Compiled by the Retriever Weekly Senior Staff

On the evening of Feb. 15, Patapsco Hall residents were forced to evacuate due to a tripped fire alarm. Rather than merely waiting outside until they were allowed to reenter, however, students were treated to an unexpected spectacle: the public humiliation of one of their own.

UMBC Police Officer Jamie Cheatem responded to the alarm, and in front of a large crowd of evacuated residents, instructed a student who had been cooking in one of the community kitchens to step forward and tell everyone his name, that he couldn’t cook and that he had “fucked up.”

While some students shrugged off this display as a light-hearted lesson for an irresponsible student and cited their positive experiences with Cheatem, others called for action to be taken against the officer.

Following an article about the incident, reactions from members of the UMBC community on myUMBC have ranged from advocating for Cheatem’s dismissal to requesting that the student apologize to Cheatem. In short, reactions are all over the place.

Cheatem may be a valuable asset to UMBC’s police force and a beloved member of the community, but that doesn’t change the fact that he handled the situation wrongly, mistreating a student in the process. Publicly shaming a student — especially when there is some doubt as to whether or not the student in question actually caused the alarm to go off — was not the right course of action.

Some have argued that Cheatem was just trying to lighten up a gloomy situation. However, this was done at the expense of a student, and Cheatem’s profanity was unprofessional.

Cheatem’s entire career of service should not be ignored in the face of one mistake. He shouldn’t lose his job over this one incident, but the current investigation into his conduct is certainly justified. The relationship between the UMBC community and UMBC’s police force should be built on a foundation of mutual respect, and this recent event does not set a good precedent.

The UMBC Police Department is doing its due diligence by conducting an internal investigation, which is ongoing. UMBC’s Deputy Police Chief Paul Dillon said in an interview on Monday, Feb. 23 that “We have done several interviews of several students, and we have a couple more to go.”

“We’re trying to get as many different perspectives as we can,” Dillon said. The investigation is expected to take a few more days.

Regardless of the outcome of the personnel investigation, the fact that the police department is staging an inquiry is reassuring. By investigating the complaints, the UMBC Police Department has shown that they take their officers’ conduct seriously. Hopefully this incident and the subsequent investigation will lead to better, more respectful interactions between UMBC students and police officers.

UMBC held the first in a series of research symposiums with UMB

A grant for research and development encourages cross campus collaboration between UMBC and UMB. The program has generated new advancements in medicine, technology and science.

In January 2013, UMBC and University of Maryland, Baltimore established a Research and Innovation Partnership Seed Grant Program to encourage faculty from both universities to collaborate. The program allows faculty from both institutions to work across the campuses to advance research in medicine, technology and science.

Over $150,000 is available as grant money. Faculty from both UMBC and UMB can use it purchase equipment, conduct surveys and fund new improvements related to research.

Many faculty are also opting to use the grant money to train and mentor students in their respective areas of research, providing a unique opportunity for students to collaborate across campuses.

On Jan. 30 the first Research and Innovation Partnership Symposium was held at the Albin O. Kuhn library. With UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski and UMB President Jay Perman in attendance, the symposium celebrated the relationship between both universities.

During the event, recipients of the Research and Innovation Partnership Grant Program were also recognized for their innovative research and collaboration across campus boundaries.

Yvonne Maddox, acting director of the National Institute of Health on Minority Health and Health Disparities, was the keynote speaker during the symposium. Maddox emphasized the importance of the union, noting that UMBC and UMB are setting a precedent for the future.

Karl V. Steiner, vice president of research for UMBC said, “it serves as an important milestone for us to take stock of how far we have come with our relationship,” in reference to the affiliation with UMB. Steiner noted the symposium was a reminder of, “how much work and opportunities still [lie] ahead,” in fields of science and technological research.

The event also celebrated previous successful pairings that have benefitted from the grant money and the union occurring between the two institutions. Charles Biebrich, a UMBC Professor of Biological Sciences and Paul Shapiro, a UMB Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences were previous recipients of the grant award to fund their research.

Through collaboration, Biebrich and Shapiro combined their knowledge within their specialized fields to develop a new innovation in medical research.

Shapiro conducted research and developed a new drug designed to target cancer cells resistant to treatment, while Biebrich structured a plan to successfully test the effectiveness of the new drug.

As recipients of the Research and Innovation Partnership Grant Program, Biebrich stated, “We were able to show, using the support of our seed grant, that this actually does work.”

During the Research and Innovation Symposium, UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski captured the spirit of the event stating the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together.”

This pact between UMBC and UMB is proof that cross-collaboration improves the quality of research, allowing both universities the opportunity to excel in innovation.

 

http://www.umbc.edu/window/catalyst_for_collaboration_2015.html

http://my.umbc.edu/news/22242

http://my.umbc.edu/news/49818

Online tool helps student organizations raise money outside of SGA

UMBC has many great organizations and, GiveCorps, a crowdfunding service run by UMBC is a great new way for organizations to fundraise for their causes.

Student organizations are a large part of student life on campus. Sports, social action groups and Greek Life, among many others, all share a common goal of making the UMBC student community a place where everyone feels that they can connect with others who have similar interests. The problem is that they all need funding, which is where GiveCorps, an online crowdfunding site independent from the university, helps any group of students.

Many student organizations undertake projects to help UMBC and the wider community compete in tournaments, competitions and hold events, whether on or off campus. It makes sense that many student organizations need funding to make these dreams a reality.

The UMBC Student Government Association (SGA) started out the 2014-2015 academic year with approximately $230,000. Student organizations on campus are able to request these funds when they would like to hold an event, compete, travel or do anything else that requires funding. Then, the applicant may be granted the full amount, a partial amount, or denied.

GiveCorps, started in June of 2013, allows student groups to create a page specifying what their organization does, why they need money, and how much they need. The page is then posted on UMBC’s GiveCorps and made public for anyone to see.

Felicia Felton, assistant director of Annual Giving from the Office of Institutional Direction, is a student’s best resource for help with and information about getting started with GiveCorps.

For student groups that have a cause they feel should be crowdfunded, Felton said, “student organizations need to start early when planning their fundraiser. Student organizations should plan their marketing strategies and gather their team of fundraisers … before launching their GiveCorps page.”

Some organizations that Felton mentioned as having success in the past with GiveCorps are the Alternative Spring Break programs, the Down and Dirty Dawg Band, the LaMont Toliver Alumni Memorial Scholarship and UMBC Men’s Lacrosse.

Another student organization that had recent success with GiveCorps is the UMBC Swimming and Diving team. Chad Cradock, the swimming and diving head coach, was ready to embrace the idea of crowdfunding as a way to support his team. He argued that while the University provides support, extra fundraising is needed to offset budget and travel costs.

As of February 20, the Swimming and Diving team had raised $19,170, just $830 shy of their goal with ten days to go. Cradock noted that getting the word out and caring about what these athletes do is the key to their success.

Cradock said, “Our program has always had a culture of giving. Our team, alumni, parents and friends love the program and give to what they love.”

To get the word out to potential donors, the team has been sending out bi-weekly reminders about their campaign, proving that raising awareness is one of the most important steps with crowdfunding.

It should also be noted that GiveCorps is continually being modified to best suit students’ needs. Felton said, “UMBC Annual Giving and the team at Network for Good are constantly working on new features to make the GiveCorps platform more user-friendly.”