The Trump administration’s recent announcement of plans to end DACA – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – prompted a swift response from UMBC leaders.

In a press conference given on September 5, Attorney General Jeff Sessions explained the decision: “To have a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest, we cannot admit everyone who would like to come here. That is an open border policy and the American people have rightly rejected it.”

DACA was a policy effectuated by the Obama Administration in 2012. It allowed individuals who were brought to the U.S. under the age of 16 to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action in which they would be exempt from deportation and would be eligible to receive valid work permits.

The program will be phased out over the next six months and new applications will no longer be accepted. Recipients who have permits that expire before March 5, 2018 will be allowed to apply for a two-year renewal so long as the Department of Homeland Security receives their application prior to October 5, 2017.

Just hours after Sessions’ press conference, seven campus leaders, including UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski, sent out a campus-wide email that addressed the president’s decision.

“We are deeply concerned that the federal government has decided to remove the federal protections DACA has provided, after requiring undocumented young people to identify themselves in order to access higher education,” the group stated. They added, “It is morally unacceptable for these students to be at risk of deportation.”

Three days later, the university announced its intention to host a question and answer session with immigration attorney and UMBC alumnus, JoAnna Gavigan. The event took place on Monday, September 11.

During her presentation, Gavigan provided advice but also debunked myths, such as common misconceptions about the Maryland Dream Act. The bill, passed in 2012, grants undocumented high school graduates the opportunity to receive in-state tuition should they attend community college for two years before transferring to a four-year college.

“The state government can’t do anything about your immigration status. They can make it easier for you to access education – which is what the Maryland Dream Act did by giving people who are unlawfully present access to in-state tuition. But as far as your immigration status, that is a federal government – that’s their purview, so the state government can’t really do anything to protect their students.”

Gavigan told The Retriever that the “optimist in her” believes that Congress will enact some form of relief legislation within the next six months.

“I think it would be a travesty for [Congress] not to act and I think the pushback is there now from their constituents who want them to act.”

Gerardo Herrera-Cortes, junior graphic design major, was a DACA recipient upon applying to UMBC. Their mother submitted an application for permanent residency in 1994 that finally caught traction in 2015 upon hiring a lawyer. While Herrera-Cortes is no longer a DACA recipient, they credit the DACA program for allowing them to pursue a degree in higher education.

“It was more a sense of protection, being able to support myself financially, and a greater sense of security.”

Herrera-Cortes said that DACA allowed them to work full time throughout high school and believes the money they had saved up during that time period allowed them to afford to pay the hefty legal fees that arose during the process of becoming a permanent resident.

“I think if it wasn’t for being able to work for those first three years I wouldn’t have applied or gone to any college.”

President Hrabowski, along with University System of Maryland Chancellor Robert Caret and other USM leaders, is currently drafting a letter advocating for the Maryland’s Congressional delegation to advance legislation to both “maintain and extend” DACA protections.

“…these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor 2:10-11)

“The Spirit is most frequently spoken of in terms of agency-that is, the Spirit is the agent of God’s activity… the Spirit is not thought of as ‘it,’ but as ‘person.’” (G.D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, p.26)

The Spirit reveals God’s deep thoughts and wisdom (1 Cor 2:10)

He knows the mind of God (1 Cor 2:11)

He teaches the content of the gospel to believers (1 Cor 2:13)

He dwells within and among believers (Rom 8.11; 1 Cor 3:16)

He executes God’s plans (1 Cor 12:11)

He gives life to those who believe (2 Cor 3:6)

He cries out from within our hearts (Gal 4:6)

He leads us in the ways of God (Rom 8:14; Gal 5:18)

He bears witness with our own spirits (Rom 8:16)

He has desires that oppose our selfishness (Gal 5:17)

He helps us in our weakness (Rom 8:26)

He intercedes on our behalf (Rom 8:26-27)

He works all things together for our ultimate good (Rom 8:28)

He strengthens believers with power (Eph 3:16)

He is grieved by our lack of love for one another (Eph 4:30)

(Adapted from G.D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God, p.27)

Pray and ask the Spirit to take you deeper into God’s truth and love.

“Holy Spirit” by Kari Jobe - Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPPMSfCdUng

- JP

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/UMBC.STAR.Program

From the bonfire and Alumni Awards, to our soccer game and annual Comedy Show featuring Trevor Noah, UMBC Homecoming is not to be missed! What are YOUR top five reasons for catching Retriever Fever?

UMBC Homecoming 2017 runs October 5-14, right here on campus! Learn more at homecoming.umbc.edu.

Video by Jenny O’Grady.

Along with the rest of the country, members of the UMBC community came together to try to catch a glimpse of August’s total eclipse of the sun. Although Maryland was not in the “path of totality,” the 80% view from Catonsville still elicited the “oohs” and “ahs” of bespectacled Retrievers in front of the Albin O. Kuhn Library – where staff offered demonstrations in pinhole viewer construction – and around campus.
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Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11

After a performance, the rest of the group stormed the stage, and began a chant: “FASA is … FAMILY! FASA is … FAMILY!” The group embraced their star performers, while the crowd continued to cheer.

This scene of camaraderie by the Filipino-American Student Association epitomized the vibe of the second annual Pangea Cultural Showcase, which took place on Friday, Sept. 8 on the Commons north lawn.

Fifteen student organizations, including the Caribbean Student Council, Vietnamese Student Association, Arab Student Union and many more, tabled at the event. Representatives from each organization spoke to interested students and offered them information, giveaways, and cultural cuisine.

This was the second annual Pangea showcase. The first event occurred after nearly a year of planning and building interest. Inspired by a similar event at his high school called Cultural Coalescence, senior mechanical engineering major Aakash Bajpai proposed the idea in 2015 to the diversity team at Strive, a bi-annual leadership retreat sponsored by Student Life.

“When I came to UMBC I was surprised to not see an event here like a multicultural showcase, so I thought we should get one started,” he said.

The group of students that organized the event, now called the Cultural Events Board, attended meetings of cultural and ethnic student organizations and established contacts in the hope that they would participate in the event.

This type of event had never been done before, and it took persistence to get it off the ground. As the planning became more complicated, several organizers left the group.

“We all thought about leaving at some point,” said Bajpai. “But we kept thinking about the goal. … We want to introduce the diversity that we have here, because some people don’t come from very diverse backgrounds, so we want to introduce that diversity and build tolerance in our communities.”

In addition to tabling, several cultural and ethnic groups put on a diverse array of performances on the temporary stage. The Persian Student Association performed a Kordi dance, which refers to a region of Iran. FASA performed a skipping dance with large poles called tinikling and sayaw sa bangko (bench dance).

These dances were quite popular with the hundreds of students in attendance, who sat on blankets in the grass and crowded around the stage to watch.

“It’s really cool to see the cultural dances, because you don’t see much of that in daily life,” said Laura Huang, a junior sociology major.

The performances were not limited to dances. The Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association did a fashion show, highlighting men and women’s traditional clothing as well as modern clothing with the countries’ colors and flags.

“My mom wore traditional [Ethiopian] clothing for my high school graduation,” said junior public health major Eyerusalem Gebremeskel.

All the showcased garments came from members’ personal collections, whose families wear such clothing for special occasions like birthdays, weddings, graduations, and New Year’s celebrations.

“Our hope is that students will connect with different communities and groups and learn something new,” said Janae Cruz, the Student Life Coordinator for Student Engagement. “We want every student who attends to see that UMBC is made up of so many incredible people from all around the world and that is what makes this place amazing.”

Single Carrot Theatre Seeks Director for Peter Pan Adaptation

Single Carrot Theatre seeks qualified, Queer Identifying Director Of Color for upcoming project. Single Carrot Theatre and playwright Joshua Conkel are creating an adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Novel, Peter Pan, in conjunction with Baltimore’s LGBTQ+ residents and service organizations.

Ideal candidate has directing experience at professional level and experience with new work development or community based theatre making. Pertinent Dates below.