For the first time in the 50 year history of UMBC, course evaluations are all online. Course evaluations, platforms students use to give feedback on the courses they have taken, have been around for a while. But this semester will be marked as the first one in which these evaluations are implemented online and completed outside of students’ classrooms.

The evaluations consist of simple questions asking students to rate their experiences and provide written feedback on their classes’ professors and content. Students can choose which questions they would like to respond to and submit their responses to the university.

The evaluations came in the form of emails sent out to all UMBC students during the last week of November. The email was sent by UMBC’s recently formed Online Student Course Evaluation Implementation Team.

According to the Implementation Team’s email, students’ responses to the questions on the evaluations “will be kept strictly confidential.” This comes as great news for students wishing to criticize components of curricula or teaching methods in their courses, without having to offend professors or teachers’ assistants.

Although no official statement regarding the matter has been released, feedback results will likely be condensed into reports that academic departments may use to make small adjustments to components of courses for which much feedback has been received.

According to vice provost for academic affairs Antonio Moreira, Ph.D., the transition from paper to screen has been a process in the works years before it finally took flight this year. The Faculty Affairs Committee, part of an organization known as the Faculty Senate, presented the idea.

“This is a decision UMBC has made which is very much in line with our [vision] for efficiency, and utilizing technology […] to make certain processes more flexible for the tasks that need to be done,” said Moreira.

Moreira also said that he has been able to engage in the transition and sees it as a step forward. Being a professor, he said, has helped him better understand the need for student input. “Having feedback is important to me so that I can improve in my delivery of the courses, the examples I use, [and] the things I cover,” said the vice provost.

One student said they completed all four of their course evaluations in 30 minutes. “I feel like the university has made course evaluations more accessible and time-wise, more efficient,“ said freshman computer science major Anna Ecker.

The university previously used scantrons to acquire feedback from students and the online system has already proven to be a much faster mechanism for students. Although there is no grade-based or other type of incentive for completing the evaluations, students can sleep well knowing they’ve contributed to the betterment of the university.

Some students suggested that the new process has its benefits. “You don’t have to waste class time doing course evaluations […] instead they’re all up online,” said junior transfer student and computer science major James Walls.

Other members of the UMBC community fear that the evaluations being online might entail that students feel apathetic towards them and since there is no incentive, there might be a lower response rate. “I think if the evaluations were tied to our grade, [or] if class time were given for students to pull out their laptops and complete it, that might be helpful,” said senior biology major Amy Hoffman.

UMBC administrator Moreira would urge students to complete course evaluations this semester, noting that the greatest incentive is that “the student has an opportunity to help the university improve and move forward.”

“As a student I would be compelled to because […] future students would benefit from my advice,” added Moreira.

Transitioning to this fully-fledged system of online course evaluations will likely have an unmeasured, but still noteworthy impact on students’ experiences at the university. Whether the transition is for the better or worse has yet to be determined.

The last day to submit course evaluations is Dec. 13.

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Photo courtesy of The Zender Bender via Creative Commons

When you hear The Naked and Famous’s “Young Blood,” you will easily recognize this track from various commercials and notable love scenes. Since 2010, this band has continued to make headway with catchy indie music that still top charts. Recently, they released their new album “Simple Forms” and have gone on tour to promote the album. At Rams Head Live they came and performed their new album for fans, while integrating various multimedia outlets.

The performance began with “My Energy,” a mellow track that set the stage for the tranquil and intimate setting that would continue throughout the concert. With an electronic backdrop and the intense red lighting, drew in the audience.

The aesthetic of the performance was quite simple, which strays from other bands that tend towards more over-the-top performances. Though the multimedia imaging was made up of various colored lighting, it was effective in creating an intimate space that could easily be interpreted.

The most notable track performed during the concert was “Higher.” The catchy chorus, mixed with the strobe-lit setting provided fans with an energetic, festival-like setting. With the vocals of the lead singer combined with a classical background, the track was interestingly performed in exactly the same manner as it was performed in the album. Though, it would have been interesting to see a new variation for this performance.

The Naked and Famous were very interactive with the audience, tailoring the concert experience more towards them. It was refreshing for the audience to feel part of the experience, rather than just being spectators.

It would, of course, be a disappointing performance if they did not perform their most famous track. “Young Blood” was easily the most well-received track during the concert. The audience swayed and sang alongside the lead singer, while the drummer and bassist head banged away. Even after six years, their track still is heartwarming and exciting for audiences to see.

The Naked and Famous may not be the most notable band in alternative music today, but their performances are truly unique. Consistently throughout their performance, the band catered to the audience. From the lighting to the music, to the face-to-face interaction with the band, the audience was actively included in the entire event.

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Photo courtesy of Center Stage

“Love is something you use, not something you fall into.” This is the sentiment that drives “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” a play that, put most simply, tells a tale of deceit and cunning seduction. The play, which opened at Baltimore’s Center Stage in Mount Vernon on Friday Dec. 2, brings together an expert cast, stunning costumes and performances that are as smart as they are sexy.

Set in elegant salons and bedrooms in France just before the Revolution, the play opens with a seemingly harmless card game between La Marquise de Merteil (Suzzane Douglas) and Madame de Volanges (Carine Montbertrand). For such a timid opening, the plot almost instantly delves into a fast-paced competition of seduction and betrayal between La Marquise and Le Vicomte de Valmont (Brent Harris).

La Marquise challenges Le Vicomte to sleep with her former lover’s bride-to-be and, immediately, the game begins. Each of them is out to prove that they are better at the game of seduction, bragging that they are better at dishing out unrequited love than the other. Furthermore, the brutal couple are met with characters that are so pitifully ignorant (usually annoyingly so) that it is even difficult to feel bad for them.

A witty dialogue mirrors the dance of deception between La Marquise and Le Vicomte and breaks some of the intensity of the plot. While audience members are sure to be on the edge of their seats throughout the show, they can also rely on the characters’ quick-witted retorts to relieve some of the stress created by the scenes.

Additionally, this show works so well due to the on-stage chemistry between Douglas and Harris. The pair creates a balance between their characters making them equally easy to hate or to adore. This is where the effectiveness of the dynamic lies: while they are seducing their respective partners, they seduce the audience as well.

In addition to superb acting and an enthralling story, the design aspects of the show are stunning. Elegant costumes are paired with beautiful, yet minimal set design pieces. It is even difficult to miss the importance of the lighting and scene changes. It is clear that every aspect of the show was well thought out and executed perfectly.

Though it takes place in a time so far removed from today, it is a story that remains relevant. Even today, it is interesting, funny and intelligent. Running until Dec. 23, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” will not disappoint.

The post Center Stage’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses flirts with deception appeared first on The Retriever.

Let me start off by saying that all of ‘We Got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service’ bangs. A Tribe Called Quest has really outdone themselves with this one. At one point during my first listen, I wondered how long it would be before any other album would be added into my listening rotation. As it turns out, it will be quite some time. 

Overall, the album flows in all the right places and breaks rhythm perfectly. In what is both their first album in 18 years and their final album, they pulled out all the stops. It is clear, throughout the entire album, that Tribe has a mind towards sampling, including everything from Elton John to the Oompa Loompa song. In addition to samples they have an all-star set of featured artists, from Andre 3000 to Kanye West.

The album opens up with a strong political message, “It’s time to go left and not right,” that persists throughout the rest of the album, along with strong racial and cultural messages. With a lyrical element that is as intelligent as it is powerful, Tribe calls attention to the severe inequality, oppression and cultural appropriation that African-Americans face everyday.

Though each song offers a unique sound and contributes to the album’s success as a whole, some tracks stand out.

“The Space Program,” opens the album with an interesting juxtaposition of a bouncy, lighthearted beat under lyrics that reference a political climate plagued with racial injustices. Then, “We the People…” hits harder, both rhythmically and vocally. With lyrics like, “gentrify here now it’s not a shit hole,” and “Muslims and gays, boy, we hate your ways,” Tribe brings light to the negative attitude that is held towards marginalized groups in the U.S.

“Melatonin” is easily one of the best tracks on the album. It’s smooth and psychedelic, but deals with a really emotionally darker side of member Q-Tip. This sets it apart from the rest of the album that is, up to this point, characterized by mostly upbeat or fast-paced rhythms. Thematically, though, the entire album is a lament of the suppression of Black culture, identity and expression.

Following “Melatonin,” the tone of the album changes. With “The Killing Season,” Tribe draws attention to police brutality and “Lost Somebody” talks about struggles of the group moving on and trying to continue recording the album after the death of member Phife Dawg.

The record definitely retains all of the tropes of a good ’90s hip-hop album, which is good news for anyone who wanted to see a glimmer of the old Tribe shine through. However, the album holds its place among modern, more experimental hip-hop albums with impeccable mixing, strong social commentary and lyrical complexity.

There’s no question that this record will be considered one of the best hip-hop albums, and one of the best albums overall, of 2016. If you haven’t listened yet, you’re missing out.

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With the end of the semester coming up, students are hurrying to complete all of their projects and papers. Some candidates for winter commencement have an added layer of stress: waiting to get confirmation that they will actually be graduating.

While most of the graduating student body has gradually been getting email confirmation of their approved graduation application, some students have yet to receive word as to whether or not they will be walking across the stage in the Retriever Activities Center in less than a month’s time.

I am a (hopefully) graduating senior who needs clearance from the media and communication studies, theatre, and English departments. I live in Walker Avenue Apartments, and I keep getting emails about filling out a petition for cancellation.

Walker Avenue Apartments requires that students graduating in December complete a petition for cancellation by Dec. 1, otherwise they could be on the hook for the spring semester’s rent. Residents wishing to fill out this petition must also attach supporting documentation which, unfortunately, some people still haven’t gotten.

 I visited one of my program’s offices, where a helpful staff member informed me that some departments have switched to filling out electronic forms while some departments remain on a paper filing system for graduation applications.

Although students who submitted petitions for graduation can currently check their graduation status online through myUMBC, the status is extremely vague. Applications that have not been approved or denied are simply listed as “under review.” I have no way of knowing which departments haven’t cleared me other than visiting each of them.

I’ll be the first to admit that I could be doing more to determine the status of my graduation application. I’ve only visited the one office, and I’ve buried my head in the sand instead of responding to WAA’s emails (sorry Aunchay!), but should getting approved for graduation really be this difficult? Wasn’t doing schoolwork supposed to be the hard part?

For students like me who are waiting on clearance from three different departments, a uniform, all-electronic filing system where students can be kept abreast of their graduation application’s status would be invaluable. Even something as small as a date by which students should hear back about their application—preferably before housing needs to know—would be an improvement.

I’d hope for the sake of others that I’m the only one having this problem, but I don’t think I am. I know of other students who had been waiting to hear back about their application until just last week, and who were just as panicked as me.

It seems like UMBC is trying to bring its graduation application process into the digital age, which is admirable. However, unless the process is made uniform and student-friendly, students like me will fall through the cracks.

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