By Jennifer Baxter

Read about how students are advocating for transparency from this university’s administration, shedding light on Transgender Day of Visibility and decompressing from exams in this week’s newsletter!

UMD LGBTQ+ Equity Center celebrates Transgender Day of Visibility 

By Lillian Gray

The LGBTQ+ Equity Center held a community day on Tuesday to acknowledge and celebrate this year’s Transgender Day of Visibility. 

This day was founded in 2009 to raise awareness of discrimination to the transgender community and to celebrate them despite hardships. This day honors millions of people worldwide despite it not being an official federal holiday, though since 2023 it has been recognized by the U.S. government. 

The event included a variety of celebratory activities, such as cookie decorating and conferences which discussed LGBTQ+ courses available at the University of Maryland, transness, shared learning and more. 

Clementine Bills, a senior computer science and Latin major, stumbled across the event accidentally and decided to engage in the festivities. As a transgender woman, Bills said that she doesn’t really understand the purpose of Transgender Visibility Day. 

“All of the issues that are issues are still issues,” Bills said. 2:06 “I’m not anymore visible today than I am on any other day.”

River Michael, a current junior architecture major who intends to become a women, gender, and sexuality studies major, feels that the current government administration is denying the existence of those that are queer and transgender. 

“They’re hitting the stop on the whole conversation and that’s part of the problem,” he said. “Because a conversation needs to be happening right now.” 

Recent discrimination against the transgender community, such as the Supreme Court’s 8-1 ruling in favor of a Christian counselor who challenged Colorado’s conversion therapy ban, has raised concerns for Micheal, who identifies as genderfluid and transgender. 

However, Micheal believes Transgender Day of Visibility to be a day that brings people like him together. 

“I think for trans people it’s very important to know that we are not alone,” he said. “That we have other people who know what we’re going through, who get it, who will understand our experiences.” 

Nyumburu student ambassadors object to premature removal of the interim director, lack of communication

By Alicia Colegrove

Nyumburu Cultural Center student ambassadors sent a letter on Thursday to University of Maryland administrators objectingadministratorsstaff objecting to the termination of Psyche Williams-Forson as the center’s interim director.

Seventeen people from UMD’s NAACP chapter and Nyumburu, an African-American cultural center at UMD, along with the UMD NAACP chapter had 17 people sign  signed the letter which stated that the decision to terminate Williams-Forson by the end of the month was made without a consultation with the students and staff who work with her. 

Williams-Forson took on the role of interim director in September 2025, she is also a professor and serves as Chair of the Department of American Studies. 

Belonging and Community Vice President Georgina Dodge said during a Friday during a press meeting with the press student journalists that Williams-Forson’s contract was not prematurely terminated and is instead set to expire in August. 

Dodge said that the student ambassadors received misinformation and that the letter was a surprise to her, as she had no desire to terminate Williams-Forson prematurely. 

“I’m also disappointed about any harm that this may have caused to Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson. She is a wonderful colleague who has provided temporary part-time leadership to Nyumburu,” Dodge said. 

Jade Blackmoore, a junior environmental science and policy major and Nyumburu student ambassador, said student ambassadors were left in the dark about Williams-Forson’s contract termination, as they were only told that Belonging & Community at UMD was planning to look for a replacement. 

“We were greatly saddened by this because essentially, Dr. Psyche has been doing an amazing job as our interim director,” Blackmoore said. “So it became quite a surprise to us that the university plans on switching her out.”

At the end of the letter, the students stated that they hope to receive a written response addressing the letter’s eight demands. Dodge said in response to the letter’s demands that she encourages the students to come discuss any concerns they may have, with her. 

“I really wish they [student ambassadors] had come to me and spoken with me so that I could correct any misinformation they may have been provided,” Dodge said. 

The student ambassadors stated in a follow-up letter after the Friday meeting that while their initial understanding that Williams-Forson’s termination was premature was incorrect, they do not accept responsibility for the confusion at hand. The students also said that they were not invited to the press conference on Friday, and that they are still expecting a written response to their eight demands. 

A committee is currently being put together to conduct a national search for a new permanent director and “hopefully” appoint someone by the start of the fall semester, according to Dodge. 

Stamp’s Bunnies, Blooms event provides stress relief via cuddles for UMD students

By Sophia Herndon

University of Maryland students gathered Tuesday on the front lawn of Adele H. Stamp Student Union to surround themselves with the natural therapy of bunnies and freshly bloomed flowers. 

Stamp’s Events and Programs team organized the event as a way for students to relax in the warm weather, in the midst of having to balance exams and school work. 

Stephanie Casimiro, a freshman marketing major, went to the event as a way to hang out with her friends and see bunnies. She believes events like these to be a perk of having to pay student tuition. 

“It’s a great way to connect to the animals and the weather outside,” she said.

Throughout the event, students took photos with the bunnies, all a variety of breeds, and with the daffodils and tulips on the lawn, grown for the enjoyment of students and staff. 

Selyna Williams, a freshman biological sciences major, attended the event in order to de-stress from exams and enjoy the nice weather. The event was a warm experience and a serotonin boost, Williams said.  

Featured Image: A pair of rabbits, one tortoiseshell and one solid black, share a quiet moment in the grass before Stamp’s Bunnies and Blooms event. Photo by Miller Rogers-Tetrick.