April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Women’s Center is hosting its 5th consecutive Take Back The Night (TBTN) on Thursday, April 13th. Over the years, we’ve had a lot of questions about what Take Back the Night exactly is, why it looks the way it does, and how students can get involved. To help get those questions answered this year, we’ve doing a “What You Need to Know” series focused on TBTN so stay tuned for more posts over the next couple of weeks. This is the fourth post in the series and it focuses on the Take Back the Night’s partnership with Greek Week.

UMBC’s Fraternity & Sorority Community has been involved with Take Back the Night since 2013 when TBTN returned to campus.  We know there are some questions about that involvement, and we’re hoping we can answer them here.

The History – Susan DuMont, Former Coordinator for Fraternities & Sororities, 2010-2015

I was on the Women’s Center Board when the conversation started about bringing TBTN back to UMBC, and I was really excited to be a part of the planning and figuring out what TBTN at UMBC could look like.

That spring when all of the chapters sat down to plan Greek Week, we realized that TBTN was in the middle of Greek Week.  I said that it was important to me that we not plan anything at the same time, so they could either have a Greek Week event earlier in the day or we could incorporate TBTN into Greek Week itself.  I explained what TBTN was, and the chapters decided that they wanted to actively support it.

For sorority members, TBTN is an important opportunity to support all of the survivors and for survivors to give voice to personal experiences with sexual assault.  Every year, including the first, a large number of sorority women have shared their stories from the microphone.  For the men in the community, TBTN was similarly an opportunity to support survivors, but it has also been a chance to witness and participate in a conversation that they are rarely so intimately included in.  Attending TBTN has allowed them to better grasp the magnitude of the prevalence and severity of sexual assault and how personal and important the issue is to their community.  In the second year of TBTN, two fraternity men also spoke as survivors.

Today – Cory Bosco, Coordinator for Fraternities & Sororities

Fraternities and sororities are organizations based on the concept of brotherhood and sisterhood – relationships that go much further than just friendship.  I have seen the expression of relief and gratefulness when survivors step away from the mic and are embraced by their sisters or their brothers.  Our chapters participate in TBTN because sexual assault affects this campus and our community, and our members want to be part of ending sexual violence.  We attend TBTN because we want to actively change the reality of sexual assault and show that UMBC’s Fraternity & Sorority community is here to be an ally.

Every year we revisit the conversation about whether TBTN should be included in Greek Week, and if so, how to include it in a way that is respectful to the event.  While Greek Week is a chance to celebrate the community and is a fun and competitive experience, it is also a chance to celebrate what the UMBC Fraternity & Sorority Community is about beyond the fun – and that includes a deep commitment to supporting each other as family and a commitment to social justice that is both historical and ongoing. 

There is a misconception that chapters are “required” to attend TBTN.  That is entirely false.  While it is part of Greek Week, chapters “max out” their Greek Week “opportunity” from the program by having a very, very small percentage of their chapter attend comparatively .  What you actually witness, though, is a huge turnout from the majority of chapters regardless of points earned.  The event is part of Greek Week because it is important to chapters, rather than being important to chapters because it is part of Greek Week. 

For more information about UMBC’s TBTN (check out Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter too by searching the hashtag #UMBCTBTN):

• Stop by the Women’s Center on April 11, 12, and 13th to make a rally sign for the march
• A blog post about UMBC’s 2005 TBTN march written by alum, Dr. Grollman.
• Speak: Knowing a Survivor Without Knowing Their Story – a blog post on cultivating a survivor-responsive campus
• Register for and attend an upcoming Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence workshop. Click here for more details on the students workshop.
• The Women’s Center 2016 TBTN roundup
• A BreakingGround post about how the 2013 TBTN came to be – Our Own ‘Take Back the Night’

Stay tuned for the next installment of what you need to know about TBTN 2017! 

“I knew I shouldn’t have eaten before this,” said sophomore financial economics major Joshua Pitaniello, as he vomited into a bush.

On Wednesday, March 29, UMBC Recreation sponsored the 3K Shamrock Run, which was open to all students, faculty and staff.

The first male student to finish, Pitaniello, shocked the event organizers by finishing in 8 minutes and 54 seconds– nearly two minutes before the next person made it across the line. Though he is not involved in university-sponsored athletics, Pitaniello runs 3 laps around the loop every other day, usually adding a slight detour to make it an even 7 miles. Upon crossing the finish line on Wednesday, he asked for his time before relieving his stomach contents in the nearby foliage. “Sorry, not pretty,” he said, raising a hand in apology.

The first finishers in the male, female and faculty/staff category were awarded prizes. For this race, they were Under Amour fitness bands, which are similar to the popular FitBit bands.

Julia Ciattei was the first female student to finish with a time of 13 minutes, 50 seconds. The sophomore mechanical engineering major takes part in four to five-mile treks with the Running Club a few days each week.

Club Sports Coordinator Kristen Alexander claimed the title of first staff member, clocking in at 17 minutes and 9 seconds.

Volunteers at the finish line recorded participants’ times as they completed the course. The first 150 participants, regardless of time, received free t-shirt. The 3k track, approximately 1.86 miles, went around roughly half of the loop. Race marshals stood at corners, directing students to stay on course. UMBC Police were also on hand.

Recreation Coordinator Erica Lloyd oversees the operations of UMBC intramurals, which offer leagues made up of all UMBC-student teams in various sports. Intramurals are typically a relaxed commitment level, with around one game per week. Club sports, however, travel to other schools and complete outside of the UMBC community.

UMBC Recreation now sponsors two races, one 5k and one 3k, each semester. This spring’s 5k will take place in April around Earth Day. Lloyd noted that races are popular particularly at UMBC. Students are encouraged to register ahead of time so that staff members can analyze which demographics are participating in events and which they may need to focus their marketing efforts.

“We try to test out a bunch of different events each semester, but some are staples and we stick with them,” said Lloyd.

On May 5, Recreation is partnering with Off-Campus Student Service, Resident Student Association, and Student Events Board to sponsor a Glow Dodgeball Event—Cinco de Mayo taco bar and DJ included.

UMBC Recreation and related departments strives to create programs that appeal to Retrievers, despite the prevailing culture that does not always prioritize athletics.

“It’s a little bit different but I think the objective is to try to create programs that best suit your student population. So for us, soccer is huge. We offer indoor and outdoor soccer every semester because we want to cater to the students.”

Numbers for the Shamrock Run were down slightly this year, with 147 total participants compared to last year’s 190. Organizers suspect that the postponement (due to inclement weather) contributed to lower participation. The race was originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 22, before spring break.

The post Lessons from the shamrock run: Eat after, not before appeared first on The Retriever.

Luke 9:22-24 (NIV) - “And he said, ”The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then he said to them all: ”Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

This past Sunday is known as Palm Sunday in the traditional Christian calendar - to bring to mind the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem as the King. The context of today’s passage begins also with a triumphal declaration by Peter after Jesus asks, “Who do the people say I am?” In a Spirit empowered moment, Peter declares that Jesus is God’s messiah - the chosen one of God. This is actually the first time in the gospel of Luke where we see this declaration by any of the disciples; hence it’s supposed to be a declarative moment, a climax, the moment where the disciples finally know who Jesus truly is and what he has come to do. We almost expect Jesus to say, “Yes! Finally you understand who I am, and now I can reveal to you the ways of the kingdom!” However, instead of Jesus promising power, authority and status in the new kingdom of Jesus to the disciples, he plainly tells them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and furthermore he must be killed, and on the third day be raised to life.

We can only imagine how the disciples must have responded to Jesus - some in disbelief, some wondering if Jesus was giving one of his upside down statements - like the first shall be last; some perhaps were even rethinking their decision to follow Jesus. Unlike us who have the benefit of knowing the fuller story of the gospel and the salvific intent of the cross, the disciples were probably quite perplexed, as they were expecting to get some political benefit in following Jesus. Even in our present political climate, when someone runs for the presidency of the United States, those that support that campaign work tirelessly for the candidate with the expectation of getting some form of a position in the event they win the election. However, what Jesus was offering the disciples was not in the sharing of riches and political power, but in sharing of His suffering - for that is the honored position to those who believe and follow Jesus.

Today, may we also clearly hear Jesus’ invitation to have a seat at his table, to follow Him in his salvific work that is shown in His death and resurrection; however it is through the via dolorosa - the road of suffering.  This is the triumphal and climatic declaration that we are campaigning for - to share in Jesus’ work of salvation to the world.

Today worship with this song: At the cross: Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUvpBphq5og

-GK

UMBC’s Student Government Association has recently released a list of students who submitted their applications and have qualified to run for positions in student government in the upcoming April elections. Out of all the candidates running for the various positions in the SGA, only one has been listed as running for Treasurer.

Hannah Sadollah, a sophomore pursuing a psychology major, is the only candidate on the shortlist running for Treasurer. Although the list is preliminary and not final (as candidates must first be checked for eligibility), so far she is the only student who has demonstrated her intention to run.

Sadollah has served as Treasurer and President of UMBC’s Persian Student Association, and is currently a member of the Financial Support Team, part of the SGA’s Executive Branch. Despite being the only name on the list for Treasurer, Sadollah would still have to receive a number of votes equal to at least 5% of the number of total votes cast in the election.

“It’s nice that people keep reminding me that I still need to get at least 5% of the votes to win. I’m still excited to campaign; I don’t want to be Treasurer just because I was the only name on the ballot, I want to earn this position,” said Sadollah.

Sadollah was the Treasurer at UMBC’s Persian Student Association by the second semester of her freshman year; she currently serves as its president.

The SGA Treasurer, along with the rest of the Finance Board, is responsible for the operating budget allocated through Student Activity Fees. The Student Activity Fee is a $98 fee paid by all undergraduates along with their tuition. The 2016 budget was just over a million dollars – $1,033,057 exactly. The treasurer stipend for that year was $4,326, or about 0.42% of the total SGA budget (that amount is subject to change for the following academic year).

The SGA’s Finance Board consists of seven voting members: the SGA Vice President of Student Organizations, the SGA Treasurer, and five other SGA Finance Board Representatives, which include the chair and vice chair.

Additionally, the Treasurer and Finance Board are responsible for allocating the budget and funds for student organizations, communicating with clubs and other organizations during Finance Board meetings and going over their requests. To Sadollah, her experiences at PSA and at the Financial Support Team give her an edge.

“I know what it’s like to work with the SGA through the Financial Support Team. But I also know what it’s like to be on the side of the student organizations, so I think that brings a unique perspective,” she commented.

During SGA elections, candidates for the Senate and Finance Board, such as Sadollah, are elected by plurality through the newly added instant runoff voting system. While Sadollah is the only one currently running for Treasurer, write-in votes are allowed in SGA elections.

While the Treasurer position had a lack of applicants, other positions had an abundance. 27 students applied to be a candidate for senator (only 11 positions available) and 10 candidates applied to be a candidate for finance board representative (only 5 positions available).

The election will take place via myUMBC through Monday, April 17 to Wednesday, April19.

The post SGA elections draw lone candidate for Treasurer position appeared first on The Retriever.