Sexual Assault Awareness Month brings people together to create and generate discussion and skill-building on how to prevent sexual violence in our schools, workplaces, and communities. While providing support and care to survivors of sexual violence is an everyday action, this awareness month also carves out intentional moments to honor and believe survivors’ stories and experiences.

We are saddened that for another year in a row that the pandemic has impacted our ability to physically come together this April to do this critical work. The Women’s Center and all of our campus partners including the Office of Equity and Inclusion, University Health Services, the Counseling Center, Green Dot, We Believe You, and Retriever Courage, and more will nonetheless continue to promote awareness and prevention this month. We are inviting our UMBC community to join our efforts.

Take Back the Night 2021 has moved online!

TBTN is one of the largest events the Women's Center hosts every year. To honor this special event that centers survivors stories and healing and invites our community to dismantle rape culture, we created a virtual TBTN experience. We invite our community to visit this platform and engage in the visual and audio content. Spend time alone or with others sitting with the reflection questions and action items. Share your thoughts on social media using #UMBCtbtn.

Join us for our virtual TBTN Gathering on April 20th at 4pm!

Survivors of power-based violence are also invited to connect with the We Believe You discussion group. Email womenscenter@umbc.edu for more details on how you can join this virtual discussion that takes place every other Wednesday at 4pm.

Other Ways to Get Involved, Learn, and Support:

• Attend UHS's Un-blurring the Line Around Consent on Wednesday, April 14th at noon.

• Join our Instagram Live: Cultivating Radically Loving Communities (a SAAM conversation with Yoo-Jin Kang, Class of 2015) on Monday, April 19th at 5pm
• Be in community at our Virtual Take Back the Night 2021 Gathering on Tuesday, April 20th at 4pm.

• Participate in the Women's Center's Brave Space Forum: Consent in Quarantineon Thursday, April 22nd at 4pm.

• Check our TurnAround's Take Back the Web on April 22nd at 6pm. For more details, follow TurnAround on Facebook.

• Read Survivors to the Front: A Call to Witness, a zine compiled in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

• Head over to the Women's Center blog and check out the archive of stories exploring sexual violence and survivorship. You may want to check out this blog about consent/boundaries and this one about survivorship in the Asian American community.

The events, activism, discussions, support, and stories that stem from Sexual Assault Awareness Month are some of the Women’s Center’s most significant and special. It's challenging to lose these events and the community they create for a second year in a row. It's okay to grieve Take Back the Night and our other annual traditions. We are alongside you in that grieving process, and we hope that in these extraordinary times, we can continue to act with extraordinary compassion and conscientiousness to prevent sexual violence at UMBC and beyond.

And, remember, no matter where you are, dear survivors, we see you. We believe you. You matter. Always.

Additionally, throughout this time of continued distance learning, campus staff are still here and available for support. Do not hesitate to reach out for questions, concerns, or care.

On-Campus Resources Available for Virtual Support: 

• Counseling Center

• Office of Equity and Inclusion 

• University Health Services

• Women’s Center

• Visit Retriever Courage for a full list of campus resources and support to include resources for USG students, faculty, and staff 

To report a complaint of sexual misconduct or discrimination, please submit this online form. 

Off-Campus Resources:

• TurnAround, Inc. Helpline (Available 24/7): 443-279-0379; Office: 410-377-8111

• MCASA is still open and supporting survivors.

• The National Sexual Assault Hotline is 24/7, confidential and free: 800-656-HOPE (4673) and through chat.

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 24/7, confidential and free: 1-800-799-7233 and through chat. 

• Visit Retriever Courage for a more extensive list of off-campus resources and support

Dear UMBC Community,

As we prepare for a primarily in-person campus in the fall, we look forward to creating opportunities for students to safely gather and participate in campus events and activities.

We are working with SGA to plan activities this fall and we understand that the continued presence of COVID-19 will mean that all of our community gatherings will need to prioritize health and safety. For example, gathering in large groups will likely be restricted. With this information, we would like to share a few key updates to help our campus community, including student organizations, begin planning for a successful fall semester: 

• Free Hour will continue, but will be moved to Fridays between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in order to help prevent overcrowding in dining spaces.

• We intend to provide outdoor programming options for students including movies, bingo, food trucks, yoga, trivia, and more!

• Campus Life is working alongside SGA to make sure there are spaces dedicated to student organization programming.

• Virtual events will continue to be an important part of making sure all in our community stay safe. Hosts of in-person events should consider how they can offer options for community members to participate remotely. Several new spaces across campus are being outfitted with technology to make this possible.

• If you are looking to join one of the 230+ student organizations at UMBC, please check out: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/studentorgs. For student organizations looking for additional support during this transition, feel free to reach out to SGA or Campus Life at campuslife@umbc.edu.

We look forward to sharing details as we know more. If you have specific questions or concerns, please reach out to us at sga@umbc.edu.

Provost Philip Rous and SGA President Mehrshad Devin

Monday, March 29, 2021, marked the first day of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s criminal trial for the murder of George Floyd. Although this trial comes 10 months after George Floyd uttered his last words “I can’t breathe,” the trauma may still be fresh for many of us.

If you are choosing to tune in to listen to the trial, you may be reminded of the history of systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice that plagues our society and negatively impacts members of our UMBC community. When we are treated unfairly or when we witness discrimination of others that look like us or our loved ones on a day-to-day basis, we can start to feel helpless and hopeless. In these moments of increased distress, it is important to cultivate hope through positive acts of self-care.

If you are intentionally not choosing to tune in to the trial because of the impact it may have on you, that too is self-care. Here are other ways that you can make sure you’re taking care of yourself while continuing the fight for social justice:

• Listen to your body’s needs. Your body needs consistent nourishment, upkeep, and exercise. That includes eating a nutritional diet, grooming, moving regularly, getting enough sleep, and addressing any health issues. Find activities that make your body feel well-loved and comfortable, and schedule out some “me time.” Remember, self-care is not selfish.

• Find your community. Surround yourself with people who affirm your experiences and support you. Join communities that are inclusive and care about social justice. Talking with others not only sparks new relationships or re-sparks ones that may have been fading, but it also works as a therapeutic method to express your thoughts and feelings, bounce ideas off each other, and even engage in conversation outside of current events. Even though everyone copes differently, that does not mean we need to do it alone.

• Know your limitations and avoid burnout. Over-information is a real thing. With how quickly information spreads in today’s society, it is easy to always be consuming, summarizing, and distributing information often without proper evaluation of what information is key or accurate. Protect your mental health and emotional energy by knowing when to turn off your newsfeed and social media notifications. Give yourself room to reflect on and process the information covered in the meantime.

• Get help if you need it. If you would like to process your emotions with a mental health professional, consider contacting the Counseling Center between 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM at 410-455-2472 to schedule an appointment or 410-455-3230 after hours. You can also reach out to the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI), Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b), or the Women’s Center.

• Support others if you have the emotional capacity. Check out these anti-racism resources curated by UMBC offices:

• The Counseling Center’s resources to address systemic racism, racial trauma, and anti-racism, and ways to get involved

• OEI’s non-exhaustive list of anti-racism resources and UMBC resources for allies

• I3b’s community call to action

• The Center for Social Science Scholarship’s anti-racism reading and resource guides

• The Women’s Center’s how to be an ally

• Dresher Center for the Humanities’ list of Baltimore and national organizations to follow

• We Believe You’s petitions and funds

No matter what your self-care practice looks like, don’t forget to incorporate it into your daily life as you continue to fight for social justice.