Retriever Essentials is a faculty, staff, and student partnership tackling food insecurity in the UMBC community. The program offers three ways for students to receive access to healthy foods and other essential supplies, free of charge: Food Zones, Save a Swipe, and Community Partnerships. Food Zones are seven designated locations on campus where students or any UMBC member can anonymously pick up a pre-packed bag of non-perishable groceries and toiletries. The intake process is anonymous, but a short demographic-based intake survey is required; no financial evidence of need is required. Additionally, there are 4 locations on campus, and 1 off-campus, with donation bins. Retriever Essentials is a fully donation-supported food pantry, where the campus community routinely provides non-perishable groceries for distribution. The Save-a-Swipe program provides free meals to the students at the campus dining hall. Students with meal plans can sign up to donate either 5 or 10 meals to the Save a Swipe “pool.” These meals then become available for use by students who are identified as food insecure by trained Retriever Essentials team members and campus staff (Retriever Essentials Case Managers), so they can eat on campus for free. Community partnerships act as the final pillar to Retriever Essentials. Retriever Essentials is aware that food insecurity is often the tip of the iceberg in a student’s financial struggle and can be the first of many barriers to academic success. To provide support for “higher needs services,” the Retriever Essentials Case Managers will refer students who are utilizing Retriever Essentials to other campus and/or community resources. All three aspects of Retriever Essentials programming provide a pathway to academic/career success for the most at-risk UMBC members.
Member Duties : The CCMA AmeriCorps VISTA will implement the operation manual to continue institutionalizing all Retriever Essentials programming, while updating the manual to ensure needs are met in the most efficiently. They will coordinate volunteers for daily operations of the food pantry, including donation collection, inventory, bag packing/delivery, and client shopping. The VISTA will also develop a fundraising plan to raise money to support the new permanent pantry space on campus and to fund a staff member. They will work to develop partnerships with departments and student groups and on and off campus partners to provide programming and events around food justice and healthy eating on a budget. Additionally, the VISTA will coordinate the student leadership board to help institutionalize Retriever Essentials. They will train students in researching and advocating for food and housing insecure students. The VISTA will create and update promotional content and develop marketing strategies.
Program Benefits : Childcare assistance if eligible , Gym Membership , Relocation Allowance , Choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend , Training , Living Allowance , Health Coverage* .
Not one, but three UMBC students have been named Barry Goldwater Scholars for the 2020 – 2021 academic year, earning one of the most prestigious scholarships available to U.S. undergraduates pursuing research in STEM fields. This is the second time that three UMBC students have received Goldwater Scholarships in the same year.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program seeks to provide the United States with “a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.” UMBC’s Goldwater Scholars include Jordan Troutman ‘21, M29, computer science and mathematics; Dominique Brooks ‘21, M29, biological sciences; and Olumide Fagboyegun ‘21, M29, biochemistry. They will receive substantial scholarship funding that advances their undergraduate work and supports their undergraduate educational paths.
“We are so proud of UMBC’s Goldwater Scholars. Each student will make significant contributions to their respective fields, as future Ph.D.s,” says April Householder, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships at UMBC. “Their research—in neuroscience, genetics, and machine learning bias—is timely and important. We can’t wait to see where they will take it with the help of this scholarship.”
Brooks, Fagboyegun, and Troutman are among the 396 winners selected this year. More than 1,300 students applied from 461 institutions across the country.
Dear Women’s Center Community -
Despite the necessary call for physical distancing and our new reality of distance learning, community building, care, and support remain central to the Women’s Center’s mission. We know that, even through physical/social distancing, our students, faculty, and staff may need support and community--and the Women's Center hopes to continue doing what we do best during this time to strengthen our community!
We’re looking for your feedback to help us re-envision what the remainder of the semester can look like to include what you want and need from the Women’s Center. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions. Your feedback will assist us in how to tailor our services to best meet your needs.
Please respond using our Google Form: https://forms.gle/8MnHQszywvuz3Q8s7 by the end of this week, Friday, April 3rd
For additional questions and/or to set up a 1-1 virtual support meeting with a professional staff member, please email us at womenscenter@umbc.edu. Fore more information about our current services during this time of distance learning, please visit: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/womenscenter/posts/91324.
Thank you and be well!
Women’s Center Staff
Graduation for many students is just around the corner. We’re in the second half of the semester and it’s the home stretch. For many of you, the job search has begun. So now, it’s time to polish up that resume and start applying to jobs. But what if you don’t have a whole lot of experience in your field of interest? That’s not uncommon for an undergraduate student looking for their first job out of college. So how do you pitch yourself as the ideal candidate for a job without the relevant experience? You focus on your Transferable Skills.
Transferable Skills are the skills you’ve learned throughout your life in different areas that apply to any job you’re applying for. Skills like adaptability, communication, and teamwork are all great to have not only on your resume, but to emphasize in a cover letter or interview. As long as you can back up your claim with a story or instance where you used that skill, you can
use it. While the semester and your schoolwork have gotten more complicated thanks to Covid-19, you’re also learning critical skills in digital technology, communication, and adaptability. Learning to articulate your transferable skills will give you a leg up in the job search.
The top Transferable Skills employers look for according to NACE are:
Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving
Think about a time where you were faced with a problem that needed to be solved. How did you go about it? For example, did you have to change your spring break plans at the last minute because of Covid-19? How did you solve that problem?
Oral/Written Communication Skills
Your resume and cover letters are an example of your written communication skills, and your interview is a good representation of your oral communication skills. Another question employers might ask would include public speaking. Have you ever done a presentation in front of a class or for your work?
Teamwork/Collaboration
Think about a time you had to work on a team. How did you handle the situation? Were there conflicts you needed to solve?
Digital Technology
Think about what computer skills you have, are they what the employers are looking for? Can you think of a time where you had to learn a new software or application on the job or for a class? For example, did you have to quickly learn how to use Webex for a class because of the pandemic?
Leadership
Think about a time you expressed leadership qualities, what did you do and how?
Professionalism/Work Ethic
Has there ever been a time where you needed to work with an angry customer or solve a workplace dispute? Or did you need to switch quickly from in-person work to remote work for your job? How did you hold yourself accountable at home?
Career Management
Do you have the skills necessary to build and manage your career on your own? Do you have goals and a strategy to achieve those goals?
Global/Intercultural Fluency
Talk about a time you worked with someone from a different culture or background as you. Was there a conflict to resolve professionally?
These are skills that you can learn through your classes, at an internship, or through any job you may have held, and many of these skills will come in handy for your classes and jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic. You don’t have to have learned or used these skills in a completely relevant job or internship to your field of interest, these skills are life skills. Of course, if you need any help articulating these skills, the Career Center is here to help!
Campus Life’s Mosaic, Interfaith and Pride Centers Community Members,
This is our third post in our COVID-19 related updates. To check out the content of our first two posts, please click here. This post covers Campus Life resources and how to stay connected to us through our virtual platforms. We encourage you to read this and previous COVID-19 posts in their entirety to answer any frequently asked questions.
Resources
Campus Life Student Diversity and Inclusion Area updates:
Retriever Essentials: Due to our physical spaces being closed, the Mosaic is not currently serving as a Distribution Center for Retriever Essentials. We encourage you to visit the Retriever Essentials myUMBC group page for updates or contact the UMBC Police (410) 455-5555.
Social Media: Brand new!Our area now has an Instagram Account! Be sure to follow us at @umbc_clmosaicinterfaithpride (no posts have been made live yet) for our regular posts starting Wednesday, April 1st!
As our following base grows, we will provide opportunities for UMBC community members to promote their diversity, equity, and inclusion based events, initiatives, and/or resources. Please contact Heidy George, Program Associate for Student Diversity and Inclusion if you have any questions related to our social media accounts.
We also encourage you to use the #UMBCtogether to stay connected with the wider UMBC community!
Other Campus Life Resources and contact information
In the meantime, we also encourage you to “like,” “follow,” and/or “favorite” other Campus Life related pages below:
Campus Life
Commonvision
Events Conference Services and Operations
Student Government Association (SGA)
myUMBC | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | sga@umbc.edu
Students Events Board (seb)
myUMBC | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | seb@umbc.edu
For other questions related to Greek Life, Leadership, and Student Organizations, please contact Jen Dress, Associate Director for Engagement at dress@umbc.edu.
For other Campus resources, please stay tuned to updates in our COVID-19 resources and updates document.
Community Resources
For access to health and human services information, visit 2-1-1 Maryland or dial 2-1-1.
If you would like to include any further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-based resources for students from your department and/or office, please fill out our Campus Life’s Student Diversity and Inclusion Resource Submission Google Form.
If you would like to submit any UMBC resource to the wider UMBC community, please email the Community Resilience Workgroup at reachtogether@umbc.edu.
-Campus Life's Student Diversity and Inclusion staff
Immediate Openings for the critical role of Clinical Assistant I for KKI’s Neurobehavioral Unit (NBU) in Baltimore.
All majors are considered for this role.
KKI provides full training for this position.
Interviews will be conducted virtually
via Zoom for selected candidates.
KKI offers tuition remission for eligible
employees who work in the Neurobehavioral Unit.
Kennedy Krieger Virtual Interviews on 4/14 (via Zoom)
Position: Clinical Assistant I
Apply in UMBCworks :
Look for Position ID: 9313893
Deadline to apply in UMBCworks
is: April 5th
Clinical Assistant Role
The Clinical Assistant will provide direct
care and supervision of patients admitted to the Inpatient Neurobehavioral
Unit, implement written behavioral and educational protocols, and collect data
on patient-specific target behaviors.
See UMBCworks for a full position description – Position ID: 9313893
Hello Campus Life’s Mosaic, Interfaith and Pride Centers Community Members,
This is the second post in our COVID-19 related updates. To check out the content of our first post, please click here. As we continue our online transitions, we would like to provide you with information related to our Spring 2020 programs. We encourage you to read this and previous COVID-19 posts in their entirety to answer any frequently asked questions.
Due to the physical campus closure, the remaining programs for Spring 2020 will be postponed to Fall 2020.Event links will be posted in the upcoming weeks. The events impacted due to this closure and new calendar updates are listed below:
PAWTalks: Janel Martinez: Ain’t I Latina? Exploring Anti-Blackness in the Latinx Community
Original Date:Tuesday, March 24th
New Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2020 | Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m. | Location: The Skylight Room
Pawsitive Bodies and Minds: Living with HIV: Exploring HIV and HIV Stigma
Original Date: Monday, April 6th
New Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 | Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m. | Location: The Commons 331
PAWTalks: Andy DeVos: Understanding Racial Disparities in Baltimore City
Original Date: Wednesday, April 15th
New Date: TBD
What’s The (T)ea? “Okay Boomer”: Socioeconomic challenges facing Millennials and Gen Z
Original Date: Thursday, April 30th
New Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2020| Time: 4:00-5:30 p.m. | Location: The Commons 329
Original Date: Wednesday, May 6th
New Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 | Time: 4:00-5:30 p.m. | Location: The Commons 329
Mosaic’s 7th Annual Lavender Celebration*
Original Date: Tuesday, May 12th
Tentative New Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2020 | Time: 6:00-8:00p.m. | Location: The Skylight Room
Dear Campus Life’s Mosaic, Interfaith and Pride Centers Community Members,
We hope this message finds you well during this virtual transition. As our campus transitions online, we would like to provide you with information related to our operations, programs, resources and other important updates. We encourage you to read this post and other posts in this series in their entirety to answer any frequently asked questions. Please note that this Campus Life Student Diversity and Inclusion specific information is subject to change based on the rapidly changing federal, state, and/or local public health response to COVID-19. To stay up to date to updates related to our departmental spaces, please click herefor updates beyond today, March 27th 2020.For UMBC campus wide information related to COVID-19, please visit covid19.umbc.edu.
General Updates and Contact information
Campus Life’s Mosaic, Interfaith, and Pride Centers have migrated online and our physical spaces will be closed until further notice. Our Student Diversity and Inclusion staff will be available from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday either online or by phone. Please refer to our contact list below for further details:
If you are a student or student org leader who would like to reach out to our Summer 2020 Student Diversity and Inclusion Peer, please email Sofía Encarnacíon at sencarn1@umbc.edu.
If you have questions regarding Mosaic related resources or upcoming programs, please contact Carlos Turcios, Coordinator for Student Diversity and Inclusion at carlos6@umbc.edu, (410) 455-1825, or at mosaic@umbc.edu.
If you have questions regarding the Interfaith Center or Religious and Spiritual resources, please contact Erin Waddles, Coordinator for Student Diversity and Inclusion at waddles@umbc.edu, (410) 455-3242, or at interfaith@umbc.edu.
If you have questions regarding the Pride Center or LGBTQ+ resources, email Heidy George, Program Associate for Student Diversity and Inclusion at hmg@umbc.edu, (410) 455-3014, or at lgbtq@umbc.edu.
If you have other questions related to our diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice work, resources, partnerships and collaborations, please contact Lisa Gray, Associate Director for Student Diversity and Inclusion at lisamgray@umbc.edu or at 410-455-8478.
Campus Life’s Student Diversity and Inclusion staff also will be available virtually by appointment starting Wednesday, April 1st. Below are links to each of our appointment times. If possible, please schedule your meeting 48 hours in advance.
Diversity Peer, Sofía: Please email her directly to schedule an appointment time.
Carlos: Available appointment slots
Heidy: Available appointment slots
Please note that we will be sending out additional posts related to our Summer 2020 programs, virtual resources, social media, and student employment opportunities for the 2020-2021 academic year! In the meantime, please feel free to email us with any questions.