THE RE-TRIEV-ER 4 M ay 2020 | V olume 54, N o . 14
B A R K
OEI gains new staff Page 3
WHAT’S INSIDE
W I T H
AEC e-sports Page 6
B I T E .
UMBC is Blind Page 8
Economic uncertainty looms over graduates BY ANJALI DASSARMA Opinions Editor
As the United States unemployment rate is heading quickly for 30 million people, seniors who might otherwise be delighting in graduation and entering the workforce now find themselves on the brink of entering the worst economy since the Great Depression. For some, like Zach Tucker, a historical studies graduate student, job offers that once existed have vanished into thin air. “One federal organization has gone silent [and] doesn’t reply to any communication, and the other private company has informed me that they will not be able to bring anyone on until June at the earliest. I was working two jobs and an assistantship before the COVID-19 shutdown. The shutdown immediately closed the two jobs I had,” said Tucker. Tucker graduated high school after the 2007 housing market crash, which impacted his family and his ability to enter college. He joined the military after high school and completed a six-year cycle before coming to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Now he’s set to graduate into an almost identical economic disaster. “It feels almost cyclical in the worst way imaginable. It took years for the housing market crash to reverberate around the globe and the full effects to be felt. We won’t know the full extent of [COVID-19] for potentially years to come. It feels depressingly familiar and unknown at the same time,” he said. Undergraduate students, like global
Entering a collapsing economy, the class of 2020 faces multiple obstacles. Photo by Anjali DasSarma.
studies major Sofia Barrios, share the same fears and feelings of uncertainty as many graduate students. Barrios was originally planning to apply for immigration nonprofit jobs in Baltimore or D.C. and to move out of her parents’ home, but like Tucker, she is now uncertain about what opportunities remain on the table. “I am unsure if I will be able to secure any position within the organizations I’ve applied for,” she said. “I don’t know if organizations that I applied for are still hiring, or how the positions or hiring process has been affected by COVID-19.” For others, hopes for the traditional graduation ceremony were dashed first, with the announcement of commencement cancellation earlier this year. That includes Lauren Hall, who is receiving her Master’s in Secondary English Education and will receive her teaching certification from Maryland. After her father passed away during her first year at UMBC, soon after, her divorce was finalized, and she hoped for a moment to celebrate all that she had accomplished in the face of difficulty. “Walking the stage in front of my children, partner and mom. Hearing them cheer my name. Swelling with pride at how much I’ve overcome to get here. That’s gone now. Every month I struggled to pay the bills, get good grades and be a present mother. Now, all that work and sacrifice isn’t going to be honored the way I had envisioned,” she said. continued on page 3
SGA announces officers for upcoming academic year BY JULIA ARBUTUS Editor-in-Chief
The Student Government Association Election Board announced results of the election for executive and legislative positions in SGA for the 2020-2021 academic year on May 1 over a Webex call that lasted approximately ten minutes. Mehrshad Fahim Devin and Zachary Kay were voted as next year’s president and executive vice president, respectively, with 340 votes. There were 655 unique voters who cast a ballot in this year’s election. Candidates had to have received votes on at least five percent of ballots to win. Devin and Kay, who both attended the Webex meeting announcement, reported feeling “nervous” before hearing the results, then overwhelming excitement once they were announced as winners, according to an email correspondence. “I am excited to work with all the elected officials and excited to take on the role
U niversity
of president, but most importantly I am excited to be able to serve the undergraduate student body!” Devin wrote. “I am thankful for everyone who voted and cannot wait to see what the academic year will hold for us and SGA as a body!” Devin reiterated his plans to make sure all undergraduate students know that they are a part of the SGA, and that “they have the power to make the change they see fit on campus,” he wrote, a sentiment that Kay also echoed. “I’m confident that Mehrshad and I will be able to adapt and serve the needs of the students at [the University of Maryland, Baltimore County] in whatever way we can as well as to continue giving students more opportunities to express their opinions and make change on campus,” Kay wrote. Additionally, both Devin and Kay are cognizant of their role in helping students transition back to campus, and Devin promised they would “work diligently” alongside the other elected officers to of
make this transition go as smoothly as possible. Joshua Gray was elected vice president for student organizations with 314 votes, and Siri Keyaka was voted treasurer with 407 votes. Gray noted two important aspects of his campaign in an email correspondence following the election results: engagement with as many student leaders across campus as possible and a support system that would guide the direction of his work. He promises a “steadfast commitment” to both of these guiding principles in his campaign. “I will continue to engage people in the conversation about the cultural development that is to occur at UMBC and will continue to seek counsel and work collaboratively with those that are committed to the work that needs to be done,” he wrote. “My experiences thus far have prepared me to step into this role but the Retrievers I proudly live, study, eat,
and fellowship with daily will be what propels the work I do forward.” Elected senators include, in descending order, starting with those who received the most votes, Patrick Reid, Wendy Zhang, Nailah-Bena Chambers, Menna Nasser, Kai Hajos, Mariah Qureshi, Kayla Dunn, Julius Gayle, Emmanuel Okhuevbie, Mati Tadzong and Zachary Smith. Rounding out the legislative positions, the elected Finance Board representatives include, in descending order, starting with those who received the most votes, Aliyah Adegun, Pooja Patel, Sierra Dubuque, Rehman Liaqat, Victor Kehinde, Achelafac Akem and Liam Von Alt. The SGA will be holding a virtual inauguration on May 6 at 12:30 p.m. A full breakdown of votes for all positions can be found on the Election Board’s myUMBC page.
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