February 2002

Bear Briefs
Crow Collection-A small but rich collection that examines many aspects of Crow Indian culture is now available at the Mansfield Library. Housed in the K. Ross Toole Archives, the collection provides resources on the language and customs of the Crow and includes numerous 1930s photographs. The collection came to UM from the late Fred W. Voget, a noted cultural anthropologist and American Indian ethnologist. His widow, Mary Kay Mee Voget, a 1939 UM graduate, chose UM for the collection over the Smithsonian Institution and Yale University. Voget's life and research were devoted to recording and preserving the Crow culture and way of life. His contribution to ethnology was intended to improve the lives of American Indians and to promote understanding and respect for diversity. Voget was an adopted member of the Crow Tribe who spent part of every summer with them in Montana. He died on May 8, 1997. For more information, contact archivist Jodi Allison-Bunnell at (406) 243-2053.

Montana Artist-The Montana Museum of Art and Culture, formerly known as the Museum of Fine Arts, is hosting an exhibit titled "Theodore Waddell: A Retrospective, 1960-2000." The Waddell retrospective runs through March 31 in the Henry Meloy and Paxson galleries, located in the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center. The show features more than 80 works spanning the artist's career, ranging from early abstract painting and minimalist sculpture of the 1960s to vividly colored contemporary landscapes. Considered one of Montana's most important contemporary artists, Waddell was born in Billings and raised in Laurel. A former UM art faculty member, Waddell left the University in 1976 to work full time as a rancher and artist. He finds inspiration in the landscapes, livestock and seasons of Big Sky Country.

Egg Hunting-UM will host its second annual Easter Eggstravaganza at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 30, on the Oval in front of Main Hall. The Easter egg hunt is for children ages 1 through 9, and a variety of candy and prizes will be given away. Monte the bear will be on hand to sign autographs, and the Easter Bunny will be hopping around. The event will be divided into sections for different age groups. Event sponsors include UM, KECI-TV, the Missoulian, Southgate Mall and Montana Rail Link. Last year thousands of kids turned out and vacuumed up the candy and prizes within minutes. For more information, contact Bridgit Sommer at (406) 549-3645.

Clean Bus-Recycled waste cooking oil from UM's Dining Services fuels a new University shuttle, which has been dubbed the Bio-Bus. The shuttle transports students from the Dornblaser Field parking lot to the center of campus, and it runs on an alterative fuel called biodiesel, which is produced in Missoula by recent UM graduate Erik Pritchard and environmental studies graduate student Paul Miller. Associated Students of The University of Montana purchased the Bio-Bus in its continuing efforts to offer transportation options that improve Missoula's air quality.

Campus Giving -More than 600 bighearted UM employees pledged a record amount for Montana charities during the 2001-02 Charitable Giving Campaign. Staff and faculty members gave $86,400, which is $3,400 more than a year ago. The average donation was $140, up $10 from last year. During the Charitable Giving Campaign, campus volunteer solicitors distribute informational packets to UM employees, who then can use checks or payroll deductions for their donations. Employees can distribute their donations equally to all nonprofit organizations involved in the campaign or designate individual charities.

Brawn Equals Brains-UM student-athletes excelled in academic achievement as well as sports during fall semester 2001. The student-athlete cumulative grade-point average was 2.97, and more than half of the students received a 3.0 GPA or higher. Fifty of UM's 283 student-athletes made the Dean's List, which requires a 3.5 GPA, and 19 earned a perfect 4.0.

More Home Games-The 2002 Grizzly football schedule includes a school-record seven home games during the regular season, including three in a row in September. Montana opens its home schedule against the University of Albany in New York, a I-AA member of the Northeast Conference. UM then plays Division II power Northern Colorado, the team current Griz head coach Joe Glenn led during 1989-99. The Griz then open Big Sky Conference play Sept. 21 against Idaho State for Homecoming. After that, a non-conference contest against I-AA independent Southern Utah is UM's only October home game. In November, UM will have conference showdowns against Northern Arizona, Sacramento State and Montana State.

Language Days-UM's foreign languages and literatures department will host its 20th annual Foreign Languages Day Event on Friday, March 8. More than 500 high school students and their teachers from across Montana will attend foreign language courses and presentations. Students will choose from a wide selection of cultural and academic offerings, including Arabic 101, study-abroad opportunities, Peace Corps and Classics Jeopardy, just to name a few. Events will include a presentation of a classic Japanese play, starring artists David Crandall and Yukie Iitomi. Students and teachers also will attend an international luncheon with UM faculty and administrators. For more information, call 243-2401.

Computer Help-Students living in UM residence halls have something most of us would like to have: a neighbor close by who will help them set up and effectively use their computers. Every residence hall on the UM campus has a live-in Resident Technology Assistant - a student who agrees to work 20 hours each week to help students with their technology needs in exchange for room and board. The Resident Technology Assistants Program is the brainchild of Matthew Fisher, assistant director of information systems at UM's Residence Life Office. Fisher molded UM's program from bits and pieces of those at other universities and then expanded it to better fit student needs and schedules. Because they live in the residence halls, UM's RTAs are available whenever students have computing problems. "Most students are in classes during the day," Fisher said. "RTAs are there to help students sort out problems in the evenings -- when most of them are working on assignments."

Senator Pays Up-Fritz Hollings, a U.S. senator from South Carolina, fulfilled a wager placed with Sen. Max Baucus by reciting the UM fight song in front of his colleagues on the Senate floor last month. Hollings was forced into the recital when his home-state Furman Paladins were defeated 13-6 in the Division I-AA championship game by the Grizzlies on Dec. 21. In his rendition, "Up With Montana" came out in a stately Southern drawl, except his voice rose to a high-falsetto when he said, "and the squeal of the pig will float on the air, from the tummy of the grizzly bear." Afterward Baucus said, "This was a fair wager and all in good fun. Sen. Hollings was a good sport about the whole thing, and I can certainly say I've never heard the fight song recited in quite that way."

< PREVIOUS | HOME | NEXT >