--ICE-- a Success

Last night I had the opportunity to attend --ICE--, an event sponsored by the SGA's Office of Diversity Affairs. The event focused on celebrating the various cultures comprising the UMBC community through a fashion show of various styles and some unique performances.

From colorful outfits to exciting dances (and even an intense display of weaponry) the event showcased the people who make our campus so unique - and such a wonderful place to learn, not only academically but about our world.

Several other upcoming cultural events include ASIA and Norouz. ASIA is by far the largest Asian cultural event of the year and is being held this Friday night. Norouz is hosted by the Persian Students Association. I had the opportunity to attend it last year and had a wonderful time. This year tickets for students to both events are free, so if you're looking for something to do on campus this weekend, stop by the Commons info desk and pick up yours.

Buses Available for Binghamton!

After going through the Senate and Finance Board, the SGA has approved of $12,000 towards 4 fan buses going up to Binghamton for the Men's Basketball game. Right now, 2 buses are about full, so if you are interested in going for just $12 a day, go to the Commons Info Desk to reserve your spot on one of the buses.

Men's Basketball Goes to Binghamton!

For those who haven't seen the Facebook group, there are talks of sending buses to Binghamton next weekend for UMBC students to support the Men's Basketball team as they compete in the America East Tournament as the #1 seed.

http://umbc.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10472784618

The SGA has been trying to work with Athletics, RSA, and other organizations to make this happen. There is a proposal, that must go through the Senate and Finance Board first, to fund buses to go up to Binghamton, relieving students of this cost. However, there are still questions of liability (whether students can stay over night for the next day's game), handling of tickets, and how to get students on those buses.

After funding 3 tailgates this year, I'm really hoping that funding a trip for students to watch the team play will really make an impact on school spirit at UMBC. Please keep your eyes and ears open for updates on this amazing opportunity.

*UPDATE - 3/4/08*

The SGA Senate voted unanimously to provide $12,000 towards 4 fan buses for the Binghamton trip this weekend! The legislation will go through the Finance Board tonight at 5:30pm, and if passed there, we will have the capacity to send over 200 UMBC students to support our Men's Basketball team.

Leadershape

At UMBC Underground, there is a new article about Leadershape that everyone should read. I attended Leadershape when I was a freshman two years ago, and I was a co-facilitator for this past one. Both experiences were amazing, and I am a better leader and person for attending.

A lot of people are skeptical about Leadershape. Some say it's a waste of money for spending a week somewhere in the woods doing icebreakers. Others say that people who go become "elitists" and look down on those who do not attend Leadershape. I have met some great people through the Leadershape process, and I have had the chance to see them develop as campus leaders too. However, I know just as many, if not more, people who are great leaders as well without attending Leadershape.

http://umbcunderground.com/2008/02/13/leadershape-was-great-but-now-its-too-late/

Read the article and post your comments here and/or there.

Threepenny Opera

There really is something to be said for deciding to just up and do something. I've been meaning to go to a UMBC theater production since my first semester here but never actually got around to purchasing tickets and showing up.

This time, I decided to change that and reserved my tickets early for tonight's showing of the Threepenny Opera. Since I was a student, I was able to get tickets for both myself and my significant other for a grand total of $10 (slightly more than one regular priced movie ticket). Wow, was I impressed with the show. There are some very talented people here and it was clear that they had put some solid effort into making this production a success. We both seriously enjoyed ourselves and I am looking forward to attending future theater productions on campus.

This is just one of the awesome things at UMBC I have passed over in the past as a science major. I'm going to try not to make that mistake again - this sure made for a great date!