Art Exhibit by Tess McRae ’22
Whether you are new to UMBC or you have been a Retriever for a while, it might be easy to assume that everything about UMBC outside of your direct experience is more or less permanent and unchanging. But, in fact, communities, including institutions like UMBC, are ever-changing, and built every day by their members.
Every space and every tradition at UMBC has a story. Many of these stories include students as founders, creators, advocates: people who had a vision and saw it through. There isn’t always a plaque to mark the spot where students made an important contribution. But the stories of those contributions are incredibly important. They tell you how and why initiatives, programs, and spaces exist in the way they do, and reveal a lot about what makes UMBC special, and what it means to be a Retriever.
Here are some stories to inspire you to leave your mark and become an active participant in co-creating your community:
Homecoming Bonfire
When he arrived at UMBC in 2004, Thomas Locastro had a vision: he wanted to light an enormous bonfire and invite the campus community to watch. He spent most of his first year gradually building support for the idea, which involved collaborating with other students and connecting with staff from numerous campus offices, none of whom started out eager to build a big fire.
But Thomas was persistent, and he followed through. He had the privilege of lighting the very first Homecoming Bonfire the following year. It was very small, and it burned out before the sun even set. But we got better at building bonfires. Now they’re big and impressive. The event has become an annual Homecoming tradition, and Thomas has yet to miss one.
The Garden
The Garden started as the dream of Jack Neumeier, Julianna Brightman, Kelsey Donlan, Andres Camacho, and other students who wanted to create a community garden on campus. They envisioned the garden serving as a catalyst for change, empowerment, wellness, and sustainability, with student organizations claiming plots and encouraging their members to get together to work on them, and classes and research projects taking place there too.
However, a community garden wasn’t in UMBC’s plans, and an earlier attempt to establish a garden had been unsuccessful. So the students had conversations with people to get them excited about their vision, and helped everyone see the value of what they had in mind. They won a grant from the Student Government Association to get the project started.
Now, anyone in the UMBC community can apply for a garden plot. That is one of the beautiful things about the Garden: it is always unfinished, and anyone in the UMBC community can contribute to it.
Retriever Essentials Food Pantry
When Deveraux Smith took a class on social change in Fall 2015, food insecurity among college students had not yet been recognized as a problem in the way it is now. But Deveraux’s experiences told him that there were UMBC students going hungry, and he and his classmates wanted to do something about it.
Deveraux reached out to UMBC administrators and faculty members for help, and together they assembled the resources they would need, including food donations. They started out distributing food from the back of a truck in a parking lot, but eventually established a food pantry in UMBC’s Sherman Hall. They launched Retriever Essentials, which provides food and toiletry items to members of the UMBC community in need free of charge.
The operation is managed and staffed primarily by students, working with a campus advisory committee.
OCA Mocha
In Spring 2017, 16 students took a class on creative problem-solving that inspired them to look for innovative ways to bridge the gap between UMBC and its surrounding communities. People in neighboring Arbutus told them they would like to see more spaces for cultural and community engagement. After a lot of brainstorming, the students decided to start up a coffee shop to bring people from UMBC and Arbutus together.
Two of the students, Deep Patel and Michael Berardi, spent the next two years leading the effort to plan and reach out to campus and community partners. They were able to secure a space and the support they needed, and the coffee shop, called OCA Mocha — the “OCA” stands for Opportunities for Community Alliances — opened in Arbutus in November 2019. OCA Mocha features a large meeting room full of whiteboards that is already used by local organizations and faculty, staff, and student groups. The stage features musical performances and open mic nights, and the walls are lined with a mix of work by local and student artists.
Student Government Association Office
The Student Government Association office has served as an organizing hub for generations of student leaders who have made many important contributions to UMBC. The story of one of those contributions began in 2010, when UMBC Student Government Association President Yasmin Karimian learned about a program at another institution that supported students when a modest financial need interfered with their ability to stay in school. She knew there were UMBC students facing the same challenge, so she organized a team to explore setting up a program on campus.
There were challenges to overcome, and funds to raise. But through the persistence of student leaders with help from staff members, UMBC was able to launch the Stay Black and Gold Emergency Fund and provide support to students who needed it.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started and there were suddenly many more students without jobs and facing unexpected needs, the UMBC community stepped up. Donations to the Stay Black and Gold Emergency Fund surged, and UMBC students were able to get help paying for rent, utilities, transportation, food, medical care, and child care.
Center for Democracy and Civic Life Office
The Center for Democracy and Civic Life prepares people at UMBC to create healthy communities and tackle challenges together. The Center’s work builds from the premise that civic life encompasses everyday settings and relationships through which all of us can generate the power to shape our world.
The Center’s groundbreaking, nationally recognized work with students helps them envision and get involved in projects that can enhance the quality of life for people at UMBC and in the Baltimore region. Students build their skills and form strong connections through immersive learning experiences, courses, workshops, community events, and individualized coaching. Most recently the Center organized the “Cast Your Whole Vote” campaign, which supports people in identifying how they can live their values, pull together, and contribute to their communities between elections.
Student Organizations Space
The Student Organizations Space is located in The Commons, a hub for student engagement and community. The building opened in 2002, but the Student Organizations Space remained basically empty for the next two years: full of desks that nobody used. Then a group of students came up with a different idea.
They wanted a lounge space with easily movable furniture, where student organizations could have spontaneous meetings, dance practices, and working sessions. The Student Government Association worked with members of the UMBC staff to bring that vision to life, and commissioned the Visual Arts Council of Majors to design and paint a large, colorful mural representing student involvement on one of the walls.
Solar-Powered Tables
The President’s Climate Action Plan commits UMBC to a goal of carbon neutrality by 2075. In 2015, a group of students, including Andrew Brow and Rob Ford, proposed to support the Plan by constructing solar-powered charging stations that would double as picnic tables. They called themselves SolarRetrievers.
One of the resources available to SolarRetrievers was a grant program called Prove It!, sponsored by the Student Government Association. Prove It! provided money for student initiatives that had lots of support from other students. SolarRetrievers won a Prove It! grant of $10,000, and were able to install tables in three locations: on the Commons Terrace, next to the Retriever Activities Center, and in the courtyard of Harbor Hall, one of UMBC’s residence halls.
Pangea
At the Center for Democracy and Civic Life’s annual STRiVE leadership for social impact retreat, students envision contributions they can make to the UMBC community. After STRiVE 2016, a group of participants pulled together to talk about how UMBC could introduce new students to the remarkable cultural diversity within its student body. They worked with cultural student organizations and members of the UMBC staff to create Pangea: a Cultural Showcase during Welcome Week.
Pangea debuted in Fall 2016 and was a huge hit that has become a campus tradition.
Retriever Learning Center
In the early 2000s, UMBC students advocated for a study space that would be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Student Government Association officers reached out to campus leaders, looking for solutions. The Albin O. Kuhn Library proved to be a willing partner.
Together, the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Student Government Association identified a space, assembled the necessary funds, and developed a design that would appeal to students. The product of their collaboration is the Retriever Learning Center, full of comfy furniture, movable white boards, and a vending machine area.