase in interest? Could it be because of the excellent press that UMBC received after March Madness?

The simple answer is no. UMBC defeated UVA on March 16, over a month after the deadline for Regular Decision applicants. While the tournament had no effect on the number of applicants received by UMBC — that can likely be attributed to a spike in birth rate that occurred in 2000 (CDC.gov) — it is possible that the timing of the historic upset did influence students to commit to UMBC. Since it occurred in mid-March, before many of the Prospective Student Days occurred, the potential freshmen could have been “hooked” by the historic upset and then given plenty of other information and statistics about UMBC that caused them to commit.

“UMBC has a long-term, university-wide focus on inclusive excellence,” said Dinah Winnick, the Director of Communications for the Office of Institutional Advancement. “This can be seen in academic achievements across all disciplines, as well as the achievements of our scholar-athletes and other student groups.”

These student groups also gained more visibility due to the basketball team’s fame. The success of groups such as the Cyber Dawgs, Mock Trial and the Baja Racing Team were highlighted by UMBC’s PR team to prove the all-around excellence of UMBC; as journalist Dan Rather wrote on Twitter, “Whenever you hear, ‘we can’t,’ tell them UMBC.” 

Another way that March Madness helped UMBC market itself was the #RetrieverNation hashtag. According to Winnick, that hashtag “provided a way for our whole community — including alumni all over the world — to be part of the moment together.” It exemplified the idea that UMBC is a supportive and inclusive community, and roped in fans that bought UMBC merchandise by the thousands.

Although this year’s massive freshman class cannot be directly attributed to the increased visibility following the UMBC defeat of UVA, it is undeniable that UMBC gained plenty of recognition that was not limited to basketball. March Madness gave UMBC a spot on the national stage, brought the existing UMBC community closer together and roped in new fans. And, due to the positive press brought in by the men’s basketball team, it is entirely possible that the upward trend in freshman class size may continue into next year, further widening the scope of #RetrieverNation.

The Library has two types of study rooms available for student use:

● Reservable Study Rooms:

These 20 rooms can be reserved up to five days in advance. Reservations are limited to 3 hours per person or group each day. Book yours today!

● Open Study Rooms:

These 12 rooms are left open for students to use on a first-come, first-served basis. Each room has four seats.  They are located on the Quiet Floors: rooms 553-558 and 653-658.

Soccer has long been considered a global pastime. From England, to Russia, to Mexico, to here in the United States and countless countries between, people gaze upon the wonderment of soccer from the rousing celebration of a score, to the elation of the hat trick and, on some unfortunate occasions, the heartbreak of a crushing defeat. Danielle Fuentes, a freshman-midfielder for UMBC, is no stranger to any of these emotions, as soccer has been apart of her life since she was young girl.

Born and raised in Rockville, MD, Fuentes, who is known as Danni to most of her peers, spent her life growing up without a father figure and looked to her brother to fill that void. Fuentes began playing soccer at the young age of four after trying gymnastics and realizing this sport was not meant for her. From that point, soccer became a staple in her life.

Not only has Fuentes excelled in her career as a soccer player but also had moderate success as a basketball player as a shooting guard in high school. During her four years of high school Fuentes felt as if she was lost in her own mind from all of her responsibilities with school and all of the extra-curricular activities she was involved in. “When I was younger I wasn’t sure if I was gonna go to college for soccer, especially in high school I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it,” said Fuentes. “I just had this fear of failing and I was just struggling in soccer for a bit. I hit this peak where I felt I wasn’t getting any better and then one year I pushed through and started feeling it again.”

That year was in 2016 when she broke the Magruder High School record for most goals scored in a season and most goals in a career. She was also awarded team MVP that year. So far in her first year at UMBC she has contributed seven points for UMBC as she has two goals and three assists under her belt. One thing Fuentes has loved about this team is the family-first feeling that is expressed throughout the team. This can be accredited to the coaching style of Vanessa Mann. “I really like her. She’s not all about soccer; she’s about the culture. She looks at other aspects and wants you to be a better person. We do different kinds of things like we’ve been reading books and doing all kinds of stuff,” Fuentes explained.

When asked about her life outside of soccer, a smile came across Fuentes’ face as she said, “All I do is homework. I have so much homework, it is ridiculous.” Fuentes is a business tech major but is looking to find a new major as she has grown tired of the everyday aspects of business tech. With her love for sports, she is looking to find something in the area of sports marketing. She also has an immense love for math and hopes to do something with that as well.

Fuentes does occasionally play her Xbox and watch television, her favorite show being the Fairly OddParents. As she sat in the room discussing all the different things that she did growing up, Fuentes talked about the roots of her Hispanic heritage and how they would celebrate a quinceañera. Fuentes recalled that she spent her day in style as she had her parents take her on a cruise. “I didn’t really want a quinceañera. My parents said it was either that or a cruise, so I was definitely taking the cruise,” she said with a laugh. Fuentes is a fun-loving woman who wants nothing more than to succeed on and off the field.

When she finishes her college career she hopes to have gained the knowledge needed to one day coach her own team. She hopes to share her passion and love for the game to younger kids who share their excitement and enthusiasm for the game. As the talks dwindled down and time started to drift away, Fuentes made one final remark about those who give her inspiration. “You look at people like Neymar and Messi, who came from the bottom and had nothing and even when they failed they kept going,” she explained. “It’s people like that that keep me going.”

With a ton of time in front of her and the heart and perseverance to boot, it is easy to say that Fuentes has an amazing future and she will be a star for the Retrievers for years to come.

Get ready for Critical Social Justice: Ignite with our What You Need to Know series. Written by Alexia Petasis.

Activism can be defined as a “practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” This can come in many forms and finding your own voice as an activist can be challenging. Something I’ve realized is that activism can meet you where you are at, and there is beauty in combining your passions with your role as an activist. The arts, whether that is performing arts (dance or theatre), visual arts (painting, photography, etc), or fine arts (poetry, music, etc) have the ability to convey complex stories, perspectives, and emotions and creates space to understand the experiences of others. As a powerful medium of communication, the arts can lend themselves well to activism and advocacy work.

As an introduction to Critical Social Justice week, the Women’s Center will be hosting Art as Feeling, Art as Knowledge: A Conversation, from 6:30 to 8 pm on Wednesday, October 17th in the Fine Arts Recital Hall. This event will demonstrate ways in which both the performing and visual arts can be used for social justice activism. In recognition of Relationship Violence Awareness Month, the dance, choreographed by Alexia Petasis, will reflect the development and progression of relationship violence. Alexia collaborated with the We Believe You student group and the Women’s Center to share her choreographed piece in April 2018 for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The dance provoked conversation and experiences that many found unable to understand before witnessing this dance piece. Read more on this Retriever review here. Jen White-Johnson, Visual Arts ’08, will be sharing the ways she uses visual art, specifically graphic design, to empower individuals with autism. Inspired by her son Knox and the intersectional identities he has, Jen’s photography, design, and writing celebrate the joy of being a child on the spectrum. See more of her work here.

Another event the Women’s Center will be hosting as part of CSJ:Ignite is our Community Art Project on October 23, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm on Academic Row. This event aims to engage and create space for individuals to imagine what a social justice future looks like. Join us to come together as a community and use art as a way of expressing our own visions of a socially just future. There will be popcorn and lots of art supplies! If you are an artist and want to learn how to use your talents to speak out, if you are an activist and haven’t quite considered how art can be integrated within social justice movements, or if you are generally curious about all the knowledge that will be shared throughout this event, everyone is welcome!

What is the MLA’s approach to the singular they?

In its publications, the MLA generally does not use the plural pronoun they (or their, them, and themselves) to refer to singular nouns. While the singular they is not uncommon in spoken English and in some informal contexts, in formal writing it is best to reword for agreement in number. In the following example their and they are mismatched with each student:

Each student is expected to choose the topic of their research paper before they take the midterm.

In our editorial practice, our first preference is to cast the reference into the plural or to reword so that no pronoun is needed. In the first revision below, we have made the subject plural to agree with the pronouns. In the second, we have eliminated the pronouns.

Students are expected to choose the topic of their research paper before they take the midterm.

Each student is expected to choose a research paper topic before taking the midterm.

Alternatively, you may revise the pronouns to agree with a singular subject:

Each student is expected to choose the topic of his or her research paper before taking the midterm.

But constructions such as “his or her” are often cumbersome, and some writers may find singular, gender-specific constructions insufficient, given that many people do not identify with a particular gender. Using plural constructions, if possible, is often the best solution—and the most inclusive one—especially when you’re editing someone else’s writing.

Writers who wish to use a non-gender-specific pronoun to refer to themselves may prefer they and their (or a neologism like hir). Likewise, writers should follow the personal pronoun choices of individuals they write about, if their preferences are known, and editors should respect those preferences. They may be used in a singular sense according to a person’s stated preference for it:

They are writing their research paper on Austen’s Persuasion.

The MLA’s usage guidelines mostly follow the consensus of good practice among authors and editors of scholarly works. If a consensus emerges on a singular generic personal pronoun, we’ll most likely incorporate it into our usage. 

Hello,

Tonight is our weekly Trans Tuesday meeting. Introductions begin at 7:30 pm in the QSL/Prism lounge. Hope to see you there.

Don't forget that you can hang out in the QSL/Prism Lounge (UC 201) during the day too. The prism lounge is located in the university center on the second floor.

This month’s meeting topics include:

Upcoming Events (2018):

• September 27th

• Monthly movie night

• Prism Lounge

• After the discussion meeting

• October 1st

• LGBTQ 101 panel

• 5 - 6:30 pm

• Sports zone, commons

• October 11th

• Coming Out Day Barbecue

• Food/utensils donation sign up

• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dHCOKZKhzi-S1t7KY1OWsBpU3Bg8X3ySUoaKPmLkkOk/edit?usp=sharing

• November 2nd

• Fall Formal

• UC Ballroom

• Fall formal volunteer sign up

• https://goo.gl/forms/CzDxIJsQNmZxZYCl2

*This list is subject to change over time as we organize more events

The LGBTQ SU meets:

Monday 7:30 pm Education and Advocacy

Tuesday 7:30 pm Trans Tuesday

Thursday 7:30 pm Social/Discussion

Social Media:

Twitter: @LgbtqUmbc

Instagram:  @umbclgbtq

Best,

Michael Bost

Communications Director, LGBTQ SU