Student Council
November Institution Reports
Bowie State University
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The GSA General Body voted in approval of the Conference Sponsorship
amendments, Wednesday, October 17, 2012.
The GSA General Body raised donations for the American Cancer Society Breast
Cancer Walk (Making Strides against Breast Cancer ) for the GSA Tata Savers
team. In addition, they actively participated as volunteers for the community
service project on Saturday, October 20, 2012.
The GSA executive board hosted the 1st Fireside Chat with moderator: Mrs.
Thomasina Boardley,and panelist: President Mickey Burnim, Provost Weldon
Jackson, and Dr. Artie Travis to discuss university concerns with students.
Unfortunately, due to the Northeast storm the National Black Graduate Student
Association (NBGSA) Northeast regional conference that was to be hosted by
Bowie State University GSA has been cancelled and rescheduled for January 26,
2013.
The GSA is preparing for a host of events for Graduate Student Week November
11-17, 2012.
Coppin State University
Frostburg State University
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Hurricane Sandy had a minimal effect on campus facilities and its immediately
adjacent surroundings, but power outages were widespread and slow to be fixed in
the more rural areas of the community. Due to this, classes were cancelled from
October 29th- 31st.
Due to the inclement weather the University Programming Council held a
“Cabin Fever” themed event the Lane University Center on the 31st, with movie
showings starting at noon and various activities running until 8pm.
The closures also drove administration to extend the “drop with a W” date back a
week from November 5th to November 9th.
Sustainable Energy Research Facility (SERF) “unplugged” October 29th by
(former) Rep. Roscoe Bartlett(R), who was instrumental in the facility’s creation.
The facility is believed to be the only “off-the-grid,” sustainable energy research
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facility in the country. This research facility, although about a third of a mile
removed from campus, contains classrooms for sustainability studies, engineering
and physics program departments.
LGLG(Living Green, Learning Green) is currently constructing tunnel
greenhouses about 2 miles away from campus for the purpose of growing plants
native to western Maryland and planting them appropriately in the community. This
Late@Lane (once monthly on-campus after-hours events) October 27th event
(themed Halloween) had ~1100 student attendees.
Student organizations presented Lane Center scheduling conflicts due to
Late@Lane events at the senate meeting, the Student Affairs committee has picked
up the conflict as in issue to work on and address at the next senate meeting.
Student emails now moved to Microsoft Office 365, allowing for more storage
space, and mobile access without requiring forwarding to secondary address.
Although this upgrade is a positive, intermittent access problems among students
and faculty have caused some minor problems and many question why this change
took place during the fall semester (specifically during the beginning of class
registration) rather than during the winter break/term or over the summer.
Governance Committee is currently working to ameliorate a constitutional
contradiction regarding explicitly required office hours for a committee chair being
one hour less than what is explicitly required for non-chair senators.
SGA Endorsed Alpha Phi Alpha’s election night viewing event. The brothers held the
event on election night, November 6, 2012 and served a variety of foods and
initiated great conversation about the pros and cons of each of the candidates.
The Senate also heard from the Dean of Students, Dr. Jesse Ketterman who
presented the administration’s efforts through the Alcohol Task Force. Dr.
Ketterman works directly with SGA via Senator Whitney Turner as a representative
for this campus wide committee.
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Salisbury University
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Oct. 27th the SGA hosted the annual I love Salisbury community service event.
Over 400 students signed up for the event. The went out to the community to local
schools, parks, community centers, etc. and helped clean the location and
provided any volunteer services for the afternoon.
Coming up on the 28th the SGA is hosting its first “Fill the Square” event. It is a
canned food drive for local food pantries in the Salisbury Area.
On the 8th we had Martin Weiss come to the university and speak about the
Holocaust, as he is a survivor. It was an eye opening talk; it was part of the SU
Center for Conflict Resolution’s “One Person Can Make a Difference” series.
This week the SGA is hosting Faculty and Staff Appreciation week. This week we
should our immense thanks for all the hard work the faculty and staff do for use
day and night.
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Our very own Writing Center just completed their 10,000th secession. This is a
great accomplishment for the Writing Center. It has been opened since 2007.
Everyone is very excited about this accomplishment.
Many students have gone to Crisfield MD through our Volunteer Center to help
with volunteer efforts cleaning up from Hurricane Sandy.
Towson University
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President Loeschke has continued to meet with students and community members
with regard to the potential cuts of Division I sponsorship for our Men’s Baseball
and Soccer teams.
Towson’s 2011 Uniform Crime Statistics continue to be the lowest —6.38 per
1,000 students—among the University System of Maryland's 12 campuses, and
only a fraction of Baltimore County’s 34.94 rate.
Administration and SGA have continued to meet regarding the student group
approval process changes. The SGA is planning to discuss with the
administration the changes soon.
The Towson SGA held our annual Farmer’s Market featuring local and organic
food from the community.
The Universities at Shady Grove
Updates
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Shared Governance- Priyanka and Shahina met with Robyn Dinicola-Wagle, the
Director of Student and Academic Affairs, to discuss shared governance. Robyn is
working with Karen Mitchell, the Executive Financial Administrative Coordinator, and
the Student Council to establish formal student committees for these areas: Auxiliary
Student Services Fees, Technology Fees, and Facilities Fee. The Student Council will
help in administering surveys and raising awareness for these committees for student
participation. We hope to have these committees set up by the start of the Spring 2013
semester.
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Center for Counseling and Consultation- the Student Council is working closely
with Dr. Kandell, Psychologist, to expand the services of the CCC. Right now, students
are referred by their Program Directors to the CCC, but Dr. Kandell is working to expand
the various counseling services offered at the CCC by doing surveys and leading
discussions with student groups. He was present at the 11/8 Student Council Open
Session Meeting to get ideas.
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Student Council Scholarship Fund- The Student Council offers a scholarship to
students every year. In the past, this scholarship has been ~$400 and is offered to one
student. This year, the Student Council hopes to raise at least $1,000. We have partnered
with Ledo’s to hold a fundraising night on 11/21. Also, we have partnered with Krispy
Kreme to hold a donut/hot cocoa bake sale on the week of 12/3. The Student Council is
also working with the USG Marketing team to set up a fundraising website where
students can go to purchase various items. We plan to do a series of mini fundraising
events to collect donations up until the end of the Spring 2013 semester.
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Building IV to be Coming Soon to USG- USG is very pleased to announce that
Building IV, the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Complex, has been approved on
the Governor’s budget. UMBC, UMB, and UMCP have already committed to offering
programs in various STEM fields such as Medicine, Dentistry, Electrical Engineering,
etc.
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Espresso Bar @ USG - to bring Espresso drinks to our Green Grove Cafe to add
variation and expand the beverage and snack choices to our cafe. This initiative is led by
a current USG student, who is working with the administration, Student Council and the
cafe staff to bring these services to our students at the start of spring semester.
Recently Held Events
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Poverty Simulation at USG Teaches Empathy/Understanding Through Role
Play- the USG Committee for Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Education
Strategies (CIPES) hosted an hour long poverty simulation in an effort to teach students
the difficulty of low-income families. Participants role-played single parents trying to
care for their children to senior citizens trying to secure their Social Security. These
“families” were assigned the task of providing food, shelter, and other basic necessities
while interacting with various community resources.
· October EPIC Event: Firsthand Account of the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill- Jim Johnson,
Director of Facilities at IBBR, shared with us his first hand account of the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill of 2010. This is event was sponsored by our Green Committee in
efforts to educate and inform USG students of the Oil Spill.
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AFCEA Bethesda Helps Students Plan for Technology Careers at Second
Annual Speed Mentoring Event- USG, UMCP, Montgomery College, and the Bethesda
Chapter of Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) held a
“speed mentoring event” for AFCEA scholarship recipients on 10/4 at USG. Scholarship
recipients were able to seek advice about education, career objectives, and expectations in
five-minute rounds. Mentors from NIH, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global
Solutions, and Intervise participated in this event.
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Bistro @ the Grove for Emerging Student Leaders - UMES students from
Hospitality and Restaurant Management (HRM) Program at USG prepared dinner for
current USG Student Club Leaders and Advisors to appreciate their contributions to
student life. This event was sponsored by Universities at Shady Grove and is held every
year to promote leadership and promote student life activities and give the HRM students
a real hands-on experience working in restaurant setting where they perform all tasks
associated with managing an actual restaurant.
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Fourth Annual Frontiers in Science and Medicine Day- More than 500 seventh
grade students from local middle schools came to USG on 10/26 to participate in lab
tours and various interactive activities that represented real-life laboratories and clinics.
Over 20 local private companies, universities, healthcare organizations, and research
centers participated in this event. Participants included BioReliance, Human Genome
Sciences, MedImmune, NCATS, QIAGEN, etc.
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USG Student Council Open Session Meeting- In an effort to bridge the gap
between UMCP and Shady Grove Terps, Kevin Roshdieh was appointed as the new
USG/UMCP SGA Liaison. On 11/8, several leaders from the UMCP SGA attended a
USG Student Council Open Session meeting to provide information on student services
offered through UMCP and answer questions from Shady Grove Terps. This meeting was
a huge success and there are activities being planned by both SGAs to introduce main
campus students to USG and vice versa.
Upcoming Events
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Manna Food Drive @ USG from 11/5/12-11/12/11- Sponsored by Student Event
Board to collect canned foods and help give back to our communities in Montgomery
County this holiday season. We have partnered up with Manna Food Center help them
achieve their goal of eliminating hunger in Montgomery County through food
distribution, education and advocacy.
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Poverty Simulation Panel Discussion 11/14- Sponsored by The Universities at
Shady Grove Committee for Interpersonal and Interdisciplinary Education Strategies
(CIPES) to lead a follow-up discussion to the Poverty Simulation that was held at USG
10/3 and discuss with local experts that experience real world instances of poverty in
their daily profession.
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Fourth Annual Biomedical Science Day 11/15- Sponsored by The Universities at
Shady Grove Committee for Interpersonal and Interdisciplinary Education Strategies
(CIPES) to hear from panel of experts on universal topics such as changing
pharmaceutical needs, basic science research and animal models, development of novel
pain therapeutics, the perception and production of pain
interventional approaches to treating pain. Preceding the panel will be a poster session
presenting the research projects and activities of undergraduate and graduate students
from Biological Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy and Respiratory Therapy, and Psychology
at USG.
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JETS Day 12/1- Journeys in Engineering, Technology, and Science- The
Universities at Shady Grove and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) presents
this annual day of hands-on science education for middle school students. It will allow
the students to do interactive learning in science and technology through demonstrations
and technical sessions. In addition, JETS Day will provide information regarding
academic pathways and programs that will prepare students to join the workforce in the
science and engineering industries. Parental participation and follow-up communications
such as newsletters and website resources will strengthen the impact of this experience
for students.
**The USG Student Council welcomes all students from the USMSC/USM to visit
USG and take a green tour of our facilities. We are the largest higher regional
education center that has a gold certification in the LEED rating system. Green
tours can be scheduled for any date/time**
University of Baltimore
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In accordance with the Shared Governance requirements the SGA has appointed
two students to serve on all of the University Committees. At our Shared
Governance meeting we received a positive reaction for the SGA trying to fill the
required positions rather than the faculty finding a student.
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We set up a meeting for all of the Presidents of clubs and organizations to see
what the SGA should be doing for them. Due to the hurricane we had a very low
turnout, however it worked out to be much more conversational.
The SGA is moving along with some simple projects that are actually being
accomplished. For Example rather then trying to focus on large initiatives like
curriculum change, purchasing Scantrons on behave of the students at a much
lower wholesale rate.
We are in the process of accepting applications for the Student Regent and our
SGA elections commission. However we are having lower than average turnout,
which is fairly surprising with the opening of the Varsity, and more local students.
We are hosting our first SGA sponsored Town Hall at the end of November. We
are planning to have this in a very exposed spaced to draw in passer-bys, because
there is almost always low attendance to information session such as this.
University of Maryland, Baltimore
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Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the University of Kentucky
College of Nursing and president of the American Association of Colleges of
Nursing, has been selected as the new Dean of the University of Maryland School
of Nursing. Dr. Kirschling will also serve as the university’s Director of
Interprofessional Education.
The USGA is preparing for our annual fall formal which will be held at the B&O
Railroad Museum on November 16th.
The USGA executive board is currently assessing using the mobile app Ooh-LaLa to assist in promoting campus events and building school spirit.
The USGA executive board is currently crafting an ammendment to the USGA
constitiution which would strongly encourage future boards to save a minimum of
5% of its annual budget to offset routine delays in reciept of monies from the
state, or for other financial emergencies.
The USGA is currently assessing student interest in a student-initiated student fee
for sustainability, which would be matched by the University at a level deemed
appropriate by the student body. Guest speakers from the UMB sustainability
committee, as well as UM-CP’s undergraduate student government have been
invited to attend our upcoming General Body meeting on November 14th to speak
with UMB student leaders about the process of initiating the student referendum.
The USGA executive board enjoyed being guests of President Dr. Jay Perman at
the Founder’s Week black tie gala at the Hilton in Baltimore in celebration of the
200th anniversary of the founding of the School of Medicine.
A seedling from the original Davidge elm, “a majestic tree that before its death a
decade ago stood for nearly 200 years outside the University’s iconic signature
building, Davidge Hall” was planted in front of Davidge Hall during Founders
Week. Students enjoyed free cupcakes to celebrate the 200th birthday of the
building.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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On November 7th, the Student Government Association sponsored Election Night
Extravaganza which brought the UMBC community together to celebrate the
election. We were joined by multiple elected officials, including Delegates
Malone and Olseweski, Senator Kasemeyer, and Councilman Quirk, as well as
our Student Regent and members of our administration.
UMBC was in the media spotlight during the election. MIPAR's report on the
economic impact of the Maryland DREAM Act was featured nationally, and
professors from our political science and public policy program provided both
local and national commentary as well.
On November 15th, For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for
Civil Rights opens. This comprehensive, multi-media exhibit on the role of visual
culture in the civil rights movement has traveled across the country and is coming
to UMBC. In Decembmer, President Hrabowski will be joined by civil rights
leaders like Julian Bond to lecture on the exhibit – our fellow USMSC members
are welcome to join us for this incredible event!
UMBC and the Northop Grumman Foundation are partnering to launch the
UMBC Cyber Scholars Program that will run in partnership with our already
established Center for Women in Information Technology. This program will
support and encourage students to fill the gap in trained and certified
cybersecurity personnel.
At the end of last month, UMBC gathered with other members of the MarylandDistrict of Columbia Campus Compact for the consortium's launch. This coalition
is a part of a national one that is committed to “collaboratively addressing local
and global community issues through student service, civic engagement,
academically based service-learning, and campus-community partnerships.”
Graduate Report:
o 2 executive board members, 2 senators and 1 Office of Student Life GA
attended the National Association for Graduate and Professional Students
National (NAGPS) conference at Duke. They attended different
informative sessions sharing ideas and problems which other GSAs have
encountered and their solutions to those problems. Three of them took on
regional positions in the southeast region including; Vice-Chair, Social
Justice chair, and International Concerns chair.
o We had our November senate meeting where the Senators voted to add the
Education Graduate Student Organization to our official GSO list.
o Also at our senate meeting, there was a presentation about the Budget
Sequestration which might occur on January 1st. A list was acquired of
senators who wanted more information so they can pass it along to their
constituents.
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Is in the process of writing 1 or 2 posts to place on our Breaking Ground
blog. One will be about Budget Sequestration and the other will be about
the positions taken on with NAGPS.
University of Maryland, College Park
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Student Government Association
o Overall, the campus registered 4000 people to vote
o We had a 50% increase in voter turnout at the Student Union since 2008
o We hosted a press conference with Governor O’Malley, Congressman
Steny Hoyer, and religious leaders for Marriage Equality
o Some of our members went to Shady Grove for their Student Council
Meeting
o We are almost at the end of our submission period for the Maryland
Invests Essay Contest
o We are in the process of starting a Foundation Account which will allow
us to get donations from alumni and corporations
Graduate Student Government
o The Graduate Student Government, in partnership with the SGA,
organized shuttles to take students to the College Park Early voting center.
o During Homecoming we celebrated a football tailgate, and a tennis
tournament.
o Primary balloting for nominees of Meet and Confer will be completed by
November 16. After that, the general elections will be conducted to select
the twelve members of the Graduate Assistant Advisory Council that will
meet with the UMCP administration. The GSG added a section on its
website about Meet and Confer. Link is:
http://gsg.umd.edu/resources/meet-and-confer-process
o We hosted two Q&A sessions regarding meet and confer, so that graduate
assistants can be informed about the election of a graduate assistant
advisory council. Concerns are being raised about how each college/unit is
carrying out the primary balloting process.
University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
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University of Maryland, University College
Online Meeting with Governor Martin O’Malley
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Governor O’Malley will be conducting a live online video town hall style meeting
with UMUC Students who are active duty military and currently serving in
forward locations in Afghanistan. The meeting will take place on Veterans Day,
November 12, 2012. The students will be gathered on base for the meeting.
STAC Elections
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The nomination process for Council members began on November 3 and will
continue through November 13. Each nominee will sign and submit a “Letter of
Understanding” and a copy of the Bylaws and constitution. This is a new process
designed to make it clear that members have very specific commitments including
early morning or late night video conferences and possibly two domestic or
international trips each term year for face to face meetings in Adelphi.
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The worldwide elections will begin on November 26. Students will vote online
using a unique identifier that prohibits multiple votes or voting on behalf of
someone else.
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STAC members serve two year terms. There are 12 voting seats on the Council (3
from Europe, 3 from Asia, and 6 Stateside). New members will take office at the
January meeting in Adelphi. At that time, officers will be elected.
January Meeting
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We have invited the Student Regent Steven Hershkowitz from the University
System of Maryland to come and address our group on January 7, 2013 during
our annual winter meeting. The purpose is to give members a better view of the
bigger picture of the University System and student leadership.
Dinner With System Student Council
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UMUC Student Advisory Council is inviting all members of the University
System Student Council to attend a formal dinner at 6:00 on January 7,
2013. The dinner will be held in the Marriott Inn and Conference Center
located on the Adelphi Campus. Send questions and to RSVPs to Robb
Wilmot rwilmot@polaris.umuc.edu
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http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/wasum-the-marriott-inn-and-conferencecenter-university-of-maryland-university-college/
University System of Maryland, Hagerstown