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REFLECTIONS ON EARTH DAY SUSTAINABILITY CLICHÉ: PG. 5 SPIRIT OF THE EARTH: PG. 11 SUSTAINABILITY ON DISPLAY Opinion News Sports Entertainment 4 | CREATIONISM Questions, But Mostly Answers 6 | LIBRARY First Floor Commons on Way 13 | YELLOWSTONE Touring the Park 14 | FOOD A Spoonful of Creativity MSU’s Student Newspaper since 1895 Volume 105, Issue 25 | April 21, 2011

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Page 1: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

REFLECTIONS ON EARTH DAYSUSTAINABILITY CLICHÉ: PG. 5SPIRIT OF THE EARTH: PG. 11

SUSTAINABILITYON DISPLAY

Opinion News Sports Entertainment

4 | CREATIONISMQuestions, But Mostly Answers

6 | LIBRARYFirst Floor Commons on Way

13 | YELLOWSTONETouring the Park

14 | FOODA Spoonful of Creativity

MSU’s Student Newspaper since 1895

Volume 105, Issue 25 | April 21, 2011

Page 2: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

MANAGEMENTEDITOR-IN-CHIEFEric DietrichPRODUCTION MANAGERClaire BischoffADVISORBill WilkeART DEPARTMENTPHOTOGRAPHYDaniel Cassidy, Adrian LucasGRAPHIC DESIGNTina Smith, Moriah Ellig, Emma Light, Tammi HeneveldADVERTISING & BUSINESSAD SALES MANAGERJohn LangerAD SALES REPRESENTATIVESRyan Bovy, Jeff DoughertyBUSINESS MANAGERJay TrotterOFFICE MANAGERTucker Hankinson

EDITORIALOPINION EDITORBrent ZundelNEWS EDITORDerek BrouwerSPORTS EDITORHeather KrugerENTERTAINMENT EDITORSabre MooreCONTRIBUTORSVanessa Naive, Nate Carroll, Matt Smith, Mike Tarrant, Bridget Grismer, Virginia Schmidt, Garrett Smith, Me-lissa Egbert, Michael Gross, Max Bor-dman, Matt Schwager, Kristen Ingman, Autumn LaBuff, Jayme Feyhl-Buska Contact Us:Email: [email protected]: exponent.montana.edu

Masthead

THE ASMSU EXPONENTStrand Union Building Room 366Bozeman, MT 59715406.994.3976

FOLLOW THE EXPONENT ON TWITTERhttp://www.twitter.com/#!/asmsuexponent

2 THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011

Letters Policy:Letters can be addressed to [email protected] and should be kept under 300 words in length. Submissions should be signed and may be edited for AP Style, grammar and length.

Advertising:Ad space must be reserved by 5 p.m. the Friday prior to the Thursday publi-cation date. The Exponent’s ad sales staff can be contacted at [email protected] or 406-994-2611.

© 2011 ASMSU Exponent

Seriously, Figure It Out...I’m writing this letter to show my

full-fledged support of last week’s “Figure It Out, Exponent!” letter to the editor. Alicia Exely’s article on fraternities was the last barley seed that broke the llama’s fifth vertebra. The Exponent clearly lacks the literary input of any “cool kids” engaged in campus activities. I’m tired of hearing dialogue about a campus smoking ban, cuts to educational funding and opinions about the GOP. It’s time the Exponent provided some factual information. I look for catharsis in my reading material. Feed me facts and figures, sports scores, current enrollment numbers or SUB ballroom square footage. The Exponent’s zealous dedication to opinion disgusts me, and has forced me to abandon it. I currently enjoy volumes T, O, O and L of my Encyclopedia as well as the nutritional information on the food labels in my cabinet.

I believe the Exponent should

please me when I read it. I don’t like “Mikeservations,” or Matt Schwager’s thoughts on campus tours. Obviously, if I don’t enjoy it, it has no value whatsoever and should not be published. Breast feed me until I burst. Enough of your bitter ExpoRants – I just can’t stomach them. From now on, run only sports, student success stories and campus events; soporifically drown your audience into a pointless coma of fuzzy camaraderie.

Let’s blindly accept the worth of any campus group, to ensure no hurt feelings. Remember: We are sheep who hate to have our universal ambiguity questioned. Stop dividing campus with your “opinions.” Can’t we all just crack open a Keystone and read about sports? I like my literature like my beer – watered down and devoid of all flavor. So stop publishing articles that “cool kids” like myself don’t enjoy, because I can’t help being so cool.

MICHAEL DRAKE

LETTERS

Attention: Montana State University Employees and RetireesBillings Clinic is pleased to participate in 4 of the 6 University System medical plan options effective July 1, 2011. Billings Clinic participates in Blue Choice Managed Care (BCBS), New West Managed Care, Allegiance Managed Care and the Medicare Advantage Plan (MUSMAP, formerly MAPP). We do not participate in Peak Managed Care. We also do not participate in the Traditional Plan with the exception of Bozeman OB/Gyn providers in Bozeman.

If you wish to access physician or hospital care services at, or are referred to Billings Clinic in Billings, and want to receive in-network benefits, please choose a participating plan during your open enrollment period.

For more information, contact your Campus Benefit Representative or call Billings Clinic Payer Relations at 406-238-2500, ext. 5046 or 1-800-332-7156.

Coming soon to The Exponent: Biff the Bobcat interviews the world! Exclusive to the internets near you: www.exponent.montana.edu

Page 3: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Our university, it turns out, has a policy regulating signs on campus buildings. One interpreted so strictly by administra-tors, moreover, that it is poised to force the removal of the

ASMSU Outdoor Rec-reation Center sign that has been a part of our campus for 35 years.

The sign in question, in use since 1976, hung on the SOB Barn until the opening of the rec center’s new facility north of Roskie Hall last spring, when it was moved by the center’s staff members. As a result of the move, it has run afoul of the signage policy, which requires all buildings to be identified solely by the university’s standardized metal signs.

Associate Vice President for Facilities Rob Lashaway explained that the policy exists for the sake of branding the cam-

pus with a consistent appearance. That consistency, he said, is important to both the university’s aesthetics and its ease of navigation.

That makes a certain amount of sense, but it’s dissapointing that the administra-tive perspective fails to take into account other values.

Our campus, after all, is far more than a corporate business park. As a university, it’s a living, dynamic place that must pro-vide ample space for our student culture, ample freedom for the creativity necessary for it to feel like a home. That involves a certain amount of messiness – stickers enhancing road signs, chalk artwork on sidewalks, the occasional off-color snow sculpture. Our administrators must have the courage to accept, even foster, that.

There is, of course, a balance to be struck. It would be a loss, for instance, if the front of the library was allowed to col-lect flyers like one of the campus’s public message boards, or if our residence halls

were allowed to devolve into complete anarchy. Regulation does have its place.

However, maintaining that balance with rigid policies is akin to standing a brick on a tightrope. We must instead rely on a system that leaves room for good judgment, that gives those in positions of authority the ability to make wise decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Unfortunately, that’s what seems to be missing here. The ORC sign is far from an eyesore – it’s a familiar, longstanding part of MSU’s scenery. Insisting that it be removed for the sake of consistency does a profound disservice to the campus culture.

As petty as it is, this incident repre-sents a telling example of our campus bureaucracy far from its best. A well-intentioned policy is seemingly being en-forced for its own sake alone rather than any practical end, with an asinine result.

As President Cruzado and other

campus leaders look for ways to raise our mediocre retention rates, they should keep in mind that there is nothing as off-putting to a student as a bad experience with what all too often seems to be a cold, unfeeling system. Sadly, that’s the almost inevitable result when inflexible policies – whether with signage or residence halls or park-ing – are created and enforced without healthy measures of common sense at the grassroots level.

THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011 3

Signs of BureaucracyFrom the Editor’s Desk

Eric DietrichEditor-In-Chief

Sororities and Fraternities Can’t Deal with Conflicting Opinions

I’m impressed, sororities and frater-nities. You like to say that you’re valu-able and worthwhile organizations, and when people like Mark Eggensperger of Pi Kappa Alpha write to the Exponent to throw personal insults at Ms. Exley because of her views on the Greek system, I can see that it’s true! Accusing a writer of being repressed because she wasn’t one of the “cool kids?” Classy. Whining about the opinion pages? Super classy! If you’re so upset with the Exponent, perhaps you should not read it. Save a tree, even! It’s clear that you’re unable to deal with opin-ions that clash with your own, so perhaps it’s best to avoid them altogether.

ERIN GUNNINK

Exponent Pushes Campus to Examine Itself

Originally, I was never going to write this. I’ve retired from lively debates and, to speak with brutal frankness, college newspapers don’t figure prominently in the matrix of significance that runs my daily life. But one glance at Mark Eggens-perger’s April 14 opening paragraph, with its mixed metaphors and run-on clauses, and I knew I had to act.

Mr. Eggensperger has it exactly wrong. If you’re in the Word Business, as I hear so many newspapers are, your words have to be the very best. For that

reason alone, grammatical errors and lack of refinement are the only things your newspaper does not get to have. Once those bases are covered, though, I could care less what gets printed. I am not at a loss for access to news- and opinion-based media, so it doesn’t matter which way the Exponent swings on that spectrum.

Regardless of the Exponent’s meth-ods, however, in Mr. Eggensperger’s eyes the paper is an incredible success. It can “divide campus, question the value of campus groups and promote that we are not one university, but a collection of several groups with obvious differences that can’t be overlooked.” Willikers! I’d have to crack a history book to name another newspaper with such an incisive, public-minded and even-handed charter. Congratulations, Editor-in-Chief Diet-rich; your publication apparently does the Fourth Estate proud.

I don’t know what Mark Eggensperg-er placed upon you in his last paragraph, Eric Dietrich, but I hope it was a mantle of honor. Keep “dividing the campus apart and pushing us to” examine ourselves. Apparently, no one else is striking the nerve you are.

Fun fact: Without the Exponent’s opinions page, I never would have learned that I think Mr. Eggensperger is a moron. See, they are good for something!

MICHAEL SCHWAGER

In Response to Mark Eggensperg-er’s April 14 Letter

I think this is one of the more impres-sive rants I’ve ever read in the exponent! It’s really awesome when people get wick-ed fired up. I think it’s vitally important that the school paper report everything good, bad or indifferent. This is America, and if you don’t like it, then get out.

I think the Greeks have been get-ting a bad rap as of late, but after certain incidents, it is clear they need to change some things up. This is fine, but someone should have spoken with Mr. Eggens-perger before he wrote his letter because it makes him sound like a “frat boi,” and I’m sure that was not his intent. If he is so upset with the school paper, he should do something about it – such as starting up a Greek paper or, better yet, getting involved in the paper that is already in place. These are solutions.

Sending rants into the Exponent hat-ing on the system takes steps away from a solution. Actions speak louder than words, and instead of being 12-years-old about the situation, grow up, get your big boy (or girl) boots on and get to kicking. Oth-erwise, be respectful of people actually trying to do something.

ROBERT BOURNE

Marriage Laws Do Not Stem Solely From Religion

The religious clause of the First Amendment, specifically the quote “Con-gress shall make no law respecting an es-tablishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...” was drafted out of concern for protection of civil liberties. These concerns stemmed from the recent separation of our country from the oppres-sive church-run state of England. In his-torical context, it would be more likely to assume the founding fathers intended the religious clauses to protect the nation from obligatory religious practice and taxation. Using that statement to define marriage as a law “respecting an establishment of religion” is borderline ignorant. Many cultures and religions which far predate our nation have regarded and protected marriage as a heterosexual union. Reli-gious sexual practices have also included: polygamy, child marriage, bestiality and arranged marriages. Perhaps some anti same-sex marriage feelings stem from a biological perspective rather than spiri-tual. No one can argue with the fact that only heterosexual intercourse can produce offspring. I am not arguing for, or against same-sex marriage; I am simply tired of people claiming that marriage laws in the U.S. stem solely from a religious standard of practice.

JOE KNUTSEN

LETTERS

Imag

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Cas

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Page 4: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

It’s an interesting scenario when a trusted commu-nity figure is suddenly called into question. Greg Mortenson, for instance, has been lauded by the national community for years

for his works. As writer of the smash-hit “Three Cups of Tea,” which details the plight of the uneducated in rural Pakistan, and founder of the Central Asia Insti-tute (CAI), an organization whose stated purpose is to promote sustainability in said rural areas, Mortenson is known as a tire-less philanthropist and activist.

There’s a bit of a problem, though. Ac-cording to allegations by the news program “60 Minutes” and author John Krakauer, Mortenson’s operations might be less than kosher.

The CBS news program believes that there’s enough evidence to raise concerns about not just CAI’s accounting practices, but also about the truthfulness of the central stories recounted in “Three Cups of Tea.” The parade of headlines across CNN and The New York Times confirms the pervasiveness of CBS’ concerns.

There’s really no final verdict yet on Mortenson’s honesty, and there won’t be for some time as CBS and the CAI’s publicity branch butt heads. However, the plausibility that Mortenson’s operations hemorrhage money is enough to bring some concerning conclusions to light.

As good as reading “Three Cups of Tea” made thousands of people feel, including hundreds of MSU freshmen, the experience is not enough to allow for effec-tive activism benefitting a far-away society. Charities like Pennies for Peace, which emerged shortly after Mortenson’s alleged experiences in Asia, have certainly demon-strated the amazing capabilities of united communities and disposable income. How-ever, how can a packaged, romanticized

image of humanitarian efforts, like “Tea,” create an informed donator? It can’t.

When you also consider the fact that even CAI’s legal firm warned that their fi-nancial analysis of the organization looked troubling, you get the full picture of CAI and many other global charities: hardly enabling and hardly accountable, both from an individual donator’s point of view.

It’s the same problem that makes donat-ing to the Red Cross such a dilemma. They are the most visual organization out there that is doing what is termed “Good,” but no average citizen knows exactly what they do, how they function or even where its annual budget goes. Similarly, the CAI is unique in its aims, but there’s no sense of accountability it can give to, say, the stu-dents who were encouraged to read “Tea.”

There are plenty of humanitarian organizations that do have readily acces-sible, transparent accountability structures, though: the non-profit charities and shelters that pepper Bozeman. The sort of armchair philanthropy that the CAI encourages can never surpass the immediate, tangible impacts that physical volunteerism prom-ises – besides, volunteering locally carries a lower risk of being fooled by a scam artist. The intimate nature of the local soup kitchen guarantees as such; this guarantee can’t be given by Mortenson to every one of his donators.

It’s still important to keep the big picture in mind. Even if Mortenson runs a loose ship, he’s still spread some form of awareness of global economic disparity and gender inequity. However, CBS’ allega-tions also serve as an ample illustration of the dangers of investing in a charity that one cannot directly see and feel. It might be a better use of time to devote more energy to local relief efforts that need bodies badly than to sit around feeling good about the PayPal contribution you just made to a dubious .org.

“You’re not crazy, are you?” whispered the moderator as we waited for the speaker to finish answering the previous ques-tion during the Q&A session at last year’s Creation Confer-

ence. I answered with a polite chuckle and a no. However, I got the impression that the moderator had considered the previous question, “Why don’t we find human bones with dinosaur bones?” as being crazy, so my reply may have been misleading.

This year’s conference proved to be no less interesting. It was again hosted at Grace Bible Church by the Montana Ori-gins Research Effort (M.O.R.E.) earlier this month. This year’s theme was “Evolu-tion’s Impossible Demands: Genetics, Design and Entropy Say No.”

I attend conferences like this because they are free and I think it’s important to know the reasons why roughly half of the U.S. doesn’t accept evolution. They usually bring in PhDs whose research supposedly refutes evolution and lead lectures that range from the preservation of dinosaur tracks and eggs in the Great Flood to genetic entropy. Every lecture usually concludes with how the belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible is es-sential to salvation through Christ and at least several minutes on how and where you can buy DVDs or books relating to their message.

I could try to refute the inaccuracies and in some cases blatant misrepresen-tations of the fossil record that were presented. But let’s talk about a fact that we could both agree on: People are leav-ing the church because of the creation vs. evolution issue. It was stated several times during the conference that 66 percent of

the young people in their church were not returning after college. When polled, the number one reason for leaving was because of their religion’s stance on evolution.

According to M.O.R.E’s Web site, “The Bible is the written Word of God, and because it is inspired throughout, all its assertions are historically and scientifi-cally true in the original autographs. To the student of nature this means that the account of origins in Genesis is a factual presentation of simple historical truths.” It

was also made quite evident several times that if you did not accept Genesis as literal fact, you could neither call yourself a Christian nor expect the ultimate rewards of that faith. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a student in a public college.

For a different point of view, I’m going to reference a graphic novel by Jim Ot-taviani. There is a scene in the end where two friends, Red Cloud and O.C. Marsh, are discussing the tusk from a mastodon, which the Shawnee call Yakwawi’ak. Marsh relates the Shawnee legend which tells of a time when giant men were proportionate to the mastodons. But when the great men died out the Great Spirit de-cided to destroy the Yakwawi’ak as well. In exchange, the Great Spirit then created the cranberry, a bitter reminder of the blood spilled. Chief Red Cloud remarks that it is a true story, but Marsh disagrees with him, saying that science tells us that our ancestors were smaller, not larger. Red Cloud responds, “It is not a story about science. It is about men.”

Opinion4 THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011

“You’re not crazy, are you?”

Editor: Brent Zundel – [email protected]

Questions of Creation Three Cups of Doubt

Nathan CarrollASMSU Exponent

Matt SchwagerASMSU Exponent

Image by Adrian LucasImage by Nate Carroll

Page 5: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

“Sustainability” has been a term that has peppered my rhetoric for the past several years I’ve spent at Montana State. I initially came across the term when I was covering an envi-

ronmental conference for the Exponent in 2007. At that point, “sustainability” nomenclature was relatively restricted to a tight circle of activists who understood its implications. After interviewing a conference organizer – an environmental history student named Josh Jane – he and I began reviving the concept that eventu-ally became the organization called the Network of Environmentally Conscious Organizations, better known by its acro-nym: NECO.

NECO began as an effort to aggregate the various student-driven environmental efforts on campus in order to avoid the inevitable burn-out of volunteer leadership and, ultimately, to form a meaning behind sustainability. NECO connected student leaders and honed their energy to focus on several high-impact projects. The first has been realized in a campus-wide recycling program.

Over a thousand elementary school children have participated in NECO’s Public School Outreach Program, where university and high school students fa-cilitate hands-on presentations at schools throughout the Gallatin Valley. NECO members began the conversation on an environmental sustainability minor in the Provost’s Office in Spring of 2008. Now professors, administrators and students are hashing out the final details of an academic certificate. By next school year, the electrical sockets of the SUB will be supplemented by solar energy, the product of efforts from NECO’s former, and ASMSU’s current, President Blake Bjornson.

Now in its fourth generation of leader-

ship, NECO has demonstrated success on multiple fronts, yet is continually presented with new challenges. The most obvious and persistent challenge is adding meaning to the term “sustainability.” I’ve battled with the term for years and only recently have developed a definition of sustainability: It is indeterminate.

Some of my past reasoning has con-cluded that “sustainability” has become a hollow, myopic term that does little to communicate its meaning, but rather po-larize and stigmatize. To say that a product is “green,” for instance, a manufacturer or retailer could either make it in a way that minimizes previous environmental impacts by 90 percent, or could literally color it green. Both would be equally valid and vapid. To many, “sustainabil-ity” has come to epitomize this myopic mindset.

Authentic understanding of the concepts that underlie much of the environmental efforts on campus, in the Bozeman community and across Montana has become increasingly limited, though a prescriptive definition will do little address this issue. Explaining the defini-tion of the color red to a blind person does little to translate the meaning: “The color ‘red’ is light waves oscillating with a specific wavelength.” This definition is meaningless in the same way that a limited, restricting definition for “sustain-ability” would be.

Instead, “sustainability” needs to be a term that is supplemented by an indi-vidual’s understanding. Agreed, the risk of abuse remains, yet it is a small one compared to how we can reconstruct a term to embody a progressive environ-mental movement. “Sustainability” needs to remain undefined, though, in doing so, it ensures that the term remains one that is perpetually dynamic and relevant. NECO has done well in adding meaning to the term, but only through continued activism will “sustainability” endure.

Matt SmithASMSU Exponent

OpinionTHE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011 5

The Sustainability Cliché

I had a great article topic, but my editor-in-chief wouldn’t run it. Yes, it’s a shame. It was full of witty jokes about burning news-print and liberal arts. However, my head editorial boss thought it best to leave those

topics out of my irreverent column, and I don’t blame him. I was writing about a current hot issue and my tone was sarcastic. It likely wouldn’t have furthered any valuable discussion – only mocked it – although it was certain to entertain the 97 percent or so of the student population whom it doesn’t directly affect.

So, I wrote another article. This whole hoopla got me thinking about opinions. I like them, though they differ from mine (and mine are usually right). I think egg-plant is nasty and you may like it. I don’t like bluegrass solely based in the key of G; you may think it’s perfect dancin’ music for your hippie shoes. I think vodka is dishonest and you may think it’s fluid straight from the gods’ holes. However, if you think these things, you shouldn’t be afraid to stand for them, whether they are tiny things like whether a cabernet is better than a shiraz, or big things, like whether you should major in hard sciences or liberal arts or whether the Exponent is worth reading.

The college climate can easily breed wishy-washy kids with no spines, kids who are afraid to say they’re right and back that opinion in the face of opposi-tion. Sure, tolerance and understanding are honorable traits. But I respect the jack-ass who has an incorrect opinion – and

stands by it through the s--- storm – more than the flake that claims everyone could be right.

It’s okay to be wrong every mil-lion years or so and it’s okay to step on people’s toes. People yelp when you step on their toes. It’s a natural reaction. Don’t intentionally stomp hard on them while wearing your heels in order to break some bone, but don’t act like it’s the end of the world when you make someone temporar-ily pissed off about the nerve endings in one of their extremities.

This is not an attack on a particular person or group of people, as my original article was apparently seen to be. In all honesty, I leave campus in two weeks and I don’t give a flying f--- about the impli-cations of any current debate (Greeks, tuition, tobacco on campus, student voting turnout) beyond how it affects me in these next two weeks. To all you suckers who have not done your time (and then some) and will be here in the fall – it’s your is-sue. But you’re going to make a lot more progress if you use the spine that holds your head above your shoulders and the balls or ovaries that help you reproduce to stand for your own opinion. Take a stance. Risk being wrong. Step on toes. Do it in my honor if yours isn’t good enough.

Read: “The Sea Wolf,” by Jack Lon-don. Then listen to the band “Sea Wolf” and compare.

Mike is well aware that he is criti-cal, cynical and brutally honest, often at the expense of being called a jerk. If you disagree with him, make sure he knows by e-mailing the Exponent at [email protected]. Fan mail, however, can be sent direct via his Facebook page.

MIKEservationsToes Are For Stepping On

Mike TarrantASMSU Exponent

Image by Adrian Lucas

Image by Adrian Lucas

Page 6: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Opinion6 THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011

RantsShort, punchy articles railing against the myriad injustices of campus life. Have something to rant on? Contact us at [email protected]. Just keep submissions 200 - 300 words. And please, try to refrain from personal attacks.

Butt Buckets on CampusHeather Kruger

I’m not a smoker. I never have been, nor ever will I be, a smoker. I know plenty of people that smoke, and plenty that don’t. I do, however, find it incredibly offensive that there are currently buckets residing near building doors on campus that read, “Wanted: The Worst Litter on Campus. Help put them in their Place” and “My bed is not an ashtray.”

My mom gardens; she’d kill me if I defaced her flowers. But seriously? You guys couldn’t find a more tactful way to approach the tobacco ban, especially con-sidering all the controversy after ASMSU

passed the bill?It’s derogatory. Regardless of whether

or not you agree with the choice, smok-ing is allowed. It’s not your place to call people out just because they indulge in a habit that you may or may not agree with.

I disagreed with the buckets on cam-pus, and I’m not a smoker. Imagine how hurt some people on campus are after be-ing thrust in the spotlight on this issue. It’s not any different than calling people out for drinking, or eating at restaurants that serve food in stryofoam containers.

Tact. We learn it in college. Start using it.

The first floor of the Renne Library is slated to be converted to a stu-dent commons area by September.

Key features of the renovation include group study spaces with large screen dis-plays, podiums and movable walls. Other elements of the new space include com-puters with room for group use, a service point with reference sources, additional four-person tables, power stations for charging electronics, rolling whiteboards, a printing/scanning station and personal assistance for students.

Library Dean Tamara Miller, who came to MSU in 2003 from the University of Tennessee, had recently been involved with a library commons project at UT and was interested in applying the lessons learned to a similar project at MSU.

With the help of a 93-year-old gentle-man’s contribution of a $550,000 Chal-lenge Gift in the form of an endowment, Miller and Executive Director for Library Advancement and External Relations Patricia Gleason realized that this abstract idea could become a reality.

The donor, who has only a seventh-grade education, insisted on helping with a project that would benefit all students rather than a single individual or group. The donor is an inspiration to both Miller and Gleason. “His life was dramatically impacted by not having an education,”

Gleason said.The conversion of the first floor of

the Renne Library into a student-friendly commons area is already evident, as the area has been prepared for the renovation work to begin on May 9.

The transformation of the library ad-dresses the changing ways students are us-ing information. While the library faculty is committed to preserving the quiet areas of the library, Gleason explained that the commons will support “the need for a more dynamic environment” by provid-ing students with essential tools and work spaces.

The project has been well received by the University Facilities Planning Board as well as the student senate. The sen-ate voted last week to allocate $40,000 to sponsor a writing center, one of the additional pieces of the commons project. Student body president Blake Bjornson said that one of student government’s goals “is to create a good learning envi-ronment, and supporting projects like this are a good use of student dollars.”

By fall the first floor of the library will serve as a lively, technology-rich atmo-sphere for use by everyone on campus. “A scholarship may affect one student, but the commons will affect all students,” Miller said.

Library Addresses Student Needs through First Floor CommonsKristen Ingman

News

Shelves lie empty as construction gears up. | Image by Adrian Lucas

Scene from construction area of the library. | Image by Adrian Lucas

Page 7: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Two MSU students have been named Goldwater scholars and two others received honorable mention in the 2011 competition for the prestigious scholarship. Daniel Barta and Casey Donoven were awarded scholarships, while Nate Carroll and David

Stevens received honorable mention.These awards continue the university’s tradition of strong performance in national

scholarship competitions. “The excitement still hasn’t worn off,” said Donoven. The junior from Kremlin plans to

pursue research in fractals. “I can’t believe I am one of 275 students to get it.” Barta expressed similar sentiments. “I was just incredibly excited to have gotten it,” he

said. Both Barta and Donoven admitted to holding a lifelong dream of pursuing their current

fields of interest. Barta, a junior studying paleontology, traveled to China last summer to re-search dinosaur eggs and later wrote his Goldwater research proposal about the experience.

Donoven’s proposal dealt with the correlation between heartbeats and fractals. Goldwaters are considered highly prestigious scholarships although MSU has a record

of winning many, Barta’s and Donoven’s scholarships bring the number to 53. This is on par with institutions such as Harvard, Princeton and the University of Chicago.

Dr. Ilse-Mari Lee, director of the Honors Program and the advisor to many of the stu-dents applying for prestigious scholarships, considers this achievement an excellent reflec-tion of the abilities of the students, the quality of the educators and the rigor of the studies at MSU. “These are the students that are going to make a difference in the world,” Lee said .

MSU students have won more than just Goldwaters. In the past 30 years, many differ-ent prestigious scholarships have been won by students at MSU. Students seeking these scholarships come from a variety of academic backgrounds and are encouraged to speak with the Honors Department in planning an application.

NewsTHE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011 7

Editor: Derek Brouwer – [email protected]

With Goldwaters, MSU Continues Scholarship SuccessJayme Feyhl-Buska

Boren AwardWhat you get: Up to $20,000 for study

abroad. Recipients must travel to a foreign country identified as important to national security and agree to work with the federal government.

How you get it: Students of all academ-ic backgrounds are considered, although those students with the best chance are those who propose to study a lesser known language in their country of choice.

Who has it: Two students from MSU hold a Boren Award, both of whom received the scholarship in 2010: Katy Hansen and Lara Wabrek.

Goldwater ScholarshipWhat you get: Up to $7,500 per year for

sophomores and juniors, for use towards academic expenses. Recipients must intend to pursue a career in the sciences, engineer-ing or mathematics.

How you get it: Students must hold either sophomore or junior standing, have a GPA equivalent to a “B” and be in the up-per fourth of their class. The ideal student is very involved in research and appears to have great potential in his or her chosen field.

Who has it: 53 students since 1989. The most recent winners are Daniel Barta, Casey Donoven, LoriBeth Everts and Tim Brox.

Mitchell ScholarshipWhat you get: Tuition, housing and

money towards living expenses, for study abroad at the postgraduate level in Ireland. Also, a sizable stipend for travel to other countries.

How you get it: Commitment to school-ing, evidence of leadership and community service are considered the most important criteria.

Who has it: Shane Colvin was awarded the scholarship most recently, in 2008, and Michelle Miles received a Mitchell in 2001.

Pearson Prize for Higher EducationWhat you get: Depending on the level

of award won, either $10,000 or $500.How you get it: Students do not need

stellar grades or a set path of study but they must have a strong commitment to commu-nity service and demonstrate leadership.

Who has it: Griffin Stevens won a Pear-son Prize in 2010, the year the scholarship was first introduced.

Rhodes ScholarshipWhat you get: The payment of all insti-

tutional costs for attending Oxford Univer-sity, travel costs to and from Oxford and a stipend to cover expenses during vacations.

How you get it: Applicants must exhibit achievements in both academics and sports.

They must also prove to have sound moral character, leadership skills and a sense of community spirit tending towards duty and kindness.

Who has it: Katy Hansen won the Rhodes in 2010. Three other Rhodes Schol-arships have been won by MSU students between 1995 and 2006.

Truman ScholarshipWhat you get: Up to $30,000, although

recipients are expected to pursue a graduate degree in a public service field.

How you get it: Potential Truman Scholars must have strong grades, be involved in community service and campus activities and be service-oriented in their career plans.

Who has it: Most recently, Kathryn Connor received a Truman in 2003. From 1983 to 1990, 10 other MSU students have won Trumans.

After two years of research and anticipation, MSU will now offer a major in English Writing.

The goal of the new major is to expose students to a broad spectrum of writing, including journalism, creative writing and expository writing. English professor Doug Downs, who sketched out early plans for the major in 2009, de-scribed that the major “is meant to blend all of these areas.”

“We need to prepare writers very broadly,” he said.

Downs expects 30 to 50 students to enroll in the program within the first year, with 15 students currently enrolled. The program already seems to be popu-

lar, as Downs said he encounters about one student every day who expresses interest in the program.

Graduate English Teaching Assistant ZuZu Feder expressed her strong interest in the program while she was a member of the Dean’s Undergraduate Council as an English Literature student. Feder sparked the interest of Dean of the Col-lege of Letters and Science Paula Lutz, who helped fuel the project and work for its approval by the Board of Regents in January.

While crafting the course require-ments for the major, administrators worked with the University of Montana to develop a major that did not resemble

its journalism and creative writing pro-grams too closely. What has resulted is a unique program with carefully crafted courses that, according to Downs, allow students to “explicitly take the time to take the different types of writing and examine them.”

The program will also require an internship, which the English depart-ment finds essential to providing students with a marketable degree. The internship component is intended to resolve the common problem of needing experience to acquire a job, but needing a job to acquire experience.

The idea of graduating with a degree in liberal arts and finding a job can seem

daunting. Feder said, “If you’re major-ing in humanities, at this point in time I would be planning to go to graduate school.” However, in reality, both Feder and Downs agree that employers are go-ing to hire strong writers. Students who graduate with writing degrees have the opportunity to work for law offices, non-profits and marketing and public relations organizations.

“MSU concerns itself with communi-ty outreach, and the writing major gives students the opportunity to take some-thing they’ve learned and give straight back to the community,” Downs said.

English Department Introduces Writing MajorKristen Ingman

Page 8: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

8 THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011

News

Undergraduates in MSU’s Federal Indian Law and Policy course are now writing Wikipedia articles as

a graded assignment. The project is part of Wikimedia’s

Public Policy Initiative, a program first implemented last fall in which students help develop entries for the online ency-clopedia. So far Wikimedia has teamed with 31 different public policy courses at 22 academic institutions.

The Public Policy Initiative was established after receiving a sizable grant from the Charles Stanton Foundation, ac-cording to LiAnna Davis, communications associate for the Wikimedia Foundation. Professors of public policy courses across the nation were contacted for participa-tion. Kristin Ruppel, Federal Indian Law and Policy professor at MSU, answered the call and agreed to incorporate the new Wikipedia curriculum into the course

outline. Participating students improve exist-

ing articles or begin new ones in place of traditional term papers. The Wikipedia articles account for roughly a third of the class grade.

Trained Campus Ambassadors and on-line mentors work with students to edit the articles and help them to become “Wiki-pedians,” Davis said. All campus ambas-sadors and online mentors for the Public Policy Initiative at MSU are volunteers.

Sabre Moore, a student in Ruppel’s course, said she appreciated the opportu-nity to “delve deeper than just textbook learning.” Wikipedia is a tertiary source, Moore explained, and seeking out primary and secondary sources for citation has provided a chance to learn better research skills.

“All [Wikipedia] articles are verifi-able,” said campus ambassador Bonnie

McCallum. Campus ambassador Mike Cline said

the benefits of Wiki in the classroom for students include paving avenues for schol-arships, providing availability for in-depth research and learning to collaborate on a global level.

“Wikipedia is a global community of editors,” Cline said. “No one [contribu-tor] has more status than anyone else; my knowledge holds as much value as yours, an expert’s, a student’s or anyone else’s.” He did add, however, that 80 percent of 3.6 million English articles on Wikipedia are edited by white males in the northern hemisphere.

Ruppel, who is now a teaching fellow for Wikipedia because of her involvement with the initiative, believes the program will foster critical reading and writing skills as well as a consideration for other perspectives. “I’m making [the students]

write something with real world conse-quences,” Ruppel said.

As one of the top five websites visited globally, Ruppel added that contributing to Wikipedia gives some students sweaty palms. “[There are] implications of con-tributing to a global community,” she said. Wikipedia provides discussion space for critical dialogue between contributors and readers.

The Federal Indian Law and Policy Wikipedia course page and student ar-ticles can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Unit-ed_States_Public_Policy/Courses/Spring_2011/Federal_Indian_Law_and_Policy_%28Kristin_Ruppel%29.

A Wikipedia information table will be set up in the SUB cafeteria on Mon, April 25 and Tues, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Students Write Wiki Articles for Law CourseAutumn LaBuff

The Hosaeus Fitness Center will be installing new ReRev brand tread-mills and ellipticals that require

no power and can convert a user’s kinetic energy into power for the building. The student senate passed a $16,000 supple-mental fund to support the project.

The machines’ main purpose is to educate students and generate excite-ment about sustainability, said Recreation Sports Director Stephen Erickson. The machines will produce electricity for the fitness center, but will not produce enough to pay for themselves.

ASMSU Recreational Sports and Fit-ness, a student-funded committee, plans to buy the new machines because of the interest in alternative energy technology in the MSU community. Erickson said that he always thought about hooking up el-lipticals to the power grid but didn’t know the technology existed until he went to a fitness conference. “We were confident that our students at MSU would love this technology,” he said. “They would love it because they would be making a differ-ence.”

The Network of Environmentally Conscious Organizations (NECO) has

taken notice of the action and agrees with the idea of utilizing the energy from a person’s workout. “It’s cool that we’re using human energy to help power the fitness center because it does use a lot of electricity,” NECO President Elizabeth Schmiesing said.

The ReRev treadmills use no electric-ity, whereas the current three horsepower treadmills consume large amounts of power. The ReRev treadmills and ellipti-cals make use of a central processing unit which converts kinetic energy into usable electricity for the building. A typical 30-minute workout can produce about 50 watt hours of electricity.

The ReRev system that converts the kinetic energy to electricity will cost close to $16,000, while the machines themselves will cost close to $9,000 each. Erickson said that he would have been able to find the money in his budget to pay for the ReRev system within two years, but approached ASMSU for funding because student buy-in was desired. The senate voted 18-1 to fund $16,000 after some debate.

There were two prevailing opinions among the student senate when deciding

to fund the project. Some senators worried that the project

might not be worth funding, especially be-cause the machines will not save much on the power bill. Senator Scott Roden, the only senator to vote against funding, said that if the senate were to invest $16,000 in the system, more machines should be pulled from the electric bill to save power.

Senator Jenny Lawson, however, agreed with Erickson, saying that the fitness center is an important retention project. “This is something that students want when they pick a college,” she said.

Student Gov’t Funds Rec Center Green MachinesGarrett Smith

HOW MUCH IS50 WATT HOURS?

cell phone charges

6minutes oftelevision

10

hours with aCFL bulb on

2.5

minutes oflaptop power

60minutes with aceiling fan on

15

Page 9: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011 9

News

Wake Up Your LifeSM

with the official DJ for Zumba Fitness®

Fundraiser ZUMBATHON®

®Registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. LIVE SMART. LIVE HEALTHY.® is a registered mark and WAKE UP YOUR LIFESM is a service mark of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana and the Caring Foundation of Montana are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association,

an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. ®Registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. LIVE SMART. LIVE HEALTHY.® is a registered mark and WAKE UP YOUR LIFESM is a service mark of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, serving the residents and businesses of Montana. Zumbathon®, Zumba®, Zumba Fitness® and the Zumba Fitness logos are registered trademarks of Zumba Fitness, LLC.

Online Registration at www.zazuuonline.com: $15 At the Door: $20

Prizes! FUN! & Dee Jay Francis!Zumbathon® is a fundraising event of the Caring Foundation of Montana, Inc. (Caring Foundation), a charitable foundation established by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana in 1991.

The Caring Foundation will donate all proceeds from the Zumbathon® events to the Healthy Montana Kids Extended Dental Program.

Find Us OnFind Us OnFind Us On

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

DEE JAY FRANCISDEE JAY FRANCISDEE JAY FRANCIS

Bozeman, montanathursday, april 21hursday, pril 21Montana State UniversityShroyer Gym#1 Bobcat Circle

Page 10: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

REFLECTIONS ON

EARTH DAY

Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, began in 1970 as an environmen-tal teach-in day at universities and in

communities across the United States. U.S Congressman Gaylord Nelson spearheaded the movement to harness the spirit of activism that was sweeping the country and direct it toward issues of environmental degradation.

Addressing environmental quality “is not only just an issue of survival,” Nelson said in a speech on the eve of the inaugural Earth Day, ”but an issue of how we survive.”

“Our goal is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all human be-ings and all other living creatures,” he said.

Twenty million Americans participated in rallies, forums, and events on April 22, 1970. Forty one years later, Earth Day has gone global, with hundreds of countries of-ficially recognizing and participating.

Students and community members have organized numerous events across Bozeman as a part of the week-long Gallatin Earth Celebration, including forums community clean-ups, a charity run and presentations. The Network of Environmentally Conscious Organizations (NECO) has been coordinat-ing programs on campus each day, from renegade art installations to free bike tuning.

MSU’s Matt Smith leads a youth discussion on what our spirituality says about protecting the Earth.Photo courtesty of The Tributary Fund

Above photos: Renegade Art on Centennial Mall showing campus styrofoam waste. Images by Adrian Lucas

By Derek Brouwer | Design by Tina Smith

10 THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011

Page 11: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Some say the para-mount concern of this generation will be the preservation of the en-vironment and a shift in focus from immedi-ate gains to sustainable practices.

There also has been speculation that the current genera-tion lacks the combination of work ethic and passion to tackle a crisis of this magni-tude. Practices that harm the environment and its inhabitants permeate every sector of society, from the corporation to the home to the school to the sidewalk.

So what really can be done to solve a problem so pervasive? Many environ-mental and agricultural movements have picked up momentum, particularly in Mon-tana, but apathy still characterizes many individuals.

But one middle school student at the Spirit of Earth Day celebration last Sunday at the Emerson seemed to solve a world dilemma in one simple sentence. Accord-ing to Daniel Rassaby, we must realize “we’re all part of something bigger than ourselves.”

These words carried much hope and promise that the youth of this generation might already be developing a conscious-ness that considers community over self

and future over present. This community to be considered does not consist only of humans, however. The keynote speaker at the celebration, Glover Wagner, minister of the Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in Bozeman, spoke ardently of the impossibility of separating the human cause from that of nature.

“You and the Earth are born together, and you have a unitary life,” said Wagner during the event’s opening ceremony. “We in nature are complementary opposites playing on the field of one organic life…

arising together in the joy of companion-ship.”

Wagner’s words did not come across as trite or cliché, but instead seemed to uncover a rule for living that should have been in plain sight all along: We arose from this Earth and therefore are one with it. Each one of its struggles and victories is also our own. Rather than revel in our capacity for exploiting and “possessing” the planet, perhaps we should focus on what we can share with it -- and what it can share with us and the generations that follow.

The desire to see the Earth as an integral part of ourselves is opposed to the desire to possess. Instead, “it is the desire to see the beauty of creation,” according to Wagner. Assertions such as this might sound like a familiar environmental cry. But perhaps if we truly changed our self-image at its very core to incorporate nature, every self-serving action we took would simultaneously serve the land.

At the Spirit of Earth Day celebration,

speakers from the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and Three Fiddles Farms emphasized initiatives in Bozeman that are inspiring and which enable any resident – regard-less of financial status or agricultural experience – to take steps to create change. Change might be growing a plant in a

windowsill, starting a backyard garden or interning on a farm. The opportunities are here in this community to help oneself and one’s environment.

Maybe all that is needed is a renewed awareness of just how much bigger each of our “selves” really is. When we work to instigate or sustain environmental change, we’re not just helping the Earth, we’re helping ourselves. In Wagner’s words, “You don’t go to nature – you are nature.”

OPINION: THE SPIRIT OF THE EARTH

When we work to instigate or sustain environmental change, we’re not just

helping the Earth, we’re helping ourselves.

Renegade Art on Centennial Mall showing plastic waste with tennis ball tubes.| Image by Adrian Lucas An REI employee tunes up a bike during Earth Week. Image by Adrian Lucas

Keynote speaker Rev. Glover Wagner delivers “An Environmental Vision.”

Photo courtesty of The Tributary Fund

Virginia SchmidtASMSU Exponent

THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011 11

Page 12: The Exponent | April 21st Edition
Page 13: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Sunday, March 12, 3 p.m: We packed up and started hiking earlier that morning – maybe 9:30 a.m. or so. Immediately, the trail started descend-ing from the mesa to the platform below at around 3,000 feet. We passed a few backpackers coming up the switchbacks. They were coming from the South Kaibab trailhead a few days earlier – packing our route but in opposite fashion. We told them our plan to spend only three nights below the rim. They said we were ambi-tious but young and spry.

Once we reached the platform, we found a creek and stopped to pump water. There were trees growing around the sides of the creek bed. This was some of the last ample shade we found.

The rest of the day we worked our way in and around side canyons and alongside the edge of the platform, where we could

see the muddy Colorado River about 1,000 feet below. The ground was rough; we tried to avoid scratches from sage-brush, thorns and cactus while we picked our way around rocks. By the time we reached Grapevine Creek, we had devel-oped blisters to the point of showing blood through our clothing. We set up the tent, hung our socks up to dry and read until the sun started to drop behind the canyon wall, some time before 6 p.m.Tuesday, March 14, 5:30 a.m: Monday was the longest day. Our mile-age had progressively grown – five miles the first day, seven the second, and on Monday, the trek from Grapevine Creek to Cremation Creek was 12 long miles on blistered feet.

While the views were still stunning, as we grew tired, we decided the scen-ery looked more and more the same and took fewer pictures. It felt as if we were

in a glacier valley with high, mountain-ous walls surrounding us and only the sky above. It was only when our Tonto trail worked its way near the edge of our platform and we saw the sheer drop down to the river below that we remembered we were on the second of four levels (one: the river, two: Tonto Platform, three: the mesa, four: the rim).

Although the sun wasn’t as brutal as the day before - the sky was mostly overcast - it was still at least in the 70s and we were sweating and thirsty. We ate lunch in Lone Tree Canyon, sitting in some shade offered by a boulder. A family left the spring just up the trail and walked past us, the father in the rear, realizing as he passed us that his favorite females had followed an offshoot trail leading down towards the edge of the platform and away from the actual Tonto trail. He called them back and they all decided, “Mom

shouldn’t lead.”We made it to Cremation Creek at

about the same time as we made camp the other days, around 2:30 p.m. We hurt. We collapsed in a tiny bit of shade offered by a scraggly tree and a ledge to the west.

The rest of the day was spent mov-ing as little as possible. My brother and I talked about the next day with a tinge of excitement about climbing out of the canyon but fraught with anxiousness at the 4,000-foot climb and the at least six or seven miles left to go. We set up the tent, read our books, put antiseptic on our wounds and passed out a little after a dinner consisting of Mountain Homes dehydrated spaghetti and lasagna as the shadows filled our side canyon and the sun slipped behind the canyon walls... TO BE CONTINUED.

THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011 13

Editor: Heather Kruger – [email protected] the Rim, Part 3Mike Tarrant

Michael GrossTouring Yellowstone ParkASMSU Outdoor Recreation went on its second to last

outdoors expedition of the year April 16 and 17. The group of 10 participants and one coordinator took a tour

of Yellowstone Park. The group departed from Bozeman Saturday afternoon and

travelled through West Yellowstone, stopping at the Grand Canyon, Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner. The Grand Canyon is located on the Yellowstone River, which runs 692 miles long and is downstream from Yellowstone Falls, which plunge a quarter mile into the Canyon from Hayden Valley. The Canyon is 900 feet deep and half a mile wide.

This trip was the first time Jessica Dormer got to see Old Faithful. “[It] was pretty amazing. We had to wait about 10 min-utes for it to go off, while it was just steaming away…that built up suspense,” she said.

Mammoth Hot Springs is located in northwestern Yellowstone. It is situated on a hill made of limestone that was formed from over 1,000 years of calcium deposits from nearby geysers.

Gardiner is a quaint town in southwestern Montana. Antelope, bison, deer and elk are frequently seen grazing throughout the town. Gardiner is the original entrance to Yellowstone, and where the group stayed the night.

On Sunday, the group travelled to the Lamar Valley and the Boiling River before heading back to Bozeman. The Lamar Valley is notorious for its extensive wildlife, including bison, elk, coy-otes, grizzlies and wolves. Dormer said her favorite part of the trip was seeing wolves. ”[I] couldn’t believe the amount of wildlife… there was always so much to look at and try to find,” she said.

The Boiling River consists of two rivers– one hot and one cold– that converge to form a river the temperature of a hot tub. It is a great place to relax while soaking in the expan-sive surroundings of the park. At one point, the group saw an otter swim past them in the river which, despite experiencing so much other wildlife, was amazing to see.

Although Outdoor Rec. provides most of the necessary equipment for outdoor trips, there are still things the participants must bring. They brought their own food, clothing and personal items while Outdoor Rec. provided transportation and lodging at a price of $50 per person.

Outdoor Rec. has a final trip planned for April 30, a whitewater rafting tour through Yellowstone for 30 dollars. There is also one last open kayaking class scheduled for April 28 and there will be a Wil-derness First Responder class offered May 8-14. For more information, contact Outdoor Recreation at 406-994-3621 or visit their website at www.mon-tana.edu/outdoorrecreation. Image by Adrian Lucas

Page 14: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Entertainment

Filmmaking is visual storytelling. Sometimes they seek the stories out, other times the stories find them.

This was the case with the creators of “Invisible Children,” a group who creates documentaries on children being recruited for war in Uganda. On April 28, the Pro-crastinator Theatre will hold a screening of “Tony’s Story,” the newest addition to the Invisible Children documentary series. This will be the first showing of a docu-mentary from the Invisible Children at Montana State.

Invisible Children was first started by a group of three friends, who traveled to Africa hoping to find a story to make a film about. They stumbled upon children who are being kidnapped by the army of Joseph Kony, known as the Lord’s Resistance Army. This caused the children to walk for miles at night to escape these troops -- essentially needing to become invisible to survive.

This installation explores Tony’s story – a kid who had escaped from the LRA

– and his struggles as he moves to the United States and attends college.

Lexie Lamouthe, a Colorado native, has single-handedly put on this show-ing of “Tony’s Stor” with help from the Procrastinator Theatre. She first became involved with Invisible Children as a high school sophomore in Colorado.

“It hit home. I couldn’t imagine Tony being in a situation of being abducted and losing my family like that,” Lamouthe said.

The goal of Invisible Children is to spread awareness of what is happening in Africa. “They want to show that there have been quite a few success stories through their program,” Lamouthe added.

Invisible Children started touring the film this year. Their first tour showed of-ficially at over 5,000 schools, and Tony’s story will hopefully show at more.

The showing will start at 6 p.m. at the Procrastinator Theatre. Admission is free. There will be a donation box and booths set up selling merchandise.

To whom it may concern: (meaning anyone and everyone, but more specifically all of you who are

too broke for the Bistro, too hungry for Ramen and looking for a way to spend Friday night other than staring into the depths of your Stats book), I am here to let you know—there is a solution!

This Friday, April 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Emerson Cultural Center will be opening its doors for their second annual Soup N’ Bowl event. For those unfamiliar with the term, this equates to an evening of food, music and some fantastic pot-tery. Tickets are $20 at the door (or $15 if you’re a member), and you’re offered the world on a platter. Well more like a bowl, actually; as soon as you’re inside you will choose your weapon from among hundreds of handcrafted ceramic bowls, donated by several of Bozeman’s most talented artists.

As you sweep into the ballroom you will be met by the delicious aromas of a dozen different soups, homemade by food gurus such as Nova Café, Elles Belles, Starky’s, The Garage, Emerson Grill and more. The array of choices will include

things like turkey noodle, loaded baked potato and heirloom tomato from the garden at Norris Hot Springs, as well as bread from the Bozeman Co-op.

A no-host beer and wine bar will be available for a little extra, and just about the time you’re looking for dessert, you will discover the table of irresistible baked goods cheering you on from the sidelines.

Live music will be provided for the evening by local reggae-funk band SKA-vocado, and a raffle will be conducted at the end of the night. By the way, that ticket you just bought doubles as a raffle entry for free pottery classes.

Money from this event will go towards the Emerson’s pottery program, allow-ing them to keep their resident artists and expand their community classes. So come and celebrate the art culture of Bozeman with a hot bowl of clam chowder and a crowd full of good-natured soup lovers; they’ll appreciate your support. And the best part of the night? You get to keep your dinner dish!

For questions or information, call the Emerson’s office at 587-9797 or check out their website at www.theemerson.org

Vanessa Naive

Melissa Egbert

14 THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011

‘Invisible Children’ to Show at Procrastinator

A Spoonful of CreativityEditor: Sabre Moore – [email protected]

With three different events in California on Friday and Sat-urday, and another in Missoula

on Saturday, the MSU track and field team had two days of nonstop intense compe-tition. The Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. were the Bobcat’s first stop.

Jeff Mohl, along with Asa Staven, fin-ished the decathlon with both a personal best and an automatic Big Sky qualifier. “I did pretty [well],” said Mohl. “I left a lot of points on the table. I didn’t jump as well as I could have, but there’s always room for improvement.” Mohl’s 6,896 accumulative points place him at eighth in the record books.

The women began the weekend with success as well. Sarah McGree’s personal

high of 4,917 points placed her fifth all time at MSU. Her heptathlon score also earned her an automatic qualifier to the conference championships from May 11-14 in Sacramento, Calif.

After an early success for the multi-sport competitors, the team picked up mo-mentum moving into the weekend. Katie Niemer finished 30th in the 100 hurdles while David Philips placed sixth in the hammer throw.

The second event over the weekend, the Bryn Clay invitational, was hosted by Azuza Pacific in Azuza, Calif. Amber Amsbaugh continued the Bobcat’s sucess, finishing fourth in the high jump.

The third and final event in California was the Long Beach Invitational hosted

by Long Beach State in Cerritos, Calif. Among the team’s other stellar perfor-mances, Heather Haug and Patrick Casey took gold in the 3,000 steeplechase. Meanwhile, those who did not qualify for California stayed to compete in the Mon-tana Open, held in Missoula. On Friday, Carley McCutchen took second place in the heptathlon, finishing with 4,328 points.

Those who stayed in Montana compet-ed in the second half of the Montana Open in Billings, Montana. Although the meet was unscored, the men’s team walked away with a gold medal in the 3,000 stee-plechase, thanks to Seth Garbett’s remark-able performance. The 4X100 relay team struck gold, as well as Olivia Rider in the

100 and 200-meter races. Lierin Flanagan qualified for the Big Sky Championships in the 400.

“It was a really huge weekend for the track and field team,” said Coach Dale Kennedy. “Even though we were spread out, we got a lot done.” The women had 50 season bests and 17 automatic qualifi-ers, while the men had 67 season bests and 13 automatic championship qualifiers.

“It’s going to be a huge uplifter,” explained Kennedy, “It was tough for the team not competing last weekend.” April 23 in Missoula marks the annual Cat-Griz Dual. Last year the University of Montana took first place in both duals.

Busy Weekend for Track and FieldMax Bordman

Sports

Page 15: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Last weekend, the Emerson Cultural Center was the site of the “Sound of Music” performed by Anderson

School’s Little Red School House play-ers. With a sold out, standing room only production, the play was a hit. With 71 students in the cast, it wouldn’t have been the same without each and every one of them.

The actors/actresses did an amaz-ing job. It takes a lot of talent to be in a musical where most of the scenes are sung rather than spoke. During the opening

scene a few held their professional smiles as they looked out towards their parents in the audience. The humorous remarks that were put into the play made for an excel-lent experience.

The famous scene, in which the children play with the puppets to the song

“The Lonely Goatherd,” was performed with children playing the puppets. It was by far the most amusing part of the play because the children did an excel-lent imitation of the puppets. Not only is the “Sound of Music” a great story, but it replays the history that few of us are aware of.

It is one of the only story lines that show the relationship between the Ger-mans and the Austrians in the 1940’s. I found it incredible that this play was adapted from a real family in Salzburg, Austria. Though changes were made to the family structure, the von Trapp family provided the inspiration for the entire storyline.

The von Trapps, an anti-Nazi family, had trouble keeping relationships between themselves and with the Germans. Nov. 16, 1959, was the year this play was first performed on Broadway. I am so glad that we still get the opportunity to see it. This play is definitely a family orientated experience. The songs we have always heard, such as “Do-Re-Mi,” allow us to reminisce about our childhood.

The Little Red School House players did a fantastic job and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next year. So long, farewell, Auf Weidersehen, goodbye.

Dear Getting Hot,Mayday! Mayday! Abort mission! I

repeat, abort mission! Take a moment to think. How many

flings/benefriends/relationships have you had in your lifetime? And how many do you have now? Right. Zero. Which means none of them worked out. I know, it only has to work once, right? But, how good are the chances that he is the “right” one? Not very. And it’s hardly worth it to jeopardize your profession on the basis of what-if.

I’m a big believer in the fairytale romance, despite what the real world has thrown at me. However, I’m also a believer in having enough money to pay my rent. Fooling around with a coworker, can, as a worst-case scenario, cost you your job.

When your personal life and your professional life become one, dangerous lines have been crossed. Work is work, first and foremost. You are not getting paid to make goo-goo eyes at a coworker, something your boss can be quick to remind you of.

One of the most important character-istics of a good employee is their ability to appear professional at all times. If you

have become intimate with a coworker, chances are you will not continue to be professional in the workplace. I’m not implying you don’t have better sense than to pull a quickie in the freezer (as much fun as that sounds), but something as simple as a hug can be a problem.

To place your work status on the line for another person is silly, not to mention irresponsible and stupid. In this situation,

you’re giving another person control not only over your personal pleasure, but you’re professional stature as well.

There are plenty of other fish in the sea. Go catch one out there instead of tossing your lure in your private pool. You’ll get a much better variety out in the ocean.

Bridget Grismer

THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011 15

Entertainment

“The Sound of Music” Comes to Bozeman

A Question of Work RelationshipsDear Aspen,

There’s a new guy at work, and he’s cute! Plus, I think he may have an interest in me; you should have seen how we worked together today. What do you think? Have I got a shot?

Sincerely,Things Are Getting Hot in the Kitchen

Go catch one out there instead of

tossing your lure in your private pool.

With a sold-out, standing room only production, the play

was a hit.

Sound of Music, Act I | Image by Bridget Grismer

Image by Adrian Lucas

Page 16: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Swim Lately?

8 Weeks

A Lifetime Starts At The Beginning.

Gallatin Valley

Right To Lifewww.gvrtl.com

P.O. Box 634, Belgrade, MT

You Swam Easily In Your Watery World

Early In Your Development.

Watch me grow!

Other

APRIL 14 - APRIL 23Compiled by Moriah Ellig

OngoingASMSU SENATE MEETINGSTHURSDAYS, 6 PMSUB 236

COUNTRY WESTERN AND SWING DANCINGFRIDAYS, 9 PM - MIDNIGHTSOB BARN (BEHIND N. HEDGES)

LIFE DRAWING SESSIONMONDAYS; 6 - 9 PMHAYNES HALL, RM 233Take the opportunity to improve your drawing skills. Whether you are a novice or experienced artist the experience is a fun and fulfilling chance to improve your technique and learn from others! Open to all MSU students, $5 admission.

MusicCommunityPHILIP AABERGTHURSDAY, APRIL 21; 6:30 PMREYNOLDS RECITAL HALLGrammy and Emmy-nominated composer and keyboardist Philip Aaberg will perform at the Montana State University College of Arts and Architecture’s President Fine Arts Series season finale, “Jazz Desserts.” Event is free, but seating is limited.

RICHARD RIESSER:ACOUSTIC AMERICANAWEDNESDAY, APRIL 27; 7 - 9 PMSTARKY’S AUTHENTIC AMERICAN GRILLTake a break mid-week to enjoy some live music. No cover, all ages.

SPRING BLING DANCESATURDAY, APRIL 23; 8 PMEMERSON BALLROOMDance to the live music of the Highlites including swing, ballroom, latin, salso, tango, country and more. Hosted by the Bozeman Formal Dance Club, a non-profit organization that provides dance oppor-tunities throughout the year. Singles and couples of all ages welcome; semi-formal attire; tickets are $20 at the door.

1000 NEW GARDENS BOZEMANSUNDAY, APRIL 24; 9 AM - 1 PMBACKYARDS ACROSS THE CITY!VOLUNTEERS WILL MEET:BACKYARD BEHIND 214 E. LAMME ST.1000 New Gardens will join the Gallatin Valley Earth Celebration by installing 15 or more gardens across Bozeman! Volun-teers will rendezvous, play some warm-up games, split up to the garden plots, deliver composted ma-nure, construct compost frames out of pallets, remove sod and prepare future vegetable plots ready for plant-ing.

WTF: WOMEN & THEIR FUTURE RALLYTHURSDAY, APRIL 21; 6 PMSUB BALLROOM DThe purpose of the rally is to raise aware-ness about the effects of recent legislative actions on women’s health care, both nationally and statewide.

BOBCAT FEST ON MAINFRIDAY, APRIL 29; 5 - 8 PMMAIN STREETLive music by Landlocked, giveaways and free food. Free and open to the public. Will go on rain or shine.

ECO ELVISFRIDAY, APRIL 22; 1:30 & 6:30 PMEMERSON CULTURAL CENTEREco Elvis, aka Matt Riggs, presents envi-ronmental messages with his songs “Earth Day Rock”, “I Reduce I Reuse I Recycle”, “Compost Hotel” and many more. Green E’s performances are part of “Earth Day, Everyday: How Our Food Choices Impact the Planet”, an all-day event at the Emerson.

TOWN HALL MEETING WITH PRESI-DENT CRUZADOMONDAY, APRIL 25; 2:30 - 3:45 PMPROCRASTINATOR THEATER

Page 17: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Lectures &Forums

Film & Theater

Art

THESIS DEFENSE:ASSESSING WEDDELL SEAL MATERNAL INVESTMENT IN OFFSPRINGJENNIFER MANNASTHURSDAY, APRIL 21; 9 AMLEWIS 309

DATA CLONING THROUGH IT ALLTHURSDAY, APRIL 21; 3:30 PMLEWIS 304Estimating the population dynamics of Dall sheep in the Northern Richardson Moun-tains in the face of density dependence, process variation, measurement error, harvest, environmental covariates and mas-sively missing data.

SUSTAINABILITY: CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENTTHURSDAY, APRIL 21; 7 PMMUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES - HAGER AUDITORIUMDebra Wahlberg and George Metcalfe will be speaking on the lessons learned about what works and what doesn’t in the change and development process based on their combined 60 years of experience in some 50 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Balkans, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. Sponsored by Engineers Without Borders.

WHEN WE LEAVE (DIE FREMDE)THURSDAY, APRIL 21; 7 PMEMERSON CRAWFORD THEATERUmay is torn between two cultures when she leaves her abusive husband and takes their young son, Cem, from Istanbul to her family home in Germany. Seeking refuge with her parents, Umay hopes to start anew, but her family disapproves. Turmoil erupts when Umay’s family decides to return Cem to his father. $5 for students.

RIGHT TO THRIVE: TITLE IX AT 35WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27; 7 PMPROCRASTINATOR THEATERJoin this look at gender equity within MSU since the 1970s with this film and panel discussion to follow. In 1976 a federal judge found that the university was not in compliance with civil rights legislation and awarded three year’s back pay to most, if not all, women faculty members. The panel members will discuss the opportunities and enrichment within the campus and commu-nity since the lawsuit that brought gender equity in the workplace and resulted in the creation of the Affirmative Action Office.

SYNC OR SWIMSATURDAY, APRIL 30; 2:30 PMBOZEMAN PUBLIC LIBRARYHosted by the Bozeman Stingrays Synchro-nized Swim Club. This documentary covers Olympic Medalist Alison Bartosik’s team’s journey to the 2004 Athens Olympics.

ELEMENTAL SYMBIOSISMONDAY, APRIL 18 - FRIDAY, APRIL 29EXIT GALLERY - SUB

BFA SOLO EXHIBITIONSWALLER-YOBLONSKY GALLERY

ANNA BAKRECEPTION:FRIDAY, APRIL 22; 7 - 9 PMEXHIBIT:SUNDAY, APRIL 17 - FRIDAY, APRIL 22

BRETT BLANEYRECEPTION:FRIDAY, APRIL 29; 7 - 9 PMEXHIBIT:SUNDAY, APRIL 24 - FRIDAY, APRIL 29

Got an exciting, entertaining, extraneous, educational

or just plain excellent event coming up?

LET US KNOW!Send to:

[email protected]

Include name of event, date & time, location and any other information

Must be submitted by 4 p.m. the Monday before publication.

!

LOOKING FOR A PLACETO STORE YOUR STUFF?

COLLEGE STUDENT SUMMER DEAL*

****

*

$125 from May until you get back in August10x7 Storage UnitLocation Close to the AirportGated premises with 24-hour surveillance

For more details, call 406-388-4294 or e-mail [email protected]

service & repair for Subaru, Toyota, Honda

605 N. 7th Aveat the corner of 7th & Durston587-2286

Page 18: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Entertainment18 THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21, 2011

Wuzzy, I’m glad you decided to ask a time-traveling expert about this instead of a paleontologist. The only thing possibly more dangerous than actually watching dinosaurs copulate is listening to a paleon-tologist hypothesize about it. Paleontolo-gists, having apparently nothing else to do with their time, have discussed and writ-ten about this issue at length. In fact, most of their conversations over beer revolve around dinosaur sex, Star Trek and not surprisingly, why they’re still single.

Their best approximations of how dinosaurs engaged in intercourse come from observations of modern living animals, namely crocodiles and birds, and before you ask it, yes, that is someone’s job. Many birds have a cloaca, a common opening, with which they transfer secre-tions via “coacal kiss”. However, since an intromittant organ, or phallus, is present in basal birds and crocodilians, it is likely that dinosaurs possessed them as well. And, like crocodiles who have large tails, the best model for mounting to facilitate copulation would have been the standard

“leg over back” posture to achieve genital juxtaposition. However, dinosaurs like Stegosaurus, with their formidable dorsal plates, would have encountered difficulty with this position and possible employed an end-to-end technique.

Of course, I have been able to travel to the past and view these activities first-hand. Unfortunately what I saw was so terrible that it is hard to describe in any better detail than what has been proposed by paleontologists. From what I can remember, it looked something like one of these scenarios (Figure 1). I am not a man of weak constitution, but like Jersey Shore or that one Kathy Bates hot tub scene, there are some things in this world that humans were not meant to witness. This is one of them. Blindness quickly set in, but the deafening roar of bugles, shaking ground and palatable scent of pheromones in the air would not allow me to escape what my eyes tried to hide.

Cheers,Sherlock

Dear Sherlock,How did dinosaurs have sex? - F. Wuzzy

CLASSIFIEDSWANTEDLocal artist looking for training in Photoshop techniques. *Must be able to travel to Livingston - Wage Negotiable - Call: (406) 222-6299.

MSU Researchers are looking for females 20-40 to participate in a research study involving treadmill running, 4 blood draws and 24-hr controlled diet. $40 Compensation. Call 994-5001 or [email protected].

Female Model Wanted - $100/hr - Fine Art Figure Photography - email faceshot to Julia at [email protected] or call with questions at (406) 570-8653.

Summer Help Wanted. Log Cabin Café B/B. Silver Gate, Montana. SPECTACULAR mountain setting. Beartooths/Yellowstone. All restaurant/housekeeping positions. Hard Work, Long Hours. Huge Pay off! Join Skiers, Climbers, Hikers, Outdoor lovers. Housing available. (406) 838 2125.

MSU Researchers are looking for individuals 25-55 to participate in educational classes to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. Compensation provided. Call 994-5001 or e-mail [email protected].

Free room in exchange for part-time, before and after school, some over night care for a nine-year-old girl. References required with a valid Montana drivers license and a clean driving record. 406-390-6921. Leave a message.

Full-Time Summer Nanny:We are looking for an energetic, active Nanny to provide care for our four school-aged children (3 boys, 1 girl) during the summer. Hours will be from 7am to 4pm, Monday thru Friday. Must be responsible, reliable and have a good driving record. Elementary Ed major preferred. Non-smoker. Vehicle provided. If you love kids and are interested in this position, please e-mail us with your resume or questions to [email protected].

FOR RENT1017 1/2 S. Willson:2 BR/1 BA, walking distance to MSU, W/D, large yard, Pets negotiable. $595/mo. 586-1503

FOR SALE

Garage Sale: 1422 Mae St. Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 2pm both days. Futon, desk, dresser, decorations, etc.

Womens’ Basketball Shoes – Nike Bluechip II – Black, Size 7 ½ - Only used a few times - $60 (406) 994-6161 Jerry

FRIDAY APRIL 22 11AM -11PM

Emerson Cultural Center in Bozeman, 111 South Grand Avenue

HOWARD LYMANAn Evening with

7:00pm

www.newdawnmt.com

FEATURING:

PLANEATMovie premiere

3:30pm 9:00pm ECO ELVIS

Music & fun

1:30pm 6:30pm

Figure 1: Possible mating techniques of the Dinosauria.

Page 19: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

THE ASMSU EXPONENT | April 21v, 2011 19

Student Art

STUDENT ART

Iloved to read National Geographic magazines when I was a kid (by read I mean look at the pictures). I remember being awed by the amazing photos and envying the talented photog-raphers who got to see the world and its people through such incredible eyes. It made me

feel blind in comparison.

I picked up photography as a hobby sometime in my undergrad years, and soon it grew to be my biggest passion. Although I love photography of all kinds, I am mainly a landscape photographer; I often use minimalism and negative space to create a simplistic but powerfully captivating image.

Being a graduate student in the Electrical Engineering department, I hardly get time to go out to photograph the incredible Montana wilderness, but I try to use my weekends whenever I can. I love physics, salsa dancing and playing video games, and I hate snow and the cold with intense passion.

Tahdiul Haq Arnab PhotographyLayout by Emma Light

Page 20: The Exponent | April 21st Edition

Welcome to The Box, a weekly feature intended to provide an eclectic array of puzzles, cartoons, jokes and quotes. The Exponent Staff would like to solicit suggestions for content to be published here. You can reach us at: [email protected].

Cartoon by nate carroll

My grandmother broke her hip riding the mechanical bull at Desperado’s and I had to drive her to the hospital.

A group of headhunters from the Amazon were posing as foreign exchange students and I had to save President Cruzado from being sacrificed.

A homeless man behind the mall asked me to start a bluegrass band with him and his sister, but insisted on my getting singing lessons first.

A bird flew at my face while I was riding a rollercoaster, so I

had to get reconstructive surgery on my face in order to save my modeling career.

Famous popstar Ke$ha took me on a trip to Vegas, and I woke up three days later looking like P.Diddy and covered in glitter.

I was hired by a gangster from New Jersey to hunt and successfully capture my editor for a $45,000 reward. He’s hard to track.

I was going through my first day of learning how to design the f*cking layout for my campus newspaper.

ExCusEs, ExCusEsTHIS WEEK’S BOX WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE INTERESTING, BUT...

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

sudoku

last

wee

k’s

solu

tio

n: