Welcome to UMBC! Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) helps faculty, staff, students, and students develop the knowledge, awareness, and skills to cultivate an inclusive and social justice-oriented campus community. In short, we provide student-facing diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice programming, leadership development, dialogue facilitation, and training.

Join us for a few opportunities to learn more about i3b and our work on campus.

1. Annual Campus Partner Connect/Lunch & Learn for new faculty and staff
1. During this 45-minute session, we will introduce participants to who i3b is and how we support students. We will also share opportunities and updates on our semester initiatives, how you can engage with us, and highlight campus partners supporting underrepresented and/or marginalized UMBC students. Lastly, attendees will also learn how i3b can provide consultation, training, and workshops for your classroom, department, or staff team.
2. Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022
3. Time: 12 - 12:45 p.m.
4. Location - Virtual: https://umbc.webex.com/umbc/j.php?MTID=mee728afd0db5b0bda6e7aef76aa0ce43
2. Annual Fall Reception for light refreshments and connection opportunities
1. Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022
2. Time: 4 - 6 p.m.
3. Location: Commons Terrace

Unable to attend any of the events above? No worries! See below for departmental information and resources:

Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging 

Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being and other resources to support spiritual or religious diversity (including non-religious spiritual practices)

The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity and other resources to support racial, ethnic, national, or cultural diversity

The Pride Center and other resources to support LGBTQIA+ diversity

i3b Training, Dialogue, and Social Justice Education area and other resources to support training, dialogue, and social justice competency development

Welcome to fall kick off at UMBC! We are so excited to start the semester in community with all of you!

Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) helps faculty, staff, students, and students develop the knowledge, awareness, and skills to cultivate an inclusive and social justice-oriented campus community. In short, we provide student-facing diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice programming, leadership development, dialogue facilitation, and training, in addition to lounge and community building spaces in our three identity, inclusion, and belonging spaces across campus.

 Join us for a few opportunities to learn more about i3b and our work on campus.

1. Join us TODAY for in-person open houses in our three identity, inclusion, and belonging spaces: The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity, The Pride Center, and The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being. Stop by in between your classes or meetings to learn more about our spaces and how they support, affirm, and celebrate our students. All open houses will take place from 10:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m. Pop in for free popcorn and giveaways, while supplies last

1. The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity, 232B Commons Building

2. Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, 103 Center for Well-Being

3. Pride Center, 201D University Center

2. Join Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) for our annual Campus Partner Connect

1. The i3b Campus Partner Connect/Lunch & Learn is a session geared toward new faculty and staff joining our UMBC community. During this 45-minute session, we will introduce participants to who i3b is and how we support students. We will also share opportunities and updates on our semester initiatives, how you can engage with us, and highlight campus partners supporting underrepresented and/or marginalized UMBC students. Lastly, attendees will also learn how i3b can provide consultation, training, and workshops for your classroom, department, or staff team.

1. Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022

2. Time: 12:00 - 12:45 p.m.

3. Location - Virtual: https://umbc.webex.com/umbc/j.php?MTID=mee728afd0db5b0bda6e7aef76aa0ce43

1. Join Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) for our annual Fall Reception for light refreshments and connection opportunities. 

1. Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022

2. Time: 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

3. Location: Commons Terrace

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Unable to attend any of the events above? No worries! See below for departmental information and resources:

• Information on Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging 

• Information on the Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being and other resources to support spiritual or religious diversity (including non-religious spiritual practices)

• Information on The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity and other resources to support racial, ethnic, national, or cultural diversity

• Information on The Pride Center and other resources to support LGBTQIA+ diversity

• Information on i3b’s Training, Dialogue, and Social Justice Education area and other resources to support training, dialogue, and social justice competency development

Key Points

• The university continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and is also developing response protocols for Monkeypox. 

• At the start of the semester, masks remain required in classrooms and other instructional spaces. Free masks are available on campus. 

• UMBC has launched a new Monkeypox informational webpage. 

Dear UMBC Community,

While there is much to look forward to in the fall semester, we know that many in our community continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and that there are also questions and concerns about health risks associated with Monkeypox. Our COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee (CPCC) has been monitoring both situations and consulting with health and safety experts to understand how we can best prepare. 

Continuing COVID-19 Response

• All community members are strongly encouraged to remain up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination to minimize the severity of illness in our community. 

• Residential students are required to be up to date with vaccination and have received detailed instructions on how to share their vaccination records.

• We continue to require masks in classrooms and instructional spaces and recommend them in other campus spaces. Additional details are available here.

• Free high-quality masks are available at locations across campus including at the RAC, the Library, and the Commons Information Center. 

• We continue to provide free rapid tests on campus. 

• Community members who test positive should report their case to the university to receive additional guidance. 

• The CDC still recommends isolation for individuals who test positive or who feel sick and are awaiting test results. Do not come to campus if you have symptoms or are sick. The full CDC guidance is available here.

Monkeypox (MPX) Update

At this time, there are no reported cases of Monkeypox (MPX) on the UMBC campus. The CPCC is meeting regularly to assess the situation and establish treatment and cleaning protocols. Our team is also preparing to respond to potential cases on campus. We are also working closely with the Baltimore County Health Department, which will coordinate regional tracking, collect case reports, and contact individuals who have been exposed.

We encourage all in our community to learn more about this disease, how it is spread, and how you can help prevent transmission. We have developed and will continue to update this informational webpage. If you believe you may have symptoms of MPX or have been in close physical contact with someone who has symptoms, please contact your primary health provider. Students can also contact Retriever Integrated Health for a phone consultation at 410-455-2542. 

If you have any questions about the campus response to COVID-19 or MPX, you can contact us at covid19@umbc.edu. Thank you for helping keep our community healthy. We look forward to seeing you on campus next week.

Provost Philip Rous

Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Jack Suess '81, M.S. '95

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs