After noticing her students growing increasingly distracted by their cellphones each semester, University of Maryland professor Sara Herald decided to do something about it.

The director of this university’s Southern Management Leadership Program implemented a cellphone ban in her entrepreneurship class this fall.

While Herald has previously discouraged personal electronic devices in her class, this is the first time she has locked away phones and smartwatches in Yondr pouches. These pouches are designed to allow users to keep possession of their device, which remains locked in the pouch until they are allowed to unlock them.

Herald was inspired to purchase the pouches when she heard about its recent use in K-12 classrooms.

[UMD student creates mental health brand, publishes self-reflection journal with her mother]

Initially, students said they were taken aback that their devices would be locked up, but Herald believes that they have since adjusted positively.

Senior operations management and business analytics major Tonia Agwumezie has found her classmates and herself more focused in class when their cellphones are locked up.

“It’s out of sight, out of mind, so that allows us to really take into account what she’s saying and actually be present in the moment,” she said.

Another one of Herald’s students, Brandon Scott, who is a senior real estate and the built environment major, agreed the new policy helps him stay focused. He feels he is gaining more from his time in the classroom and walking away with a better education.

“It’s really impacted my retention of the stuff being taught,” Scott said.

The cellphone ban has also cultivated a stronger connection between classmates, Herald said. During breaks, her students are no longer engrossed in their phones, she said. Instead, they talk to each other.

Scott said he has seen his cohort become more cohesive, which allows them to create stronger relationships that go beyond the classroom.

[Alum, Iowa judge David Porter credits passion for law to his time at UMD]

“We’re also more present with our peers,” Scott said. “Overall, we’re creating better connections that exist in other events.”

Agwumezie said that part of what helps Herald successfully implement this ban is the way she outwardly shows her intentions are for the betterment of her students.

Herald showed her class the statistical difference in focus between students who have access to their phones in class versus those who don’t.

According to a study done by Yondr, the usage of Yondr pouches in the classroom has increased student success by 6.27 percent and lowered behavioral referrals by 44 percent. This helped put the ban in perspective for students in Herald’s class.

“It’s not just taking it away for us not to have it,” Agwumezie said. “[There’s] actually a purpose behind the motivation and making sure that we are in the moment.”

Herald acknowledges that it may not be the right approach in every academic setting, but has been satisfied with the differences she has noticed in her own classroom.

She believes that there are many benefits for keeping technology put away in the classroom when it’s not functioning as an academic tool.

“I encourage anybody who’s curious about it to experiment with it,” Herald said.

For The Diamondback

Content warning: This story contains mention of sexual violence and assault.

About 50 University of Maryland community members viewed a new Stamp Student Union gallery exhibit that highlights stories of sexual violence in an opening reception on Wednesday.

The exhibition, called “We Will Not Be Silent: Art Transforming Rape Culture,” encourages the use of art for social change and engaging in conversations about the issue of sexual violence.

The gallery, which officially opened for viewing on Oct. 30, displays work from artists dedicated to shedding light on experiences of sexual violence across the globe, with an emphasis on uplifting the stories of members of the LGBTQ+ community, people of color and people with disabilities.

Artist Jadelynn St Dre’s piece, “Protection,” used bones sculpted out of salt to highlight the connection between intergenerational trauma and sexual violence.

St Dre used bones to symbolize both what has been lost and the parts of humans that remain the longest. Attendees were invited to pour water over the bones and then use the crumbled salt remains to create a circle. She called the process a “tradition of protection.”

“How are we holding the stories of our ancestors?” St Dre said. “How are we holding our traumas and our stories, and how are we holding the people that are to come?”

[Purple Line to begin testing light-rail vehicles at UMD in January]

St Dre expressed how members of the LGBTQ+ community “have to be the architect of visions,” to convey their stories and voices to the world.

“If we can’t vision our future, then it’s much more difficult to manifest, right?” St Dre said.

The piece was paired with a cathartic and vulnerable performance from artist Eva Salazar, who walked through the gallery with clay painted on her body while releasing emotional breaths and cries to convey the harsh impact left on survivors of sexual violence.

Event curator and co-founder of art collective FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture, Hannah Brancato, told The Diamondback about her desire to create a public space for survivors and highlight the different systemic contexts that shape sexual violence with the exhibition.

“There’s no one monolithic experience of being a survivor,” Brancato, an American Studies doctoral student at this university, said. “What every survivor needs is different, even though there’s this systemic context that affects everybody.”

The exhibition’s featured artists have all made contributions to FORCE’s Monument Quilt, the first memorial to sexual and intimate partner violence survivors. The now-archived quilt, most recently displayed in 2019 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., used more than 3,000 blocks to display survivors’ stories and art. The blocks are now being placed in permanent collections across the world.

Manager for the Stamp Gallery and Studio A, Tara Youngborg, told The Diamondback that the quilt panels speak to a specific time in activism. The panels were made between 2013 and 2019, during the height of the MeToo movement.

“It sounds odd to call something that’s a decade old historical,” Youngborg said about the quilt panels. “They’re in relation with contemporary art … I think it’s interesting to see how the artists’ work and practice has evolved.”

Youngborg said she hopes the archival work resonates with students and the current conversations they have about sexual violence.

The exhibition’s emphasis on providing accessibility and content warnings aims to make all exhibition attendees feel comfortable learning and speaking about the issues presented.

[UMD alumni offer STEM students tips for job searching in a turbulent market]

The gallery manager shared how Salazar’s piece “To Have and To Hold” can provide comfort to viewers during intense feelings that the exhibit could bring.

Youngborg said this piece was made by artists holding pieces of clay and creating impressions as voids of Salazar’s body. She explained how gallery attendees were invited to “grab the object and figure out how [they] fit in relation to their body.”

“It’s very grounding, especially because this exhibition can be intense,” Youngborg said. “It gives folks a chance to feel really connected to the work.”

Communication graduate student Kalin Schultz said it was important that the gallery provided displays and resources to a college campus about a topic that often feels taboo to speak openly about. She noted the ways the gallery aimed to make viewers comfortable during the exhibit.

“They’ve got different reminders about how to engage. They’ve got spaces where you can rest,” Schultz said. “The fact that it’s so tailored towards finding ways to take care of yourself as well, I think it’s really important.”

By Josh Hananel

For The Diamondback

The next chief judge of Iowa’s Fifth Judicial District said he first caught the law “bug” as a student at the University of Maryland.

But when he first started at this university in fall 1995, David Porter was a neurobiology major set on becoming a brain surgeon.

His interest in learning law sparked in a class taught by associate professor Noel Myricks, changing his assumption that the core curriculum requirements for neurobiology were simply “filler” classes.

Porter, who will assume the role in January, said he looks back to his time at this university as a critical point in his life when he developed not just an interest in law, but his principles of perseverance.

“‘Now, it’s all on you,’” Porter said he thought to himself when graduating. “‘You have every tool you need, and you learned it here at the University of Maryland.’”

Myricks later influenced Porter to join this university’s mock trial. The program, founded by Myricks in 1989, has won five national championships since its inception.

[UMD alumni offer STEM students tips for job searching in a turbulent market]

“I’ve been very pleased that many of my students all over the country have kind of stayed in touch with me long after they graduated,” Myricks said. “[Porter and I] had that kind of relationship.”

Porter said Myricks became a mentor for him not just in mock trial but throughout his law career.

He emphasized Myricks’ Socratic method of teaching which challenged and fascinated him.

“I cannot tell you what a champion [Myricks] has been in my life,”10 Porter said.

Porter joined mock trial his senior year, where he was partnered with Amir Sadeghy, who later became the program’s director. They finished second in the nation 25 years ago in the mock trial championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

“Immediately [Porter] just sort of commands the courtroom with his voice… and he was just an extremely hard worker,” Sadeghy said.

Competing in Des Moines gave Porter connections to Drake University Law School. Porter worked at a law firm in Las Vegas after graduating from Drake but said the work there was tedious.

“I didn’t feel as though I was making a difference,” Porter said. “I wanted to stand in front of a jury and vindicate a position.”16

Porter sought guidance from Myricks, who suggested returning to Iowa for more opportunities.

[UMD student creates mental health brand, publishes self-reflection journal with her mother]

By the time he returned to his passion of trial law in Iowa, Porter said he was “addicted to trial work.”

“I would characterize him as someone who found his passion and followed it and never stopped,” Sadeghy said.

Porter added that Iowa Judge Richard Blane, who he highlighted as a mentor, suggested he should look into becoming a trial judge.

Blane noted that judges have the distinct ability to interpret what the law should be, in addition to teaching it to people, Porter said.

As a judge for slightly more than 10 years, Porter has worked in the law with the same fascination that struck him when he first studied cases in Myricks’ class.20

Nevertheless, Porter said he’s had his fair share of challenges and rejections throughout his journey. Learning from Myricks while in this university’s mock trial team and working countless trials in his career, Porter has developed a powerful mindset of perseverance.

“Perseverance is … the single most important thing that’s gotten me to where I am right now,” Porter said. “Simply persevere. Never give up.”

For The Diamondback

Senior management major Ella Macduff and her mother, Teri Macduff, spent an eight hour road trip from their home in Massachusetts to the University of Maryland in 2023 opening up about their personal struggles.

That conversation led them to discover their shared passion for breaking the silence around mental health.

Within two days, they had chosen a name and filed for a limited liability company. Their mental wellness brand Chasing Red Flags, which promotes “authenticity over perfection,” officially launched in January 2024.

“That conversation led us to say, ‘Let’s take our personal struggles and put a face on it and stop pretending everything’s fine,’ and start a business where being real outshines being perfect,” Teri said.

Chasing Red Flags includes a podcast where they discuss life, love and the messiness of being human, while reminding listeners that they’re not alone, according to their website.

Ella said the name of their brand encompasses the idea that red flags are a powerful tool for recognizing your own flaws. Recognizing personal red flags helps build healthier, more authentic relationships, she said.

[UMD alum leads long writing career, inspires Hollywood movie]

It also includes their therapist-approved guided journal, “Let’s Get Real,” which includes more than 200 prompts, a dozen different themes and affirmations with tips for stress and anxiety.

Ella and Teri said they created the journal because they felt there wasn’t a tool on the market that could address all those topics.

“What [my mom and] I have been realizing … since we started the business is that loneliness is at an all time high,” Ella said. “A lot of people are just looking for ways to connect with each other and learn more about themselves.”

The beginning of the journal contains a contract where readers write a promise to get real with themselves. The journal guides users through topics such as self-confidence, relationship boundaries and self-compassion, according to their website.

Readers are able to work at their own pace, creating a space to ease anxiety and deepen self-reflection through the journal’s undated format. She said the goal is to make authenticity more valuable than putting on a facade of perfection.

“We’re really just trying to work on normalizing conversations around mental health and creating spaces where people just truly feel seen and heard,” Ella said.  

Olivia Boyd said the journal allows her to reset her nervous system. Boyd grew up in Needham, Massachusetts, where Teri and Ella are also from, and met the two through her sister.  

“There’s something about taking a minute to myself to kind of ask a thoughtful question of myself that really helps me slow down, stay regulated and pause,” Boyd said.

[Meet the UMD student was the first African American Scripps national spelling bee champion]

Boyd said this journal is different from others because it includes specific prompts and questions that push her to think deeper about her self-reflection. 

The journal’s undated format allows her to go at her own pace and choose the days she wants to reflect on deeper questions, Boyd said.

“This journal is great for anyone who wants to deepen their connection with themselves and learn about themselves,” Boyd said. 

Ella realized the more she talked about her own mental health and learned about herself, the better she started to feel. She said she hopes the journal helps other people feel the same.

“Being authentic and real and promoting awareness is kind of my goal,” Ella said. “I just want to help anybody and everybody know that they have a community with us and Chasing Red Flags.”

For The Diamondback

The University of Maryland approved a new global and foreign policy major in the public policy school in August.

The interdisciplinary major aims to teach students about global challenges such as conflict, migration and pandemics. It offers three tracks: development and sustainability; human security and migration; and security, conflict and diplomacy.

The major also partners with the languages, literatures and cultures school; arts and humanities college and agriculture and natural resources college.

“[The interdisciplinary aspect] was critical, because one cannot fully understand or seek to address any global issue without a broad interdisciplinary perspective,” said associate public policy professor Catherine Worsnop, the faculty director of the new degree.

The major launched in October and therefore was not offered during this university’s most recent application cycle. But some students have already voiced interest in the program.

Junior public policy major Ashley Hernandez said she plans on adding the global and foreign policy major in addition to her current major. She said the new major is well-rounded and would help expose students to work in the global and foreign market.

[UMD SGA encourages College Park City Council to pass early lease ordinance]

“I feel like it is going to give me the information that I need and the skills that I need in order to conduct real problems, rather than just learn the theoretical and philosophical aspect of it,” Hernandez said.

Associate public policy professor Joshua Shifrinson, who helped create the major, explained how developers of the major conducted focus groups of more than 100 students as part of the student input process.

The major may expand in the future to include a foreign policy, strategy and statecraft track as well as a fellows program within the major, Shifrinson said. The major is intended to meet outside demand from the job market, he added.

This degree allows for students to gain more focused learning around their interests, Worsnop said, especially with this university’s large specialization range in various policy areas.

“It is really useful and important for every person to have a global perspective and an understanding of policy, because it impacts everything that we do, no matter the area that you’re in,” Worsnop said.

[UMD community members demand sanctuary campus status, non-compliance with ICE]

Next semester, the major will feature several introductory classes on the major’s key concepts, including one on the foundations of global and foreign policy. Another class will teach global order and policy structures.

These classes are required courses within the major’s curriculum and are designed to show students the “range of issues they might want to tackle,” Shifrinson explained.

The major also requires a capstone project, internship or study abroad experience.

Although the capstone projects’ structure are still being developed, Worsnop said, they will likely have a wide range of partnerships with individuals and organizations. This may include local governments, nonprofits or international organizations, she explained.

“This is still the interconnected world where understanding the policymaking landscape gives you purchase on the issues which affect the day-to-day lives of … almost everyone around the world,” Shifrinson said. “I think many schools should be moving more in a policy-focused direction.”

For The Diamondback

University of Maryland community members gathered in Stamp Student Union on Monday at a panel event to discuss how reentry affects the families of incarcerated people.

The panel was hosted by the UnLocked Project, a student-led organization working to support children of incarcerated parents, in collaboration with Reentry Redefined, a student organization aiming to lower re-incarceration.

The panel was held to bring awareness to issues commonly faced by incarcerated people and how these influence their families and communities, according to the event flyer. The panelists highlighted ways to better support incarcerated people and difficulties in rehabilitation.

Panelists included alumni and professors who have been affected by familial incarceration and work closely with incarcerated people around Maryland.

Panelist and university alum John Hart mentioned specific struggles people face when readjusting to life outside of prison, such as lack of paperwork and a driver’s license.

“There’s not a concrete plan to really start integrating people,” Waunita Scott, a panelist and reentry housing provider in Baltimore, said. “There’s no funding available, so housing is their biggest challenge.”

[Meet the UMD student who was the first African American Scripps national spelling bee champion]

Panelists also discussed the complicated feelings family members of incarcerated people may have growing up or living without much contact with their loved one.

Scott shared her experience growing up with an incarcerated mother. She said it took decades to forgive her mother for not being a present figure in her life.

“One time we were watching TV, and she started talking, and I said, ‘Shh,’” Scott recalled during the panel. “She said, ‘Don’t shush me, I didn’t raise you like that,’ and I said, ‘You didn’t raise me.’”

For UnLocked Project vice president Sara Mohammad, the stories of panelists stuck with her because she grew up navigating a difficult relationship with an incarcerated family member.

It’s easy for children with incarcerated parents to feel ashamed as they grow up, the junior psychology and criminology and criminal justice major told The Diamondback.

Mohammad said some people already have negative perceptions of her family because of their Muslim identity. This led her to not share her struggles with familial incarceration growing up out of fear she would be judged.

“You don’t want people to know because you don’t want people to have a certain image of who your family is,” Mohammad said.

[UMD women, gender, sexuality studies department celebrates history, new archive project]

UnLocked Project president Anna Tovchigrechko told The Diamondback that her experience with familial incarceration also influenced her perspective on how reentry affects family members. The senior psychology and criminology and criminal justice major said it’s common for children of incarcerated parents to feel complex emotions about their situation.

“There’s sometimes an unrealistic expectation that people may have when reentry does happen,” she said. “That is actually a pretty complex process that is filled with a lot of bittersweet emotions, and children might be angry.”

Mental health and substance abuse as a result of incarceration can also be a cause for reincarceration and troubles reentering society, according to Hart.

Panelists emphasized the importance of treating incarcerated people with dignity rather than depriving them of human connection and experiences.

“These systems are designed to treat both the children and the incarcerated people as lesser than,” Tovchigrechko said. “They’re actually fully fledged people who have made mistakes.”

For The Diamondback

On a brisk October night in 1957, Jeffrey Kluger stood outside his Baltimore home and craned his neck up at the evening sky, searching for Sputnik.

A toddler, he stood alongside his older brother and parents, staring up at the sky with no idea of whether or not Sputnik would be visible.

“The very possibility that a spaceship, something from what seemed to be another dimension, from just a whole other environment, would be passing over our suburban Baltimore home, was just gobsmacking for me,” he said. “That night, I fell in love with space.”

Now at 71-years-old, the University of Maryland alum maintains a long and prosperous career as a novelist and science journalist. He is currently an editor at large at Time Magazine, where he covers space, climate and science.

Kluger co-authored the book Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 with American astronaut Jim Lovell in 1994. The book was adapted into a movie called Apollo 13 the next year, which he cites as one of the defining moments of his career. The film was rereleased this year in IMAX for its 30 year anniversary.

[Meet the UMD student who was the first African American Scripps national spelling bee champion]

Donn Weinberg, who met Kluger when they were both students at Pikesville High School, has been a supportive friend for 55 years.

“He’s a really interesting guy and a terrific writer,” Weinberg said.

Following high school, Kluger studied political science at this university from 1972 to 1976. He went on to study law at the University of Baltimore School of Law. He wrote both serious and satirical pieces for the University of Baltimore Law Forum during his time there.

After nearly a decade at Discovery Magazine writing feature and news stories and the humorous column “Light Elements,” Kluger settled at Time Magazine in 1996, where he has worked ever since.

On July 4th, 1997, the Pathfinder — a 3-foot tall spacecraft — landed on Mars with the intention of taking images of the planet’s surface.

[UMD students name asteroid ‘Diamondback’ after completing research for astronomy class]

Kluger, who had gone home for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, was asked to write about the landing by then editor Walter Isaacson. He returned to an almost entirely empty office and tirelessly wrote a 3,000 word cover story about the spacecraft.

The article he wrote — “Uncovering the Secrets of Mars” — was the July 14, 1997 cover of Time Magazine. It marked the first of more than 40 cover stories authored or co-authored by Kluger, including Time’s 2021 Person of the Year story about Elon Musk.

“I will read anything he writes about space,” said Belinda Luscombe, fellow Time editor at large and longtime friend of Kluger’s. “He understands what a story is. That it’s about human endeavor.”

The film release of Apollo 13 sparked love for outer space in a new generation. Cast and crew members such as Tom Hanks and Ron Howard came together to bring Kluger and Lovell’s story to life.

“I think Jim was born to fly this mission, and I think you were born to tell the story,” Kluger recalls Marilyn Lovell — Jim Lovell’s wife — telling him on the set of the movie.

Jim Lovell began co-writing Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 as an inspiring figure from Kluger’s childhood, but he ended it as a lifelong friend of his.

A man used to decades of fame and accolades, Jim Lovell never let it get to his head, Kluger wrote in a Time remembrance story about Lovell after his death in August. One day, on the phone, he offered some advice to Kluger that still rings true.

“Remember where you’re standing when the spotlight goes off,” Lovell reminded him at the peak of the film’s popularity. “Because no one’s going to help you off the stage.”

For The Diamondback

Spelling bee champion, world record holder and best-selling author Zaila Avant-garde has taken her talents to the University of Maryland’s campus as she tackles her newest challenge: college.

At the age of 14, Avant-garde became the first African American person to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is the largest spelling bee across the country for kids under the age of 16.

Avant-garde was academically advanced at a young age, she said, and her entrance into the spelling bee was inspired by her love for reading as a child.

“My entire childhood, I was a big reading fan,” said Avant-garde, who is a freshman cell biology major. “I read over 1,000 books before I was 13. Naturally, something that comes along with reading a lot of books is picking up how words are spelled, and that was the catalyst for my journey into spelling.”

Avant-garde said becoming the first African American person to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021 was a bittersweet experience.

“Because I was like, ‘Yes, I’m the first African American to win,’” she said. “But then there’s also, ‘I’m the first African American to win in the 100-year history.’ There’s like a dual side to this.”

[UMD students learn about dangers of microplastics at documentary screening]

Avant-garde said as she studied for the competition, she was inspired by the stories of previous competitors who were held back, such as MacNolia Cox, who became the first Black top five finalist in the spelling bee at age 13 in 1936.

After her win, Penguin Random House Publishing reached out to write about Avant-garde’s story. This opportunity turned into a passion when she realized she could share her love for reading to a new generation.

Avant-garde’s book, titled “It’s Not Bragging If It’s True,” offers tips on how to be awesome at life and live authentically based on her personal experiences. The book is a New York Times Best Seller.

“My introductions to reading exciting books pushed me to have this interest in learning more and learning to read different types of books,” she said. “I just wanted to recreate that experience for the new generation of children.”

Before her spelling bee win, Avant-garde already held two Guinness World Records for basketball juggling.

“One for most basketballs dribbled by one person, and one for most balls juggled in a minute,” Avant-garde said. “For my 13th birthday, my birthday wish was to have a Guinness World Record. So that’s how the ball got rolling.”

After moving from her home in Louisiana to Maryland to attend this university, Avant-garde has made close friends in her new community.

One of these friends, hallmate Hazel Ford, said she could see how Avant-garde’s accomplishments might make her seem intimidating.

“But she’s really personable,” the freshman chemistry major said. “She’s just a really awesome person to get to know and just to talk to about all sorts of things.”

Avant-garde is always studying, Ford said, but is good at balancing her schoolwork with her friendships. She’s a self-motivated person, Ford added.

“She’s one of those people who wants to accomplish things just because she’s interested in them, and just because she knows she’s capable of doing it,” Ford said of Avant-garde. “I think that speaks volumes.”

[UMD women, gender, sexuality studies department celebrates history, new archive project]

Another of Avant-garde’s hallmates, Sophia Reyes, also noted that despite her busy schedule, Avant-garde always makes time to show up for her friends. They meet often in the study room and talk about their days, added Reyes, a freshman economics major.

“Every Wednesday, we try to get together and have dinner, and we just kind of vent about our weeks, and Zaila is always there, and she’s really funny and encouraging as a friend,” Reyes said.

Avant-garde hopes her story can inspire others who are afraid to try to accomplish their goals and that they find it in themselves to invest in their own potential. When people believe they’re not good enough or incapable of achieving, they’ve already lost half the battle, Avant-garde said.

“We have to fight to remember that we are not defined by the words of others and remember that we are capable of achieving pretty much anything that we put our minds to,” she said.

For The Diamondback

University of Maryland students gathered in Hoff Theater to attend a film screening and panel about the hidden dangers of microplastics on Wednesday evening.

The Student Government Association, Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Maryland’s Sierra Club organized the event. Attendees watched “Plastic People,” a documentary chronicling the history of plastic materials and how they evolved to become a part of daily life.

Microplastics are defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as plastic particles ranging in size from five millimeters to one nanometer. The documentary used expert testimony to explain how microplastics are dangerous because they become a permanent part of the environment and are being found in human bodies.

Senior environmental science and policy major Maggie Krieg said the event helped her develop a deeper understanding of the dangers of plastic and microplastics.

“I’ve always been a lot more concerned about other environmental issues, but this has kind of helped my focus shift to this one too,” Krieg said.

[UMD to install air conditioning in Ellicott, Hagerstown halls]

Some attendees said the screening had changed their perspectives about microplastics.

Sophomore electrical engineering major Jamie Bombick understood the cost of using plastic materials. But it wasn’t until watching the documentary that Bombick considered the effects of plastic materials even when not using them.

The panel that followed the screening addressed the steps that this university and local businesses are taking to reduce plastic waste.

“We do not offer disposable plastics in the dining halls and there are no takeout containers,” said Sally DeLeon, sustainability manager in this university’s sustainability office. “That decision was made several years ago for a number of reasons, but one of the major reasons was to eliminate single-use plastics from our waste stream.”

The event also featured Donnie Lewis, a member of the business development team from r.World, which partners with concert venues in the area to provide washable and reusable cups at events.

While showcasing the actual cup used by these venues, Lewis explained that all of the cups are deposited in designated bins before being taken to their facilities to be washed and returned to the venue.

“We just crossed 22 million washes, which has reduced 22 million cups from being produced,” Lewis said. “That’s 110 tons of plastic.”

[UMD women, gender, sexuality studies department celebrates history, new archive project]

About 110 tons is nearly equivalent to the weight of a blue whale — the largest animal on the planet.

Maryland has worked to cut down on plastic waste through legislation banning the use of single-use materials like polystyrene, also known as styrofoam, and other plastic materials.

Maryland Del. Mary Lehman (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s County) told attendees about how she previously passed a ban on polystyrene food containers when she was on the Prince George’s County Council, effective in 2016.

After the ban on polystyrene food containers in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, Maryland banned the containers in 2020.

Attendees at the event emphasized that there is no shortage of ways for students and university community members to get involved with addressing the harms of microplastics.

Campus organizations like such as SGA and Sustainable Ocean Alliance hold events that are open to new members who are looking to get involved in environmental sustainability.

“Environmental issues and sustainability solutions are always going to be this overarching, huge bubble that can be really overwhelming,” said SGA sustainability director Alicia Barnett.

Taking on an issue as large as reducing plastic waste can seem daunting, but the easiest way to begin that journey is to start small, said the junior environmental science and policy major.

“Here on campus, consider getting involved in Sustainable Ocean Alliance or in SGA and be able to make an action that way,” Barnett said. “We all have the power to make a difference.”

For The Diamondback

The University of Maryland’s Harriet Tubman women, gender and sexuality studies department marked its 50-year anniversary Wednesday with an event reflecting on the program’s history and introducing a new archive project.

“Still Here: The Evolution of Momentum of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies,” held at the Stamp Student Union, featured a panel of former department chairs and alumni who offered reflections of their time in the department.

The former department chairs discussed the early years of the program, which they said required persistence and collaboration to develop. The women described the department’s expansion over the years, established new degrees and incorporated intersectional approaches to studying gender, race and sexuality.

Department chair Neda Atanasoski, who moderated the panel, said the event highlighted the effort that was put into the program’s development.

She added the political environment in which initiatives promoting diversity are being shut down across the nation serves as a reminder of how necessary this program is to the university’s mission.

“It really gave me a chance to reflect on how many years so many faculty and students worked so hard to build this program,” Atanasoski said.

[3 Prince George’s County Council members reflect on African heritage, community progress]

The department was founded in 1975 with the university’s first hire dedicated to women’s studies. Since then, it has grown from having a single faculty member to a program that bridges fields such as African American studies, history and sociology.

The event’s theme, “Still Here,” acknowledged the department’s 50-year history of obstacles these programs continue to face today.

Evelyn Torton Beck, who was the women’s studies program director from 1984 to 1993, told The Diamondback it’s necessary for young people to recognize the work done to create programs and initiatives like the one at this university.

“History is lost so easily,” Beck said. “All the progress that we have made in terms of accepting people who are different is not something that’s given, and I think people need to understand that.”

The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Archive Project, presented during the event, aims to document the department’s history and the work of its faculty, students and staff.

The archive will collect personal reflection and institutional materials to help preserve the program’s development and make it more accessible to future researchers, the project organizers said.

The panelists also discussed the future of the program during the event’s Q&A portion.

[UMD researchers showcase robotic dog, speech application at AI event]

Drawing on her years of experience in difficult times, panelist Bonnie Thorton Dill emphasized the importance of staying in communities that inspire change and encouraged attendees to never give in to fear.

“Hope is invested in a history of struggle and resistance,” said Dill, a former chair of the women’s studies department and dean emeritus of the arts and humanities college.

The evening ended with remarks from the current college dean Stephanie Shonekan, and a few alumni sharing their own experience from the program.

For alumni, like Jestina Ricci, said that it helped shape who they are today, personally and professionally.

“This program really changed me as a person, and it changed my life,” Ricci said at the event. “It’s been such a good guide for me.”