Conference and Travel Logistics

We are looking forward to your presence at the 16th Annual Black Graduate Conference in Psychology. The conference is almost upon us and the local Coordinating Committee has assembled this additional information to make your visit to UMBC comfortable.

Arrivals

Please plan on arriving to Baltimore by 5pm on Thursday, July 8. If you are flying into Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport or arriving by train to the BWI Airport Rail Station, there is a free shuttle to the Aloft Hotel that runs every half hour. Upon arrival, please call the hotel at (410) 691-6969 to request a shuttle. If you are driving to the hotel, directions can be found online at:

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/property/area/
directions.html?propertyID=3047

Lodging

Rooms have been reserved for all graduate students who have paid their registration fee and for visiting faculty who have requested a room. Graduate students will share a room with a pre-assigned roommate. Every effort has been made to honor the roommate preferences indicated on the registration form. Please note that only the costs of the rooms will be covered by the conference. You will be responsible for any incidental expenses you incur. You will not be able to make any charges to the rooms.

Check in time is at 3pm and check out is at 12 noon. We anticipate concluding the conference by 12:00pm on Sunday, July 11.

Meals

All meals will be provided by the conference. A light appetizer buffet will be provided during the opening reception on Thursday evening at 6pm. Continental breakfasts will be served daily and lunch will be served on Friday and Saturday. You will have free time and dinner on your own on Friday evening, and there will be a dinner buffet/banquet at the Hilton hotel (located next door to Aloft) on Saturday evening featuring Dr. Cheryl Grills, chair of the psychology department at Loyola Marymount University and President-Elect of the Association of Black Psychologists.

Conference Transportation

The primary conference activities will take place in Lecture Hall 8 in the ITE Building on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A free shuttle will be available to transport you from the hotel to the university at specified times. Since these shuttles run on a fixed time schedule, it is imperative that you arrive at the pick-up/drop-off points on time. Departure times for the shuttle to and from the hotel will be announced.

Attire

Dress for the conference is business casual. You may wish to bring a light jacket or sweater, since we cannot control the temperature in some of the rooms we will be using.

Please note that similar to previous conferences, this year’s meeting is closed to the public. Also, since we have already contracted for a specific number of hotel rooms and meals, we will not be able to accept on-site registrants or additional guests. You should wear your conference badge at all conference-related events. You may not be permitted entry to events without your badge.

Contact Information

Conference organizers are available to answer any questions that you may have. If you need to speak to someone about the conference, please call 410-455-1359. You can also reach us by e-mail at bgcp2010@gmail.com.