Bear Briefs

Ice Cream Greets Returning Students—The fifth annual Ice Cream Social to welcome new and returning UM students to campus and nearby neighborhoods will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. The event will take place in the 400 block of University Avenue. Area residents are invited to join in the festivities. UM’s Bio Bus will provide free transportation to the event at 20-minute intervals from University Villages and Lewis and Clark Villages. In addition to free ice cream from the Big Dipper and Baskin-Robbins, the street party will offer door prizes, music and activities for kids. Special guests include Monte the mascot, Missoula Mayor John Engen, Associates Students of UM President Andrea Helling and UM Executive Vice President Jim Foley. The annual event is organized by a committee of neighborhood volunteers, student leaders and UM staff members. For more information, call Don Simmons at 327-7403 or e-mail him at simble@bresnan.net.

University Plans Expo—UM will hold open houses, receptions, tours and presentations during the first week of fall semester to provide students opportunities to learn about academic disciplines and support services available on campus. Academic Expo events are scheduled from Tuesday, Aug. 29, through Friday, Sept. 1, to celebrate the kick-off of the 2006-07 academic year. Events are designed to make the transition to college life easier and to provide information for students who are uncertain about their academic majors or educational goals. The schedule and an event map are online at http://www.umt.edu/career/academicexpo.htm.

UM Extends Deadlines for Firefighters—UM student firefighters had a 24-hour number to call that allowed them to take advantage of a Montana University System extension for registration, financial aid, housing and other important fall semester deadlines. The extension applied to all students working in the firefighting effort, including those providing support services for fire crews, National Guard members and other military personnel. The deadline for those students was extended to Monday, Sept. 18. For more information, call 406-243-6566.

Clear Out Your Clutter—UM holds one of the world’s largest garage sales according to a recent article in the New York Times travel section. The claim, the author writes, rests on “the size of its garage.” On Saturday, Sept. 16, UM’s three-story parking structure next to the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library will once again be filled with the best bargains in the world — or at least in Missoula. From 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. that day, the semi-annual “World’s Largest Garage Sale” will offer community members an opportunity to turn unwanted items into cash. For $20 vendors are assigned two parking spaces, each 9 feet by 18 feet. Additional spaces may be purchased for $10 each. Vendor set-up begins at 7:30 a.m. Registration forms are available at The Source in the University Center or by calling 406-243-4636. The public event is a fundraiser for the UM Advocates, a campus service organization. For more information, call 406-243-5874 or e-mail advocates@mso.umt.edu.

Galleries of Photos—Two remarkable photography exhibitions will open at UM’s Montana Museum of Art & Culture Tuesday, Aug. 29. The exhibitions will be in the museum’s Meloy and Paxson galleries, located in the University’s Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center, through Saturday, Oct. 28. “Watershed Stories,” a regional, non-juried photography exhibition, features a broad cross section of images of the Clark Fork, Blackfoot and Silverbow watersheds. “Rephotographing Atget” presents a contemporary interpretation of the work of French photographer Eugéne Atget, who lived from 1857 to 1927. An opening reception for both exhibitions will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, in the Meloy and Paxson galleries. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, Rauschenberg will present a visiting artist’s lecture in the Meloy Gallery. For more information, call the museum at 406-243-2019 or go online to http://www.umt.edu/montanamuseum.

UM Museum Plans Assessment—UM’s Montana Museum of Art & Culture has been selected to participate in the American Association of Museums’ Museum Assessment Program (MAP). This two-year program involves self-study, peer review and implementation supported through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C. MAP is designed to help museums understand how they compare to standards and best practices in the field, and how other institutions deal with similar challenges. Museum Director Barbara Koostra said the assessment will help the museum review its sense of mission and purpose, increase its knowledge of professional practices and enhance the organization’s work in the community.

Paintings in the President’s Office—Two masterpiece paintings loaned to UM by private anonymous donors are currently on display in UM’s Main Hall President’s Office. “Herbstsonne” by Egon Schiele shows a melancholy landscape of sunflowers painted in earth tones and expressive broad brushstrokes. Schiele was a premier Expressionist from Austria, and “Herbstsonne” was purchased by a Jewish man, Karl Grünwald, who was forced to abandon the painting when fleeing the Nazis during World War II. The painting was discovered in France and returned to Grünwald’s family in 2005. The other painting, “Descent of the Soul” by Anselm Kiefer, offers a dizzying view through a groundless cityscape under a starless black sky overlaid with concentric circles. Kiefer ranks among the most well-known postmodern German artists. For more information, call the Montana Museum of Art & Culture at 406-243-2019 or visit http://www.umt.edu/montanamuseum.

Honor Society Grabs Award—Epsilon Mu, UM’s chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, has received a 2005-06 Best Chapter Award from the national political science honor society. The award recognizes chapters that are particularly active in their departments and exhibit high levels of energy and creativity in furthering the goals of the society. The UM chapter was chosen as one of four Best Chapters in schools with enrollments of 6,000 to 15,000 students. During 2005-06, Epsilon Mu hosted candidate debates and organized a career forum for students. Members actively communicated with political science students through newsletters, meetings and an academic fair. The chapter also held events to welcome UM political science majors and to induct students into Epsilon Mu.

Help for People With Disabilities—UM’s Disability Services for Students hosted its first-ever transition seminar June 21-23 for 11 high school juniors and seniors and others with disabilities. The event instructs and informs students of their rights and how to access campus and community resources when they come to college. DSS already serves about 900 students at the University.

Far Out Far East Football—Twice in his life Kraig Paulson found an unlikely ticket to Japan — American-style football. Paulson, defensive coordinator for UM’s Grizzlies, first visited Japan in 1984 to play against Army in the Mirage Bowl as a Griz fullback. Football recently called Paulson back to the Land of the Rising Sun as a coach. He and UM offensive coordinator Rob Phenicie took six recently graduated Griz players to play in the New Era Bowl on July 8. Paulson said the game is a cultural exchange in which U.S. coaches and a group of their players spend a week in Japan preparing a team of Japanese coaches and college athletes for the big game. Former Griz players who played were offensive lineman Jason Frink, inside linebacker Shane MacIntyre, defensive end Lance Spencer, wide receiver Jon Talmage, free safety Tyler Thomas and running back JR Waller. The final result: UM’s White All-Stars team ended up capping a 30-26 comeback win against the Blue All-Stars with a 15-yard touchdown by Waller with 10 seconds left.

Big Sky TV Launches—So you can’t get enough of Big Sky Conference athletics? You never miss a Griz football game, but you want to see how good the Bobcats are also? Well, the Big Sky Conference has signed a three-year contract with Sportscast Network of Salt Lake City to video stream all of the league’s football, volleyball and basketball games on the Internet. For a $59 annual fee, subscribers can see all UM games on the Internet; for $99 they can see all games at the nine Big Sky Conference Schools. Two-week free trials are available, and a portion of the proceeds will be shared with UM. For more information, visit http://www.bigskytv.org.

Scholarships and Wine—Summit Beverage and the Grizzly Scholarship Association are excited to announce that the Annual Western Montana Wine Festival will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, in Missoula’s Hilton Garden Inn Ballroom. The festival will consist of fine wine and beer tasting, with food samples from some of Missoula’s top restaurants and caterers. There also will be a silent auction benefiting the Grizzly Scholarship Association. Tickets are $40 for individuals and $70 for couples. Tickets may be purchase in the Adams Center GSA office or by calling 406-243-6481 or 406-541-3900.

Better Basketball Exposure—UM will participate in the first-ever “Old Spice Classic” basketball tournament, which tips off Thursday, Nov. 23, at 10 a.m. on ESPN2. This new tournament will feature a number of top-quality teams, including Arkansas, Marist, Minnesota, Montana, Southern Illinois, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Western Michigan. The tournament, operated by ESPN Regional Television, will be played over three days Thanksgiving weekend at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orland, Fla.