FAQ

Each of i3b identity spaces has full-time and student staff members dedicated to serving students of a particular identity. Although we approach all of our work through an intersectional lens, we have additional department spaces that more specifically center these communities.

This includes our Pride Center for our LGBTQIA2+ communities, the Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being serving our religious and spiritual communities, while The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity serves community members from underrepresented racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds.

Our areas and spaces are not student organizations. Our areas, The Mosaic, The Pride Center, and The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being fall under the department for Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, & Belonging (i3b) which is part of hte Division of Student Affairs. Our spaces are funded by the Student Engagement fee.

In our work, we partner with many student organizations and other campus partners. We encourage and welcome you to spend time with us!

Yes, you can report incidents of bias here. However, please recognize that as university staff, both our professional & student staff are mandated reporters. As such, we are required to report to the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI), which handles all bias & hate-related issues on campus. You can submit an anonymous report online.

Yes, we welcome all UMBC community members, including undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, religious council members, and alumnx. However, some of our programs may only be appropriate for particular campus community members.

Yes, you can! Some of our spaces are free to use for student organizations but may have small fees that apply for departmental use. Learn more information about reserving one of our spaces.

The Pride Center for LGBTQIA2+ Diversity is a space for LGBTQIA2+ identifying students, staff, faculty, and alumnx. Be sure to stay up to date with the Pride Center Linktree page.

We are open from Monday – Friday year-round. Hours vary depending on the time of year.

The Pride Center is primarily a lounge space and resource center but also hosts various events centered around LGBTQIA2+ diversity, equity, inclusion, & social justice (DEISJ). We are also a resource for both undergraduate & graduate students who have questions about LGBTQIA2+ diversity at the intersection of their other identities, such as race, ethnicity, religion, ability status, etc.

Of course! We welcome people from all backgrounds regardless of their sex, gender (identity), gender expression, sexual orientation, and romantic orientation.

Feel free to email our Pride Center Interns. Their information is available in our staff bios on our website.

The Mosaic is a center for resources, community building, and staff support, and is a lounge space for UMBC community members of all backgrounds to use for lounging, programming, small events, and small gatherings. We strive to develop innovative programs & initiatives that celebrate cultural diversity while advocating for inclusion, equity, & social justice.

We host various events centered around diversity, equity, inclusion, & social justice (DEISJ). We help students find community with peers who are like them and peers who are unlike them. We are also a resource for both undergraduate & graduate students who have questions about race, ethnicity, nationality, and/or citizenship status.

Yes, we welcome people of all races, ethnicities, & nationalities/citizenship statuses. If we are having a closed meeting, we may lock our doors, but please come in if we are open.

You can visit the Mosaic to eat lunch, study, & chat with your friends or us, to seek any resources you may need, or find a space to rest in between classes. The Mosaic is also designated as an accessible space for prayer, reflection, meditation &/or to pick up a bag from our campus pantry, Retriever Essentials.

You can reserve our space, cross-promote an event/resource, or we can collaborate together. The Mosaic is available to reserve for any department or organization via 25Live evenings and weekends during The Commons Hours of Operations. Though the space is open to all, due to the nature of our work, we will prioritize reservations and collaborations related to racial, ethnic, and international DEISJ-based work.

It varies by semester, day, university holidays, & staffing. Please check the front door for our most up-to-date hours. Please note that the space capacity is subject to change according to CDC & UMBC guidelines. Though the space is open & staffed year-round, The Mosaic is only available for reservations in the Fall & Spring semesters and not reservable during Summer & Winter Sessions.

We are also just fun people; we would really like you to come in just for a chat or to find a cozy place away from home. You should also check out the i3b Linktree account to connect with us virtually or to just see what’s going on in our i3b community!

No, this is The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being (The Gathering Space, for short), but we share the Center for Well-Being building with RIH and SCCS. You can find the Office of Health Promotion across the hall from us and the Retriever Integrated Health/Counseling Center and Retriever Integrated Health/Health Services upstairs on the second floor. You can also find SCCS on the first floor past the elevators at the rear of the building.

The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being serves as a spiritually-centered space where students and UMBC community members can gather at the intersection of religion, faith, spirituality, and other lived experiences. The Gathering Space prioritizes individual religious practice, opportunities to explore holistic well-being connected to religion and spirituality, and creating spaces to engage across differences by centering the importance of interfaith work and dialogue. As part of its connection to Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b), within the Gathering Space, we emphasize three core themes:

1. radical love & belonging,
2. spiritual well-being, and
3. energetic pluralism.

All community members are welcome to use this space for prayer, reflection, and meditation. Also, feel free to get involved with our Gathering Space Spiritual Advisory Board.

The Assistant Director welcomes any and all conversations about religion and identity, religion, food & social justice, and religion and meaning-making, especially for folx who have a complicated/difficult/intersectional relationship with religion and spirituality.

The Center for Well-Being is now where Campus Life’s Interfaith Center used to be. Our new and improved space includes our main large prayer and meditation space, The Gathering Space (CWB 103), The Spiritual Advisory Office for lounging or meeting with Religious Council members (CWB 109), two foot-washing rooms (CWB 107 & 108), our Assistant Director’s Office (CWB 105), and a kitchenette/lounge in our main corridor that houses our student staff work area.

It varies by semester, day, university holidays, and staffing. Please check the front desk or website for our most up-to-date hours. Though the space is open and staffed year-round, The Gathering Space is only available for reservations in the Fall and Spring semesters and not reservable during Summer and Winter Sessions. You are welcome to join our regularly scheduled events, to come and pray/meditate/reflect as you are able, or to find a cozy spot to relax and just be.

Yes, we know that space can be tight on campus, so stop by the front desk to see who uses the various spaces within the Center for Well-Being. If everything is full, check out our other prayer and meditation spaces located across campus! Our Linktree will always house our most up-to-date map.

Yes, this space is for you, and we want you to feel welcome! The Gathering Space is designed for students and UMBC community members of all religious, spiritual, and non-religious worldviews to find a place for community. In addition to providing space for students who identify with specific religious traditions, the Gathering Space is committed to providing programming that allows an opportunity for everyone to connect to spirituality and mindfulness (check out our Mindfulness Monday and Gathering with Gratitude programs). Also, your voice would be most welcome on the Gathering Space Student Advisory Board. Radical love and belonging is a central tenet of The Gathering Space.

We are glad you took the time to learn more about the Gathering Space. Please know that this is a place for you to

1. find love, belonging, and acceptance, just as you are;
2. find moments and spaces to interact with and uplift the spiritual components of ourselves; and
3. to engage across religious and spiritual differences to find places of commonality, disagreement, and celebration.

Please drop by anytime!

You should also check out the i3b Linktree page to connect with us virtually or to just see what’s going on in our i3b community!