The Universities at Shady Grove (USG)

I never thought about the importance of being a leader in the community until my last year of undergrad. By being a member of the Student Council, Peer Advisory Team, Psychology Student Association, and Writing Fellow, I learned and realized that I could make a difference and be the voice of those who are voiceless. Honestly, I was anxious and nervous at the beginning because I did not like public speaking and I was very much an introvert. However, my passion for helping students success helped me overcome the challenges that came with my development as a leader. I realized the importance of representing our student body to ensure that we have the voice to make the necessary changes on our behalf as a student body at USG.

As a current graduate student, I realized that graduate students do not have much representation nor have the voice in our campus. For my last semester, I decided to apply to be the Institutional Representative for Towson University and UMCP’s Human Development as well as being the Chair for Marketing and Outreach. USG cares about all students, however, we need to advocate for any changes that we want to happen. I am thrilled to have taken these responsibilities and represent our graduate student population. Give voice to those who are voiceless.

Below are some of our accomplishments since we were established in summer 2017.

• Moved the start time of student parking at Traville from 5:00pm to 4:30pm
• Advocated to have a variety of food available at the mini mart  
• Pushed for a coffee machine in the Mini Mart
• Established Graduate and Professional Appreciation Week (Spring)
• Fund raised for the Montgomery County Humane Society
• Established the Little Free Library at the Meditation Garden as 2018 class gift

If you would like to know more, please visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. I also encourage you to like our USG Graduate Student Association Facebook page to get updates about any upcoming events.

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Since everyone is in midterm mode, I thought I would use this opportunity to help detangle a little bit. This blog is going to tell you where you can find free food around campus.

So on Monday, USG hosted it new Mobile Market where students and everyone in the community could come and get free food. It started at 11AM and went on until 1PM. If you were unlucky like me, you had class from 11AM-12:15AM (not to mention the exam waiting for me in that class). However, after class, I was still able to pick up some food. This is my second time doing Mobile Market, and there is always so much food left that I can still pick up something for myself. This Monday, I walked away with yogurt (which tasted awesome), potatoes, and water. I remember that the last time there was the Mobile Market, I walked away with 3 boxes of Almond Milk! It was truly amazing. This opportunity only happens on the 4th Monday of every month, so make sure to check it out. It happens outside at Lot 5, and there is always so much in store. All you have to do is bring a bring (or your car trunk even).

But what can you do when you are hungry right now, and it is not the 4th Monday of the month?  Then there is Grover Essentials. Grover Essentials is a food pantry where students can pack food for themselves. All you have to do is go to CSEF in the SAS suite and tell them that you want to do Grover Essentials. They will show you where the pantry is, and you can stock up on food for the whole week. Students can use this service once a week, and guess what, you do not need to bring a bag. They provide you with bags. So, if you ever feel hungry or think that the cafeteria food is a little pricy, stop by either Mobile Market or CSEF for Grover Essentials, and they will happily fill your tummy.

I personally do Grover Essentials, and I have walked away with so much food. Last time, I walked away with the family size Honey Bunches of Oats Almond cereal, fruit cups, water, and other food materials. I seriously could not stop smiling knowing that my food was covered for the whole week.

Another place where you can find free food is in the USG WEEKLY. Please read those because there are several opportunities for you to be a part of something on campus, and the plus is that there is always food. So make sure to check those out.

So now that you know where you can find free food, I hope you utilize these services to the fullest.

Hello everyone!

I know we have all watched law shows like law and order and other various ones. Can you all recollect the part in the beginning of the trial the prosecution side begins to talk about his client their side and the same with the defenses side. In my Law Advocacy class we learned a lot about the thought process that goes into a trial. I am here to breakdown the process that goes into creating and delivering a great opening statement. Opening statements! There’s a lot that goes into an opening statement for a trial. First thing is that an opening statement is a road map of what the case is about,what the evidence will prove, and what you will ask the jury to do. The opening statement is not the time you want to make an argument, but to tell the jury about your case and what you believe the evidence will show. You don’t want to promise something you can’t deliver therefore only talk about evidence that is known and not over promising whatever you’ve stated.  Stating that “You will hear from her mouth she did this and that” only for them not say a word. This can put a huge dent in you and the jury can hold it against you. You want to tell the story. You would want to paint a vivid picture for the jury. Give them three points to focus on, timeline, or visual and demonstrative evidence depending on your jurisdiction. The idea is wanting to get the juries full attention and having them see and get a feel for what you are presenting. Next introduce the Charge. If it’s a complex charge address the charge add-on or weave it into the facts. The jury needs to know why they are hearing about this charge. You have to establish credibility with the jury. How you want to establish credibility with the jury is by being genuine. Make sure they can trust what you say. Do not say something you’re not going to prove.Bring out the negatives in your case first. By doing so this can pull the jury closer to you then when finding out whatever it is through the other parties mouth. This makes it seem like you have nothing to hide. Be accurate and measured, confidence without cockiness, implicit vouching (not putting yourself in it). Lastly the most important thing is practice! Practice makes things perfect in all things! Practice your opening statement any way you can. Practice to a random person or family member and have them see if it a great as you think it is. Boom! Now you are ready to be just like the lawyer you see on TV!!

Image sourced from Google.

In the world of fiction, no matter the medium, there are tropes – motifs, cliches, that transcend individual works. In fact, there is a website devoted to the study and categorization of these tropes and their examples. One such example, relevant to this blog post, is the idea of the Invincible Hero. This is a trope that explains itself – the hero, or main character, is more or less invincible due to plot devices or chance and circumstance. Odds are they survive the story, and probably have a happy ending too.

Isn’t that boring?

Two of the core concepts of a college education – like one from USG – are critical thinking and creativity.  Sure, it takes creativity and critical thinking to make an interesting story or movie – but if you can recognize tropes, you’ll find that everything sort of looks the same these days.

How about this – Iron Fist, and Arrow. Two shows on Netflix. Both main characters end up away from home for a period of time and then return later to stake claims and become vigilante heroes. Now, where have we heard this before…oh, yeah – Batman, training with Ra’s al Ghul with the League of Shadows for a few years before returning to Gotham.

Tropes are patterns which humans seem to naturally constrain themselves with in the creation of fiction – and it is through breaking and subverting tropes that a deeper exploration of critical thinking and creativity can take place. To take things even further, you can subvert a subversion – but lets not get crazy.

This brings me to Worm|A Complete Web Serial – a free (and very lengthy) word web serial created with the intent to subvert conventional tropes in fiction. Here’s the summary, written by the author – “An introverted teenage girl with an unconventional superpower, Taylor goes out in costume to find escape from a deeply unhappy and frustrated civilian life. Her first attempt at taking down a supervillain sees her mistaken for one, thrusting her into the midst of the local ‘cape’ scene’s politics, unwritten rules, and ambiguous morals. As she risks life and limb, Taylor faces the dilemma of having to do the wrong things for the right reasons.”

Worm is a story with no plot armor – the author rolled dice numerous times to decide who lives and dies during major events, including the main character. The given powers of individual “capes” tend to have limitations that force the users to be somewhat creative, and many of the powers are abstract and original. People actually struggle. There are interludes focused on side characters, providing extra insight that would otherwise be unavailable. There is a paradox of bountiful information about characters and the world they live in, yet plenty of room for speculation – which leads to the absolutely massive collection of Worm fan works on the web.

It is difficult to espouse the virtues of this web serial, or to get more specific about what tropes are subverted and how, without spoiling it. I ask that you read the first chapter, and decide for yourself whether or not you’ll be pulled into it. Fair warning – this is not a children’s book. If you do decide to delve into Worm, try to learn something from it – whether it’s a new approach to creative writing, a new sense of empathy, or just a good sense for foreshadowing. Believe me – there’s foreshadowing for foreshadowing.

I spend about three hours of my Tuesday evenings sharing, discussing, and analyzing various websites, platforms, and applications helpful to teachers and students in the education world. Of all the technologies that we’ve reviewed so far this semester, there’s one that I believe has a greater function for graduate students than for elementary school students.

At its core, Padlet is used as a live bulletin board. Imagine a virtual version of brainstorming using post-its, but without dropping paper everywhere or worrying about if your handwriting will be legible in a few minutes. There are several specific functions of the platform I find to be an exciting, more visually appealing version of more traditional websites.

1. It can show information all in one piece: an alternative to a template on Google Docs or Word. The example provided in the gallery on Padlet is a guide to training for a half-marathon. Padlet allows you to create columns, grouping information into organized sections.
2. It can act as a discussion board: an alternative to going through ELMS or any type of forum. Typical discussion boards or forums require refreshing to see responses. Padlet is updated live, much like how anything on Google Drive is if more than one person is on it. Another feature is “reactions,” as people do not necessarily have to comment to participate on the board. If reactions or turned on, people can react to an idea by hitting a thumbs up/down button or smiley face/frowny face.
3. It can be a stand-alone website: an alternative to more complex websites that require money to create a domain or an overwhelming amount of time dedicated to getting used to a complex user interface. Padlet allows users to think of a simple note (a square, like a class post-it) as their main module. Users can drag it around, include videos, audio, images, and links to websites or another Padlet. A great example of Padlet’s example is this streamlined virtual library.
4. Last, but not least, it’s a new, exciting way to present information when you’re out of Google Slide or Powerpoint themes…or Prezi. I knew I found myself, after four years of high school, four years of college, and another three years making presentations for students as a teacher, I was looking for a new way to show information. Padlet has that covered!