Relationship Violence Awareness Month (RVAM) brings people together to create and generate discussion and skill-building on how to prevent relationship violence in our schools, workplaces, and communities, Since most of our campus remains learning and working remotely, we won’t be able to physically come together this October to do this critical work in person… but it doesn’t mean that learning is cancelled!

The Women’s Center is creating weekly postings to help guide your self-learning that we’ll share with you each week in October. We’ve arrived at week 2!  Below is a short list of relevant webinars or events, podcasts or blogs, and on and off-campus resources dedicated to cultivating awareness about relationship violence, posting your skills and knowledge around the intersecting issues, and increasing access to important resources.

While some of the learning content we’re sharing is all-encompassing, we’re also narrowing down on  few key themes this year to include: The Covid-Crossings of Relationship Violence, Relationship Violence’s Matrix of Oppression, and Un/Healthy Relationships for Young Adults. Through self-guided learning, you can dig deeper by listening to a podcast, reading a blog, attending a webinar and more. 

We’ll also be sharing this content on social media so let us know what you’re learning or what questions you have in the comments! 

• Brave Space Forums with the Women’s Center discuss intersectional feminist topics. This year, our Brave Space Forums will have topics under the theme “COVID-19 Crossings”. Join us this week, Thursday, October 15th at 4pm for our Brave Space Forum: Gender in a Pandemic. We will be discussing the ways the pandemic has reshaped, interrogated, and made us reflect on gender roles. Click here to RSVP for this week’s event!

• Last week we shared the Power and Control Wheel, but have you heard of the Equality Wheel? The Equality Wheel offers a view of a healthy relationship that is based on equality and nonviolence. It is applicable to all forms of relationships; with friends, dating partners, intimate partners, life partners, or family members. One of the misconceptions about relationship violence is that it is usually discussed in the context of heterosexual relationships. However, this is far beyond the truth. Intimate partner violence is also an issue in the LGBTQ+ community. Because of this misconception, it was challenging to find an equality wheel that was not explicitly emphasizing one sole gender identity 

• Here is a recent news article titled “ Should You Call The Police If You Hear Your Neighbors Fighting?” A domestic violence expert explains why dialing 911 can sometimes cause more harm than good. This is part of a HuffPost series looking at alternatives to policing.

• TurnAround is an off-campus resource that provides services for all survivors of relationship violence. They also promote resources and information that bring awareness for intimate-partner and sexual violence. Follow TurnAround on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter account, where they provide daily posts dedicated to bringing awareness regarding sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. For more information about their services, click here.

Looking for internship or research opportunities? Want to learn more about a career field or industry? Learning how to network can yield great results, even in the virtual world!

What is networking?

Simply put, the process of making personal and professional connections and building those relationships over time in order to either (1) advance your career knowledge or (2) help you find opportunities related to areas of interest.

When and where should I network?

Networking can occur at any time anywhere -- family gatherings, doctor appointments, conversations with other students at social events, academic department gatherings, or even in the grocery check-out line. The best place to start is by connecting with people you already know. Your network already includes family, friends, neighbors, UMBC faculty and staff, and colleagues.

Can I network now? In a pandemic?? 

Yes!  You can reach out to anyone you know – virtually! 

Although we are in a virtual world, UMBC students also have many opportunities to interact with faculty, staff, alumni, and employers. The Career Center hosts a wide variety of virtual events throughout the academic year ranging from intimate, industry-specific employer panels to large career fairs. See our calendar of events.

How do I start?

The easiest way to begin is with a brief email explaining your motivation for reaching out.  Be sure to attach your resume. To structure the conversation, you can follow the Informational Interview guide – which will help you with questions to consider asking.

Join a student organization to build your network!

Here at UMBC there is wide variety of student organizations!  Whether it is cultural organization, a student group, a living learning community—those bonds begin now and continue long after you graduate. Explore the many affinity groups and clubs of interest.

TIP OF THE DAY:

“Networking can open many doors for students by providing opportunities to gain information, useful skills, and perhaps even your next position… but it can be challenging for those of us with more introverted personalities. The simplest way to start things off, either in person or via email is with a question. The question could be about what their job is, the talk or lecture they just gave, or other interesting item you’d like to know about.”  Cesar E. Perez-Gonzalez, Ph.D., Training Director, NIH, National Eye Institute

READ/WATCH THIS:

• Article: Tips for Successful Networking
• Video: Micro Session: Perfect Your Pitch (10 minutes)

WHAT’S MY NEXT STEP?

Now that you know the many benefits of building a robust network, consider one of the following next steps:

• Join at least one UMBC student organization of your choice to start building connections with those who share similar interests.
• Identify someone in your network and craft an email, requesting an informational interview.
• Craft a 30-second commercial to use for your next informal encounter!

Get the scoop on exciting internship opportunities! Follow the Career Center on Twitter, where we’ll be highlighting amazing internships across a variety of industries all week!

This blogpost was a collaborative effort between all members of the Women’s Center staff team. A majority of this post was written by student staff members.

Today is Indigenous People’s Day. Some may continue to claim this as “Columbus Day” but to celebrate Columbus is to celebrate colonialism, mass genocide, racism, and the (both historic and modern) oppression of Native Americans and all of the indigenous people.

To honor Indigenous People’s Day and the community it centers, the Women’s Center is sharing how we try to honor and acknowledge the Indigenous roots of our area, the land that UMBC occupies, as well as the long history of universities benefitting from the violent seizure of Native lands. 

In doing so, we would like to start by sharing the land recognition statement that we use (with thank yous to the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Dresher Center, and Dr. Ashley Minner from American Studies for sharing the newly official* land recognition statement with us, as well):

UMBC was established upon the land of the Piscataway and Susquehannock peoples. Susquehannocks ceded this land and, over time, citizens of many more Indigenous nations have come to reside in this region. 

For those residing in the area: this is not our land; we occupy it. Colonialism has long undergirded systemic violence faced by Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

We humbly offer our respects to all past, present, and future indigenous people connected to this place.

*as this blog was being written, UMBC released an official land recognition statement that is linked here

Full disclosure: as the Women’s Center has learned more about Indigenous peoples, our land recognition statement evolves. We also recognize that a simple statement is not enough. Land recognition can simply be a performative step of solidarity, so that is why we seek to learn and build on this work. And also why we hope you’ll read on.

What is land recognition and why is it important?

A land recognition is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of a region. It recognizes the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous people and their traditional territories. 

Recognizing the land where we reside is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on. It’s a process of honoring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial (in spite of the notion that Indigenous people are a purely historical population/that Native Americans “don’t exist”). Land recognition is also a way of respecting Indigenous people’s inherent kinship beliefs when it comes to the land as these beliefs were restricted and stigmatized for so long.

Ultimately, land recognition is a process of:

• addressing invisibility
• honoring Indigenous peoples
• raising critical consciousness
• building affinity to create alliances                    

How have universities benefitted from the expulsion and exploitation of Indigenous peoples?

In order to explain how specifically universities have benefitted from colonialism, we look to the 19th century and the oft lionized President Abraham Lincoln. In 1862, Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, which freely distributed “public domain lands” (scare quotes explained below) to universities as seed capital for the creation of “land-grant universities” or LGUs (more appropriately called, “land-GRAB universities”). These lands then raised funds for fledgling colleges, or LGUs, across the nation. The land gifted through the Morrill Act was land seized or ceded by Native Americans to the US government. Although many treaties were created in order to legally and officially exchange land ownership, almost all of these treaties were products of coercion and exploitation of the continued systemic degradation of Indigenous people.

Once the government gifted these land parcels to institutions of higher education, the lands were then either sold to speculators to generate university endowments or universities became speculators themselves on the lands given to them. 

All told, the land-grabs, when adjusted for inflation, were worth about half a billion dollars. 

Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone, “Land-Grab Universities,” High Country News (2020)

In other words, it’s not enough to recognize the land that universities are built on; we must also recognize the land from which universities build a significant profit. In fact, the grants were as big or bigger than major cities, and were often located hundreds or even thousands of miles away from their beneficiaries (this is exemplified by our very own University of Maryland; more below). 

Campuses in the US are inherently built on stolen land, but they are also built by stolen land. 

To see how your college or university directly benefits from land grabs, you can see Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone’s interactive map of the United States and the way the Morrill Act parceled away Indigenous lands.

A university to highlight (in the case of the University System of Maryland) would be the University of Maryland, which, as you can see via Lee and Ahtone’s data, benefitted from 1,456 Indigenous land parcels across the US totaling 202,971 acres.

It can be difficult to imagine how big that much land is, so in terms universities might particularly appreciate that’s:

• 156,132 football fields
• 37,587 Capital One Fields (with a combined capacity of 37,587,222 people social distancing at 5 square feet)
• 152 UMD College Park campuses 
• 406 UMBC campuses
• 3.5 Baltimores

Tribal nations who originated on this violently ceded land include the Chippewa, Ottawa, Kansas, Great and Little Osage, Oto, Missouri, Sioux (Wahpeton and Sisseton Band), Sioux (Medewakanton and Wahpekuta), Chippewa of the Mississippi and Lake Superior, and the Omaha.

Are land recognitions enough?

No.

As we said at the top, land recognition, if not backed by research and a commitment to learning, is performative activism at best. So… what can we do?

Well, we can’t fix the history of land-grab universities. Unless we not only give back stolen land (land which is now used for grocery stores, gas stations, warehouses, entire neighborhoods, baseball stadiums, and cemeteries among other things), but commit to reparations, we can’t fix anything. As Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy is quoted: “The more work that we do with decolonization and reconciliation, the more you start to realize there is no reconciliation without the return of stolen land.”

The more work that we do with decolonization and reconciliation, the more you start to realize there is no reconciliation without the return of stolen land.

Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy

The first step to doing better, is by acknowledging and understanding this history. This is a teeny tiny step, but it’s a step. The information above is by no means complete and it is also mostly from the two-year reporting of Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone of High Country News. You should read the full article here.

Beyond reading and learning (many more resources below), the Women’s Center student staff has also generated some good ideas that we’re ready and willing to share.

Suggestions for going beyond land recognitions

For UMBC in particular:

• Conduct outreach toward the Piscataway Conoy tribe through their Tribal Council and discuss how to make a more readily available path to higher education for those who we owe our campus to 
• More research on UMBC’s Indigenous student populations, especially in differentiating American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN), Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI), and other Indigenous students
• Address the alienation Indigenous students may feel rather than simply asking them to participate in “diversity” initiatives. 
• Implement a Land Recognition policy for all school-funded events
• Include a Land Recognition on all UMBC affiliated websites (we are one step closer as of today with an official UMBC land recognition statement)
• Whenever possible, discuss how programming, curriculum may relate to Indigenous people and their history and interests
• Structure classes to allow students to explore non-normative pedagogies such as those informed by Indigenous cultures and scholars
• Redirect profits made from Indigenous land to supporting the education of indigenous students
• Going beyond awareness of the injustice and actually doing work to challenge the injustice. This means working with the Piscataway Conoy Tribal Council to understand their specific wishes on this. 
• Work with offices like Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (I3B) and/or the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) to create intentional space for Indigenous identifying students on UMBC’s campus
• Support, amplify, and create platforms for Indigenous voices
• Create large-scale events, campaigns celebrating Indigenous People’s Day
• Highlight and encourage research that identifies the inequities Indigenous students face 

Generally speaking

• Research! Get your stories from Indian Country Today, High Country News, Native Lens, or other Indigenous media platforms
• Learn about Indigenous studies through more than just a historical lens
• Whenever possible, discuss how programming, curriculum may relate to Indigenous people and their history and interests
• Structure classes to allow students to explore non-canonical pedagogies such as those informed by Indigenous cultures and scholars
• Redirect profits made from Indigenous land to supporting the education of indigenous students
• Ask Indigenous students what they need to be best supported 
• Create more programming that specifically centers Indigineity 
• Support Indigenous organizations by donating your time and/or money
  • Baltimore American Indian Center       
  • Native American LifeLines, Inc.  
  • Piscataway Conoy Tribe      
  • National Museum of the American Indian 
• Support Indigenous-led grassroots change movements and campaigns
  • Start here: Support local government initiatives to officially change “Columbus Day” to “Indigenous People’s Day” OR call your local representative and ask them why your state is still celebrating Columbus Day. Not sure? Here’s a list from 2019 of states that have made a change.
• Commit to returning land (local, state, federal governments around the world are currently returning land to Indigenous people)
• Support, amplify, and create platforms for Indigenous voices
• Create large-scale events, campaigns celebrating events like Indigenous People’s Day and National Native American Heritage Month (coming in November!!)

Resources:

• LandGrabU.org
• UMBC statement on land recognition
• Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Information
• “Land-grab universities” by Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone, High Country News
• Cornell University and Indigenous Dispossession Project
• Beyond the Land Acknowledgement: College “LAND BACK” or Free Tuition for Native Students, Hack the Gates
• Why Land Acknowledgments Matter by Chip Colwell
• Why capitalize “Indigenous”? by Christine Weeber
• Northwestern University Land Acknowledgement
• Native Lens
• Native Appropriations
• All My Relations Podcast by Matika Wilbur and Adrienne Keene
• Surviving Disappearance, Re-Imagining & Humanizing Native Peoples: Matika Wilbur at TEDxSeattle
• The Anti-Indigenous Handbook By Tristan Ahtone, Lorena Allam, Leilani Rania Ganser, Kalen Goodluck, Brittany Guyot, and Anna V. Smith

So, you’ve decided it’s time to gain some real-world experience by landing a great internship in 2021. But is your resume ready for the spotlight? Your resume is your marketing tool that will  help you land that internship. Do you know on average how long a recruiter spends looking at a resume? 5-7 seconds!!!Therefore, it’s very important that you structure your resume so that it’s easy-to-read to capture the recruiter’s attention. Your resume should showcase your education, skills and experience to show the employer you are a strong candidate for the internship. All experiences count so be sure to include extracurricular activities and volunteer work to show you are a well-rounded candidate.  Once you have developed your resume, you will have a solid foundation, but as you apply, you should always tailor your resume for the specific internship.

TIP OF THE DAY:

Chris Lanthier, Information Systems

Summer 2020 Cyber Systems Intern, Northrop Grumman

“Never say no to experience. Even if you aren't sure what might come out of it or if you're even interested, always seek out ways to grow yourself and your resume so that when the right opportunity does come around, you'll be able to take advantage of it.”

READ/WATCH THIS:

·       Video: Micro Session: How to Write a Stand-out Resume (13 minutes)

·       Sample Resumes by Major

·       Career Guide (Resume Guidelines and Samples)

WHAT’S MY NEXT STEP?

·       Draft your resume and schedule a resume review  appointment through UMBCworks (30 or 60 minute) or 15 minute Express Appointment

Get the scoop on exciting internship opportunities! Follow the Career Center on Twitter, where we’ll be highlighting amazing internships across a variety of industries all week!

You've probably heard it before: Internships are crucial to landing a job after college. So, how do you find that perfect internship to build your experience, expand your connections, and take you one step closer to your future career... even during a pandemic?

Good news... this week (October 12-16) is UMBC Intern Week! The Career Center is here to give you the scoop on landing the internship of your dreams. 

Here's how to engage:

• Follow us here on myUMBC for insider tips on the internship search process
• Follow us on Twitter for exciting, currently available internship opportunities, posted all week
• Join us for How to Land Your Dream Internship on Wednesday, October 14, 12-12:45, including insights from successful past UMBC interns

Take the advice of outstanding UMBC intern Liam on why internships are so essential to your future marketability and networking potential (video):

"During my internship, I got to meet many of the company's top execs, including the CEO. I met so many people that my LinkedIn connections quintupled over the summer." 

COVID-19 may have altered or delayed your internship plans, but now is a great time to start looking to the future and your path toward an amazing career.

Questions? Contact the Career Center's Internships & Employment Team at internships@umbc.edu.

 BVOT is a self-tallying boardroom voting protocol with ballot secrecy, fairness (no tally info. available before polls close), and dispute-freeness (voters can see that all voters followed the protocol).

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UMBC Cyber Defense Lab

BVOT: Self-Tallying Boardroom Voting with Oblivious Transfer

Farid Javani, CSEE, UMBC

12:00–1:00pm, Friday, 6 November 2020

http://umbc.webex.com/meet/sherman

(Joint work with Alan T. Sherman)

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A boardroom election is an election with a small number of voters carried out with public communications. We present BVOT, a self-tallying boardroom voting protocol with ballot secrecy, fairness (no tally information is available before the polls close), and dispute-freeness (voters can observe that all voters correctly followed the protocol).

BVOT works by using a multiparty threshold homomorphic encryption system in which each candidate is associated with a masked unique prime. Each voter engages in an oblivious transfer with an untrusted distributor: the voter selects the index of a prime associated with a candidate and receives the selected prime in a masked form. The voter then casts their vote by encrypting their masked prime and broadcasting it to everyone. The distributor does not learn the voter’s choice, and no one learns the mapping between primes and candidates until the audit phase. By hiding the mapping between primes and candidates, BVOT provides voters with insufficient information to carry out effective cheating. The threshold feature prevents anyone from computing any partial tally—until everyone has voted. Multiplying all votes, their decryption shares, and the unmasking factor yields a product of the primes each raised to the number of votes received.

In contrast to some existing boardroom voting protocols, BVOT does not rely on any zero-knowledge proof; instead, it uses oblivious transfer to assure ballot secrecy and correct vote casting. Also, BVOT can handle multiple candidates in one election. BVOT prevents cheating by hiding crucial information: an attempt to increase the tally of one candidate might increase the tally of another candidate. After all votes are cast, any party can tally the votes.

Farid Javani is a Ph.D. candidate in computer science at UMBC, working with Alan Sherman. His research interests include algorithms, security, applied cryptography, and distributed systems. He is the manager of the Enterprise Architecture team at CCC Information Services in Chicago. email: *protected email*

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Host: Alan T. Sherman, *protected email* Support for this event was provided in part by the National Science Foundation under SFS grant DGE-1753681. The UMBC Cyber Defense Lab meets biweekly Fridays 12-1:00 pm. All meetings are open to the public. Upcoming CDL Meetings: Oct. 30, Jonathan Katz (UMCP), [possibly on secure distributed computation]; Nov. 13, TBA, [possibly: David R Imbordino (NSA), Security of the 2020 presidential election]; and Dec. 11, TBA, [possibly: Peter A. H. Peterson (Univ. of Minnesota Duluth), Adversarial Thinking]

The post talk: BVOT, Self-Tallying Boardroom Voting with Oblivious Transfer; 12-1pm 11/6 appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.