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What’s Happening
Welcome back, Cambridge!
From Our Heart to Yours (FOHTY) Update
Where are they now? Spotlight on UMD DRL Alumni
Alumni News
UMD Resident Life Staff Transitions
Scholarships
Announcements and Updates
Happy Spring - So Much is Happening in DRL!By Tracy Kiras, Assistant Director for Communications and Marketing
Dear Resident Life Alums,
I hope life is treating you well! It has been some time since the last edition of the DRL Alumni Newsletter. We are excited to relaunch this important communication tool and share the wonderful things happening at the University of Maryland and within the lives of our current and former staff members! We have seen many exciting changes here in DRL from the opening of Prince Frederick Hall in Fall 2014 to a complete renovation of Cambridge Hall, the introduction of our On-Campus Strategic Housing Plan (http://reslife.umd.edu/hsp), to numerous staff transitions, it has been exciting times indeed. Unfortunately, in the midst of all of this transition, our newsletter fell from the radar.
We are committed to staying connected with you and feel this, among other digital efforts, is a wonderful resource. We recently launched the UMD Reslife Alumni Facebook group and in less than 24 hours had over 600 members join! We are now over 800 members which is wonderful. It has been great fun seeing pictures and connecting with friends and colleagues from yesteryear. Check it out www.facebook.com UMD Reslife Alumni.
Maryland Day 2017 is just around the corner; Saturday, April 29, 2017. We would love to have you join us for our annual DRL Ice Cream Social in the newly renovated Cambridge Hall from 2:00 - 3:00 pm. We hope to see you there!
Happy reading! Please send us your updates to be featured in a future edition!
ALUMNINewsletter
Spring 2017
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Welcome back, Cambridge!by Lee Hinga, Cambridge Community Director
This fall the Departments of Resident Life and Residential Facilities reopened Cambridge Hall for this year’s freshman class after a year of renovation. The building now boasts air conditioning, more study spaces and improved natural lighting. Each floor of the residence hall has an expanded study lounge with a kitchenette and two additional study rooms to foster a communal environment.
The bathrooms have also been updated with new appliances, tiling and accent tiles. In addition to community bathrooms, the building also contains gender-neutral single use bathrooms, compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Residents’ rooms
within the hall are equipped with fan cooling systems, LED lights and new windows to provide better insulation. Closet doors were also removed to allow for more space, making Cambridge the first residence hall on the campus without closet doors!
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In addition to floor study spaces, the basement of Cambridge possesses five additional study rooms that are furnished with whiteboards and a variety of seating options, and the first floor study lounge and social lounges have been completely retrofitted with a beautiful state of the art kitchen area.
From Our Heart to Yours (FOHTY) Updateby Donna Metz, Assistant Director North Campus
“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.”
Dalai Lama.
What started out as an idea that one DRL staff member (Jill Engel-Hellman) shared with some colleagues and implemented in 1996, has become a valued DRL tradition that has benefitted approximately 22,000 children in the College Park community.
We are so grateful to our DRL staff
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who have organized the project and those that continue to give each year to the community. This year we were able to collect 1000 filled bags for College Park Youth and Family Services.
Where are they now? Spotlight on UMD DRL AlumniRecently, we caught up with several UMD DRL Alumni to learn a bit more about them and what they’ve been up to since graduation. We hope you enjoy learning a bit more about your fellow alumni!
Monette Bailey1. What year did you graduate from the University of Maryland?
December 1989
2. What positions did you hold in Resident Life while at Maryland?
RA, Worcester, 2nd floor
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3. What are you currently up to?
I am an organizational development consultant in the university’s Center for Leadership & Organizational Change, helping faculty and staff create thriving workplace environments, one unit or person at a time.
4. Favorite Memory:
My residents throwing me a baby shower. It was tough being young, pregnant, a full-time student and an RA. My community staff and residents supported me like family. I also got to be a living example of the importance of making good decisions.
5. Lessons Learned:
Being an RA helped me learn to meet people where they are. I had all freshmen. Many of them were away from home for the first time. Others came from big families and couldn’t wait to be on their own. A few weren’t ready for the independence. A couple were the first in their families to attend college and didn’t have a clue
how to make it work. I tried to pay attention to each one and was rewarded with small glimpses into their development as individuals.
Rachel Hess1. What year did you graduate from the University of Maryland?
2007
2. What positions did you hold in Resident Life while at Maryland?
Program Assistant (PA) for the Office of Programs and Design from 2004-2007
3. What are you currently up to?
I am currently the Coordinator of Events for the Department of Enrollment Management at the University of Maryland
4. Favorite Memory:
I have many wonderful memories of my time with ResLife but if I had to narrow it down I would say that I really loved our PA staff retreats, learning about the Fish Philosophy, and working Open House events (which is fitting because I am now in charge of those events)
5. Lessons Learned:
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My position in Residence Life really set the foundation for my career. The lessons I learned while working with the Overnight Stay Program would eventually become some of my first lessons in event planning and overall working within this department led me to pursue my Masters in High Education - Student Affairs. If I had to pick one lesson it would say that I learned that stepping outside of your comfort zone is where all the magic happens and of course “choose your attitude”.
Alumni News
Candace Daniels, North Campus Administrative Operations Coordinator, and her husband
Shawn welcomed their son Josiah Christopher on June 16, 2014. Josiah is now an energetic and spirited toddler who can’t wait to be a Terp!
Wil Dalton, a Resident Director in the South Hill community, and his wife Jess welcomed daughter Hazel to the Terp family on August 25, 2016. Rumor has it that Hazel is the most adorable resident in South Hill.
Genevieve Conway, Community Director for North Hill and Leonardtown communities, and Keira Martone, Assistant Director for Student Conduct, welcomed their third son, Charles Walter Conway-Martone on January 16, 2015. Charlie joins big brothers Gus and Tony!
UMD Resident Life Staff TransitionsThe Department of Resident Life at the University of Maryland is thrilled to welcome the following staff members to our team:
Jordan Adams, Resident Director for Elkton
Kurubel Belay, Graduate Coordinator - Rights and Responsibilities
Dana Calandrino, Residential Case Manager for South Campus
Joelle Campbell, Program Management Specialist, Student and Staff Development
Yusuf Dosu, Assistant Coordinator for Scholarships and Fundraising
Damien Franze, Manager - Student and Community Development Programs
Maria Gelfond, Graphic Designer - Design and Publications
Aaron Hood, Coordinator for Student Leadership Development
Ciarra Joyner, Coordinator for Rights and Responsibilities
Heather Kimball, Graduate Coordinator - Rights and Responsibilities
Leslie Krafft, Residential Case Manager for North Campus
Sara Lackey, Graduate Coordinator for South Hill
Emily Leonard, Assistant Coordinator - Student and Community Development Programs
Rachel Levin, Graduate Coordinator - Student and Staff Development
Sarah Lim, Graduate Coordinator - Common Ground
Briceland McLaughlin, Coordinator for Academic Enrichment Programs
Molly McKinstry, Graduate Administrative Coordinator for North Hill
Ray Nardella, Resident Director for Centreville Hall
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Daniel Ostick, Assistant Director - Student and Staff Development
Aspen Shackleford, Resident Director for Easton Hall
Darien Smith, Graduate Administrative Coordinator for North Campus
Carli Weldon, Resident Director for Caroline, Carroll, Wicomico, and Worcester Halls - North Hill
Bria White, Administrative Operations Specialist
Please join us in congratulating the following Resident Life staff members on their transitions to new positions in our department:
Coty Behanna, Resident Director for Baltimore, Washington, Frederick, Howard and Allegany Halls
Robert Bernhard, Public Inquiry Coordinator
Amanda Bogdan, Resident Director, Denton Hall
Meredith Carpenter, Manager - Staff Development and Services
Jordan Carter-Reich, Interim Resident Director, Prince Frederick Hall
Jacklyn Gentile, Community Director, South Hill Community
Dan Hairfield, Coordinator for Recruitment and Outreach Programs
Cory Hibbetts, Community Director, Ellicott Community
Tracy Kiras, Assistant Director for Communications and Marketing
Ryan Manning, Community Director, South Campus Commons
Keira H. Martone, Assistant Director of Resident Life for Student Conduct - Rights and Responsibilities
Scholarshipsby Yusuf Dosu, Assistant Coordinator for Scholarships and Fundraising
The Department of Resident Life is proud to share the establishment of five student scholarships aimed to support students in financial need. Students have many competing demands; class, campus employment, internships, student leadership roles to name a few, and today have the added worry about the rising cost of college tuition.
With our scholarships, we hope to ease some student’s burden and help them continue their academic pursuits while making a lasting impact on their lives. Here is a glimpse of our 5 department scholarships:
Joseph M. Mitchell Scholarship
Michelle Humanick Scholarship
Lee Spann Jr. Resident Assistant Scholarship Fund
Resident Assistant (RA) Scholarship
DRL Student Employee Scholarship Fund
For Spring 2017, it’s our pleasure to announce that three students have been awarded the RA Scholarship. The Lee Spann Jr, RA scholarship goes to the following two RA’s,
Brandon Quinn and Brandon Lara Gomez. They each will receive an award of $1,000. Brandon Lara Gomez is pursuing his sixth semester as an RA; and he is a senior Chemical Engineering major with a Nuclear Engineering and General Business minor. Brandon Quinn is going into his third semester as an RA; and he is a junior Civil Engineering major and an Engineering Leadership minor. Also, for the Spring of 2017, the finalist for the $500 DRL RA Scholarship goes to Trey Huff. Trey Huff is going into his fourth semester as an RA; and he is a junior majoring in Biochemistry.
We would like to say THANK YOU to the many who have supported these scholarships through donations! Your contributions are making a big difference for students as featured below! As we approach the season of giving, we hope many of you will consider donating to one of these great causes. Together we can help make a change in someone’s life.
You can find out more and support our scholarships by visiting http://reslife.umd.edu/scholarships
Laura Tan, Associate Director - North Campus
Kia Weeden, Coordinator- Staff Development and Services
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Announcements and Updates
The Resident Assistant Scholarship Fund is a featured selection during Giving Day. Please support this cause on March 8! Every donation helps! Donate as little as $10 to make an impact on RAs in financial need! Thank you in advance!
Connect with Us!
Click here to check out our UMD Reslife Alumni facebook page
EXCITING NEWS: The Resident Assistant Scholarship Fund
I hope you will consider joining us for a day of fun and activities
Stay in TouchShare your updated news/life happenings for our next newsletter! We would love to feature it! Know of other UMD Resident Life Alumni who haven’t yet joined our network, encourage them to do so. Contact us at [email protected]
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