The UMBC men's basketball team will open the season this Friday, November 21 when they face Loyola in the Battle of Baltimore Tournament at Towson University. Tip-off time for the locally televised (WMAR-TV2) game is 7 p.m.

Coppin State will face host Towson in the nightcap, with the losers (5:30 p.m.) and winners (8 p.m.) meeting on Saturday, November 22 to determine this year's champion.

UMBC has won the last three Battle of Baltimore Tournaments at Morgan State (2002), Loyola (2001) and at home (2000). The Retrievers' six-game BOB winning streak in the tournament is the longest in tournament history, breaking Loyola's five straight wins to open the event. After the Greyhounds won the first two titles and reached the finals in Year #3, UMBC has played for the title in each of the last four years.

Head Coach Tom Sullivan's next coaching victory will be #100 at UMBC. He is the longest tenured and winningest coach in UMBC's Division I (1986-87) history and will become the second coach in the program's history to record 100 wins. Billy Jones went 134-173 from 1974-1986.

UMBC trails the all-time series with Loyola, 26-16. The Retrievers had won four straight until LC's 62-43 victory at Reitz Arena last December. UMBC is 11-8 vs. Loyola since entering Division I competition in 1986-87. The teams have met each year in the BOB, with Loyola winning the first two games (1 title game) and UMBC taking the last three (2 titles).

Senior Kareem Washington earned Most Valuable Player honors in last year's BOB, amassing 40 points (14/28 fg) in the two games. He has scored in double figures in 15 consecutive games. Junior Andrew Feeley also earned All Tournament Team honors, averaging 12.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg in the two games.

UMBC students -- with valid identification -- are admitted free to the Battle of Baltimore.

The final weeks of the semester can be a satisfying time, as material in courses begins to come together for professors and students alike. Connections among a variety of topics or concepts can be made, details fit into place, and major ideas consolidated. On the other hand, the end of the semester can also be a time of extreme frustration and stress for everyone, as demands pile up, deadlines loom, and unexpected problems test our composure.

To avoid the latter of these two extremes, we have the opportunity, now, to step back and consider what the next few weeks might look like. If we're running behind in our syllabus and thus delaying assignments, or if we're encountering problems with the quality of student performance in our courses, it might be a good idea to reconfigure our expectations. Much can still be accomplished if we take a practical view of what we and our students can achieve, and prepare students for successfully completing courses.

The design of the syllabus lies directly under the professor's control, often allowing for some abbreviation of content. Nothing is more frustrating for students than to have the course suddenly begin to move at lightening speed so that a month's worth of information is jammed into a week's lectures. Covering content is not the same as teaching it, and students, we know, can only make sense of concepts that are fully explained and sufficiently illustrated. Even for sequence courses that require us to reach a predetermined destination, paring down details and boldly emphasizing the most critical information can minimize the disturbing sense that a dump truck has suddenly upended in the classroom.

If we step back to view the semester from a student's perspective, we recognize that we might consciously communicate more fully our expectations of how students should approach their work in our courses. Students are, for the most part, inexperienced managers of time, especially first-year students. They may have been accustomed to studying at the last minute, cramming for exams, and writing papers the night before they're due. By this point in the semester most of these novices have learned that staying up all night before a major exam or attempting to write a ten-page research paper in two hours doesn't work well.

In order to help these struggling students, faculty can wisely invest five minutes of class time to review the rest of the semester and clarify what remains to be done and what deadlines approach. We might recommend that students sit down and carefully plan out the remaining days in order to set realistic short term goals. For students who need help thinking through such matters, the Learning Resources Center tutors can be of great help, or students can turn to the Web for time-management advice.

Experienced students also realize that studying for exams should begin early to minimize stress and provide sufficient time to ask questions during office hours or review sessions. Encouraging students to organize the semester's material in concept maps can provide them with methods for making connections among topics and focusing on the big picture rather than getting lost in the details. Finally, test anxiety is a serious issue for many students, and again they can be encouraged to seek guidance on how to minimize its impact on their performance, either through counseling or by following preparation strategies others have found to be helpful.

Courses often require final papers or final presentations. Many professors have discovered that assigning a single long paper due at the beginning or end of finals week creates last-minute crises and, occasionally, problematic essays. Unless students have been required to submit outlines, bibliographies, or drafts during the semester, the final result can be a less than satisfying read; (as Samuel Johnson noted, "what is written without effort is read without pleasure"). It's important to get students moving early, and to encourage them to seek help from tutors or friends in order to polish their work before turning it in. Again, a variety of Web sites offer writing assistance.

While many professors offer very clear guidelines for students regarding their written work, they may inadequately prepare students for oral reports and presentations. As with all assignments, the more explicit the instructions the better, along with the advice to practice in front of others or before a video camera. St. Cloud University has produced an excellent website for faculty who require oral reports-to help in the design and evaluation of presentations.

Finally, faculty members should protect themselves too from the stresses of the end of semester dash. Advice about stress, however, is only as good as one's willingness to slow down and take it seriously.

Available at the Faculty Development Center:
Gmelch, Walter H. Coping with Faculty Stress. Newbury Park: Sage. 1993.

CAVC Exhibition in the Washington Post
A review of the Center for Art and Visual Culture's (CAVC) "White" exhibition appeared on the front page of the Washington Post's "Style" section on December 3.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33515-2003Dec3.html

English's Christopher Corbett in the News
An Associated Press account of English faculty member Christopher Corbett's new book - Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express (published by RandomHouse - Broadway Books division) appeared in dozens of the nation's major newspapers including The Los Angeles Times, The Arizona Republic, The Minneapolis Star Tribune and USA Today.
www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-11-20-ponies_x.htm

Corbett's account of the legendary fast mail service was also named notable book of 2003 by the Kansas City Star.

Undergraduate Alicia Wilson in the Baltimore Sun
Political science major and Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar Alicia Wilson, who recently received the prestigious Truman Scholarship for law school, was profiled in the Baltimore Sun on November 30.
www.sunspot.net/news/education/bal-md.wilson30nov30,0,691215.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Beverly Tatum Lecture in the Catonsville/Arbutus Times
The Catonsville Times and the Arbutus Times covered a recent lecture by Spelman College President Beverly Tatum on November 19. Tatum gave this year's W.E.B. DuBois Lecture at UMBC. The presentation, "Talking About Race, Learning About Racism: A Conversation for the 21st Century" was sponsored by the Department of Africana Studies.

CAVC Exhibition in the Baltimore Sun
The Center for Art and Visual Culture's current exhibition, "White," was reviewed on the Baltimore Sun on November 23.
www.sunspot.net/features/arts/bal-as.umbc23nov23,0,7526377.story?coll

Barbara Tyroler, MFA '03, in the Washington Post
An exhibition of work by Barbara Tyroler, Imaging and Digital Arts MFA '03, was reviewed in the Washington Post on November 19.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62199-2003Nov19.html?referrer=emailarticle

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the Washington Post
The OpEd "A Route for 2004 That Doesn't Go Through Dixie" by Assistant Professor of Political Science Tom Schaller, appeared in the Washington Post on November 16.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40359-2003Nov14.html

Brian Maguire, EHS, in Detroit News
Brian Maguire, visiting assistant professor in EHS, was quoted in the November 17 Detroit News article "Ambulance Hazards Targeted."
www.detnews.com/2003/nation/0311/17/a01-327042.htm

Claudia Morrell, CWIT, in HRWire
CWIT Director Claudia Morrell was quoted in the November 17 HRWire article "The Movement Toward More Women in IT: Is the Trend Reversing?" The article is available to subscribers only.
www.hrwire.com.

Christopher Corbett, English, on CNN.com
Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express by English's Christopher Corbett, was reviewed on CNN.com.www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/11/17/review.pony.express/index.html

Tom Schaller on Washington Post "Live Online" Today (11/14)
As a prelude to his November 16 Washington Post article on Democratic presidential hopefuls, Tom Schaller, assistant professor of political science, will be a featured guest on the Washington Post's "Live Online" at 2 p.m. on November 14.
http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/03/r_outlook_schaller111403.htm

Meyerhoff Program in the Chicago Tribune
A feature story on the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program was published in the November 10 issue of the Chicago Tribune. The article is available online to subscribers only.
www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0311100228nov10,1,4298953,print.story?coll=chi-technology-hed

Dave Marcotte, Public Policy, in Slate and on National Public Radio
Assistant Professor of Public Policy Dave Marcotte was quoted in an October 29 Slate article on the economics of suicide.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2090424/

Marcotte's research was also featured on National Public Radio on November 9.
www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgDate=04-Nov-2003&prgId=17

Robert Carpenter, Economics, in the Baltimore Sun
Research by Robert Carpenter, associate professor of economics, was featured in a November 7 Baltimore Sun editorial on slots.
www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/bal-ed.gamblers07nov07,1,146253.story

Christopher Corbett, English, on MPT's Artworks
Christopher Corbett will be a guest on this week's edition of "Artworks This Week" on the Maryland Public Television network to talk about his newest book,Orphans Preferred:The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express. The show will air Saturday, November 15 at 9 a.m. (The show also aired on November 12 and 13)www.mpt.org/artworks/thisweek/

Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery Exhibition in the Washington Post
The Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery's current exhibition, "Intermedia," was reviewed in the Washington Post on November 12.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34401-2003Nov12.html

Donald Norris, Public Policy, MIPAR, in Digital Government Online and Washington Post
Donald Norris, MIPAR director and professor of public policy, was interviewed for the article "Is Government IT Living Up to Its Promise? E-Government Does Not Necessarily Equal E-Democracy, DG Study Finds" on Digital Government Online.
www.digitalgovernment.org/news/stories/2003/1103/1103_egov_heyman.jsp

Norris was also quoted in the November 13 Washington Post article "Baltimore Bigwigs Put Two Cents In For Duncan: Event Is Warning to O'Malley."
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34810-2003Nov13.html

CWIT in Maryland Family Magazine
The November 2003 Maryland Family magazine cover story was a feature on UMBC's Center for Women and Information Technology.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=929&NewsID=504353&CategoryID=15231&show=localnews&om=1

Dennis Coates and Brad Humphreys, Economics, in the LA Daily News
Research by Dennis Coates, professor of economics, and Brad Humphries, associate professor of economics, was featured in the November 1 LA Daily News story, "L.A. survives without Raiders, Rams or NFL billionaires on the dole." The article mentions that in a 2000 analysis of earnings and employment, Coates and Humphreys noted: "We find that professional sports has a small positive effect on earnings per employee in the amusements and recreation sector and an offsetting decrease in both earnings and employment in other sectors. This direct spending on professional sports has a positive effect on a small sector of cities' economies, but the overall impact is negative."
www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~24781~1738241,00.html

Robert Deluty, Psychology, in Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy
"Connecting, Unburdening and Enlightening: Reflections on Poetry and Psychotherapy," an article by Presidential Teaching Professor and Associate Professor of Psychology Robert Deluty, appeared in the Fall 2003 issue of Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy, the Journal of the American Academy of Psychotherapists.

Donald Norris, Public Policy, MIPAR, in the Baltimore Sun
Donald Norris, professor of public policy and director of MIPAR, was quoted in a front-page Baltimore Sun article on November 5. Norris commented on the latest developments in "high political drama" in City politics as a rift between Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos and Mayor Martin O'Malley widened.
www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-te.md.angelos05nov05,0,6073158.story

While its work often remains unseen, the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) maintains an almost constant presence at UMBC. AVFD is UMBC's primary provider of fire and rescue services, but also offers opportunities for training and field experience for UMBC students majoring in emergency health services. With the fire department in the midst of the first capital campaign in its 65-year history, the UMBC community now has the opportunity to give back to AVFD for its many years of service to UMBC and the surrounding community.

UMBC's rapid growth places an even greater demand on the services provided by AVFD, as is indicated by the following statistics noting the increased number of EMS and fire calls made to the UMBC campus over the past five years. (These numbers do not include calls made during athletic or other campus events.)

The Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department's connections to UMBC go well beyond its response to fire and medical emergencies on campus. For many years, AVFD has welcomed students from UMBC's emergency health services department into its ranks, allowing students to obtain invaluable training and field experience. "Our emergency medical services crew has greatly benefited from the constant supply of UMBC students," says John McDowell, captain of the AVFD. "The steady source of emergency medical technicians from UMBC allows us to rotate our EMS crews frequently, greatly reducing the levels of stress and burn-out among our EMTs." The department counts approximately 25 current UMBC students and several more alumni among its 210 members.

Now at its halfway point, the department's capital campaign has raised just over one-third of its goal to raise $3 million over the course of three years. The proceeds of the campaign will fund a much-needed expansion and renovation of the station's existing facilities, adding three new equipment bays, as well as additional office, instructional, and living space. When all work is completed, the station will be the largest in Baltimore County, having doubled its current size.

UMBC is also playing an active role in the fire department's capital campaign. A group of visual arts graduate students led by professor Vin Grabill produced a video that the station's members use to promote their campaign within the community. After watching the video produced by this collaborative effort, the members of UMBC's President's Council personally pledged over $3000 to AVFD's campaign. In addition, UMBC would like to build on this pledge, raising a collective gift of $5000 to thank the fire department for its many years of dedicated service to the university.

Joan Kennedy Cody will collect contributions from the UMBC community through the end of October. Please make checks payable to the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department Capital Campaign. You can send them to her via campus mail or drop them off to her in room 705 of the Administration Building. Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c) (3) corporation. Gifts to the campaign qualify as charitable contributions are deductible for income tax purposes.

For more information on the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department and its capital campaign, visit www.arbutusvfd.org. You can watch the UMBC-produced campaign video online. (You will need Real Player to watch the video.)

New Patent for Computer Science/Electrical Engineering's Fow-Sen Choa
Congratulations to Fow-Sen Choa, professor of computer science/electrical engineering, for his recently issued patent entitled "Widely Tunable and Integrated Optical System and Method," patent number US 6,657,780 B2, issued on December 2, 2003. This invention provides a tunable optical system and method that exhibits a broader tuning range with fewer components than prior art tunable optical systems. The patent can be viewed it its entirety on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site at www.uspto.gov. If you would like more information about patents, trademarks, or copyrights, please call the Office of Technology Development at ext. 5-1414.

New Patent for Biological Sciences' Brian Bradley
Congratulations to Brian Bradley, professor of biological sciences, for his recently issued patent entitled "Dynamic Protein Signature Assay", patent number US 6,653,135 B1, issued on November 25, 2003. This invention is directed to a method of determining environmental quality, i.e., internal or external conditions that may have an adverse effect on an organism, including disease, substances to treat disease or any other substance that may have an adverse effect on the organism. The entire patent can be viewed on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site at www.uspto.gov. If you would like more information about patents, trademarks, or copyrights, please call the Office of Technology Development at ext. 5-1414.

UMBC Chemistry Renovation Project Receives COAA Project Leadership Award
UMBC and the University of Maryland, Baltimore were the recipients of the COAA (Construction Owners Association of America) Project Leadership Award for 2003 for the UMBC Chemistry Renovation Project. COAA established this award to publicly recognize owners demonstrating exceptional leadership in project management on a specific construction project. The award is given annually to a public owner and a private owner. Construction partners are also recognized.

In making the award, Miles Albertson, COAA president, noted the following:COAA received a record number of public owner entries for this award. The University of Maryland was unanimously selected by the committee for this award.It is the first time that a renovation project has won this award. The competition was so intense that COAA also awarded a "runner-up" in the public owner category.

Terry Cook, director of architecture/engineering/construction, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, along with Michael Carper of The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, the construction manager, and Marc Shaw of Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, the architect/engineer, accepted this award at COAA's Annual Fall Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Projects are judged on such criteria as overall project management and project success, user/customer satisfaction, design excellence, conservation and sustainability efforts, scheduling, maximum conflict resolution and cost management.

Cook says, "From our perspective, this award was bestowed on the entire project team which includes the University, the AE, and the construction manager. The UMBC Chemistry Renovation project has had significant challenges. The success of this project is a result of the commitment, creativity and hard work of the project team members. Receipt of this award is truly a testimony to this team!"

Sue Plitt, Student Affairs, Receives Community Service Award
Sue Plitt, student affairs, will receive a community service award from the Catonsville Chamber of Commerce. "Sue is being honored for her extraordinary contributions to her community -- work she is committed to doing and does so very well. We are very fortunate to have Sue work with us at UMBC, for she demonstrates this same commitment to her UMBC community," says Director of Student Life Patty Perillo.

Residential Life Staff Present Workshops at MACUHO
During the Mid-Atlantic College and University Housing conference held November 4-7, UMBC was well represented. Kim Leisey, regional coordinator of MACUHO, presented "Competencies for Moving Up," a professional development session for entry-level staff. William Lawson, Erika Lezan and Mario Perazo presented a workshop for graduate students, "Making the Most of Your Graduate Program," and William Lawson facilitated a program session on coordinating residential and Greek activities. Resident student and past president of RSA Ryan Bricklemyer also attended and presented in his role as regional director of CAACURH.

Philosophy's Stephen Braude Receives International Award, Delivers Lectures
Stephen Braude, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy, received the Distinguished Achievement Award at the 20th Annual Fall conference of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, held Nov. 2-4 in Chicago. The award honored his theoretical contributions to the study of dissociative identity (i.e., multiple personality) disorder and other dissociative phenomena, through his book First Person Plural and a series of articles in the journals Philosophy, Psychiatry & Psychology and The Journal of Trauma and Dissociation.

Braude recently spoke at back-to-back conferences in Chicago. On Oct. 31 he presented a talk, "What is Dissociation? One Philosopher's View," at the 19th annual conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Then on Nov. 4th he gave the talk again at the 20th annual Fall conference of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation. Braude also delivered a talk at the University of Delaware on Nov. 13. His lecture was entitled "Postmortem Survival and Personal Identity."

Philosophy Faculty Deliver Lectures
During the University of North Carolina's 37th annual philosophy colloquium on Oct. 10-12, Assistant Professor Carol Voeller moderated the Philosophy of Mind session dealing with the work of George Bealer.

In addition, members of the department continue to deliver lectures both here and abroad. In July, Assistant Professor Jessica Pfeifer presented a talk at the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology in Vienna. The title was, "Some Misconceptions about the Problems with the Propensity Interpretation of Fitness." She is also givinga talk to the UMCP Philosophy Department on Nov. 19 entitled, "The Real Problem with the Propensity Interpretation of Fitness."

On Nov. 13, Assistant Professor Joseph Berkovitz delivered a lecture to the UMCP Program for the History and Philosophy of Science. The title of his talk was "A Relational Modal Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics and Relativity."

Visiting Assistant Professor Matthew McCabe will be traveling to Hawaii in January to speak at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities. The title of his paper is "In Defense of Ethically Caring Physicians."

Poem by Psychology's Robert Deluty Read at TU President's Installation
At Robert L. Caret's installation as president of Towson University, campus minister Robert A. Waddail, Jr. read Robert Deluty's poem, "Lessons."

Ellen J. Hemmerly Elected to Greater Baltimore Technology Council Board
Ellen J. Hemmerly, executive director, UMBC Research Park and Technology Center, was recently elected to the board of the Greater Baltimore Technology Council. Ellen replaces Craig Weidemann and joins other university, tech company and professional service firm representatives to grow the region's tech community.

English's Christopher Corbett a Featured Writer at Sarasota Reading Festival
The English Department's Christopher Corbett was a featured writer on Saturday, November 1 at the Sarasota Reading Festival in Florida. Corbett read from his recently published nonfiction work Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express (Broadway Books, a division of Random House).

The program included presentations by Gail Collins, editorial page editor of The New York Times, and author of America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines (William Morrow) and Walter Mears, who for five decades covered Washington and national politics for The Associated Press. The featured speaker during the book festival was former first lady Barbara Bush, whose memoir, Reflections: Life After the White House was just published by Scribner.

Corbett's book was reviewed in the Los Angeles Times on November 2.

UMBC Students Attend National Residence Hall Conference
The Resident Student Association sent 11 student delegates to Ohio State University to attend the annual conference of the Central AtlanticAffiliate of College and University Residence Halls. The followingstudents represented UMBC at the conference and took part in workshops,meetings and leadership development activities: Elan Schnitzer, MiltonJones, Angela Williams, Jimmy Howard, Karyn Knapik, Erin Bates, AshleyThomas, Dom Cirincione, Toyin Adebona, Josh Hill and Ryan Bricklemyer. Ryan Bos, RSA Advisor and Coordinator for Technology in Residential Life, travelled with the students.