Wingspan Spring 2021 Edition by University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Spring 2021

The UMES School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts focuses its efforts and resources on the preparation of students who serve humanity in a personally and

ADMINISTRATION

EDITORIAL BOARD

Heidi M. Anderson, Ph.D. President

CRIMINAL JUSTICE Lily Tsai, Ph.D.

change.

Nancy Niemi, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs

EDUCATION Gretchen Foust, Ed.D.

The academic disciplines represented in the school’s

Marshall F. Stevenson, Jr., Ph.D. Dean, The School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts

professionally ethical manner to create positive social

departments are education, criminal justice, English, mathematics, modern languages, fine arts and social sciences. Each of these areas of study develop critical thinking, innovative expression, research skills and creativity to ensure our graduates are prepared to face the challenges of an ever-changing global society. SESA’s goal is to recruit and retain exceptional students from a diverse population who will reflect the academic excellence and heritage of our nation’s historically black colleges and universities. Our faculty and staff model current best practices in teaching, learning, thinking, civic engagement and leadership in order to nurture aspiring

THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, SOCIAL SCIENCES, AND THE ARTS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE Interim Chair Joyce Bell, Ph.D. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Chair Kimberly Poole-Sykes, Ph.D. DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND MODERN LANGUAGES Chair Dean Cooledge, Ph.D. DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS Chair Christopher Harrington, M.F.A. DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS Chair Tiara Cornelius, Ph.D. DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Interim Chair Joyce Bell, Ph.D.

teachers, writers, artists and public servants.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. UMES prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. Inquiries regarding the application of federal laws and non-discrimination policies to university programs and activities may be referred to the Office of Equity & Compliance/ Title IX Coordinator by telephone, (410) 651-7848, or e-mail, titleix@umes.edu.

Wingspan is published by the UMES School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts with the support of the Division of Institutional Advancement. Submissions to Wingspan are welcome. Contact our editor at mlbuerkle@umes.edu.

ENGLISH AND MODERN LANGUAGES Marilyn Buerkle, M.A. Sandra Johnston, Ph.D. FINE ARTS Bradley Hudson, M.F.A. SOCIAL SCIENCES Kathryn Barrett-Gaines, Ph.D. Zelma Hayward, B.A. CONTRIBUTORS Kathryn Barrett-Gaines Marilyn Buerkle Tahja Cropper Danielle Edwards Gretchen Foust Susan Holt Bradley Hudson Emmanuel Onyeozili Bill Robinson Richard Warren PHOTOGRAPHY Phillip Broussard Marilyn Buerkle Jim Glovier Debra Laforest Bill Robinson Sheena Turner COVER ART “Justice” a digital illustration by Charles Beck

IS THIS AMERICA? Marshall F. Stevenson Jr., Ph.D.

e c ffi O e h T m o r F n a e D e of Th One of the subtitles of the fourth episode of the award-winning documentary “Eyes on the Prize” that chronicled the modern civil rights movement was titled “Mississippi: Is this America?” I find it more than appropriate to label the episode of what took place on January 6, “The United States of America: Is THIS America?” I write these remarks on January 7, just one day after an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol. The thoughts in my head and emotions in my soul are still raw. I will unabashedly claim that what millions of people around the world witnessed on 1/6 was perhaps a more gruesome scene of terrorism than what the world witnessed on 9/11. Some might ask, how could I say such a thing about an event where external terrorists killed thousands of Americans? What took place in front of and within a building more sacred to democracy than the World Trade Center or the Pentagon was no less than the work of internal terrorists—and people did die. From my vantage point as a historian, January 6, 2021, now stands alongside December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001, as another day of infamy in American history. Just as most of us were so anxious to run from the horrors of 2020 to what we hoped would be a “better” 2021, we ran into what we were running from, only six days into the new year: record deaths in the United States from COVID-19 with each passing day (although

we now have a vaccine); protests against what a certain group of Americans labeled “injustice” in a presidential election; and the continuing lack of leadership from those entrusted by democratic means to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. The leader of the most powerful nation in the world, which has historically espoused the glory of democracy and freedom to so many other nations, misused democracy to incite a revolt against democracy and our Constitutional rules of law. African Americans very quickly made comparisons between the muscular display of law enforcement for Black Lives Matter protests during the summer of 2020 and the appalling lack of enforcement at the Capitol on January 6—a march that overwhelmingly involved white “patriots.” I only make this point to emphasize the level of racial polarization and double standards in the United States. It will take true American patriots of every stripe who are committed to real democracy, equality and equity for us to confront our racial past, present and future. That is the hope we must take into 2021 and beyond. Despite what happened in the early days of 2021, students at UMES and SESA overcame the challenges of COVID-19 to complete a successful fall 2020 semester. Students’ diplomas were certified without any disruptions, and a number of notable accomplishments and initiatives took place. I cannot cite them all, but I will point out a few highlights, some of which will be covered more in depth in the pages that follow. The University of Maryland System and the Maryland Higher Education Commission approved the new digital media bachelor degree program that will start in the fall of 2021. This promises to be an exciting new major that will attract a number of new students to the university. Our art program

was ranked in the top 20 among HBCUs, and this distinction will continue to increase enrollment in our Department of Fine Arts. English 101 Honors students offered their opinions to the community in a series of essays published online. Dr. Richard Warren, the 2018 Maryland Teacher of the Year and the UMES Richard Hazel Endowed Professor in Education, is spearheading a major initiative—“Man the Shore”—in an effort to recruit and mentor more African American teachers. Dr. Emanuel Onyeozili, senior professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, was one of the editors in the new “Routledge Handbook on Africana Criminologies.” And finally, in the aftermath of the police brutality and murders of African Americans witnessed throughout the summer, President Anderson called for the formation of a “Social Justice and Civic Engagement Committee” to continue the dialogue on confronting social injustices wherever they might exist, locally, nationally and internationally. Students participated in several major events during the fall semester that will be covered in more detail in this issue. This initiative will continue to incorporate student voices and activities that ingrain in the UMES graduate the sense of responsibility to contribute in some way to dismantling social injustice in all of its forms. Dean’s Addendum: Just one week after the violent protest at the nation’s Capitol, the United States House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” He is now the first president in American history to be impeached twice. Also, before this issue was published, the nation welcomed Joe Biden as its 46th president in a peaceful inauguration ceremony on the same steps where the violence occurred. School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts

CANDID CONVERSATIONS 2020 was a year of significant change for all Americans, including our campus community. UMES transformed itself to work within the constraints of a global pandemic. The presidential campaign, followed by false accusations of widespread election fraud, laid bare the sharp political divisions that remain an obstacle to progress. The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor forced the world to confront systemic racism and mobilized thousands to take to the streets to seek justice. Amidst the confluence of critical national issues that all hit home for our university, President Heidi Anderson was determined to focus campus attention on issues that will require change, courage and leadership. She asked SESA Dean Marshall Stevenson to organize what’s been labeled the “Social Justice and Civic Engagement Committee” to create opportunities to frankly discuss equity, justice, politics and policy. During the fall 2020 semester, the committee helped us look at where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re headed. In October, Maryland State College alumni from the 1960s—Starletta

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DuPois-MSC ‘68, Curtis Gentry-MSC ‘66, Willie Baker-MSC ‘65 and Percy Thomas-MSC’65—were virtual guests in a forum titled “Racial Equity: Then and Now.” They were joined by a panel of current students including Stephanie Edmonds, Semaj Fielding and Ciani Wells. The Maryland State graduates shared their protest experiences of more than 50 years ago, while the UMES students discussed their engagement in the current Black Lives Matter protests. Unfortunately, there were striking similarities. “I think today we are beginning to see a more overt, coming out of the closet if you will, of putting Black people back in their place,” Thomas said. Just before election day, UMES participated in a virtual lecture series, “We Stand Together.” Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was invited to talk about the challenges of leadership in a representative democracy. Panetta’s view, like that of the racial equity panel, was stark. He described a country “divided by our fears, our prejudice and our anger … The American dream is in danger as we speak.” However, his remarks were not without hope. “Quality of leadership will

determine what path we take,” he said. “If we are willing to take risks, we can avoid crisis.” Once the election results were in, there was one more virtual discussion. “Where Do We Go From Here” featured six political leaders who represent Maryland, some in the U.S. Congress, others in the Maryland General Assembly. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Congressmen Anthony Brown and Jamie Raskin, and Sheree Sample-Hughes, speaker pro tem of the Maryland House of Delegates— all Democrats—were joined by two Republicans, state Del. Carl Anderton and state Sen. Mary Beth Carozza. Students were able to submit questions in advance of the forum, and much of the discussion focused on policy questions that directly affect them, including mounting student debt and the need to reform and diversify law enforcement. Again, there was a glimmer of hope. “We have an opportunity to change this country for the better,” said Congressman Brown. His optimism was echoed by his congressional colleague. “It’s a tough time,” said Congressman Raskin. “But it’s up to us … I think we’re up to it.”

IT’S NOT “LAW & ORDER” “Seeing it firsthand, it’s different than learning it in class.” That’s how Tyasia Rolon described her internship last winter in the Princess Anne office of the Somerset County state’s attorney. “I’m seeing how it’s all coming together.” The senior criminal justice major plans a career as a probation officer in the juvenile justice system. She got the opportunity to watch the system at work, in part, because a former UMES English major was willing to share her time and expertise. Kendra Hayward earned her English degree in 2001 as preparation for law school. “I was thinking law school at 6 or 7,” she said. “There was never another plan.” She’s been an attorney in the county prosecutor’s office since 2007. Hayward is reluctant to take singular credit for inspiring Rolon. “The entire office is mentoring her,” she insisted. She says the five attorneys in the office— four of whom are women, including two women of color—embraced the “teaching opportunity.” “I think it’s great that we can provide a place for people who are interested,” she said. “It’s a real life experience. Life is not like “Law and Order.” Rolon is the first in her family to go to college. She sees a career in juvenile services as a way to give back to her community. “I really feel like I could make a difference,” she said. Hayward agrees. “You can tell she’s soaking it up … she really has a passion for servicing troubled youth.” It’s a passion fueled by one Hawk giving back to another. There are current English majors who, like Hayward, see their degree as a potential route to law school. They joined other UMES undergraduates for virtual recruitment presentations in October, one by the University of Baltimore School of Law and the other by the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED After years of planning, UMES has received state approval to offer a bachelor of arts in digital media studies. The new degree program, created by the Department of English and Modern Languages, will begin in the fall semester of this year. News that the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Committee on Education Policy and Student Life, the full USM Board of Regents and the Maryland Higher Education Commission had all granted approval to the proposal came in early December. The campus announcement brought a bevy of congratulatory messages from faculty and administrators describing the program as “much needed” and “an important addition.” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Nancy Niemi acknowledged a media related degree had been envisioned by the English department for many years. “This is a triumph for everyone who worked and waited so patiently to make this a reality,” she said in an email to the campus community. Incoming freshmen interested in audio and video production, public relations, journalism and other media related careers will complete 14 required courses to provide a strong

4 Wingspan Wingspan//Spring Spring2021 2021

foundation of industry knowledge and a cross section of practical skills. The broad range of topics explored in the degree’s required courses—including studio and field production, media law, social media, and communications ethics, among others—will spark specific career goals for upper classmen who will then select six additional courses as digital media electives. “We believe the addition of this program will increase our ability to recruit new freshmen who see a variety of career paths redefined by the current upheaval of digital media business models, production methods, and distribution platforms,” said English Department Chair Dean Cooledge. In order to fully utilize the state’s investment of nearly $3 million in the department’s studios and equipment, emphasis will be placed on hands-on instruction and experiential learning. The practice of utilizing faculty with significant industry experience will continue. Students who are currently pursuing the department’s digital media minor may be too far along in their curriculum to pivot to the new degree program, but they may be able to complete their minor with some of the new course offerings.

School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts

WELCOME TO SESA

In a reorganization of departments and disciplines at the end of the fall 2020 semester, the UMES Department of Mathematics and Computer Science was restructured. Computer science joined engineering as the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Technology, remaining in the School of Business and Technology, and mathematics joined the SESA family. Why move math to the School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts? In making the announcement, Nancy Niemi, the university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, said she hopes the reorganization will build the integration of mathematical thinking into all of the SESA disciplines. She told the SESA faculty that research that combines mathematics and social sciences offers a particularly promising line of inquiry. She reminded them that SESA is “the heart of the university with the most potential for interdisciplinary work.” The department not only has a new home, it also has a new chair. Tiara Cornelius earned her bachelor’s degree at UMES in 2007. She completed master’s and doctoral degrees at Delaware State University in 2013 and that year returned to join the faculty at her alma mater. In the move to SESA, which offers many of the first courses that a UMES student encounters, Niemi says the math department becomes part of the university’s cornerstone to high quality general education.

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HAWK PRIDE When the university hired a new director of Alumni Relations last year, it chose a person with a lengthy UMES pedigree. Kadeem Turnbull earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2016, but that didn’t end his educational journey. He went on to earn a master’s degree in the same department in 2018 and immediately enrolled in the university’s doctoral program in educational leadership. He expects to earn his Ed.D. from UMES later this year. Turnbull brings to his new job a unique perspective as a member of the campus community for the past eight years. He knows the university well, and the administration knows him too. He first demonstrated his leadership potential in the Office of Residence Life, moving up the ranks and eventually serving as an area director, supervising a building, its residents and its student employees. “They know who I am,” he said. “They know of my work ethic.” The pandemic has forced some limitations on his ability to physically connect with alumni, but Turnbull has used the time to study other alumni organizations, to establish consistent communication with the university’s national alumni association and to engage with graduates regularly through social media. Even though the commencement ceremony in December was virtual, Turnbull still organized a gift distribution for our most recent graduates, delivered with a personal note and uplifting message. He described the effort as “letting them know that we appreciate them.” He looks forward to the time when he’ll be planning events that will bring those graduates—and the many alumni who preceded them—back to Princess Anne. “I hope to bring each Hawk back to the nest,” he said. Soon that will include two of his siblings. His sister Reneece is a senior majoring in biology, and his brother Christopher is a sophomore studying mechanical engineering.

ONE OF THE BEST!

The UMES Department of Fine Arts has been singled out as one of the best HBCU art programs in the nation. The Hundred-Seven, an online organization designed to “positively promote” historically Black colleges and universities, recently published a list of what it describes as the top 20 art programs on HBCU campuses. The group based its selection on programs that offer students training in a variety of areas and have produced successful artists. “This is a wonderful confirmation of the quality of our instruction and the success of our graduates,” said Department Chair Christopher Harrington. “We welcome the opportunity

Three of sequential art professor Brad Hudson’s favorite things—comic book characters, “Star Wars” and craft beer—combined for an unusual project last fall. The Main Street Gallery in Cambridge, Maryland, invited Hudson to stage a show as its guest artist during September and October. The staff suggested a partnership with RaR Brewing, a local craft brewer just down the street from the gallery, as a way to build local interest in the show. Hudson has created thousands of original sketch

this designation offers to let people across the country know more about us.” The Hundred-Seven takes note of the UMES sequential arts program, which prepares students for careers in the comic book industry—the only program of its kind at any Maryland school. In addition to the department’s large and well-equipped studios, there are also opportunities beyond our campus which drew the organization’s attention. The top 20 listing highlights faculty-guided trips to New York City art museums and the opportunities for UMES students to participate in regional comic cons.

cards for the Topps “Star Wars” trading cards, and it turns out the brewers, like Hudson, are huge “Star Wars” fans. After some collaborative conversations, it was agreed that Hudson would create a comic-like character to adorn the cans and labeling of a new beer which would be released in conjunction with the show. But what kind of beer? “I suggested a blue or green milk beer,” Hudson said. RaR created a brilliantly hued blue raspberry sour named Out of Order: Blue Milk. “Star Wars” fans will instantly recognize the connection, but for those uninformed beer drinkers, Hudson explains. “Originally Luke (Skywalker) drank a bluefish milk-like stuff at his uncle and aunt’s home. Then in “The Last Jedi,” Luke was drinking a green milk expressed from an alien creature. It’s become a weird, iconic thing!” The show was open for masked, socially distanced visitors from September 4 through October 24.

School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts

A V I RT U

COVID-19 didn’t stop the Department of Fine Arts from staging art shows. It just changed the way we viewed the work. After an early “in person” exhibit by department faculty, the Mosely Gallery presented two virtual shows, accompanied by online discussions with some of the artists, during the fall 2020 semester. “There are some real positives,” Gallery Director Susan Holt said about the shift to the virtual world. “We get a lot more exposure, though I really miss students coming into the gallery and viewing the work up close.” With the start of the fall semester rescheduled to early August, students returned to campus with the images and emotions of a summer of racial justice protests fresh in their

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minds. It was that spirit that fueled “We Protest,” an online, juried exhibition of artists’ responses to Black Lives Matter, celebrating the right to free speech and the rich history of Black activism. Work was submitted from all over the country. The 11 selected artists, including UMES 2014 graduate Jamaal Peterman and current art major Zhane Johns, contributed work in a variety of media. Some of the artists also participated in an online discussion moderated by Holt. An art teacher in San Francisco, Ciara Bedingfield, told the virtual audience, “Teachers are activists; art is political.” The images she exhibited focused on George Floyd and Breonna Taylor for a reason. “We can’t let this momentum die,” she said.

AL VIEW

The traditional end-of-semester show featuring the work of the department’s current seniors, Kiana Belton, Angélica Maria García, Yakira Jones, Shaquetta Marshall and Reginald Young, was titled “Creativity Quarantined.” The work demonstrated a variety of skills including graphic design, photography, digital illustration and painting. In the artist statements the students wrote defining their work, the added stress of completing their senior year in the midst of a pandemic was mentioned, but it wasn’t always a negative impact. “Dealing with situations during the time of COVID allowed me to see that … creating under pressure was a strength of mine,” Marshall acknowledged in her statement. In the online reception for the show, President Anderson expressed her admiration for the seniors’ ability to create under difficult circumstances. “I am so proud of all the work you did, especially given COVID,” she said. “You guys stepped up… your work is phenomenal!”

School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts

MAKING AN IMPACT

Kate Rebman, a graduate student in the university’s counselor education program, is working to assist her colleagues across the state. She has been appointed the graduate student representative to the board of the Maryland School Counselor Association. The group supports school counselors by providing professional and leadership development, outreach and advocacy. Rebman will represent the interests of all the graduate students in the school counseling profession in Maryland. One of her responsibilities is co-coordinating statewide professional development seminars, working collaboratively with one of her UMES professors, Gretchen Foust, who serves as Postsecondary Vice President for MSCA. “Kate’s leadership and service to her profession not only benefit graduate students at UMES,” Dr. Foust said. “Her efforts will impact students in all of the Maryland graduate counseling programs.” In November, Rebman helped to stage a successful virtual MSCA Graduate Student Hiring Seminar. It included presentations tailored specifically to professional school counselor candidates on resume writing, job search strategies and interviewing in a virtual world. The seminar also offered tips on applying for counselor positions from a panel of school system supervisors. Rebman is launching a new initiative to bring more student voices to the group. She plans an MSCA Graduate Student Council with a representative from each of the Maryland universities that offer graduate programs with school counseling specializations. The first person to serve as dean of a newly created UMES School of Arts and Professions, known now as our School of Education, Social Sciences and The Arts, has died. Brenda Odom Anderson Wade passed away on November 25 as a result of complications following heart surgery. She is survived by her husband, John, her daughter Brandi and her sisters Ernestine, Sandra and Kelly. Dr. Wade spent nearly all of her adult life working on the UMES campus in a variety of academic positions. In addition to serving as dean, the position from which she retired in 2008, she also was the founding director of the UMES Honors Program. Friends and colleagues who wish to honor her memory may contribute to an endowment fund established at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. There are three ways to contribute to the fund. Checks and money orders, made payable to the UMES Foundation with the account number 04-40249 and Brenda Wade listed in the memo line, can be mailed to the UMES Division of University Relations. Donations by credit card can be made through the foundation’s website or by texting SESAHAWKS to 71777; when using either of the electronic methods, click on Other and type Brenda Wade.

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Grateful Graduate Too often students graduate and their teachers are left to wonder what happened in the next chapter of their lives. Were those promising young people able to realize their dreams? Will they remember or acknowledge the impact our university had on their development as a person and as a professional? History professor Kathryn BarrettGaines doesn’t have to wonder about Ebony Fenwick, who earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from UMES in 2012 and went on to earn a master’s in rehabilitation counseling here. She received a recent update on Fenwick’s progress and a heartfelt thank you. Her former student is working as a certified substance abuse counselor and has just begun a doctoral program at Walden University. “The role and responsibilities of those in academia are immense, but I am just grateful I met so many dedicated, driven, knowledgeable and relatable professors at UMES,” Fenwick said in her email to her former teacher. “As I am developing my identity as a scholar, researcher, advocate and educator, I am taking moments to reflect on those who set such high standards in academia for me … thank you!” Thank you for remembering us, Ebony!

SEE ANYONE WHO LOOKS LIKE YOU?

Educators, parents and young African American boys gathered, socially distanced, in the auditorium of the Student Services Center in October to attend the “Man the Shore Summit,” a thoughtful discussion of why more men of color are needed as local classroom teachers. A panel of Black men who have served as school board members, school administrators, coaches and/or teachers told their audience that it is critically important that young boys of color see someone who looks like them in their classrooms. The event highlights what education professor Richard Warren—Maryland’s 2019 Teacher of the Year—came to UMES to do. He has dubbed his mission the “UMES Men of Color in Education” program. With the support of SESA Dean Marshall Stevenson, Warren has devised a three-prong plan to encourage male high school students of color to consider a teaching career, to mentor them through their college years and to support them

once they become educators. Warren says his life was saved by a teacher who cared. He told the group who gathered for the summit that studies show that simply having one male teacher of color decreases the student dropout rates of Black male students and increases the likelihood that they will enroll in college. The seminar offered an opportunity to share ideas, “to talk about how we recruit, how we retain, and ultimately how we provide the best experiences for our boys of color in school so that they can see themselves as teachers,” Warren said. Members of the Dorchester County (Maryland) Public Schools Educational Equity Task Force attended the event. They announced a partnership with Warren’s initiative which will enable a group of the county’s high school students—with a special emphasis on male students of color—to attend a “High School Teacher University” for five weeks this summer.

School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts

Critical Language Learning 必要不可欠な言語を学ぶ

O Aprendizado di línguas da necessidade crítica The federal government has long encouraged Americans to study what it describes as “critical” languages—languages spoken in parts of the world where U.S. interests would be better served if its diplomats, aid workers and business representatives spoke the native language. The UMES Foreign Language Instructional Center, part of the university’s Department of English and Modern Languages, has heard and answered that call. In addition to traditional Western European language classes in Spanish and French, the center has added Arabic, Chinese and Japanese to its curriculum in recent years. All three are considered critical to U.S. national security and prosperity. The 2020/2021 academic year marks another expansion of critical language instruction. UMES students can now choose to study Hindi and Portuguese. The options are designed to prepare our students to compete successfully in a global marketplace. Hindi, a phonetic language, is used regularly by 341 million people, making it the fourth most spoken language in the world. Over the last decade, Portuguese has become the fifth most spoken language. It is used by over 250 million people in multiple countries on multiple continents.

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“Knowledge of a critical language can carry significant weight, opening doors to career advancement as well as personal growth,” said FLIC Director Phillip Broussard. “Ultimately, language study provides students with a greater understanding of people across national barriers, by giving them insight into ways of life and ways of thinking of the people who speak the language they are learning.” The emphasis on language instruction, as Broussard suggests, is more than vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. It also presents the opportunity to gain an understanding of a country’s culture. UMES language faculty have often included the preparation of specialty foods and the celebration of a foreign nation’s holidays as part of their classes.

Progress in a Pandemic Emmanuel Onyeozili, a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, made productive use of the quiet isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did he complete a book project that he had already begun, but he also wrote and edited a second book, along with a group of colleagues. “While the deadly COVID-19 raged and terrorized people into staying indoors, I decided to maximize the lockdown period to the limit,” he said. “Although I had started my first book chapter for our first group-edited book on Africana Criminologies for Routledge, U.K. before the pandemic, my team and I doubled our effort to write up and edit a second book on community policing.”

The chapter he references,“Gun-Boat Criminology in the History of People of African Descent,” is included in the “The Routledge Handbook of Africana Criminologies,” which Onyeozili edited along with three other colleagues. He was also part of the group of scholars who wrote and edited the second book,“Community Policing in Nigeria: Rationale, Principles and Practice.” In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Onyeozili serves as the managing editor of the online peer-reviewed journal “African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies,” hosted on the UMES website.

THE POWER OF WORDS

The English professor responsible for teaching basic composition skills to freshmen in the UMES Honors Program wants her students to learn how to adapt their writing style to the people who are reading their words. Amy Hagenrater-Gooding challenges her students to move beyond formulaic five paragraph essays to consider how a specific audience will change how they communicate their ideas. That has led to a variety of efforts to engage the students in the process of preparing an essay for publication. This year Hagenrater-Gooding collaborated with Bill Robinson, the university’s director of public relations, who is sharing some of the students’ essays with the public on the UMES website. “Not only are students creating the focus of their piece, but they are seeing the importance of process and revision with each piece going through me, Bill and final edits before publication,” she said. “It’s a powerful lesson on the power of words and the weight they can carry.” One of the essays, As a first-year college student, I never imagined written by Danielle my freshman year occurring during a pandemic. I am Edwards, a freshman constantly reminded to wear my mask, keep my hands majoring in sociology and sanitized and maintain a safe distance from others. social work, explains to the Stickers and signs are constant reminders of Center for outside world what it’s Disease Control guidelines, and eating in the cafeteria is not like to start college in permitted; only take-out is allowed. the shadow of These restrictions have prevented the opportunity COVID-19. to interact socially with my peers. This is extremely challenging for me because interacting and collaborating with others is a major part of college life. Campus (social) activities have also been limited, and classes are mostly virtual. Virtual learning has become a task I must navigate daily. One task in online learning requires me to be disciplined, a trait I am working on daily to master. Although there are challenges associated with attending school during a pandemic, they have taught me to adapt to change by being creative and innovative. If nothing else, the pandemic has taught me to accept things that I cannot control.

School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts

To support SESA programs, please visit www.umes.edu and click on Give to UMES. Select Annual Fund from the menu, then Click Here to Donate under the heading School of Education, Social Sciences, and The Arts. Thank you in advance for your generous support of our students.