Watch Chip lead the way to accessible paths on campus!
Next tour- Nov. 19 @ Math/Psych 222!
October was Disability Identity and Awareness Month, and SDS was bustling with exciting events! One of the highlights was welcoming our special guest, Chip, who joined us for one of our monthly Accessibility Walk & Roll Tours.
We're thrilled to share a video showcasing Chip as she explores and demonstrates some of the accessible routes around campus. If you missed this one, don't worry! There are more opportunities to join us. Our next tour will take place on
November 19 at 12 PM.
What are the features? We have
many, including a Skywalk and several upgrades (lecture halls and elevators) and more on the way.
We will gather in the ADS Conference Room - learn the skywalk and tunnel connections within the Academic Core, review Adaptive Computing within the Library, and visit the reception area of Retriever Integrated Health - which supports both physical and mental health. The tour is limited to a small group, and please know that mask use is VERY WELCOME.
UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all. To request accommodation(s) or to inquire about event accessibility, please contact us via slazar@umbc.edu with "November 10/11 Accessibility Tour" in the subject line.
Can't make the day or time? More tours are planned. Have a (small) group? Email us to set up a day and time that works for the occasion.
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October was Disability Identity and Awareness Month, and SDS was bustling with exciting events! One of the highlights was welcoming our special guest, Chip, who joined us for one of our monthly...
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Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:14:43 -0500
Building Bridges Across Difference: A Dialogue for Every Day
Overall Series Description:
The Building Bridges Across Difference: A Dialogue for Every Day series equips faculty, staff, and students with practical tools to foster connection and understanding across differences in today’s polarized climate. Grounded in the Center for Social Justice Dialogue's commitment to shared power and inclusive practices, this series provides strategies to build trust, navigate challenging and emotionally charged moments, and create environments that encourage community and mutual respect. By embracing intergroup dialogue practices daily, participants will enhance their ability to inspire critical self-reflection, cultural storytelling, generous listening, and loving accountability.
All sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 11:30 - 1:30 pm and will be held VIRTUALLY.
If you have accessibility needs, please email csjdialogue@umbc.edu.
Session Descriptions:
1. Exploring Socialization and Liberation, 9/17
RSVP: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csjd/events/143931
From childhood to the workplace, we are influenced by powerful cultural and institutional messages that shape our understanding of who we are and how we relate to others. In this session, we’ll engage the Cycles of Socialization and Liberation to examine how these messages shape our perspectives and behaviors. Participants will reflect on their own socialization and explore ways to move toward more equitable and liberatory practices.
2. Understanding Identity in Community, 10/15
RSVP: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csjd/events/143932
Each of us brings a unique set of identities to our roles on campus, some are visible, while others are less so. This session uses an identity chart activity to explore how our identities influence our experiences, relationships, and sense of belonging at UMBC. Together, we’ll build a shared understanding of power, privilege, and difference, and explore what each of us can do about it at UMBC.
3. Imagining Justice and Belonging Together, 11/19
RSVP: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csjd/events/143933
What might it look like to co-create a campus rooted in compassion, equity, and joy? In this session, we’ll use creative visioning tools to imagine a more just and inclusive UMBC. Participants will explore actionable ways to foster a culture of care, connection, and collective responsibility.
This series is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.
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Overall Series Description: The Building Bridges Across Difference: A Dialogue for Every Day series equips faculty, staff, and students with practical tools to foster connection and understanding...
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Mon, 11 Aug 2025 11:14:55 -0400
Call for Culture Builders
Deepen your commitment to inclusive excellence
Updated application details:
To be considered, please use THIS FORM to provide the personal information and your statement of interest by May 30, 2025. Additionally, your immediate supervisor must complete and submit the Supervisor Support Form, indicating their endorsement of your participation and commitment to supporting your proposed Culture Builders initiative by May 30, 2025.
Note: You will need your UMBC login credentials to access both forms.
_____________
Call for Culture Builders
We are excited to invite you to partner with the Division of Institutional Equity in an ongoing, community-wide effort to foster a more loving, inclusive, and just campus: Culture Builders.
Culture building is the intentional practice of developing shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape how we live, learn, and lead together. In a time marked by polarization and a loss of shared humanity, creating an inclusive culture requires all of us. Each of us has a role to play.
More than a semesterly speaker series, Culture Builders is a call to action. It’s a space where faculty and staff can deepen their commitment to inclusive excellence by:
Engaging in critical conversations about identity, community, and belonging
Centering shared values that draw us closer across lines of difference
Exploring practices and programs that support inclusive engagement, teaching, service, leadership, and scholarship
Co-creating a campus culture where everyone feels seen, valued, and supported
We invite you to join the fall '25 Culture Builders Cohort as a thought partner, co-sponsor, and co-facilitator. This fall’s shared text will be Critical Hope by Dr. Kari Grain—a powerful exploration of how we can lead with clarity, complexity, and care in the pursuit of justice.
Drawing from the book’s key themes—including the importance of grounded action over naïve optimism, leading with imagination, and cultivating hope through reflection and radical relationships—our fall cohort will focus on how these practices can shape UMBC’s culture of inclusive excellence. Explore the fall themes HERE.
What to Expect:
Small cohort experience: Only 8 Culture Builders will be selected per semester. Culture builders will represent their office/department.
Shared learning: Culture Builders will participate in three virtual dialogues (July, August, and September) to explore the book and identify themes and values that can inform institutional change. We will provide each participant with a free copy of Critical Hope.
Campus engagement: Each Culture Builder will host a fall event, program, or learning opportunity connected to cohort themes. We will provide up to $500 in funding per event.
Community connection: All Culture Builders will promote and attend the fall Culture Builders keynote event in November. We will host and fully fund this event and provide 20 free copies of Critical Hope to audience members.
To explore the ideas behind the book, you can listen to the following podcast interviews with Dr. Kari Grain: Critical Hope for Educators: Equity Analysis, Possibility, and Responsibility. You might also read The Social Justice Turn: Cultivating "Critical Hope" in an Age of Despair by Kari M. Grain and Darren E. Lund.
If you’re already leading equity-centered work or seeking a way to begin, this is your invitation! Become a Culture Builder and help shape the culture we want to see at UMBC.
To be considered, please use THIS FORM to provide the personal information and your statement of interest by May 30, 2025. Additionally, your immediate supervisor must complete and submit the Supervisor Support Form, indicating their endorsement of your participation and commitment to supporting your proposed Culture Builders initiative by May 30, 2025.
Note: You will need your UMBC login credentials to access both forms.