The UMBC women’s soccer team raised $1300 for breast cancer research during its recent “Fight in Pink” contest on Oct. 14 against Stony Brook. The money will go directly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation that has become the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

The Retrievers sold t-shirts prior to the event and held a silent auction throughout UMBC’s matchup with the Seawolves, in addition to accepting donations.

“I have to give credit to all the UMBC women’s soccer players who initiated the pink game,” head coach Leslie Wray said. “It was their idea to have a match that promoted breast cancer awareness and to help raise funds for Susan G. Komen by selling “Fight in Pink” t-shirts, that they designed.

“We would like to thanks the UMBC students, parents and fans who bought t-shirts to help women’s soccer raise money for this incredible cause,” Wray continued. “So many women are affected by breast cancer and for many of us it hits very close to home. I am glad the UMBC women’s soccer team could contribute to helping all the brave women who are fighting this disease.”

This story originally appeared on UMBC Retrievers.com.

Today’s Gazette reports on clergy in Prince George’s County who are encouraging parishioners to vote against the referendum to expand gambling in Maryland and in Prince George’s County in particular. But Laura Hussey, assistant professor of political science, remarks in the article that clergy who talk politics from the pulpit are less common than some might expect.

Hussey suggests that this is in part because the multifaceted nature of ballot questions, such as the gambling referendum, can make it difficult to take a clear religious stance. “It’s an issue that doesn’t lend itself to being easily decided by the average voter,” she says.

Update (10/27/2012): In a later Washington Examiner article, Hussey remarked on the meaning this election’s historic ballot measures have for voters in Maryland, an overwhelmingly Democratic state where presidential and senatorial races are usually a foregone conclusion. Hussey said, “Here citizens have an opportunity to weigh in, to cast a vote that means something.”

By: DonkeyHotey

On Tuesday night, we witnessed yet another ill-timed comment about sexual assault in the face of the upcoming elections. “Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen,” said Richard Mourdock, Indiana’s Republican candidate for Senate.

To be honest, we’re not surprised.

While there are many issues at stake in this election, rape, contraception, and women’s rights seem to be consistently at the forefront. After Todd Akin’s comments about “legitimate” rape in August, many Americans began to ask questions about the misrepresentation of these issues in the media. But at this point, it’s time to dig deeper.

After Mourdock’s statement, both the Obama campaign and Mitt Romney wasted no time in disassociating themselves from his stance. A few days later, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $1.1. million on a television ad in Indiana that will target the GOP Senate candidate right up until election day.

The question is this: How did we get to a point where politicians are capitalizing on the issue of sexual assault in order to get elected?

While there are few people who would disagree that it’s an important issue to consider when voting, it’s offensive (especially to the victims) that rape is being used as a source of fundraising and public shaming.

Both Republicans and Democrats maintain that this election is about the economy and unemployment, however current undecided voters might view it differently.

Democratic strategist Tracy Sefl was spot-on when she said that

“women’s uteri have become the unfortunate mascot of this cycle.”.

What do you think? Will we ever be able to leave the issue of rape alone once and for all?