Bear Briefs

Heavy Loads—UM students are taking more credit hours this semester than ever before, and that’s good news for a number of reasons, President George Dennison said. Although about 100 fewer students are attending UM this year compared to fall 2006, they are taking more classes. Full-time equivalents broke the 12,000 mark for the first time – registering 12,049 to be exact, compared to 11,716 a year ago, an increase of 333. An FTE represents 15 undergraduate or 12 graduate semester credits. Dennison said the significant FTE increase provides good reason for optimism because UM officials have long been concerned about a decline in student credit loads. Student leaders have encouraged students to take advantage of the so-called “flat spot” – the fact that it costs the same to take 21 credits as it does to take 12. Studies have shown that students who take heavier course loads have a greater chance of graduating.

Calling Singers—If you love to sing, don’t mind raising a few bucks and areavailable Thanksgiving weekend, you might want to be a part of an annual celebration that brings down the rafters in the University Theatre in the cause of raising rafters elsewhere – a Habitat for Humanity home. The 12th annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah” will be Sunday, Nov. 25. Singers in the event, organized by UM Assistant Professor Nancy Cooper, are required to collect a minimum of $75 in pledges; students must raise $40. There are two rehearsals before the concert. Over the years, the performances have raised more than $100,000 for Habitat for Humanity and helped fund more than 30 homes in the Missoula area. The concert is free and open to the public, although donations are welcomed. Last year 80 performers sang to an audience of about 900 and raised $17,000.

Family Fun—Hundreds of parents, siblings, grandparents and aunts and uncles of current UM students will descend on Missoula Nov. 2-4 for the annual Family Weekend festivities. Events get under way with registration at noon Friday, Nov. 2, and end with a farewell breakfast Sunday, Nov. 4. In between, there are lots of fun activities on campus for family members of all ages, as well as ample time built into the schedule for mega-shopping sprees at Missoula retailers and dinner at off-campus restaurants. A complete Family Weekend schedule is available at http://www.umt.edu/urelations/family.htm. For more information, call University Relations at 406-243-2522.

Student Delegate—Hilary Martens, a member of the UM chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, was among 30 student delegates invited to attend the 2007 Phi Kappa Phi National Triennial Convention in Orlando, Fla., recently. Martens, of Missoula, is a Davidson Honors College senior majoring in physics and music. She was inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi in 2005. The convention was the first students were invited to attend. “I met quite a few students from universities around the country,” Martens said. “It was neat to meet them and hear their perspectives.” Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and largest all-discipline honor society. The society inducts more than 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni each year. It has chapters at more than 300 colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify.

Honorary Professor—UM’s legal counsel David Aronofsky received an Honorary Law Professorship at Lima, Peru’s San Martin de Porres University following a recent lecture there on globalization and the law. Aronofsky, who also is a UM adjunct law faculty member, spoke on “Globalization, the Law and Legal Education: Common Values from Diverse Perspectives.” “This award took me by surprise and the ceremony left me uncharacteristically speechless,” said Aronofsky. “I was in Peru only a few days after the devastating earthquake that destroyed much of southwestern Peru, and the people were still reeling from the terrible damage. I went ahead with this trip hoping I might help in some small way after the University worked so hard to bring me there. When the law faculty honored me with the award, I felt quite humbled,” he said. The lecture invitation and award resulted from a July 2007 Montana Rotary Scholars visit by Professor Flavia Dondero, who teaches constitutional law at San Martin de Porres.

Football Party—The Montana Grizzlies will be on the road Saturday, Oct. 27, to take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, but Helena-area fans can cheer the team on at home. The UM-Helena College of Technology will host its third annual Griz Football Party at the newly expanded Donaldson Campus, located at 1115 N. Roberts St. in Helena. The free, public event begins with a tailgate party at 1 p.m. in the new north-side parking lot, followed by kickoff at 3:05 p.m. in the Student Center, where two 10-foot screens will broadcast the game. There will be prize drawings for Griz gear, 50-50 ticket sales, concession stands and free popcorn and soda. The party is co-sponsored by the UM Alumni Association and the Grizzly Scholarship Association.

Diversity—On Thursday, Nov. 8, UM will hold its second annual “Day of Dialogue: Building Communities of Difference.” The campuswide symposium focuses on the topics of race, gender, ethnicity, ability/disability, religion, sexual orientation, employment hierarchy and academic discipline. President George Dennison has identified the goal of the day as enabling structured and facilitated dialogue that will lay the groundwork for collaborative, campus-based action and institutional change. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members will deliver presentations, performances, workshops and more throughout the day. Events will begin at 9:30 a.m. with opening remarks, followed by educational sessions at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. For more information, call Emily Yaksitch at 406-243-5622. Information also is online at http://www.umt.edu/dayofdialogue.