Griz For Kids
 Bring a toy to Saturday's game

Join the second annual "Griz For Kids" Toy Drive to make sure every Missoula child gets something special during the holidays.

At Saturday's Griz vs. Cal Poly football game, boxes will be placed at each entrance to Washington-Grizzly Stadium for fans to drop off new, unwrapped toys.

If you can't make it to the game, toys may be dropped off at any Missoula Federal Credit Union location, including the branch located in the University Center.

UM and the Montana Grizzlies are sponsoring the drive in partnership with MFCU, Max Media, KTMF, KMMF and 102.5 Mountain FM.

Last year, big-hearted Griz fans donated thousands of toys, said organizer and Grizzly football player Ryan Wells. "It's a great way for us to give back to the community, and we have a venue that attracts 23,000 people," he said.

The toys will be distributed through Mountain Home Montana, Head Start, Early Head Start, Missoula Indian Center, Youth Homes Inc., Watson Children's Shelter, A.W.A.R.E. Inc., YWCA and Women's Opportunity and Resource Development Inc.

Griz For Kids 

 More Nonresidents Visited Montana In 2005
 

A new UM report shows that 10.1 million nonresidents visited Montana in 2005, a 3.3 percent increase over 2004.

The Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research study shows that 47 percent of the year’s visitation took place between July and September.

ITRR Director Norma Nickerson also noted that average daily expenditures rose from about $120 in 2004 to $144 in 2005. “We found that nonresident expenditures exceeded $2.7 billion in 2005,” she said.

The study also found that between 2001 and 2005:

• Visitors to Montana were wealthier, with a 7 percent boost among those who earn more than $100,000 per year. There also was a 4 percent increase among those who have visited Montana in the past, and people from the neighboring states of Wyoming and Idaho visited Montana in greater numbers in 2005. “National statistics indicate people are traveling closer to home since 9/11,” Nickerson said. “That appears to be the case in Montana as well.”
• Mountains and forests are still the No. 1 attraction for those vacationing in Montana, followed by open space and uncrowded areas, Yellowstone National Park, rivers and Glacier National Park. The top five attractions remained the same in both years, though the order changed.
• The percentage participating in activities remains similar. Driving for pleasure was the top activity at 49 percent of respondents in 2005. Wildlife viewing was next, followed by shopping and day hiking.

Full report (PDF download) 

 UM To Create Corrections Training
 

Montana’s parole and probation officers deal with a diverse group of offenders who are increasingly mentally ill, chemically dependent and sexually violent.

In order to meet the demands of this offender population, the Adult Community Corrections Division of the state Department of Corrections has hired UM to design an online training program to assist its officers in dealing with these difficult cases.

“This training is absolutely needed,” said Tim Conley, the assistant professor in UM’s School of Social Work who spearheads the project.

Conley said the new curriculum will cost the state between $102,000 and $118,000, depending on how many employees actually log on to take the Web-based courses. He and his colleagues will design four training modules, each 16 hours long.

The Web-based training will be offered through UM Continuing Education, which has a wide variety of online course offerings.

School of Social Work 

 IT Announces Network Performance Plan
 

As the use of Internet technologies has soared, so too has demand on UM’s computer network, resulting in sometimes frustrating slowdowns.

The University has announced a plan to address the situation, said Ray Ford, associate vice president for Information Technology.

“By operating dangerously close to saturation on both our external network links, even minor ‘glitches’ cause network performance to drop rapidly to unacceptable levels,” Ford said. “In order to provide a better safety margin, IT will move ahead as soon as possible to implement this plan.”

The plan includes separating general campus and Residence Life traffic, giving each its own external network links, and increasing bandwidth to campus by 50 percent. IT also will dedicate a new “filtering box” -- which reduces extraneous network traffic -- to the campus load.

“We are hoping to complete implementation in under two weeks,” Ford said.

Information Technology 

 Mountain Line Donates Another Bus To UM
 

It turns out there is such thing as a free ride. Two of them.

For the second time in as many months, UM is the recipient of a bus donated by the City of Missoula’s Mountain Line bus system.

The Associated Students of UM Office of Transportation will now have two backup buses on the Park-N-Ride routes, making maintenance and repairs easier and less disruptive.

The extra carrying capacity of the longer bus also helps alleviate riders having to wait for the next bus during peak times, especially on the busy south campus route.

Before the newly donated bus runs its first route, it must undergo a paint job to cloak it in UM maroon and white with Park-N-Ride logos.

ASUM Office of Transportation 

 Grizzly Football Defense Cages Bengals
 

The Montana Grizzlies' 23-10 home win over Idaho State last Saturday can be attributed in great part to a dominating defense.

The Griz defense held the Bengals -- who entered the game ranked eighth in the nation and averaging 404.4 yards in total offense -- to 92 total yards and seven first downs. The Griz also had three takeaways -- two fumbles and an interception.

Senior halfback Brady Green gained 108 yards to lead the way, as Montana registered its seventh consecutive victory and remained unbeaten in league play.

The second-ranked Montana Grizzlies (7-1 overall and 6-0 Big Sky) take a break from their conference schedule on Saturday, Nov. 4, hosting the sixth-ranked Cal Poly Mustangs. Kickoff is at 12:05 p.m.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Montana Soccer Wins Second Seed, Awards
 

The UM women's soccer team punched its ticket to the 2006 Big Sky Conference Tournament with a 1-0 win Sunday over Eastern Washington in Cheney.

The Grizzlies face Sacramento State at 10 a.m. today in the No. 2 vs. No. 3 seed game. The two teams battled to a 1-1 tie during the regular season on Oct. 13 in Sacramento, Calif. Idaho State, the regular-season champion, is tournament host and faces Weber State at 1 p.m.

Montana has appeared in eight Big Sky tournaments, more than any other team.

The winners of both matches play each other in the championship at noon Sunday, Nov. 5. The tournament champion will qualify automatically for the NCAA tournament.

The Grizzlies also had nine players earn All-Big Sky honors, tying Weber State for the most selections.

Senior forward Lindsay Winans was named the Offensive MVP for the second time in her career. The Tigard, Ore., native received the same honor in 2004. The career record holder in shots in Big Sky history with 232 shots, Winans also has a team-high 18 points this season -- eight goals and two assists. She is a four-time all-conference selection.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Young Grizzly Runners Make Strong Showing
 

The UM women's cross country team matched its best finish since 1984, placing second at the 2006 Big Sky Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday in Sacramento, Calif.

Montana finished behind champion Weber State. The Griz men placed fourth, which matched their best finish since tying for third in 2000. Weber State also won the men's title, Northern Arizona was second and Montana State third.

Both UM teams exceeded expectations in 2006. The women were picked third in the preseason coaches poll, while the men were projected in sixth place.

UM junior Allie Brosh collected her third All-Big Sky Conference award with a fourth-place showing, running a personal-best 17:47.1. The top five finishers on the UM men's team all had 8-kilometer personal bests. Sophomore Eli Hermann was Montana’s top finisher at 16th overall in 25:06.

The top five finishers on both the women's and men's teams were non-seniors and will return next season when Montana hosts the 2007 championships.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Volleyball Drops Last Home Match
 

South Dakota State defeated the Montana Volleyball team Monday night, 30-21, 30-23, 30-28, snapping the Grizzlies' five-match win streak.

It was the final home match of 2006 for Montana, which dropped to 12-11 with the loss. The Grizzlies went out of conference to face the Jacks before playing at Sacramento State Thursday in their only other match of the week.

UM concludes the regular season next week with a road trip, playing Portland State Thursday and Eastern Washington Saturday.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Grizzly Basketball Season Begins
 

Junior forward Andrew Strait led the Grizzlies with a game-high 30 points en route to an 88-65 win over Concordia in the first exhibition game of the season Tuesday night in Dahlberg Arena.

Montana overcame a one-point first-half deficit, outscoring Concordia 49-24 in the second half.

The Grizzlies are back tonight to play the second and final exhibition game of the season against Rocky Mountain College. Tip-off is 7 p.m. in Dahlberg Arena.

Montana Grizzlies