Co-Create UMBC

Insightful, always.

2016-12-01T15:38:11.220-05:00

Insightful, always.

:)

2016-12-01T10:35:44.212-05:00

Looking back at this helps me believe change is po...

2016-11-30T12:32:35.716-05:00

Looking back at this helps me believe change is possible!

Dear Saniya, God bless you, and help you achieve y...

2015-10-19T00:27:05.628-04:00

Dear Saniya,
God bless you, and help you achieve your dreams to make your parents proud!
Go girl!

By the way, you don't scare me at all, even with your death stares, which you would never dare give me!
Love you

You're very kind, Amos, and no doubt busy with...

2015-02-08T20:15:57.586-05:00

You're very kind, Amos, and no doubt busy with good work of your own! I hope our paths cross again.

It has been quite a while, but from afar, I am sti...

2015-02-07T14:49:12.564-05:00

It has been quite a while, but from afar, I am still pressed by your determination and sense of mission. UMBC is still lucky to have you.

Ditto!

2014-08-08T23:35:18.207-04:00

Ditto!

The anon from 2012 is right. It's already 2014...

2014-06-08T20:37:14.513-04:00

The anon from 2012 is right. It's already 2014 and UMBC is STILL like this. :

If you want to join an area without nerds either be a commuter or join a sorority/fraternity. My god, those people are a bunch of nerds in denial who hate other nerds. The kind of people who try to join them are the people who were losers in high school, but the Ss and Fs can smell that on you off the bat. They're the most hardcore discriminating group on campus (though if you suck up to the people in charge you can get in if you're a total loser (see Alpha Sigma Alpha). The fraternity guys are the usual douchebags.

Of course, if you were unpopular in high school because you were a nerd then you'd love this school. Go for it. But keep in mind the nerds here are hardcore; they will fight you over anything. There are no attractive people on this campus (even the sororities lack it too). It's a disgusting cesspool. Don't waste your time. Go to a school like College Park, UCLA, whatever, schools that employers actually care about.

the commons is infested with mice all over the bui...

2014-05-05T10:48:59.136-04:00

the commons is infested with mice all over the building calls need to be made to the health depy

I met this humble lady today! Honored!

2013-08-01T11:31:51.709-04:00

I met this humble lady today! Honored!

Thank you, Anna! You're very kind--especially ...

2013-02-06T22:45:20.285-05:00

Thank you, Anna! You're very kind--especially to read far enough to find this long-ago post. I hope to see you tomorrow at the STRiVE reunion.

Your words are genuine, and even if this was the o...

2013-02-06T22:22:24.364-05:00

Your words are genuine, and even if this was the only piece of your writing I had ever read I would still feel the same way: I really look up to you, and I love everything you have to say and all of the reflection and advice in your words. It is incredibly helpful and inspirational to how I want to see the world, who I want to become, and in my life. I really can't express how grateful I am to have been able to meet you and read your words, but, thank you.

Certainly not sure if you remember me David, nor i...

2012-11-26T12:32:02.533-05:00

Certainly not sure if you remember me David, nor if John would, but I was at the epicenter of many similar protests, issues and even controversies. As an officer of the Black Student Alliance during my time at UCLA from 1985-1989 I was many times the mouthpiece of the minority population and the spokesperson for outcries for justice, equality and what many of us saw as a demand for a leveling of the playing field. In many ways I was the embodiment of your comment about imperfect foresight and hindsight. All I knew many times was that I had to fervently steamroll my/our agenda to the top of Murphy Hall and make someone listen...or else. In many ways, John and I were political rivals. In fact, I lead the so-called "Third World Coalition" in the protests of the very election in which he became president. All that being said, he was a stand up guy. We both wanted to do the right thing by UCLA and our peers. All of us, determined to be adult-like and take on matters of importance...sometimes with righteous anger, sometimes with simple foolish aggression. I admired John and ironically much later became very good friends and a client of his brother, Jim. You're right, nothing fits, life isn't always poetic or rhythmic or graceful, much less fair. John is gone too soon and sadly, I never reached across the aisle to shake his hand...something a worthy opponent always deserves. The world is far too populated with watchers, followers and drifters, and far too deficient of doers, leaders and protesters, like John.
Daron Campbell daron@daroncampbell.com

I graduated from UMBC in Spring 2010 with a degree...

2012-10-31T15:20:58.588-04:00

I graduated from UMBC in Spring 2010 with a degree in Health Administration and Policy with a minor in Spanish. I got a good government job after I graduated and am still working here. I am also taking graduate classes at night at UMBC and will complete my Masters in Public Policy degree in May.

My "dream" major would be a combination of languages (without the pesky grammar) ancient studies, and international health. I studied abroad my junior year at UMBC and I fell in love with the idea of traveling the world to visit new and interesting places. My dream job would probably be something like Andrew Zimmern or Anthony Bourdain where I would get to travel and eat all I want! Either that or working with an international healthcare organization such as World Vision or Doctors without Borders.

What I have realized though, after graduation and 2 years in the workforce, is that security and money in the bank also makes me happy. I enjoy knowing that I have a steady paycheck coming every 2 weeks and while I am not "living my dreams" as it were, if I was I would have nothing to look forward to. One day I will travel the world, and until then it is a dream I will continually strive towards.

That's wonderful, Elizabeth. Congratulations o...

2012-10-16T07:21:55.399-04:00

That's wonderful, Elizabeth. Congratulations on knowing yourself and following your dream!

David, I was extremely luck to know what I wante...

2012-10-16T01:39:00.545-04:00

David,

I was extremely luck to know what I wanted to do before entering college.However,this insight did not come without a couple of road blocks.

In my freshman year of high school, I wanted to be a coroner. I was completely fascinated with death. (This fascination came from the death of my mother when I was ten.) In eleventh grade, I took Physics and hated every minute of it (Physics would be necessary for ballistics and blood splatter among other practices in Mortuary Science); at the same time, I was taking AP English Language and absolutely fell in love. I loved everything about literature and rhetoric. My teacher, at the time, Miss Brown, made thoughts of teaching resurface.

As a child, I had always dreamed of being a teacher. I remember playing with a dry erase board and pretending like I was teaching vocabulary and spelling. In fourth grade, my mother pulled me out of school because I was failing. I was failing from teaching and helping the other students before completing my own work.

I decided that upon entering college, I would major in English and get certified to teach high school. I desired to make a difference to someone like Miss Brown had done for me.

But what about my parents? My parents were thrilled when they thought I wanted to be a coroner. They bought me books about Criminal Justice and took me to exhibits such as Body Worlds. While the legal and criminal system did still interest me, I knew following that path would not make me happy. I waited until I applied to college to tell them that I had changed my career goal.

My parents were angry and shocked at first. Their words were: "You could have made six figures! Why are you doing this? Why are you majoring in English?" Needless to say, the guilt I felt was overwhelming.

One day, I broke down and explained to my parents how much literature, literary analysis, and rhetoric meant to me. I told them I wanted to make a difference in the Education department in the best way I knew how. I told them I knew I had let them down but I was positive this is what I wanted to do with my life.

They are now the most supportive people in my life.

I've been very lucky. I came into college as a declared English major and have loved every moment of my education. (This goes without saying that every once in a while I became overwhelmed with the work load and some of the information wasn't as interesting; I pressed forward because overall, I was and am incredibly happy.)

Coming to college has benefited me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I have found a time period that interests me and that I can see myself concentrating on in Graduate School (Medieval Lit.). I have learned time management and responsibility. But the most important lesson: I did something for me and it has made me the happiest I have ever been.

David Hoffman for instilling a sense of civic agen...

2012-10-09T14:14:30.085-04:00

David Hoffman for instilling a sense of civic agency in our student culture!

Maybe I'm biased because both my mom (Technica...

2012-10-09T14:03:12.363-04:00

Maybe I'm biased because both my mom (Technical Services) and my sister (Library Media) work there (and I worked there as an undergrad) but I really think the staff at the AOK Library deserve a big shout out-- especially all of those who are behind the scenes. A library is a big machine with many, many moving parts and all the staff there do a fantastic job of keeping it moving, day after day, year after year.

Actually, UMES (Univ. of Maryland, Eastern Shore) ...

2012-10-07T00:56:35.255-04:00

Actually, UMES (Univ. of Maryland, Eastern Shore) was once known as Maryland State back in the 70's. Maryland Tech has a nice ring to it though.

Wow, this is very interesting. You referenced lite...

2012-10-01T15:14:49.261-04:00

Wow, this is very interesting. You referenced literature that suggests introverts are in the minority, and I was wondering what exactly they were. I definitely want to read more about this.

Wow, this is very interesting. You referenced lite...

2012-10-01T15:14:10.994-04:00

Wow, this is very interesting. You referenced literature that suggests introverts are in the minority, and I was wondering what exactly they were. I definitely want to read more about this.

Fabulous bonus video! This is such a wonderful per...

2012-09-25T09:26:01.496-04:00

Fabulous bonus video! This is such a wonderful perspective to carry through life. Nana, I look forward to working with you on BreakingGround.

Good evening, Mr. David I'm a law student from...

2012-09-25T08:57:37.776-04:00

Good evening, Mr. David I'm a law student from the Philippines.I really like your blog. Being a lawyer is a childhood dream but law school is really expensive and my work as Operations Analyst is really demanding. I'm a working student looking for scholarship/ financial aid. But to be honest my dream University is Harvard. I'm too ambitious and I hope someday I will find an intl scholarship. Thank you.

Future Lady Justice : Gerry

The Electoral College is now the set of dedicated ...

2012-09-18T12:52:22.660-04:00

The Electoral College is now the set of dedicated party activists, who vote as rubberstamps for presidential candidates. In the current presidential election system, 48 states award all of their electors to the winners of their state. This is not what the Founding Fathers intended.

The Founding Fathers in the Constitution did not require states to allow their citizens to vote for president, much less award all their electoral votes based upon the vote of their citizens.

The presidential election system we have today is not in the Constitution. State-by-state winner-take-all laws to award Electoral College votes, were eventually enacted by states, using their exclusive power to do so, AFTER the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution. Now our current system can be changed by state laws again.

Unable to agree on any particular method for selecting presidential electors, the Founding Fathers left the choice of method exclusively to the states in section 1 of Article II of the U.S. Constitution-- "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors . . ." The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly characterized the authority of the state legislatures over the manner of awarding their electoral votes as "plenary" and "exclusive."

The constitution does not prohibit any of the methods that were debated and rejected. Indeed, a majority of the states appointed their presidential electors using two of the rejected methods in the nation's first presidential election in 1789 (i.e., appointment by the legislature and by the governor and his cabinet). Presidential electors were appointed by state legislatures for almost a century.

Neither of the two most important features of the current system of electing the President (namely, universal suffrage, and the 48 state-by-state winner-take-all method) are in the U.S. Constitution. Neither was the choice of the Founders when they went back to their states to organize the nation's first presidential election.

In 1789, in the nation's first election, the people had no vote for President in most states, only men who owned a substantial amount of property could vote, and only three states used the state-by-state winner-take-all method to award electoral votes.

The current 48 state-by-state winner-take-all method (i.e., awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in a particular state) is not entitled to any special deference based on history or the historical meaning of the words in the U.S. Constitution. It is not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, the debates of the Constitutional Convention, or the Federalist Papers. The actions taken by the Founding Fathers make it clear that they never gave their imprimatur to the winner-take-all method.

The constitutional wording does not encourage, discourage, require, or prohibit the use of any particular method for awarding the state's electoral votes.

As a result of changes in state laws enacted since 1789, the people have the right to vote for presidential electors in 100% of the states, there are no property requirements for voting in any state, and the state-by-state winner-take-all method is used by 48 of the 50 states. States can, and frequently have, changed their method of awarding electoral votes over the years.

With the Electoral College and federalism, the Fou...

2012-09-18T12:50:47.534-04:00

With the Electoral College and federalism, the Founding Fathers meant to empower the states to pursue their own interests within the confines of the Constitution. The National Popular Vote is an exercise of that power, not an attack upon it.

The Electoral College is now the set of dedicated party activists who vote as rubberstamps for their party’s presidential candidate. That is not what the Founders intended.

The National Popular Vote bill preserves the Electoral College and state control of elections. It changes the way electoral votes are awarded in the Electoral College.

The current state-by-state winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes (not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, but since enacted by 48 states), under which all of a state's electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state, ensures that the candidates, after the conventions, in 2012 will not reach out to about 76% of the states and their voters. Candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or care about the voter concerns in the dozens of states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind.

More than 2/3rds of the states and people have been just spectators to the presidential elections. That's more than 85 million voters.

Policies important to the citizens of ‘flyover’ states are not as highly prioritized as policies important to ‘battleground’ states when it comes to governing.

States have the responsibility and power to make all of their voters relevant in every presidential election and beyond.

Unable to agree on any particular method, the Founding Fathers left the choice of method for selecting presidential electors exclusively to the states by adopting the language contained in section 1 of Article II of the U.S. Constitution-- "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors . . ." The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly characterized the authority of the state legislatures over the manner of awarding their electoral votes as "plenary" and "exclusive."

Federalism concerns the allocation of power between state governments and the national government. The National Popular Vote bill concerns how votes are tallied, not how much power state governments possess relative to the national government. The powers of state governments are neither increased nor decreased based on whether presidential electors are selected along the state boundary lines, or national lines (as with the National Popular Vote).