1. Tell us a little about yourself (how you are involved with the Learning Resources Center, where are you from, what are you studying).

I'm Karen Nguyen, a junior Biology major and Spanish minor, tutoring all levels of Spanish for the LRC. I'm from Harford County, Maryland (but no one knows where that is).

2. Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

I like to keep myself busy and make new friends, thus I'm involved on campus as president of alpha Kappa Delta Phi, an officer of the Viet Nam Medical Assistance Program, and a member of the Honors College!

3. How long have you been a tutor?

This is my 5th semester as a Spanish tutor!

4. How and why did you get involved in being a tutor?

I had a lot of friends come to me with questions about Spanish, and I realized that I really enjoy being able to help others learn a new language and pass their classes.

5. What is your favorite thing about being a tutor?

Being a tutor can be frustrating at times, but it is also extremely rewarding to know that you have been of help to fellow students. Last year, one of my tutees came up to me and said that he appreciated how much I tried to help him, and was thus able to pass Spanish to graduate -- I'm grateful to have this teaching opportunity.

6. Why should students utilize the tutoring?

Tutoring is a FREE and great way to get help in a class you're struggling with, especially as you are being tutored by peers, who understand how hard a subject can be to learn, as fellow students.

7. What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a tutoring session?

Come to tutoring sessions prepared to ask questions, and bring all class materials.

8. When and where can someone work with you through the Learning Resources Center?

It's very easy to make a tutoring appointment! Just go to the LRC website and fill out the online application to be matched with a tutor. You could be my next tutee!

The Women’s Center’s Spring Roundtable series has begun! On February 14th, we hosted the first of our three-part roundtable “Underrepresentation of Women in…” series. This roundtable was on “Women in Politics” and focused on the lack of women in the political sphere and the establishment.

For this discussion, our panelists were Political Science professor Lisa Vetter, Language Literacy and Culture student Colonel Ingrid Parker, and student staff member Kayla Smith.

The discussion opened with a question about gendered communication and how to express femininity in a workspace that’s male dominated. Kayla and Colonel Parker both agreed that being a “chameleon,” or being fluid in how they present themselves based on their audience, has worked for them in the past. 

The conversation then turned to Hillary Clinton’s presidential loss. The suggestion was made that the glass ceiling was now higher than it had previously been as a result of someone as qualified as Clinton losing to someone as seemingly unqualified as President Trump. People in politics may be more scared to back women running for office because women don’t seem to get the votes to take office. Therefore the goal of making a woman president is even more elusive. Furthermore, after learning that some women need to be asked more than five times to run for office, there was some concern that Clinton’s loss would discourage more women from entering the political sphere for fear of disappointment; however, Colonel Parker reminded everyone that the next step should be to stay hopeful and push forward no matter what happens. 

When Jess Myers asked about the silencing of Elizabeth Warren on the Senate floor during the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Kayla pointed out that the silencing of Elizabeth Warren was really the silencing of Coretta Scott King. Kayla went on to explain that, because her feminism is intrinsically connected to her race, it’s impossible for her to ignore the ramifications she faces in the establishment due to being a black woman. 

When the discussion was opened up to the audience, a student asked a question about coping with the effects of mental health when looking at barriers to women in politics. Colonel Parker spoke about the benefits of finding coping mechanisms like eating well, spending time with family, and working out. Kayla suggested finding supportive groups of women to help and uplift you in the face of adversity. Women’s Center Assistant Director Megan Tagle Adams added that it isn’t always enough for their to be more women in a space but that they should also be supportive of women excelling instead of engaging in “mean girl” tactics.

Another audience member asked Kayla what her opinion was on changing the establishment to include women and people of color to which she responded, “It’s important for people to be educated. They need to learn that our government and political system is built on white supremacy, racism, and sexism. Nothing will change until people understand where we started and that those things still play a major role in our system.”

Overall, the subject of women’s underrepresentation in politics is vast and complicated and while we barely scratched the surface in this hour long discussion, we did our best to open the dialogue and get people talking and thinking.

Want more information? Below are some links further discussing women, the establishment, and politics.

• Almost 1 in 5 Congress Members Are Women. Here’s How Other Jobs Compare
• For Women in Politics, the Glass Ceiling Is Now Higher Than Ever
• Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership (an older article but we liked the imagery of the labyrinth; speaks to women + leadership in general)

So has this discussion fired you up? Are you interested in running for office (public, school, or otherwise)? Have you heard about Elect Her? Elect Her is a leadership program that encourages and trains college women to run for student government and future political office

There is an an Elect Her workshop on March 11th from 10:30-3:30 in Fine Arts 011. You will learn how to figure out what your message and platform is, how to craft a communication strategy that works, and you’ll hear from campus and community leaders about what it takes to win. It is going to be a great day!

If you have questions or want to RSVP, contact Dr. Kate. (drabinsk@umbc.edu.)

A weekly round-up curated by Women’s Center staff member, Michael Jalloh Jamboria

In the spirit of my friend, who gave us the glorious name ‘Slaying on the Weekly’, every week I will be bringing you some interesting, funny or thought-provoking content from the internet! Be sure to join us next week for more and continue to slay!

Things you should know:

February is Black History Month! Join us in celebrating the lives, activism and labor of African-American and Black activists, scholars and thinkers this month.

Immigrants in the US have become subjected to violent mass raids and deportation. DREM, Desis Rising Up and Moving, created a Guide for Sharing Reports on Social Media.

Article of the Week:

Do you ever find yourself asking “What is the Black Lives Matter Movement? What does it consist of and why should it matter to me?” That’s ok! Everyday Feminism has a great video on What You Need to Know About Black Lives Matter.

UMBC Happenings:

The Women’s Center is continually dedicated to support throughout this semester and beyond. February is full of events and programs, all of which are geared towards expanding our knowledge and understanding of feminism and social justice. Join us for our Money 201: Basic Investing Program.

Next month is Women’s History Month. The Women’s Center is excited to be joined by Loretta Ross, a reproductive rights activist, for our Women’s Rights as Human Rights in the Age of Trump Keynote.

Woman of the Week: 

During Black History Month, Slaying on the Weekly will be featuring inspiring, innovative or groundbreaking black women. This weeks WOTW is Katherine Dunham. Katherine was an anthropologist who studied African, Caribbean and Black dance movements in the 1920s and elevated Black dance and movement in the US. Thanks Katherine!

Katherine Dunham, the Godmother of Black dance 

Continue to slay! Stay warm! Until next week!

The Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting is in Baltimore, Maryland, March 12-16, 2017. This is a special opportunity for students to participate in a large interdisciplinary science meeting at minimal cost. Undergraduate registration is complimentary and SOT will waive registration for faculty (non-SOT members) who accompany a group of undergraduates attending the meeting. A special program on Sunday, March 12, for undergraduates includes a special set of lectures and breakout sessions to introduce students to toxicology, graduate studies, and the opportunity to meet one-on-one with directors of academic toxicology programs and internship hosts. Although we especially encourage undergraduates to attend on Sunday, complimentary registration provides access at any time during the meeting.