Frequently Asked Questions
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What does Office of Student Life do?
The Office of Student Life fosters a student-centered, diverse and
interactive learning environment by engaging students and encouraging them
to become active, civic-minded members of the campus and larger community. Serving
with an ethic of care, we are guided by the following core values:
- Civic Responsibility
- Diversity and Inclusiveness
- Innovative, Quality-Driven Programs and Services
- Leadership
- Sense of Community, Pride, and Tradition
- Student Involvement and Engagement
Student Life is committed to providing opportunities for students to attend events, participate in events and lead events in the following critical functional areas:
- Leadership Development and Education
- Campus Programs and Student Activities
- Student Involvement and Community Service
- Student Organization Advising and Services
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How can I get involved?
The Student Involvement Center is the Office of Student Life's one-stop shop for Involvement and Leadership opportunities at UMBC. It is a great place
for students and student organizations to access involvement, volunteerism, and leadership resources. The Student Involvement Center promotes
many of these types of opportunities for all students and student organizations in order to build a stronger UMBC community. The Center is staffed by Peer
Advisors, who are experienced UMBC student leaders who act as mentors to students on campus. The Peer Advisors will provide direct support to students using
Center's resources. The Peer Advisors are also responsible for planning and implementing a variety of programs such as Involvement Fest, Blood Drives,
Into the Streets: A Day of Service, and other programs designed to assist students and student organizations.
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What are the benefits of getting involved?
Getting involved in student activities at UMBC has many benefits. Through your involvement, you have the opportunity to meet new people,
try new things, and engage in learning opportunities that complement your academic experiences. Whether you join a student organization, serve on the Student
Government Association, participate in residence hall opportunities, internships, student employment, or attend campus events, the Office of Student
Life encourages you to make the most of your experience at UMBC.
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What is the time commitment for joining a student organization?
The time commitment of student organizations varies. Student organizations generally have monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly meetings. In addition
to these meetings, many student organizations have additional activities and special events that members can attend. If you assume an officer or committee
role within the organization, there may be some additional time commitment. Truly, the time commitment depends on your availability the amount of time you can
give to student organization.
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Where can I learn about volunteer/service opportunities?
The Office of Student Life has a number of volunteer resources for students, faculty, and staff. A graduate coordinator for service is located on the second floor of the commons, room 2B15.
The Graduate Advisor and is more than happy to help you or your student organization plan service projects throughout the year. The addition to our graduate coordinator, the Office of Student Life works to promote volunteerism
in partnership with The Shriver Center, The Office of Residential
Life, UMBC Hillel, The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, and
UMBC Athletics through the UMBC Serves program. For additional information, please visit the UMBC Serves website at: www.umbc.edu/umbcserves
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What is the role of student government at UMBC?
There are two student government organizations at UMBC: the Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Association:
The Student Government Association (SGA) is the voice of the undergraduate students at UMBC. Serving as one of the governing bodies at UMBC, the SGA meets
with key administrators and approves campus-wide policies in support of an active, academically enriched, social student environment. The SGA has an Executive
Branch, Senate, House of Organizations, and Judicial Branch. The entire undergraduate population makes up the foundation of the SGA. To become more actively involved,
students can work with SGA on a number of initiaves. Students can run in SGA elections, held in the spring, or apply to become an work in the Executive Branch.
By becoming involved in SGA students will gain valuable skills in negotiation, civic responsibility, leadership, financial management, and interpersonal and cross-cultural communication. To
learn more about SGA and how to get involved, visit: http://sga.umbc.edu
The Graduate Student Association represents the interests and concerns of all graduate students attending UMBC by providing a forum for discussions and
recommendations for matters involving graduate students and their welfare at UMBC.
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How do I join a fraternity or sorority?
The process of joining a fraternity or sorority is a very unique process for all Greek-letter organizations. The organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic
Council (NPHC) and the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) conduct intake/recruitment activities individually and ask that anyone interested in becoming a member
contact the local chapter as well as the national office of the organization. Please reference the Greek Life website, www.umbc.edu/greek, for this information or the homepage
of the organization. The organizations of the Inter-fraternity Council (IFC) and the Panhellenic Association (PHA) are collective in their recruitment efforts. During the first month of the semester there is a period that is designated as Recruitment
Week where the members of the organizations have a chance to showcase the
unique aspects of their fraternity or sorority. Anyone interested in becoming
a member of these organizations should contact the PHA or IFC. Any questions should be directed to Council Presidents or the Greek Life Advisor, whose contact information is on the Greek Life Website.
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Where can I learn about leadership development opportunities?
Learning about leadership development opportunities is as easy as 1,2,3! First
you can visit the Leadership@UMBC webpage and learn about
the mission of UMBC's program and upcoming workshops and retreats. Second,
you can contact the Coordinator for Leadership and Involvement in the Student Involvement Center, 2nd Floor of
The Commons. Finally, you can also visit the Student Involvement Center,
Room 2B24 of The Commons. We have a variety of Leadership@UMBC resources available
for you including handouts and a resource library for you to use.
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What events are happening at UMBC and where can I find information about them?
So what is there to do at UMBC? Well, to put it simply, there’s always something going on! For starters, you can always Catch the Commons Crowd and attend one of the weekly events including Pub Nights, Movies, Bands, Student Organization Events, and the ever popular Tuesday Night - Karaoke. The Student Events Board (SEB) is another great place to find campus programs. In the past, SEB has brought entertainers such as Lewis Black, Kanye West, My Chemical Romance, and Gavin DeGraw to UMBC. SEB also works in collaboration with the greater UMBC community to host Quadmania, our annual spring concert.
UMBC hosts a number of banner events including Welcome Week, Fall Frenzy, Homecoming & Family Weekend, Winter Welcome Week, and Quadmania. In addition to these events, you can always attend one of the many student organization, departmental, commuter, and residential community events held throughout the year. These events often include: speakers, dances, cultural events, community service programs, and much more. Information about these events in The Commons can be found on the UMBC Webcalendar, the Week's Event Calendar in The Retriever Weekly, the Student Announcements email, the Event Hotline: 410-455-3100 #5, and on the OSL Webpage.
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