Good to Know

Political Activity of Public Employees

The right of all MUS personnel, including all University of Montana, Missoula College and Bitterroot College employees, to express their views freely and to engage in political activity as private citizens – on their own time and outside their role as MUS employees – is recognized. MUS employees do not lose the right as private citizens to speak freely or engage on any issue by virtue of their employment with the MUS.

However, under state law and MUS policy, MUS employees are prohibited from using state resources for political or advocacy activities. State resources include but are not limited to UM property, facilities, equipment, telephones, computers, email, regular or campus mail, networks, materials, supplies, work time or work areas. Political activity includes, but is not limited to, efforts to influence the election of a political candidate or influence the content, passage or defeat of legislation.

More information is available in the Commissioner's Directive on Political Activity of Public Employees.

We value all employees and are grateful for your contributions to UM and our university system. It is important that UM employees remain compliant with state law and MUS policy to safeguard our mission as Montana’s public flagship university.

Questions or concerns? Please contact Dave Kuntz, Vice President for Marketing and Communications at dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.

Approved Vendors for Branded Material

UM has selected Slate and AlphaGraphics as approved vendors for printed and branded materials. You can, however, still use other vendors.

If you need to use a vendor other than these approved vendors, please submit a requisition in GrizMart before placing your order. Be sure to attach the vendor's current quote, along with any additional bids or quotes required under the University's procurement guidelines.

If use of a vendor other than Slate and AlphaGraphics is approved, a purchase order will be issued. The purchase order serves as the University's official authorization to proceed with the order. Most vendor quotes include a validity or expiration date. If a quote does not include one, it's still a good idea to request a current quote to ensure pricing is up to date and your order meets University procurement requirements.

Thank you for helping us follow the procurement process and ensure orders are processed as efficiently as possible. Find additional procurement information and resources in the Procurement Services channel within the Business Operations & Finance Team.

Approved Communication Tools at UM

As a reminder, the University has designated HubSpot as the sole campus-wide platform for external communications. HubSpot is the only vendor that has successfully completed Accessibility, Information Security, and Legal reviews through the Grizmart procurement process, ensuring it meets the University’s standards for data protection and compliance. 

Tools like Mailchimp and Constant Contact have been prohibited at UM since July 1, 2025, as they do not meet state requirements. Campus partners currently using these unapproved tools should take immediate migration steps and plan to transition to one of the following solutions by June 30, 2026: