NOTE FROM THE STAFF
We are thrilled to greet you from a UMBC campus brought to life by the arrival of students, faculty, and staff for the start of the 2021-22 academic year. While we must maintain our distance and wear masks indoors, we already are seeing the deep connections and engagement that are enabled by the opportunity to be together in shared physical spaces.
The past 18 months have been profoundly challenging. At its core, our work has involved nurturing a sense of togetherness and of a shared stake in a common future, even as members of the campus community were physically isolated. As we gather this semester in the many spaces the Center for Democracy and Civic Life will co-create, we will support members of our community in sharing their stories, including of the burdens they have borne during the pandemic, in order to help us heal and refresh our collective sense of hope.
If you are one of the people we met recently at Retriever Fest (pictured) or at one of UMBC’s welcome tents and are now reading this newsletter: welcome! Whether you are a new or returning member of the UMBC community, we are thrilled to see you in person or at one of our virtual programs. For more information about the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, visit our myUMBC group or website. Also feel free to contact us at civiclife@umbc.edu.
Best,
David Hoffman, Romy Hübler, Caleb Ruck, Charis Lawson, Faith Davis, Markya Reed, and Tess McRae
Center for Democracy and Civic Life Staff
FEATURED NEWS
UMBC Named One of America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting
Washington Monthly’s September/October 2021 issue features a story about America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting, and includes UMBC among the 204 colleges and universities honored. The story explains that in order to make the list, “schools need to have shown a repeated commitment to increasing student voting—and have been transparent about the results.”
The Best Colleges for Student Voting appear in order of the percentage of their students registered to vote in the 2016 and 2018 elections (2020 rates will be available later this year). UMBC appears in the 32nd position, reflecting student registration rates averaging 84.7% at the time of the 2016 and 2018 elections.
Read about the Center for Democracy and Civic Life’s work with campus partners to support engagement in Election 2020 and beyond here.
Three New Members Join Center for Democracy and Civic Life Staff
Last month the Center for Democracy and Civic Life added three new staff members to the 2021-22 team: Faith Davis ‘22, Community Civic Engagement Intern; Charis Lawson ‘20, Program Specialist; and Caleb Ruck ‘22, Assessment and Special Projects Intern.
Caleb (he/him) is majoring in Modern Languages and Linguistics (Spanish & German) with a minor in Anthropology and a certificate in Intercultural Communication. As the Assessment and Special Projects Intern with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, he will support research and assessment projects that evaluate and illustrate the impact of the Center’s initiatives and work. He participated in Alternative Spring Break (ASB) 2021 with a focus on transformative justice and decarceration.
Caleb also works for Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) as a graphic designer and social media manager, and for the Student Events Board (seb) as a graphic designer (and former event programmer). In his work, Caleb strives to make the world a more welcoming, diverse and equitable place and to uplift minoritized voices. In his free time, Caleb enjoys goaltending in ice hockey, cooking and playing the guitar poorly. You can contact him at calebruck3@umbc.edu.
Charis (she/her) is the Center for Democracy and Civic Life’s Program Specialist. A UMBC alum, Charis previously served as the Center’s 2020-21 Political Engagement Intern and as a STRiVE 2020 coach. She will support the Center’s immersive experiences, programs, staff development, and communications. She is excited to support programs, initiatives, experiences, and people that helped shape her while working alongside individuals she deeply admires.
Charis earned her B.A. in English Communications & Technology at UMBC. She also works as a Marketing and Communications Specialist with the Office of Institutional Advancement. She can be reached by email at chala1@umbc.edu.
Faith (she/her) is a Meyerhoff and U-RISE Scholar double majoring in Biological Sciences and Sociology on the pre-medical track, and the UMBC recipient of the 2021-22 Newman Civic Fellowship. As the Community Civic Engagement Intern with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, Faith will assist Alternative Spring Break (ASB) leaders in developing the skills and framework to create an immersive experience that broadens students’ perspectives on social issues in Baltimore. She will also organize programs that empower students to view themselves as agents of change.
Prior to joining the Center’s staff, Faith participated in ASB in 2019 and the STRiVE leadership for social impact retreat in 2021. She was a leader for the 2020 and 2021 ASB programs, for which she co-designed curricula to heighten participants’ awareness of social issues related to food justice. Faith competes on UMBC’s Ethics Bowl team and is the president of UMBC’s chapter of Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Fraternity. She enjoys rock climbing and training for triathlons in her free time. You can reach her at fdavis1@umbc.edu.
ConnectionCorps: A New Program to Foster Democratic Communication
The Center for Democracy and Civic Life has launched ConnectionCorps, a facilitator training program that teaches students how to foster democratic participation and authentic connections among participants in the Center’s workshops and programs.
The inaugural cohort of ConnectionCorps facilitators will work with Center for Democracy and Civic Life staff this year to facilitate workshops and programs such as Change Makers Dinners and Dinners with Friends. Participants in ConnectionCorps-facilitated programs will reflect on their values, passions, strengths, and aspirations; learn about civic institutions and practices; build skills relating to interpersonal communication, organizing, advocacy, and strategic planning; develop solidarity, critical awareness, and collective power to address injustices such as systemic, identity-based oppression; and envision and undertake shared work to strengthen their communities.
Announcing Center for Democracy and Civic Life 2021-22 Affiliates
The Center for Democracy and Civic Life works with student, staff, and faculty Affiliates to develop and lead its initiatives and programs.
The Affiliates include Alternative Spring Break leaders, STRiVE coaches, and ConnectionCorps facilitators. Alternative Spring Break (ASB) leaders work with Center for Democracy and Civic Life staff to develop and facilitate ASB, a program through which students spend an intensive week learning how they can contribute to addressing issues and challenges in Baltimore. STRiVE coaches work with Center staff to facilitate an intensive and engaging leadership for social impact retreat. ConnectionCorps facilitators work with Center staff to lead workshops and dialogues that build community while orienting participants to new possibilities for their engagement in civic life.
The 2021-2022 Affiliates are:
- Amelia Meman '15 (they/them & she/her), Assistant Director, Women’s Center: STRiVE coach
- Antonio Silas (he/him), Director, Off-Campus Student Services: STRiVE coach
- Brianna Malbon '23 (she/her & they/them): STRiVE coach
- Candace Dodson-Reed '96 (she/her), Chief of Staff: STRiVE coach
- Clair Volkening '23 (she/her): ConnectionCorps facilitator
- Diane Stonestreet '22 (she/her): STRiVE coach & Alternative Spring Break leader
- Dominique Henriques Melo '22 (she/her): Alternative Spring Break leader
- Jadyn Spradlin '23 (she/her): ConnectionCorps facilitator
- Logan L. Lineburg '22 (he/him): ConnectionCorps facilitator
- Mokeira Nyakoe '23 (she/her): Alternative Spring Break leader
- Mulan Bell '24 (she/her): Alternative Spring Break leader
- Polina Kassir '24 (she/her): Alternative Spring Break leader
- Rehman Liaqat '22 (he/him): ConnectionCorps facilitator
- Wangui Nganga '21 (she/her): ConnectionCorps facilitator
- Wendy Zhang '22 (they/them & she/her): STRiVE Coach & Alternative Spring Break Leader
Making Space for Community
For several years, Senior Intern for Civic Design and Engagement Tess McRae has been creating images of spaces at UMBC that have been co-created by students or are hubs for collective work to build our community. An exhibition of her work, entitled “Making Space for Community,” is now on display on The Commons’ second floor, just outside the Center for Democracy and Civic Life’s office. Of the images in the exhibition, Tess says, “I love these spaces and their stories. They help me feel connected to everyone at UMBC and spark my imagination about the contributions I can make. I hope they will do the same for you.”
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES & PROGRAMS
Changing Maryland: Legislative Session Preview (Virtual)
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 ∙ 5 - 7 p.m. ∙ Webex
Join a conversation with state leaders about how UMBC students, faculty, staff, and alumni can get involved in shaping legislation in Annapolis to address pressing issues. Part of this program will take place in small groups where participants will have a chance to interact with state leaders and each other.
This event is hosted by the UMBC’s Center for Democracy and Civic Life in partnership with the Student Government Association and Graduate Student Association.
RSVP is required. Follow this link to RSVP.
Changing Maryland: A Conversation with State Leaders is part of a program series, with an additional gathering planned for the Spring 2022 semester. The series will prepare members of the UMBC community for active participation in the 2022 legislative session.
Civic Courage Journaling Project Gathering (In Person)
Friday, September 24, 2021 ∙ 3:15 - 4:45 p.m. ∙ Commons 318
The Civic Courage Journaling Project creates opportunities for individual reflection and group conversations about personal experiences that have important, often hidden civic dimensions. Civic Courage, identified by the Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (CLDE) Theory of Change as one of the capacities necessary for active and engaged citizenship, encompasses the ability to take risks, work through tension, be patient in the face of challenges, stay open and engaged, take responsibility for the foreseeable consequences of one’s actions, face changes bravely, and act in accordance with one’s core values and beliefs.
UMBC student, faculty, staff, and alumni journal bearers respond to prompts from the Center for Democracy and Civic Life by creating entries in their journals. We share the prompt via email and our myUMBC page during the week of each gathering. If you’d like to be involved with the Civic Courage Journaling Project, send us an email: civiclife@umbc.edu.
RETRIEVER TALES
The Center for Democracy and Civic Life will release new Retriever Tales episodes early in the 2021-2022 academic year. Keep an eye out for those episodes in future newsletters. In the meantime, you can listen to existing episodes here.
To contact the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, email civiclife@umbc.edu.