Author Archive for umnewsmontana@yahoo.com

The Festival of Remembrance

Missoula’s Festival of Remembrance is working to include more cultures in its month-long series of events centered on grief and death.

Part of the focus is on using art as a way of healing in different cultures. This year’s festivities began with a performance from UM’s African Dance class.

UM African Dance professor, Tarn Ream, asks visiting teachers to give students an idea of what they do when someone in their culture dies.

UM News Maroon Show for October 4, 2019

For UM News this week, we talked to Gisele Forrest from the Native American Studies department about how some Native students enrolled at UM last year, did not return. We also researched what may be causing retention among this group of students. You will also learn about what the UM Marching band does to prepare for homecoming week. This show was produced by Tessa Nadeau and directed by Briane White.

UM News Silver Show for October 4, 2019

On this weeks show for UM News, you will learn about the retention happening among Native American students and how UM plans to improve it. We also tell you about how painting a sidewalk on campus brings together current students and UM alumni. Also, we talked to a current UM band member to learn how they prepare for homecoming weekend. This show was produced by Tessa Nadeau and directed by Briane White.

Hello Walk

Homecoming week at UM brought man traditions. One of these was repainting the Hello Walk. Over homecoming week students and alumni spent the day repainting a sidewalk on campus with greetings in multiple languages to welcome visitors back to campus. UM Alum Devin Carpenter also participated in the event.

Native American Student Retention

UM struggles with native student retention. Native student Jordan Jimmie says many of the extra resources he received as a native student really helped him stay in school. According to Gisele Forrest many of these resources are facing tremendous budget cuts. Another large factor in native student retention is culture shock. This causes many native students to take a break from school.

UM Marching Band

UM’s marching band practices with Dr. Kevin Griggs for more than four hours a week together for home games. That doesn’t include the time students put in outside of practices or the full days they spend together on game days.

Marching band student Emma Zupichich says the time is worth it for all the experiences it provides.

The marching band performs at the homecoming parade, the game and other events through the weekend. You can also see them perform at all home games for the rest of the football season.

June Eastwood

UM cross country runner June Eastwood raced on the Men’s team for three years, but this year she’s racing on the women’s team. June Eastwood was assigned male at birth but in middle school she realized that wasn’t who she really is. Eastwood went through a year of testosterone treatment to be eligible to compete under NCAA guidelines.

Reporter Tessa Nadeau talks to June about how she deals with all the media attention that the change has brought.

Food Friday

UM volunteers are helping Missoula children get pre-packaged food donated by local organizations.

Hundreds of volunteers from the school and the community worked to help provide 1 hundred thousand meals to Missoula. The Missoula Food Bank receives the packaged food and then distributes them to children in need. The goal is to provide food over the weekend for kids who rely on free and reduced breakfast and lunch during the week.

UM parent Ian Wilson volunteered because of his daughter. He says he is happy to help the community that has been so welcoming to them.

Students Strike Against Climate Change

Missoula students say they plan to strike once a month until government officials take action against climate change.

Last week, they kicked off the climate strike with a rally at Caras Park. Students and community members gathered to listen to speeches and poems urging older generations to take climate change more seriously.

More than 150 students joined countries around the world in this international strike. Griffin Ziegert, a junior at Big Sky High School, said it was amazing to see the hills of Caras Park filled with young adults and community members coming together for the rally.

Biking in Missoula

Missoula is nationally ranked for its bike friendly streets. To accommodate the biking population the university offers maintenance classes taught by staff of the outdoor program.

Student manager and bike mechanic, Kenly Crisp, says he is happy to live in one of the top five bicycle communities in the country.

“I feel like Missoula has always been a bike friendly town, considering that Helena and great falls aren’t bike friendly in the slightest. Moving here I was excited to bike around because I feel like I won’t get hit by a car.”

Surveys found that six percent of Missoulians’ primary mode of transportation is biking, well above the other major cities in Montana.  And the university has been recognized with a gold rating for bicycle friendliness.

Written and edited by Tina Brennnan