Imagine for a second that you could omit taking one of your midterm exams and this choice would have no effect on your final grade for that course. If this were the case, how many of us would take an exam?

Similarly, this presidential election is a social experiment in which we are the guinea pigs and the hypothesis being tested is: if the electoral system produces the two polarizing candidates in history, then America will be driven closer to either Nazism or Communism.

Our participation in the presidential election in the state of Maryland and in any other non-swing state, will have no implication on which candidate takes the state’s respective electoral votes.

Despite this fact, UMBC students are constantly being badgered to “go out and vote.” Public schooling has attempted to ingrain in us the thought process that because certain groups did not have voting rights in history, it is our obligation to vote, even if we do not like any of the candidates.

This is an utterly wrong conviction to have.

In certain parts of the world, like Cuba, where many of my family members live, it is illegal not to vote. When Fidel Castro proclaimed the first so-called “democratic” election would take place after his socialist revolution, my family members recall being told that if they did not vote for the one and only option (Castro), they would be shot and killed.

Therefore, leaving the boxes for president unchecked is just as important of a statement to make as is voting for one candidate or the other.

There is a reason why many in our age group refuse to vote on election day: there are flaws in the system and many times neither candidate presented is fit to hold the office of the President of the United States.

Our votes are just numbers, but the voices of this generation are far more important. If we truly want a system that values our opinions, we must express them by calling for a more open system, in which we can take a more crucial role.

This new system for electing presidents would not reproduce the same last names (Clinton, Bush, etc.), emulating a Chinese dynasty. This new system would not disallow new parties from being created, or prevent their voices from being heard.

This new system would allow regular, every-day citizens to become President of the United States. All we have to do is come together as a nation, renounce our broken two-party system and look for ways to reinstate freedom as more than just a symbol in the U.S.

So next time someone tells you voting is a privilege and you must take advantage of it, remind yourself that you also have the right not to vote.

The post Why “not voting” is a privilege – and how to use it appeared first on The Retriever.

Students wearing black and gold filed into the basketball court of the Retriever Activities Center through an inflatable tunnel followed by a path of cheerleaders. Then they headed over to one of the many tent stations set up around the court for necklaces, foam fingers and other goodies. A DJ played hit songs while the pep band arrived and prepared for the evening. Meanwhile, dancers and athletes stood backstage preparing themselves for the next hour and forty five minutes to follow.

All of these were signs that the annual UMBC pep rally on the Friday night of Homecoming Week was about to commence. Students of all backgrounds came together to celebrate their school spirit, Retriever pride and the UMBC athletes that work hard to represent the school both on and off the field.

Activities in the Retriever Rally included the introduction of the 2016-2017 season’s sports teams, musical and dance performances, games and challenges and contests for Retrievers, T-shirt throwing and building spirit. The rally kicked off with an incredible performance by UMBC’s drum line followed by a dunk team named Air Elite.

Air Elite, a team of three men, combined gymnastics with basketball. A small trampoline was placed on the court before a basketball hoop. Holding their own basketballs, the men ran one-by-one and jumped off of that trampoline to perform cool air tricks and nail slam dunks. Air Elite flipped, quickly moved the ball around their legs, executed cartwheels and swung from the rim of the basketball hoop. The team was a big hit and helped energize the crowd for the rest of the activities.

Games and challenges the student athletes played included Musical Chairs with the audience, True Grit and Retriever basketball players Allison McGrath, Lucrezia Costa, Nolan Gerrity and Ishmael Jabbie. A “Dress Like a Retriever” contest was also held, where the audience had to race to dress like a basketball player with the basketball teams cheering on the sidelines. There was also a basketball shooting contest, a basketball knock-out contest and two dance competitions. A chance to win $10,000 was on the line in the Half Court Shot challenge, but the student did not make the basket.

Most of the athletes were introduced between the games and challenges and appeared out of a back curtain. The first athletes of the evening to be put in the spotlight were the men’s and women’s lacrosse seniors. The seniors of both squads took the stage first, greeting the crowd with smiles, waves and free t-shirts.

The next team to enter the Retriever Rally was the women’s volleyball team led by team captain Marissa Duncan. They threw T-shirts into the crowd as well and waved to the audience as they walked on and off the court.

Both of the men’s and women’s soccer teams made an appearance. The women’s senior team captains Alexa Quaranta and Gabby Boehmer were given shout outs by the emcees and so were the men’s senior captains Bill Heavner and Gregg Hauck. It was mentioned to the audience that the women’s team currently holds a 5-1 record at this year and so was a reminder of the men’s soccer game the following day.

The climax of the Retriever Rally was the grand introduction of the men’s and women’s basketball teams of the 2016-2017 season. The lights in the basketball court darkened to reveal yellow and blue spotlights. The dancers and cheerleaders made a path for the athletes to run through and True Grit was seen standing by.

Load roars from the audience filled the air when the women’s basketball team was announced first. They ran out with pride and lined themselves up at half court from sideline to sideline. The announcer introduced each player and the coaches individually with a spotlight shining on the player being highlighted. Before the women’s team performed a choreographed dance for the audience, senior athlete Pandora Wilson and head coach Phil Stern gave one minute speeches.

“This means a lot to us. We are celebrating you know, a lot of Retriever pride and the basketball season,” said Wilson. “So we are going to be doing some very special things this year and we need your turnout… to help us. We can’t do it without your support, so we will be looking out for ‘yall in the stands. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this wonderful event.”

The men’s basketball team then showed the same amount of love when they ran out of the curtain and onto the court. The men lined up at half court from sideline to sideline to be introduced in the same way individually along with their coaches. Each athlete waved at the audience as they were highlighted before new head coach Ryan Odom shared his one minute speech with the crowd.

“We’re really excited to be here…this is my first time being a part of this,” said Odom. “I just got here in April and what I’m most proud of are these guys standing in front of me. The boys have had a great season, they’ve done everything I’ve asked them to do so far.”

Odom looked back at the team and smiled. “They have the highest GPA of any men’s basketball team ever… I can’t say enough good things about them. And I’m really excited to see this and see the energy in here, because I know that it’s gonna happen. It’s gonna be game by game for the women’s team, for the men’s team.”

After the Retriever Rally concluded, the audience was told to make their way to the University Center for the Retriever Dance Marathon. Fans laughed and cheered, exited the RAC and the pep band began playing and chanting “U-M-B-C”. The dancers joined along and the athletes stuck around for a few minutes before the annual Homecoming event officially came to a close.

The post Spirit shines at the Retriever rally appeared first on The Retriever.

A lack of civic investment from American citizens is a serious issue that has unfortunately snaked its way into the heart of our nation’s political infrastructure. There are problems throughout all parts of the government, but a large one can be found at the lowest level: the millions of eligible, absent voters.

Voting is the underlying foundation for change and growth in our nation. Every American citizen can have their voice be heard by simply voting for a candidate who best represents their views and will listen to their concerns.

According to a statistical analysis conducted by The New York Times, there are 221 million eligible voters in America. However, only 27 percent of eligible adults, approximately 60 million, voted in the 2016 primary elections. 73 percent of Americans do not get out to the polls on election day.

The list of reasons given by the 161 million absent voters is never ending, but some of those excuses are indeed valid. One of which is many voters can simply not make it out to the polls, because they either have work or classes to attend.

Polls tend to open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. in most states. With the uncertainty of traffic, work-related responsibilities and other general mishaps, it is very difficult for the average citizen to find the time to get to their designated voting location.

In the 2012 general election, less than 50 percent of youth voters aged 18 to 29 years voted based on results from national exit polls, demographic data and counts of votes cast collected by U.S. News and World Report.

UMBC could resolve this problem for students by canceling classes on election day.

By canceling classes, eligible UMBC youth voters would have more than enough time to get to their polls, most of which are within a reasonable distance of their residence. And in the case that a student is out-of-state, then they should be aware that the absentee ballots are due by Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Classes need only be canceled during general elections every four years. It is not as necessary for primary elections or midterm election. This would ultimately have little to no effect on the productivity and scheduling in universities.

Most colleges and universities encourage service and civil duty. UMBC’s vision statement even includes being “known for integrating research, teaching and learning and civic engagement so that each advances the others for the benefit of society.” Voting is a core tenet of civic engagement, yet UMBC has done nothing to remove barriers for student voters.

American citizens should be held responsible for the political state of their country, but UMBC should make it easy for all of their eligible voters to find their way to polls on election day by canceling classes.

The post The case for canceling classes on election day appeared first on The Retriever.

Despite entering conference play with a respectable 4-5 overall record, it appears the Retrievers women’s soccer team completely lost their footing against conference opponents. Going into their final two games of the season, the Retrievers are 1-4-1, and sit at the bottom of the America East Conference standings.

Before facing their conference rivals, UMBC managed to rebound from a four game losing streak and faced their first conference foe, the University of New Hampshire, with momentum on a two game winning streak. However, their momentum could not prevent them form getting blown out by New Hampshire 4-0.

Scoring has proven to be a difficult task for the Retrievers, as they are currently being outscored by AEC opponents 10-5 in six games. Three of the Retrievers five goals came during their 3-0 shutout of the University of Maine, which excluding that game would take them from a minus five goal differential, to a disappointing minus eight.

Although, the Retrievers still rank third in the AEC in total points on the season (59) and tied for fourth with the University at Albany in goals (19). All of this is despite a low amount of shots from the Retrievers, who are eighth in the AEC with 146 shots, 80 behind conference leader Stony Brook University. Stony Brook averages 14.12 shots per game and rank second in both points and goals.

According to head coach Leslie Wray, UMBC has found success thanks to their ability to create services, which have resulted in scoring opportunities for the team.

Even though it’s been a fairly dreary late season, one highlight this season to also look forward to for years to come is the emergence of goalkeeper sophomore Leah Roth. The young playmaker at goalie is proving her worth wracking up an impressive 82 saves so far this season and averaging 5.86 per game. If the Retrievers hope to move forward this season, they will need more high-level play from Roth.

Roth is indicative of a larger problem this season, that in the future may prove to be a major benefit for UMBC: it is a mostly young team.

“We’re young,” said Wray after Oct. 16’s loss to Stony Brook. “Today we started six freshmen and one red shirt, so in total we had seven players on the field who haven’t played much. It’s a learning experience for them going forward.”

UMBC possesses a total of eight freshmen, which is more than any other year on the team. Juniors and sophomores are tied at 6, which makes for a total of 14 underclassmen playing for the team. And at the same time UMBC only has four seniors, which is five less compared to first place University of Hartford’s eight.

The Retrievers have two games remaining, one at home against last place Binghamton University and one on the road against fourth place Albany. If the Retrievers hope to keep their season alive, they will have to do something they have not yet done this season: win on the road, which they are currently 0-7-1.

“It’s tough going into this final push,” said Wray. “It’s always tough capturing something on the road, we got a result against Vermont in a tie, so we got to just keep grinding it out and win on.”

Since only six teams can move on to the conference playoffs and the Retrievers currently hold a poor conference record (which determines who qualifies), they will need help from other teams in the conference to find themselves in post-season play. If rivals Vermont and Maine are handed losses the Retrievers can squeeze into the tournament.

The Retrievers final home game is Oct. 27 against Binghamton, which will celebrate the team’s seniors at home one last time before they graduate.

The post Women’s soccer needs help to enter conference playoffs appeared first on The Retriever.

The UMBC women’s soccer team defeated America East Conference (AEC) rival the Binghamton University on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Retriever Soccer Park by a score of 3-1. The win brings the Retriever’s record to 6-9-1 overall, and 2-4-1 in America East play, putting UMBC in post-season contention.

The final home game for the Retrievers was preceded by a ceremony celebrating seniors Alexa Quaranta, and her sister, Preslie Quaranta, Dee Morris and Shannon Phillips.

Head coach, Leslie Wray, showed pride in her team’s intensity saying, “It’s always an emotional game when it’s senior night. It’s great to see their [seniors] emotion, but it’s also the responsibility of the rest of the team to keep the energy up.”

Emotions ran high in the 26th minute, when Preslie Quaranta kicked the ball high over Binghamton’s defender to her sister, Alexa Quaranta. Alexa broke away and scored the first goal of the game in the top left corner of the net making the score 1-0 at halftime.

The second half began with a missed penalty kick opportunity for UMBC. However, soon enough junior a penalty kick came again and was successfully executed by junior Gabby Boehmer making the score 2-0 UMBC.

Binghamton was quick to respond as senior Bearcat, Leighann Bennett, took a deflected shot to an open net and closed the gap to 2-1.

The final UMBC goal came once again on a penalty kick when Binghamton’s goalkeeper received a red card and a swift ejection from the game. In the 88th minute, all eyes were on Preslie Quaranta as she took the shot that became her final goal on her home field. The ball grazed the goalie’s hands but still slipped into the net making the final score 3-1.

The upset over Binghamton puts UMBC only one win away from postseason play.

“This was a critical game in so many ways,” Wray said. “We always want to go into the final game with something to play for, and now we have that motivation.”

She also notes that there is still room for improvement adding, “We still need to be more disciplined in how we finish a game and approach our attacks. Other than that, it’s all about staying healthy and fresh.”

The Retrievers will face another AEC rival, and reigning conference champions, the University at Albany in Upstate New York on Sunday, Oct. 23. UMBC has yet to claim a win on the road, and Wray acknowledges this saying, “We know the game against Albany will be tough. We need to ride the momentum from this win and keep our emotions high into Sunday.”

Kickoff for Sunday’s game will begin at 1 p.m.

The post Women’s soccer defeats Binghamton in thrilling Senior Night victory appeared first on The Retriever.

The world will know who the next U.S. president will be after November 8, but leading up to the election it is unclear what the future of President Obama’s legacy will be under the next administration. Scholars and professionals from around the country are gathering at UMBC October 27-29 for the “Obama Effect 2.0″ conference to examine the current president’s impact on a range of core issues before the next president is elected and that legacy takes on new form and meaning.

The event builds on the first “Obama Effect” conference, held in 2008 at the University of Minnesota, which looked at how the election would impact the process of American presidential politics, issues of civil rights, and global/international relations. The result was the book The Obama Effect: Multidisciplinary Renderings of the 2008 Campaign (SUNY 2010). This collection of essays examined how issues discussed during the 2008 presidential campaign would influence the Obama administration in the years ahead.

Kimberly Moffitt, associate professor of American studies, is the lead organizer of the Obama Effect 2.0 conference, along with colleagues Heather Harris, professor of business communication at Stevenson University, and Catherine Squires, professor of communication studies and director of the Race, Indigeneity, Gender and Sexuality Studies Initiative (RIGS) at the University of Minnesota.

“This conference is not only significant to our understanding of the potential legacy of the first self-identified African-American president of the United States, but it is also timely as we approach one of the most contentious and polarizing presidential elections of our country’s history, largely because of issues related to identity, a sense of belonging, and even race—all such matters of intersectionality grappled with by President Barack Obama during his two terms in office,” shares Moffitt.

Professor, author, and radio host Michael Eric Dyson will present the keynote address on Thursday, October 27 at 5 p.m. at the Albin O. Kuhn Library 7th floor. He will speak about his book The Black Presidency, which explores the role of race in shaping President Obama’s identity and groundbreaking presidency. Dyson will talk about his analysis of the president’s remarks, major speeches, and responses to recent incidents to examine issues of identity, race, and culture through President Obama’s own voice.

Following the keynote address, a series of paper presentations, panel discussions, and roundtables will take place on October 28 and 29. They will examine different aspects of the Obama presidency, including media representations, race and the American police state, party politics, and American and global public opinion, among a range of other issues.

Several UMBC faculty will participate in the conference, including Thomas Schaller, professor and chair of political science; Cedric Herring, professor and director of language, literacy, and culture; Nicole King, associate professor and chair of American studies; and David Hoffman ’13, Ph.D., language, literacy, and culture, and assistant director, student life for civic agency.

For more information, visit the Obama Effect 2.0 website and to view media coverage, see below.

The Obama Effect (WEAA’s The Marc Steiner Show) 

Image: Michael Eric Dyson. Photo courtesy APB Speakers. 

BioMed SURF is a research-intensive summer training program in biomedical research for undergraduate students who are members of underrepresented minorities (URM) and plan to obtain a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences.  The aims of BioMed SURF are to identify URM applicants interested in biomedical research careers; to provide them with an intensive research and didactic experience in biomedicine during a 9-week residency at Yale University School of Medicine; and to provide faculty and peer mentoring resources that extend throughout and beyond the program.

The long-term goals of this program are to recruit URM students to careers in biomedical research and to provide them with knowledge, skills and resources to help them succeed as scientists or physician-scientists.  We expect participants of this program to successfully apply to and complete graduate training programs (PhD or MD-PhD) in biomedical sciences, and to pursue careers in research and/or teaching after graduation.  We anticipate that BioMed SURF students will become highly competitive applicants to graduate training programs at Yale University.

Students eligible to apply to BioMed SURF:

•Are United States citizens or permanent residents who are members of an underrepresented minority in the sciences as defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH); disadvantaged students will also be considered

•Are freshman or sophomores in excellent academic standing at a college, university or junior college

•Have completed at least one semester of college-level biology, chemistry or physics at the time of application'

Applications will be available on October 28, 2016 and will be accepted until January 13, 2017.  Candidates will be evaluated based on their personal statement of background and professional goals, their academic record (transcript), and two letters of reference.  Prior research experience is not required for participation.  Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the program by February 28, 2017.  We anticipate accepting up to 12-18 students.

Accepted students will be provided with a $4,500 stipend and housing on the medical school campus.  The cost of travel to and from New Haven will be reimbursed up to $500.  Travel and hotel expenses will be covered for one parent to travel to New Haven for the closing symposium and events. (August 2, 2017).  Students must participate in the entire 9-week curriculum.

Each student will be matched with the laboratory of a research mentor at the School of Medicine, and will pursue a research project under the supervision of the research mentor. Hands-on training in research techniques, data acquisition and analysis will be provided.  Students will be integrated into the research activities of the mentor’s laboratory and will be expected to participate in lab meetings, journal clubs and other scientific activities. 

At the end of the summer, students will present their research in the form of a poster and brief oral synopsis at the closing symposium (August 2, 2017).  Other events during the closing symposium will include research talks from faculty and trainees, a panel discussion on careers in the biomedical sciences, and an opportunity for students and parents to meet and talk to Yale University professors, administrators and students.