Fall 2012 Newsletter, Alumni Network
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REVISIONS Department of Resident Life Fall 2012 Newsletter Alumni NetworkNetwork We began our campaign with a media blitz using the phrase UMD’s Inclusive Language “Would You Say that If….” This phrase emerged from a Campaign series of meetings with various student groups across the campus in the spring 2012. We marketed the campaign at By Amy Martin, Associate Director of Resident Life for North Campus the First Look Fair and other events handing out buttons, Department of Resident Life and vinyl stickers stating “This Space Uses Inclusive Lan- This year, with a $15,000 guage.” We also created posters, bulletin boards, a STAMP Alumni NetworkNetworkgrant from UMD’s Of- banner, and t-shirts that focused on specific language and fice of Diversity and highlighted the stories of identity groups repeatedly men- Inclusion, the Depart- tioned in the student group meetings. ment of Resident Life (DRL) and The Adele A small task group of Resident Life and MICA staff mem- H. Stamp Center For bers continues to develop opportunities to keep the conver- Campus Life’s Multi- sation about inclusive language going throughout the year. cultural Involvement We created a float and Community Advo- for the Homecom- cacy (MICA) office are ing Parade and partnering to create a collected videos comprehensive, multi- of students talking layered, inclusive lan- about why inclu- guage campaign that sive language was engages all students. important to them at The Stamp’s fall At times, students have expressed feeling unwelcome and un- All-Niter. In ad- comfortableDEPARTMENT on campus and in the residence OF hallsRESIDENT because of dition, LIFE our DRL derogatory language used by their peers. This type of language Common Ground impacts manyAlumni students based on their Network class, race, ethnicity, re- Dialogue program is offer- ligion, sexual orientation, ability status, sex, and gender identity. ing opportunities for students to engage around identity in Our goals for this campaign are to: their residence halls. Titled YouIDs, these dialogues are a one-session, peer-led discussion about identity where par- • Help students understand that their words have power ticipants discuss broad dimensions of identity that exist in and impact others’ sense of belonging on campus. multicultural communities, and then each person is invited to share important • Provide students with helpful strategies and teach them aspects of personal to engage others about language in a way that creates “aha mo- identity with the rest ments.” of the group. • Help our students understand the impact, origin, and On November 1, context of words. 2012, eleven students, • Create a student-driven process via focus groups and who are taking MI- surveys, so that students can express the power of language in CA’s 1 credit course their own words. to learn spoken word techniques, presented their first pro- gram Ignite the Mic in the Atrium of the Stamp. The spo- DRL continued on page 2 1 Alumni Network Inclusive Language Campaign, from page 1 ken word component of the campaign established in recognition of Joe’s compassion for the less is fashioned after elements of hip-hop, fortunate members of our society and in honor of his abil- because hip-hop, at its core, is com- ity to befriend, guide, and mentor individuals whose ability prised of an array of forms of expres- to succeed as students at our institution was challenged by sion (beat boxing, DJing, graffiti, spoken some personal or family circumstance. word) used by marginalized populations to depict and provide commentary on I’ve been asked by many about my experience being a part their experiences. Within the inclusive of the award selection committee. The reality is it is tough language campaign, hip-hop pedagogy illustrates the use of art in depicting life reading about the many challenges our students are fac- experiences and advancing meaningful ing today. So many students are facing financial hardships, dialogue about identity. loss of family, health challenges, and many other obstacles standing between them and graduation. With this award, we are able to highlight and recognize that, even in the hard- est of times, students still reach out to help their community and find their way to the finish line. One of our recent award recipients, Carlos Alberto Moreno, shared his thoughts in a letter, “I look at this scholarship as a great gift that will help me in my educational journey towards success….I came to realize that the greatest legacy is not what we leave for people, but what we leave in them… This scholarship has left in me a light of truth that there are people out there willing to help out those that are in need. Many thanks to rita zhang, Judy Martinez, Amber Simmons, At our lowest moments, we cry out for help. I am always Andy Mrusko, Dennis Scott, Craig Leets, Kia Weeden, JaQuan in that position. I am always in danger of dropping out of Bryant, Ashlei Tobin-Robertson, Genevieve Conway, Payne school due to financial limitations. However, the Joseph Hiraldo, Jason Wong, and Quan Vu for helping us make this M. Mitchell Memorial Award gives me the fuel inside of campaign a huge success! If you have any questions about the me to keep doing well in my education and to keep moving campaign or would like more information, visit www.inclu- forward.” sivelanguage.umd.edu or contact Amy Martin at amartin5@ umd.edu Stories by students like Carlos continually reminds us of the positive impact on students this award has. It also reminds us the role the award committee, fundraiser volunteers, and Joseph Mitchell Memorial donors have on the award. In September, we held a Guest Scholarship Update Bartending and Silent Auction event to raise money for the By Dai-An Tran, Assistant Director for Information Technology scholarship. Ashlei Tobin-Robertson, Olan Garrett, Mi- chael Melnyk, Sarah Barbara Longwell, and I volunteered We’re entering the 14th award process for the Joseph M. to be guest bartenders and we raised more than $2,000 that Mitchell Memorial Scholarship Award. To date, we’ve awarded evening! We are so grateful for the support this scholar- a total of 13 $1,000 scholarships. We find a lot of joy in ship fund has received over the years. As always, financial honoring the memory and character of our good friend Joe support for the scholarship is great way to recognize and Mitchell. Joe passed away in 2005, and served for 17 years help our students. If you would like to make a contribu- in various roles, including as Manager of Assignments and tion, please visit www.josephmitchell.umd.edu and click on Assistant Director of Resident Life. The scholarship was “Making a Donation.” 2 Where are they now? Lessons Learned: • How to relate to all types of individuals from all Spotlight on UM DRL Alumni walks of life • How to counsel and be empathetic to others Recently, we caught up with several UM DRL Alumni to • How to lead learn a bit more about them and what they’ve been up to • How to be a team player since graduation. We hope you enjoy learning a bit more about your fellow alumni! All of the above lessons have helped me tremendously in Simone Stewart my success as a consultant in my professional life Brian Jefferson What year did you graduate from the University of Maryland? 2000 What positions did you hold in Resident Life while at Mary- land? Resident Assistant in Queen Anne’s Hall for 2 1/2 years (RA of the Year for 1 year) What are you up to currently? I am a Senior Manager at Accenture, currently supporting large companies such as Disney, ESPN, Time Warner Cable and Cap- ital One with their digital marketing and digital analytics strategy. I have had a wonderful experience getting to work with such notable clients in transforming how they market. I have also had the opportunity to work with clients globally in this space What year did you graduate from the University of spending time in Canada, China and India. As an executive, it is Maryland? my job to work with the clients in helping them not only devise 2001 their strategies, but also implement and manage to a profitable outcome. What positions did you hold in Resident Life while at Maryland? Favorite Memory: I was a Resident Assistant in Queen Anne’s Hall and Anne Arundel Hall I have so many....One of my funnier favorites was my pursuit of the “broken door bandit.” We knew someone was repeatedly What are you up to currently? breaking/propping an exterior door to the building and enter- ing without passing by the front desk. In an attempt to catch I am a Tax Director for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Balti- the bandit, I posted “Wanted” posters with the reward set at more, where I work with several US based multinationals. a McDonald’s gift certificate. The bandit was identified in 24 My wife and I live in historic Butchers Hill, where we enjoy hours. Shenanigans aside, my true favorite memories are of the weekend walks to Fells Point and running back and forth to times that my residents would seek me out and trust in me as a our old neighborhood of Federal Hill. We enjoy top notch confidante. I had many nights sitting with residents and being a food and drink, and often plan our vacations around eating friend to them and helping them through their various stresses. well. As penance, we typically run a half marathon at some The trust that they placed in me and the affirmation of my sup- point during the trip.