The UM Round Dance will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. today in conjunction with the 38th annual Kyi-Yo Pow Wow at the Adams Center.

“Singing from the Heart for Students” is the theme for this year’s dance.

From the blessing of the drums to the meeting of friends, the Round Dance is open to the public and is for everyone. It’s a time to honor the hard work of students, swap stories, catch up on the latest news, and hear the old and new songs of the invited singers.

Russell Standing Rock will emcee the event and Vern Gardipee will be stickman for invited singers Luke Okanee, Sidrick Baker and Slick PrettyPaint.

The Round Dance is sponsored by UM’s Bridges to the Baccalaureate, Partnership for Comprehensive Equity, and Research Opportunities in Science for Native Americans programs.

The 2006 Hammond Lecture at UM will explore the long-term impacts of O’Shaughnessy Dam, which was built in Yosemite National Park’s Hetch Hetchy Valley in 1913.

Robert Righter, a history research professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, will present “Hetch Hetchy: Exploring the Legacy” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in UM’s North Underground Lecture Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Righter is author of “The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy: America’s Most Controversial Dam and the Birth of Modern Environmentalism.” He will discuss how the Sierra Club fought to keep the dam out of the California national park but lost a battle with James Phelan, the San Francisco mayor who wanted to create another water source for his constituents.

His lecture is sponsored by the Hammond Endowment in UM’s Department of History and the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, the University’s regional studies and public policy center.

A high-ranking Japanese diplomat will lecture about U.S.-Japan security relations Thursday, April 27, at UM.

Last September, after a long and distinguished career, Kazuo Tanaka assumed the post of consulate-general of Japan in Seattle, where he serves Washington, Northern Idaho and Montana.

He will speak at 3 p.m. in the University Center Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

Before becoming Seattle consulate-general, Tanaka was the special coordinator for the Minister’s Secretariat in Tokyo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He is an expert on economic cooperation and Asian affairs, as well as refugee issues. He also is a specialist in Malay studies.

UM is spotlighting a fragile and fascinating part of the world through Saturday, April 22, during the Fourth Annual Central Asia Conference: A Policy Dialogue.

The conference is organized by UM’s Office of International Programs.

Today’s events include panel discussions on social, economic and other important Central Asian issues and a musical performance by Jeffrey Werbock, who is internationally recognized for his knowledge of the traditional music of the Caucasus.

The conference concludes Saturday morning with a panel discussion on recent developments in the region.

All conference events are free and open to the public. A complete schedule is online.

A series about safeguarding U.S. democracy by promoting an independent judiciary is under way in Missoula.

Upcoming events will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. April 25 and May 2 in the second-floor meeting room of the Missoula Children’s Theatre, located at 400 E. Broadway.

Sponsored by the Missoula League of Women Voters and the UM School of Law, the series is titled “... and Justice for All.” It is free and open to the public.

On April 25, four leaders in the Montana court system will present “Judges,” which will describe the roles judges play in the judicial process. The presenters will be Donald Molloy, U.S. district court chief judge; Jim Rice, Montana Supreme Court justice; Ed McLean, Montana district court judge; and Karen Orzech, Missoula justice of the peace.

On May 2, three speakers will present “Why an Independent Judiciary?” They will discuss the benefits of an independent judiciary and the rule of law. The presenters will be U.S. Magistrate Judge Leif Erickson; Betsy Griffing, a UM law visiting assistant professor; and state Sen. Jon Ellingson.

The UM student government has passed a resolution encouraging students to take more credits each semester to save money and finish earlier.

As students are registering for fall semester, senators with the Associated Students of UM hope their resolution draws attention to the so-called “flat spot” -- the fact that it costs the same amount of money to take 21 credits as it does to take 12. The measure acknowledges that high student loans are a problem for many UM graduates.

Introduced by ASUM Sen. Andrea Helling, the resolution also cites a UM study that shows students who take an average of 15 credits a semester have a 50 percent greater chance of graduating. The study also shows that students who take advantage of the flat spot graduate in less time with less debt and a higher grade-point average.

National and Global Youth Service Day will be celebrated in Missoula tomorrow, April 22, with projects coordinated through UM’s Office for Civic Engagement.

Service projects are available for youth ages 5 to 20.

Youth Service Day begins with registration from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the river trail field at the end of South Fourth Street East, near the Higgins Avenue bridge.

Missoula Mayor John Engen will speak at 10:30 a.m., and Monte, UM’s popular mascot, will be at a lunch following Engen’s presentation.

From noon to 2:30 p.m., participants will break into groups to work on various service projects, from decorating studs for Habitat for Humanity and working on weatherization projects to collecting for book and food drives and writing letters to troops in Iraq.

At 2:30 p.m., participants will reconvene to reflect on and celebrate their day of service. Entertainment will be provided and prizes will be awarded.

The UM Foundation has launched a new fundraising campaign titled “For UM, For Us: A Faculty and Staff Campaign for The University of Montana.”

This annual campaign, successor to the campus component of the Missoula Business Drive, is part of UMF’s Excellence Fund. Private support on the UM campus is increasingly important as state funding continues to decrease, now providing for only 12 percent of the operating budget of UM.

Gifts from faculty and staff totaled more than $300,000 last year, providing support for scholarships, undergraduate research opportunities, classroom equipment and technology, professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, Grizzly Athletics, the Mansfield Library and numerous other programs and opportunities.

Diane Flamand, UM assistant registrar, is chair of this year’s campaign.

Faculty and staff members willing to pledge their support can do so on the campaign’s Web site or by calling the Foundation at 243-2593.

UM will participate in Missoula’s Bike Walk Bus Week by holding “Walk n Roll Week” April 24-28 to encourage people to travel to campus any way other than driving alone in a car.

Those who find other ways to get to campus -- such as walking, biking, or carpooling -- will be met at campus entrances by volunteers handing out raffle tickets for prizes. “Walk n Roll Week” participants also may stop by the University Center to pick up raffle tickets.

Prizes this year include a cruiser bike, bike trailer, head lights, locks and numerous other donated gifts.

The prize drawing will be held at a celebration event Friday, April 28, on the Mansfield Mall, located between the University Center and the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library. Food will be available and entertainment will be provided by the band “Broken Valley Road Show.”

The Islanders Steel Drum Band and UM Percussion Ensemble will present their Spring Concert at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the University Theatre.

Tickets for the concert are $6 for the general public, $4 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the door.

A highlight of the evening will be David Gillingham’s “Concerto for Piano and Percussion Ensemble,” featuring Assistant Professor Christopher Hahn of the University’s music department.

The UM Pop Ensemble will perform a jazz-rock transcription of Pat Metheny’s “Have You Heard,” and an unusual percussion quintet titled “Dancing” by David Kechley just might have you seeing bugs.

To close out the concert, the Islanders Steel Drum Band will perform a high-energy “Panorama” tune titled “Pan Earthquake,” a Latin-Salsa piece, “Como Una Estrella,” and a contemporary samba, “When Dreams Come True.”

Colorado artist Lynne Hull will lead a hands-on artistic workshop today from 1 to 4 p.m. at Milltown Dam.

Participants will work together on an eco-art project as well as learn about the plans for remediation, restoration and redevelopment of the Clark Fork River watershed.

Those interested in participating can meet at 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Albertsons in Missoula’s Eastgate Shopping Center to carpool to the site.

The event is sponsored by the UM Environmental Studies Program and is free and open to the public.

Alex Kraft and Karen Slobod, graduate students working on master’s of fine arts degrees at UM, wanted to do something extra special for their final exhibits.

So they created an interactive art show featuring everything from dancers to an experimental music group. The exhibition opens today from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Gallery of Visual Arts, located in UM’s Social Science Building. It is free and open to the public.

Dancing will be provided by Anya Cloud and Kaila June Gidley, members of a new modern dance collective, Head Waters Dance Company. Music will come from Desertless, an experimental group made up of a percussionist and two saxophonists.

During the next two years, Montana Public Radio’s News Department will present regular feature stories about issues of poverty in the state.

The features project is supported by a $78,500 grant from the Northwest Area Foundation, whose mission is to help communities reduce poverty.

News staff at UM’s Broadcast Media Center, where MTPR’s studios are located, will be joined for the two-year project by longtime Montana journalist Kevin Maki. Maki currently produces feature stories about people and places in the Bitterroot for the radio station.

The Northwest Area Foundation works in an eight-state region that includes Montana. The foundation approached MTPR after successful projects last year with Minnesota Public Radio and Seattle’s KUOW.

Young women interested in a nontraditional occupation -- such as carpentry, firefighting or architecture -- may want to attend the April 28 “Career Rodeo” at the UM College of Technology’s West Campus.

The event offers hands-on activities that will help women expand their horizons and explore careers that promise higher pay than most traditionally female jobs.

Participants may choose from one of two sessions: 10 a.m.-12:45 p.m. or noon-2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. COT’s West Campus is located at 3639 South Ave. W. in Missoula.

Area high school students should sign up for the “Career Rodeo” through their school counselor’s office. Women not in high school may register by calling Suzin Kratina at Women’s Opportunity and Resource Development, (406) 543-3550 ext 57.

“The Changing Face of Religion” is the topic of an upcoming Town Hall Meeting to be hosted on campus by the University Center Multicultural Alliance and the UM Diversity Advisory Council.

The Rev. Peter Shober of Missoula’s University Congregational Church will present the April 26 talk, which will be followed by facilitated discussion and refreshments. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the UC Ballroom.

Shober’s talk will address issues such as religion as a force for division and unity, its effect on the political and social landscapes, progressive faith communities and fundamentalism.

The UM golf team earned its first-ever league title Wednesday after shooting a final-round 301 at the Big Sky Women’s Golf Championship in Goodyear, Ariz.

Senior Jasi Acharya and junior Krista Swanson finished one, two overall to pace the Grizzlies, who led through all three of the tournament’s rounds. Montana took the team title with a 54-hole total of 904 at the Palms Course at Palm Valley Golf Club.

UM’s three-round total was the second-lowest in the 13-year history of the tournament. Only Portland State’s 2004 total of 886 was better. The Grizzlies, who led by 10 shots after 18 holes and one shot following 36 holes, beat Northern Arizona by eight strokes.

Men’s basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak withdrew this week from consideration for Pepperdine University’s coaching position. He will remain at the helm of the Grizzly basketball program, according to UM Athletic Director Jim O’Day.

Krystkowiak said he weighed his options before making the decision to remain in Missoula. He was one of four finalists for the Pepperdine job, which opened when coach Paul Westphal’s contract was not renewed.

Krystkowiak recently finished his second year as head coach at UM -- his alma mater -- where his teams have gone 42-20 overall and 19-9 in Big Sky Conference games. During his tenure, Coach K’s Grizzlies have won two Big Sky Conference Tournament titles, earning two consecutive NCAA berths.