The Mid-Autumn Festival is a vibrant harvest celebration and holiday observed across a number of Asian countries and communities worldwide. It traditionally falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.

The official start of the celebrations for 2025 is Monday, October 6th. Some countries and cultures celebrate across multiple days. 

A Celebration of Harvest and Family

Predominately observed in countries like China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, the festival is a time for gratitude, reunion, and observing the bountiful autumn harvest.

While the central theme of gathering with family and loved ones is universal, each culture brings its own unique traditions, whether it's a specific emphasis on the full moon, honoring ancestors, or celebrating children.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is known by several beautiful names, reflecting the cultural diversity of its observance:

• China (Mandarin/Cantonese) | 中秋节 (Zhōngqiū Jié) / 中秋節 (Jūng-chāu Jit) (Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival, Mooncake Festival) 
• Vietnam |  Tết Trung Thu (Also known as the Children's Festival)
• Korea | 추석 (Chuseok) / 한가위 (Hangawi) (Often referred to as "Korean Thanksgiving")
• Japan | 月見 (Tsukimi) (Moon Viewing)
• Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan | Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival
• Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia | Lantern Festival (Note: This is distinct from the Lantern Festival that takes place in the first month of the Lunar calendar)

The 2025 Waves of Change (WOC) STEM conference, hosted by Career Communications Group, Inc., is taking place October 23- 25 at the Baltimore Convention Center with options to participate either in-person or online. There is also an Undergraduate Research Showcase on Saturday, October 25th. 

Are you working on groundbreaking research? Showcase your work by participating in the Undergraduate Research Showcase.  Sign up here as soon as possible as applications are still being accepted. Please see the attached flyer for additional details. 

Additional details regarding the 2025 Waves of Change (WOC) career fair and conference can be found at:  https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/careers/posts/153221.

The 2025 Waves of Change (WOC) STEM conference, hosted by Career Communications Group, Inc., is taking place October 23- 25 at the Baltimore Convention Center with options to participate either in-person or online. The conference features a career fair (Saturday, October 25) where top national and local companies in the STEM fields are actively recruiting STEM interns and professionals in addition to career workshops, and leadership and professional development programs.

You will need to register to participate. Open to ALL students! 

·       The job fair is free! To participate in the job fair only, go to: https://s4.goeshow.com/ccgroup/woc/2025/job_seekers_registration.cfm. Be sure to check the career readiness workshops that will be held throughout the career fair.

·       To participate in the full conference (in addition to the career fair) go to: https://s4.goeshow.com/ccgroup/woc/2025/student_registration.cfm and select whether you will participate "in-person" (Baltimore, MD) or "online".

There is also an opportunity to participate in the Undergraduate Research Showcase! Are you working on groundbreaking research? Showcase your work by participating in the Undergraduate Research Showcase.  Sign up here as soon as possible as applications are still being accepted. 

If you have any questions, please contact Diane Crump-Fogle (crump@umbc.edu) or Chrisi Giannakaris (chrisig@umbc.edu) from the UMBC Career Center.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 · 3 - 4:30 PM

Residential Life values the co-creation of a safe environment in every residential community. It is the responsibility of every resident to ensure that they are contributing to a safe and healthy environment in their residence by:

• committing to community standards set at the beginning of each year with their floor

• reviewing and adhering to the Residential Life Rights and Responsibilities Guide, 

• submitting requests for facility maintenance 

It is the responsibility of Residential Life staff to educate residents through positive, personal contact,  maintain the residential facilities and conduct health and safety checks in residential rooms intermittently throughout the semester to identify health and safety issues in a timely way. These issues could include facility issues, fire safety, and the presence of prohibited items. 

This semester, Residential Life staff will be conducting these health and safety inspections on the week of October 6, 2025. Residents are not expected to be present during the inspection, but if you would like to be please contact your RA to schedule a time.

If concerns or issues are found in your room, you will receive notification via email. Please review the email and follow the instructions for correcting the issues in advance of a reinspection. Failure to correct the issues by the reinspection date, outlined in the email, may result in Student Conduct Action.

If you have questions about these inspections, please contact your Resident Assistant or Community Director. 

Commuter Connections is hiring for a Graduate Assistant!  This is a one-year position with consideration for renewal. The GA position (Master's or PhD eligible) starts Jan 12, 2026, working 20 hrs/week. Must be available Tuesdays 7:30–11:30 am. 

The ideal candidate for this Graduate Assistant position has experience supporting student events and/or is familiar with the commuter student programming experience at UMBC. They are creative, able to generate programming ideas, and proficient with design and communication tools such as Canva, and social media platforms. They possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build meaningful relationships across diverse student populations. 

To review the job description, click here. To apply, click here.

Apply by Friday, Oct 17, 2025! Any questions, contact commuters@umbc.edu