2-5-2023 EDU - Flipbook - Page 7
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, February 5, 2023 7
Ask Margit, from page 1
Health and wellness, from page 1
According to Federal Student Aid (part
of the Department of Education), “Federal
Pell Grants usually are awarded only to
undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a
bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree.”
“Classes are around $270 per credit for
out-of-county students, and with fees it’s
around $900 per class,” Megan continues.
“I’m limited to borrowing federal loans
that I then have to pay back with interest.
Fortunately, I qualify for in-county tuition,
even though I am not a resident of Anne
Arundel County, because my program is
eligible for the Statewide Tuition Reduction
waiver. This reduces my tuition to around
$120 per credit. It still adds up because I
have to take 6 credits per term, but it helps
a lot.”
The next problem is how classes are
scheduled. “COVID threw a big wrench
into which classes are available,” she says.
“Most community colleges are set up for
online learning, so the pandemic didn’t
change that.”
Both Megan and Rimma have run into
similar problems when it comes to combining their jobs with attending school. “You’re
really juggling so many responsibilities all at
the same time,” says Rimma. “In theory, you
can go home at the end of the workday, have
dinner, and start in on your current assignments, assuming you don’t ever take work
home with you. But that’s a fallacy. It’s about
shifting gears, moving from your employee
(or employer) role to your student role. If
you have other deadlines, you’re keeping
multiple balls in the air at the same time.
There are finite hours in the day in which to
do all the tasks on your list.”
Rimma depended on a fellow student
to help her get her assignments in on time.
They became a study group of two, sharing
notes and research, and would proof each
other’s work. The extra assistance allowed
Rimma to finish her master’s degree as
planned.
Megan wishes she could take one class
a semester instead of two. “There’s always
a lot of reading in addition to coursework,
and I find myself doing a cursory job on it.
I know my education suffers. On the plus
side, the profs have been terrific when there
are problems, giving me extra time when I
needed it.”
Rimma concurred. “Life gets in the way.
I would block out time to devote to studying
but, invariably, something would happen –
a business emergency or a family problem
– and that amount of time would be cut in
half or disappear. My fellow students and
I agreed that combining school and work
was far more difficult than we anticipated
despite the benefits of having that degree.”
For the most part, as Megan found,
professors are usually flexible and willing to
help students when they get overwhelmed.
They want you to succeed, as does the
school you attend.
If this is something you are considering,
it’s definitely worth doing. Just know it will
take more time than you think, and it has
to have a priority in your life. You’ll be glad
you did it.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the
office of Health Promotion and Initiatives for
Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b) launched
a “community conversations” program to reduce
mental health stigmas in historically marginalized
communities, while at the same time, honoring
their diverse experiences.
Samantha A. Smith, Ph.D., M.P.H.,
CHES, director of UMBC’s office of health
promotion, says the goal of the community
conversations program is to advance health
equity among the school’s population.
Additionally, she says these conversations enable
students to understand how culture can shape
viewpoints about mental health. The conversations can also drive home the importance of selfcare, Smith adds.
When Smith was working on her doctoral dissertation, she recalled gaining an understanding
that people were not getting a lot out of mental
health, particularly in marginalized communities.
To address that, Smith says she wanted to take the
table to places where people were not offered a
seat. She worked with i3B to bring deep conversations with “radical levels of intensity” to students
who come from marginalized backgrounds due to
race, gender and sexual orientation.
Those conversations often explored feelings of
discrimination, racism, systemic racism and mental health concerns. Because these were prevailing outlooks within marginalized communities,
Smith says these conversations often focused on
how racism can show up and the impact it has on
the body and mind.
The program uses a group-led model in order
to create a comfortable and safe space so that
people can open up. This can be particularly
important with marginalized populations who
may have a contentious relationship with mental
Advancing ecosystem, from page 2
health professionals, Smith says.
The student-led conversations allow for
UMBC students and faculty to bridge any gaps
and find common ground through these talks.
The conversations “allow students to hear their
own story from someone else,” Smith says.
“They can say, ‘I resonate with that experience.’ It also allows staff to say, ‘us too,’” Smith
says. “It’s showing the students that they all have
similarities and differences, and all of these impact
them in different ways.”
The conversations aren’t designed to “fix”
students but allow them to be heard. Talking in a
group setting can also help people feel comfortable enough to ultimately get the help they may
need, Smith says.
The conversations also turn to topics of
self-care, which can include learning how to set
boundaries for yourself, including meaning “yes”
and “no” when those words are said, Smith says.
Self-care can also teach people how to be fully
present in situations.
Smith says the value of the community conversation program shows the value of listening
and connection.
“Listening to each other has helped the students become connected with each other and
also connected with themselves. Listening and
connection is invaluable,” Smith says. “When we
are vulnerable with each other and transparent,
that’s the lynchpin to help people get the help they
need.”
At Anne Arundel Community College, a different type of care program is in play – one
addressing food insecurity. It is estimated that
one-third of people in Maryland face some form
of food insecurity, which is defined as the lack of
access to safe and nutritious food.
Basic Needs Coordinator Caitlin Silver
Negron serves as an advocate for students who are
experiencing food or resource insecurity. Negron
manages the school’s food pantry. Until recently,
the pantry primarily contained dry goods and
shelf-stable items, but Negron wanted to do more.
She wanted students to also have access to fresh
fruits and vegetables.
Using donor funds, Negron, who is passionate about addressing food insecurity, was able to
establish a fresh food market style program for
students in mid-2022. The once-per-month market provides students with fresh produce.
Negron says the program is conducted with
no questions asked. She says the aim is to provide
good, healthy food to students in a non-judgmental manner.
“We try to make sure it’s as dignified a process
as possible,” Negron says.
Creating a fresh market has been a goal of
Negron’s since she joined college staff in 2019.
Most of the food is sourced locally through
Hungry Harvest, a farm to doorstep produce
delivery service that provides surplus produce,
including fruits, vegetables, eggs and other items.
The food is delivered to the school the day of
the market and Negron’s team will make signs
informing people what produce is available that
day.
Additionally, Negron and her colleagues will
provide recipe cards for some of the available vegetables people may not be familiar with. She says
they sometimes receive vegetables that are “a little
outside of people’s wheelhouse” and they offer
suggestions on how to serve the food.
“We have a lot of fun with it, and it creates a
strong sense of community,” Negron says.
holistic view of environmental problems and
they can devise solutions that can have eco-
requires 36 total credit hours for completion, spanning two full years including summer. Core courses include systems thinking, climate change science and society, environmental management and environmental
resilience. Admission is flexible for students
with undergraduate degrees in environmental
fields. Those with degrees in adjacent areas
such as biology, economics and sociology may
need to complete prerequisite courses in environmental science.
The program prepares students for careers
in government agencies, corporations, consulting companies and nonprofit organizations.
A master’s program at Salisbury University
is preparing future managers in geographic
information systems (GIS), an information
system computer mapping technology that
creates, organizes, analyzes and maps database information. Last spring, the Salisbury
program, in existence for 16 years, received
the 2022 Program Excellence Award in the
master’s program category from the American
Association of Geographers.
According to Arthur Lembo, Ph.D., professor of geography and geosciences at Salisbury
University, the connection of GIS and information technology (IT) has created one of the
fastest growing industries in the world, with
the current annual revenue estimates of $8 billion expected to triple to $24 billion by 2030.
“The field of geographic information
science is growing at a rapid rate,” Lembo
explains. “Our program focuses on the aspect
of managing that field. We have people now
who have skills in geographic information sci-
ence, but our students move into management
roles so that they can oversee the development
implementation and sustaining of geography
information systems.”
The comprehensive program incorporates
coursework in management, cooperative experience, human dynamics and leadership, and,
of course, IT, including database design. The
fully online program accommodates working
professionals who many complete the 34 credits of coursework in two years. An accelerated
option includes summer study with the potential to finish in 13 months for those currently
not working. As part of the program, students
complete a cooperative project, solving a GIS
management problem for their own organization or through an internship with companies
looking for support.
GIS technology is used by scientists in
almost every industry, Lembo explains. The
degree leads to employment in GIS management roles in government agencies, nonprofit
organizations and in the private sector.
“We use the latest technologies so they can
follow [their study] to large organizations that
invest in the technology as well,” says Andrea
Presotto, Ph.D., GISM graduate program
director and assistant professor of geography
and geosciences at Salisbury. Graduates of the
program are working all over the country for
a variety of organizations including National
Geographic and city and local governments.
Chris Blume has installed over 70 bat boxes in
Baltimore City.
nomic, societal and ecological benefits.”
The new program, which begins this
semester, offers fully online and in-person
coursework options. The part-time program
Help in many forms, from page 4
Experiential learning, from page 1
Left: Weiping Qin picks up marine debris. Right: Patrick Voelker removes rope from mangrove roots.
McDaniel College Graduate Assistant Maggie Miller assists student Mason White.
duty in the military achieve their MBA is
the purpose of the military veterans fellows and scholars program at The Robert H.
Smith School of Business at the University of
Maryland. Not all veterans get full G.I. bill benefits and not all active military students have
the full tuition paid by their military service.
The new program offers financial assistance to
these full time MBA students.
“Business school is a popular learning experience for both military professionals as well as
for veterans as they transition from the military
into the private sector, or sometimes into the
government,” says Frank Goertner, director,
federal and veteran affairs. It is a very effective
way for veterans to catch up with their peers in
the business world. They learn about managing
profit and loss, marketing and other skills not
used in the military. Those in the active military
are encouraged to learn how innovation is managed and how technology is commercialized.
They need to study business analytics, entrepreneurship, and supply chain management and
bring that knowledge into the military while
they continue their service.
“New veterans have to very quickly position
themselves into industries that are used to hiring people with a very different resume,” says
Goertner. The majority of these students are
veterans who have already earned a bachelor’s
degree while in the service, but not necessarily
in a brick-and-mortar school, so being fulltime
on campus is a new experience for them along
with adjusting to civilian life.
Most military and veteran students already
consider themselves leaders and they want to
use these qualities in the private sector. The
Smith MBA has activities and partnerships to
help them accelerate the process. One partnership is with Warrior Canine Connection, which
is a non-profit based in Maryland that trains
service dogs for disabled veterans. Smith veterans participate with them in leadership activities, volunteer activities, as well as fundraising.
The full-time MBA takes two years including an internship in the summer and will
provide these graduates with the knowledge
and experience they need to market themselves
into a civilian career or a civilian industry or
advance in the military.
systemic level to get a deep understanding on the
issues in the area. He adds that for many students,
it’s their first exposure to Baltimore beyond campus.
Hoffman says that topics are chosen by the
students, and student leaders meet weekly for about
a year to flesh out the topics and develop the curriculum. This year’s topics are disability justice and
the impacts of structural inequities on people with
disabilities in Baltimore City; educational justice
for youth impacted by intimate partner violence
and the barriers to academic success resulting from
IPV; and the racial and ethnic disparities in access
to health care in Baltimore.
Students will meet with various non-profits,
residents, activists and city government officials to
not only better understand the issues but also work
collaboratively on solutions.
“We are fortunate that UMBC has the Shriver
Center, so we already have various strong partnerships in place,” says Hoffman.
About 25 students from Goucher College
returned from winter break early to partake in
employer field trips, the first year it was able to be
held in person (last year’s was done virtually).
Matt Van Hoose, Goucher College’s associate vice president for career and Baltimore-based
learning, says that the program is another example
of Goucher’s initiative to increase student learning
beyond campus. For two days, students will visit
four companies – McCormick & Company, T.
Rowe Price, Parks and People Foundation and the
Creative Alliance.
“Students will be given the opportunity to hear
from employees from different departments and in
a sense walk in someone else’s shoes to see what a
typical day is like,” says Van Hoose, who notes that
the program is intended for students in the early
part of their educational journey.
“Students will see what the culture and atmosphere is like. For example, for workplace attire,
how do you feel about wearing a suit every day? The
Goucher curriculum already focuses on ‘soft skills’
such as teamwork, problem-based learning, writing
and inter-cultural learning, and this experience
expands on that.”
Students in the program will also be able to
discover the wide range of roles within several
different organizations. For example, at a finance
company such as T. Rowe Price, there are positions
in marketing, human resources and information
technology, among others.
“We don’t want to wait for students to come to
us looking for career development opportunities …
it’s important for us to help them explore opportunities at the earliest stage as possible,” Van Hoose
says. He adds that the employer field trips will also
allow students to form professional networks within
the organizations they visit.