TO: The UMBC Community
FROM: Freeman Hrabowski & Art Johnson
RE: Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Town Hall Meetings
DATE: May 8, 2008

As you may know, ROTC is a training and leadership-development program
for university students who are considering military careers and wish to
become commissioned officers. Currently, UMBC is a satellite site of
the Johns Hopkins University Army ROTC program, which serves as the host
site. This arrangement makes it necessary for UMBC ROTC cadets to
travel to the Hopkins campus for training and coursework.

Two weeks ago, the United States Army informed us that UMBC has an
opportunity to be considered to become a host site for Army ROTC. This
coming week, we will convene two community meetings to discuss this
opportunity.

If we become an independent ROTC site, our students could complete the
program’s requirements on the UMBC campus. Moreover, gaining host
status would increase the number of scholarships available to our
students. Under our current arrangement with the Hopkins ROTC program,
UMBC students have very limited opportunities for financial support.

We have scheduled two meetings next week for the campus community to
discuss this opportunity. Please join us either next Tuesday, May 13,
at 1:00 p.m. in the University Center, Room 312, or Wednesday, May 14,
at 12:00 noon in The Commons, Room 331.

We look forward to seeing you.

Today’s Baltimore Sun had more:

Faculty and other members of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County community have started circulating an online petition to protest a proposed ROTC unit at the Catonsville campus, which could open this fall.

According to faculty senate President Terrance L. Worchesky, the U.S. Army proposed establishing the ROTC unit during an April 25 meeting of campus leaders. The unit, which would be housed in an unused campus building, would function as a Department of Military Science, said Worchesky, who was present at the meeting.

Campus officials last night confirmed the Army’s proposal and said that responses from student government leaders have been positive, but that campuswide meetings will be held next week to give the entire UMBC community an opportunity to weigh in.

“There has been a desire on the part of students and prospective students, and also the Army, to establish an ROTC program here at UMBC,” said spokeswoman Lisa Akchin.

[…]

About 21 UMBC students participated in the ROTC program this academic year, Akchin said, but did their training at the Johns Hopkins University, which has a permanent unit on the Homewood campus in Charles Village.

“Having a program on this campus would open up a higher degree of scholarship opportunities for students,” Akchin said, as well as make the program more convenient for participating students. She said that though UMBC students constitute nearly half of the participants in the Hopkins unit, they receive fewer scholarships because the Army gives priority to Hopkins students in that program.

As of last night, more than 50 people had signed an online petition protesting the ROTC expansion to Catonsville. The petition says the Army’s treatment of homosexual soldiers conflicts with the university’s nondiscrimination policy, and also declares concern about “militarization” of the student body.

[…]

The petition itself:

We call on the University Administration to join faculty, staff, students and other members of the university in opposition to creating an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at UMBC.

_Nondiscrimination_. Whereas ROTC openly discriminates against non-heterosexuals, we ask the administration to reaffirm its commitment to its stated policy of nondiscrimination: “The University of Maryland Baltimore County does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic background, ancestry, sex, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, or religion in admission to and participation in educational programs …” (http://www.umbc.edu/ola/nondiscrimination.html)

_Civil Education_. In the spirit of President Dwight Eisenhower’s admonition against military-industrial influence in “the free university,” we call on the Administration to reaffirm the principles of civil education fit for a free-thinking, democratic society.

_Learning, Not Militarization_. In order to preserve the University as a seat of critical, independent thought, we call on the Administration to stand with us in principled opposition to ROTC expansion. We call on the Administration to oppose the empty rhetoric of patriotism and all such attempts at intimidating the spirit of free inquiry, dissent, and peaceful discussion.

_Decision Making Process_. The timing of this proposal does not allow for the necessary campus reflection, deliberation and public discussion for an informed decision making process.

For the reasons stated above and/or a variety of other concerns, we the undersigned oppose the creation of a ROTC program at UMBC.

I’m guessing there will be a pro-ROTC petition at some point soon. I’ll have more of a response on this matter later. I did start a Facebook group called I support ROTC at UMBC.

I will definitely be blogging more on this later.

Anne Pearson gives her collie, Siri, the run of the fenced-in yard. She says she always keeps watch from the window. At night, the dog sleeps in her bedroom.

But in the eyes of Anne Arundel County’s Animal Control, Pearson was a menace to her pet. And they threatened to take the dog away - unless she agreed to buy Siri a doghouse.

[…]

County animal control officials say the law allows them to target animal abusers. Although they went to Pearson’s house three times, they eventually dropped the charges, and now say that her case is a rare example of the law being misapplied.

At the council meeting, they testified against Middlebrooks’ proposed change, which would require a shelter only if the dog is left outside when the owner is not home. The animal control officers said that changing the law will make it harder to determine which dogs are habitually left outside.

[…]

Under state law, an owner has to provide shelter for a dog only if it is necessary, according to Deputy County Attorney David A. Plymyer, who said if a dog were outside on a nice day, it would not be a violation of that law. Anne Arundel, he added, takes the matter a step further, and requires that if a dog is confined outdoors, it must have a shelter.

Anne Arundel officials said that since 2005 they have issued 70 citations, which carry a $50 penalty for a first offense and up to $500 for three violations or more. They added that citations are only issued after several warnings and that officers determine appropriate penalties on a case-by-case basis.

There were some scary moments Tuesday morning as an out-of-control car careened past a group of people gathered for a governor’s news conference in Northwest Baltimore.

Suzanne Collins reports the car then sailed across a busy road and crashed into subway tracks.

A crowd gathered on the Northwest Plaza parking lot panicked as a car came racing toward them. The car tore up a bank and flew over Wabash Avenue, ending on the subway tracks. Amazingly, the driver seemed uninjured.

[…]

Hall, 79, will not be charged in the crash. No was hurt in the crash. Officials say a parked car and some fences did receive some damage.

The governor’s news conference did take place on that parking lot, a half hour later than it was scheduled.

A Baltimore County circuit court judge handed a convicted sex offender what’s believed to be the longest sentence of its kind in the state…ever.

Carlos Cortez of Essex will have to serve consecutive 25 year prison terms on each of 4 counts of sexual abuse the Examiner reports.

Cortez was accused of abusing a girl over several years starting when she was 5.

Judge Patrick Cavanaugh has a reputation for long sentences…having given a former Randallstown High student a 100 year sentence in a school shooting case.

The father of an inmate who was killed aboard a prison bus had to be escorted from a courtroom after he threw his cane at the man on trial for the murder.

Phillip Parker Sr. was led away by deputies Tuesday during the trial of 25-year-old Kevin Johns, the two-time convicted murderer who is accused of killing Parker’s son.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office said Parker would be charged with disorderly conduct and possibly other offenses.

The outburst came while prosecutors were playing a recording of Johns’ interview with investigators after the killing of Philip Parker Jr.

The immigrant advocacy group CASA de Maryland says the new immigration enforcement program in Frederick County could cost the county $3.2 million per year.

CASA says the estimate takes into account increased police training, staffing, detention costs and the possibile drain on the foster care system if immigrant parents are detained.

However, County Commissioner Charles Jenkins says he doubts CASA’s figures. He says the county is reimbursed by the federal government for detaining immigrants.

Frederick County is the first Maryland jurisdiction to check the immigration status of people who are arrested.

CASA legal director Kerry O’Brien says Frederick is showing little appreciation for the contributions that immigrants have made.

Also, light rail delays are still around and lasting around 30 minutes. A shuttle bus is running between Penn Station and Mt. Clare where light rail service is down.

Howard County police arrested an 83-year-old man Monday night on charges that he tried to kill his wife at their Columbia home.

Calvin Ralph Payne was charged with attempted murder and assault after he allegedly struck his wife, Alma Payne, 81, with a hammer.

Police said Alma Payne called police to report an assault around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Officials found the victim at the home with a severe head injury. She was flown to Shock Trauma in serious but stable condition. Family members told WBAL TV 11 News that she was blinded in one eye.

“Every finger in both hands had been broken by the hammer. She has facial lacerations and broken bones to the right side of her face. On the left side of her head, she had 100 staples,” said nephew Eric Figueroa.

Officers said they found Calvin Payne in a bathroom of the home with blood on his clothes and hands and a knife in his hand. Officials said they found a hammer covered in blood in the master bedroom.

Detectives have not determined a motive in the incident, but relatives of the two said that Calvin Payne had grown increasingly violent over the last decade due to mental decline.

A staff member at Calverton Elementary/Middle was putting in extra hours at the West Baltimore school Sunday afternoon when two 13-year-old boys broke into the building and one tried to rape her, police confirmed yesterday.

Realizing that her attacker was unarmed, police said, the woman fought back, and both the boys - identified as students at the school - fled. When they returned for class Monday, they were arrested and charged as juveniles with attempted first-degree rape, attempted robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and trespassing, police said.

Related:
Another teacher assaulted
Other violence, sex assault at Reginald Lewis HS
Photographer attacked at school where teacher was attacked