Family Weekend is less than a month away and the deadline to register is approaching.

Many of the weekend's activities are free, unless you want to share a meal and some camaraderie with other families from throughout Montana and the nation. Families can choose between the pre-game tailgate lunch for $7 per person and the pre-game brunch for $12.50 per person. A farewell breakfast is offered Sunday morning for $5 per person. Registration is required.

President George Dennison will give away a $1,000 tuition waiver to one lucky family attending the pre-game brunch.

The deadline to register for Family Weekend is Monday, Oct. 15. For more information, call University Relations at 406-243-2522 or e-mail familyweekend@umontana.edu.

UM offers students many ways to become active on campus while learning important skills.

Approved student groups cover a wide range of interests and themes -- from didgeridoo, criminology and rodeo to mountain biking, snowboarding and rugby, and from gardening, folklore and yoga to psychology and philosophy.

A good way for students to get involved and learn about what is available on campus is through the University's student government, the Associated Students of UM. With three officers and 20 student senators elected each spring, ASUM is recognized as the representative voice for students.

ASUM meets weekly to discuss important topics that affect students. The organization offers a slew of services, including renter information, legal advice, transportation to and from campus and more.

ASUM also provides a complete listing of approved student groups on campus.

Interested students are invited to stop by the ASUM office in University Center Room 105 or call 406-243-2451. More information is on the Web site.

UM's Office of Career Services will hold a free workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 16, that is aimed at first- and second-year students who are undecided about their majors or careers.

The free workshop -- "Major or Career: Which Comes First?" -- will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Lommasson Center Room 154.

Held in conjunction with UM's Undergraduate Advising Center, the workshop provides students a process for matching skills, interests, personality and values to a career and major.

For more information, see the Web site or call 406-243-2022.

UM's Center for Leadership Development prepares students for leadership roles on campus and in the community by offering programs, resources and experiences that help build self-confidence.

Ursa Major, one of the center's programs, provides a group of 20 first- and second-year students the opportunity to learn and practice valuable leadership skills. The program is three semesters long, beginning with a new group of students each spring. Students who complete program requirements earn certificates that verify and recognize their achievements.

The leadership center and UM's Office of Career Services co-sponsor luncheons featuring UM graduates who discuss skills they gained at the University and what it is like to work in their fields. The Ask-an-Alum luncheons are free for UM students. The next luncheon event will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in University Center Rooms 326-327. The event title is "Capitalize on Your Abilities" and is about disabilities careers.

In addition to its many resources and programs, the center presents student leadership awards at a reception ceremony held each spring.

More information about the center and its services is available by calling Patty McPherson Kero, program adviser, at 406-243-5527, or e-mailing patty.kero@mso.umt.edu.

Each semester, prominent national figures present several lectures and seminars on campus, giving students the opportunity to hear from experts in their fields.

The next installment of the President's Lecture Series at UM will be presented by David Walker, comptroller general of the United States.

Walker will speak at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, in the University Theatre. His lecture, "Keeping America Great," will describe the "fiscal cancer" that, in his judgment, threatens the survival of the American republic. On March 7, 2007, Walker told Steve Kroft of CBS News' "60 Minutes" that "the most serious threat to the United States is not someone hiding in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but our own fiscal irresponsibility." The event is free and open to the public.

Walker also will present a seminar from 3:40 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, in Gallagher Business Building Room 123. A complete President's Lecture Series schedule is online at http://www.umt.edu/president/pls.

On Monday, Oct. 15, Harry Gray, one of the top chemists in the nation, will give UM's fall 2007 Juday Lecture, "Powering the Planet with Solar Energy." The presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the North Underground Lecture Hall.

Gray is a leader in the study of the role of metals in biology. He is founding director and Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry at the Beckman Institute of the California Institute of Technology.

He also will present a technical lecture, "The Currents of Life: Electron Flow through Proteins," from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Oct. 16, in the Urey Lecture Hall. Both events are free and open to the public.

Find more scheduled lectures on UM's News and Events Web site.

The MultiCultural Alliance and UM's International Programs offer students the opportunity to explore other cultures and countries.

The MultiCultural Alliance is a student group that aims to unite students, staff and faculty in building a more diverse and welcoming campus. The group sponsors periodic town hall meetings and the International Food and Culture Festival and other International Week events in March.

Each year, the alliance also works with other UM organizations to plan an annual Day of Dialogue to mark the University's commitment to diversity. "Day of Dialogue: Building Communities of Difference" is Nov. 8 this year. More information about the MultiCultural Alliance is available by calling 406-243-5776. Information about UM's Day of Dialogue is available at http://www.umt.edu/dayofdialogue or by e-mailing dayofdialogue@mso.umt.edu.

International Programs at UM promotes and supports international education, research, scholarship and training. Students can explore international study opportunities by visiting the office or Web site.

Each semester, International Programs presents the International Brownbag Series of free public lectures. The lecture series is held in Old Journalism Building Room 303. Upcoming lecture events will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Oct. 11 and 18 and Nov. 1 and 15. A complete lecture schedule is online at http://www.umt.edu/ip.

The Department of Drama/Dance recently opened its 2007-08 series with nightly performances of "Boy Gets Girl" at 7:30 p.m. through Saturday, Oct. 6, in the Masquer Theatre of the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center. Tickets for students are $10 and can be purchased through the Drama/Dance Box Office or by calling 406-243-4581. The complete drama/dance schedule is online at http://www.umtheatredance.org.

If your student is a film buff, the University Center Theater offers weekend movies throughout the semester. Movies show on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Students with a Griz Card pay $2 for a single feature and $3 for a double feature. The monthly movie schedule is online at http://ordway.umt.edu/sa/uc -- click on "UC Theater Weekend Movies."

The fifth annual Peace and Justice Film Series also is under way. Films show at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays in October and November and on Dec. 6 in the UC Theater. All events are free and open to the public. The series includes documentary and historical films, followed by a lively and respectful discussion. The complete series schedule is online at http://www.peaceandjusticefilms.org.

Thank you for reading Transcripts and for being part of the UM community.

Go Griz!