Ramadan is a month dedicated to fasting, spirituality & worship, and charity & community. Ramadan is expected to begin Saturday, April 2. The last day of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, is expected to begin on the evening of May 1. During Ramadan, Muslims around the world fast during daylight hours and increase in their spiritual devotional acts such as prayer and giving to charity. It is the holiest month of the Muslim year and follows the lunar calendar. During this month, no food or drink (including water) may be taken from dawn to dusk Worshippers eat a pre-dawn light meal, called suhoor. After dusk, Muslims break the fast with an evening meal called iftar.
Given Ramadan’s placement during the academic year, this will impact Muslim students, staff, and faculty in various ways. In addition to being aware of this religious observance, you can support members of the Muslim community this month in the following ways:
Understand that Ramadan is a time of spiritual cleansing and reflection.
Acknowledge Ramadan and Eid by wishing folks well.
Be respectful of prayer times - many people are more observant during Ramadan and therefore may need to leave class, meetings, or other obligations to pray for approximately ten minutes.
Ramadan includes evening programs that will require folks to be out late - be understanding and empathetic.
Check-in folks’ mental health and overall well-being.
For more information on how to support the Muslim community this Ramadan, check out the attached handout from the Islamic Center at New York University and head over to the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Towson, MD!
Ramadan Observance is being hosted by the Muslim Student Association. From April 2 through May 2, 2022, the Center for Well-Being hours will be temporarily expanded to 4:30 am - 1:00 am. The Gathering Space corridor (rooms 109 and 105) will be accessible during these times, but the conference rooms and the second floor will not be open.
Participating students are expected to ensure that the space is left clean and organized, and all materials and supplies are put neatly away so that the space can be ready for use during regular business hours. This includes ensuring that ALL food products have been appropriately disposed of and cleaned. Participating students are expected to follow the student code of conduct, and respect the space and property of i3b and the Center for Well-Being. For more information, please contact the Muslim Student Association at umbcmsa@gmail.com.
Chartwell’s has created the following Ramadan-specific dining options. For more information on the below, please contact UMBC Dining.
TRUE GRIT'S: Open Monday-Friday until 8 pm; Saturday and Sunday until 7 pm
There will be a Halal entrée for lunch and dinner. Carryout available during operating hours. Halal items are available for carryout during Sahoor. Assortment of hand fruit will be available.
COMMONS
Halal Shack will be open Monday- Thursday 11 am- 10 pm; Friday-Saturday 11 am- 11 pm (Closed Sunday). Pre-packaged meals from Halal Shack will be made available in the Retriever & Commons Market. Dates will be available. Pre-packaged Snack Boxes are available at the Market.
RETRIEVER MARKET
Pre-packaged meals from Halal Shack will be made available in the Retriever Market (at True Grits). Dates will be available. Pre-packaged Snack Boxes are available.
LATE NIGHT AT TRUE GRIT'S
Halal Chicken Cheesesteak
If you are in need of religious accommodations, please contact the Office of Equity and Inclusion at oei@umbc.edu. For questions about religious and spiritual resources, please contact us at i3b@umbc.edu or contact Dr. Jasmine A. Lee, Director of Inclusive Excellence/Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) jaslee@umbc.edu.
Doughnuts and Discussion
Eat donuts and chat with us (featuring Chip!)
Friday, April 1, 2022 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | The Commons: 2B23
Pizza at Pride: Global Edition
India's LGBTQ+ Community
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 | 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | University Center: Pride Center (201-D)
OCA Mocha Mondays
Diversity Dialogues with i3b
Monday, April 11, 2022 | 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | Off Campus: OCA Mocha
Dialogue and Draw: Social Justice Journeys
Creatively express your journey with social justice
Wednesday, April 13, 2022 | 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | The Center for Well-Being: 118
i3b's SafeZone Training
LGBTQ+ Allyship Development Workshop
Friday, April 15, 2022 | 9:00a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | The Commons
Workshop Wednesdays: Exploring Disability and Accessibility
Critical Social Justice: Disability Justice + Access Matters
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Online
myUMBC Event Post: Link | Webex Link
Bagels & Banter: Gathering with Games
Enjoy some bagels, play some games with friends
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | 4:00 - 5:15 p.m. | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | The Center for Well-Being: 109
[BETA Version] DreamZone Training
Immigrant Allyship Development Workshop
Friday, April 22, 2022 | 10:00a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | The Center for Well-Being: 118
Interfaith Dialogue Series
Difficult Dialogues Across Difference
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | The Center for Well-Being
Retriever Immigrants United: Immigrant Day of Action
Discuss how to create an immigrant support network
Thursday, April 28, 2022 | 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. | In-Person
myUMBC Event Post: Link | The Commons: 2B23 ]]>We are excited to launch a workshop, training, and dialogue request form for i3b requests! You can fill out the form for any of your needs and we will follow up and connect from there. This form can be used to make requests for engagements for student, staff and faculty audiences.
Our IDEAList peer educators do requests for student audiences. The IDEAList program aims to provide peer-led interactive workshops rooted in dialogue and social justice. Our i3b Professional Staff do requests for staff and faculty audiences.
There is a 2 week advance notice time that we ask for so we can best plan for your request and with our schedules. If you have any follow up questions, please feel free to reach out to i3b@umbc.edu. We appreciate you using this form to help us centralize requests and best track interest in our workshops, training, and dialogues!
Workshop, Training, and Dialogue Request Form linked HERE.
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