The
Connectionary program series is hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic
Life to encourage and foster opportunities for conversation about issues that
affect our lives here at UMBC. Facilitated by UMBC students in the ConnectionCorps
civic dialogue program, these conversations help UMBC community members think
about their own experiences and identify pathways to engagement, shared
understanding, and opportunities for building a thriving campus community.
These sessions will be organized as dialogues, where the aim is to come to some shared understandings about what challenges and opportunities exist on campus. These will not be information sessions; participants should expect to be engaged in conversation about the issues, rather than just getting information.
Light
refreshments will be provided. See below for a list of opportunities. Click on
the event date links to go to the event pages for each of the sessions.
Affordability
on Campus
Facilitator:
Sebastian Zamora
The
cost of college is on many people’s minds and is especially a concern for
students who are navigating affordability on campus. What is there to be done
about it? How should we make sense of what is needed for a college experience
at UMBC to be affordable? What are the opportunities and challenges? Come join
in a dialogue about affordability on campus and access to financial resources.
- Tuesday, April 16 from 3 – 4:15 p.m. in PAHB 216
- Friday, April 26 from 3 – 4:15 p.m. in Math/Psych 102
- Tuesday, April 30 from 3 – 4:15 p.m. in PAHB 216
Fostering
Professional Connections
Facilitator:
Kathryn Rambo
Looking
to form professional relationships with staff and faculty, but not sure where
to start? Do you find it challenging to figure out how to have the right
conversations with people to form professional connections? Join us for a
dialogue about creating relationships between students and faculty and staff to
generate genuine relationships in the atmosphere of professional academia as
well as how to nurture it after first making a connection.
- Monday, April 15 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. in Commons 329
- Wednesday, April 17 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. in Commons 329
How
To Be Involved
Facilitator:
Manav Vaishnav
Being involved on campus can be
challenging, especially when it comes to making choices about how you want to
be involved, how much, and with whom. This dialogue is focused on the
experience of being involved on campus. There are many different ways to get
involved on campus and within student organizations. The goal is for people to
come together and share experiences about involvement on campus. Come join in
conversation about what it means to be involved on campus in a way that is
healthy and fulfilling.
- Thursday, April 18 from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. in Commons 318
- Wednesday, April 24 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in Commons 329
Rethinking
Research
Facilitator:
Khiara Diaz
How
do you get involved in research opportunities on campus? How do you connect
with others around research? This dialogue is focused on staff and students
discussing their involvement with research on campus. The goal is for people
with similar field interests to come together and talk about how they got
involved with research, how to come up with research topics, or current
projects they are doing. Whether you are a research expert or just getting
started, this event can broaden the way we all think about research. Join us
for a conversation about research experiences at UMBC. Each session is tailored
for a different UMBC college (in parentheses below), but all are welcome at
each.