As schools in the US prepare to open, the hype for back-to-school shopping is already picking pace. There are a lot of stories to talk about the summer holiday experiences in the first few weeks after opening. Stores are already offering amazing school deals to capitalize on the season. In July, Stanford President Tessier Lavigne resigned. It was alleged that he was involved in altering images in research papers. In Texas, the A&M President resigned due to controversies over the hiring of professors. These are just some of the many issues schools have to deal with in the first month of the 2023/24 academic year.

 
Diversity and inclusion in hiring teachers is still a thorny issue in the US
 
Balancing races and color remains a contentious issue in the US. The report by Education Week says educators of color are still in a “profoundly leaky pipeline.” The report says the US states never prioritize diversity when creating recruitment guidelines. The report is based on research findings published by the NCTQ.

The report provides an analysis of state-by-state teacher diversity guidelines. In the report, it's just 7 states that have goals to raise teacher diversity. Surprisingly, this is still a big issue 246 years after the USA's independence. The report suggests quick action to pinpoint the leaky areas and seal them.

As a new academic year begins, students expect to write papers on different topics. The teacher may assign you topics or let you choose the one you feel comfortable with.  You should explore free informative essay examples at StudyMoose to gather necessary information and take some inspiration. When you read them, you will develop skills to write like a professional.
 
The president of Texas A&M University resigns due to a hiring controversy
 
In late July, the president of Texas A&M University resigned following a diversity and inclusion issue. It is alleged that President M. Katherine didn’t follow the right hiring procedures. She hired Por. Kathleen McElroy and then suddenly changed her employment terms. The report by CNN says this left McElroy with no option but to resign. She was informed there was a hiring backlash on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

McElroy felt she was being targeted because she is black and a woman. CNN reports that a law banning diversity and inclusion in Texas will become effective next year. At first, McElroy signed a five-year non-tenured contract. It was suddenly changed to a one-year contract. In the new conditions, the contract could be changed without notice. Hart Blanton, of the Department of Communication and Journalism, called for an investigation. He said he was surprised to hear about the sudden changes yet he was never informed.  

 
Biden government begins website trials as part of the Save student loan plan
 
Joe Biden’s administration has launched a website testing phase for the Save Student loan scheme. The website will offer a loan repayment plan for students based on income. The website is part of the Save (Saving on a Valuable Education) plan. Biden announced the Save plan after his initial loan forgiveness plan was stopped by the Supreme Court.

The plan is expected to reduce monthly installments paid by students significantly.  Biden said he is committed to making the student loan system in the county better. The report was sent to media houses in a statement by a senior member of the Whitehouse. The report said signing up for a student loan on the website will take only 10 minutes.
 
Borrowers will be able to view the exact monthly installments they should pay. They will be allowed to choose favorable installments based on income. The Biden administration expects to launch the website before schools open in September. The Save plan will however become effective in July 2024.
 
Students go through an intensive K-12 education system before joining higher education.  In higher education, a student writes essays, research papers, and does several exams. In the forgiveness plan, Biden had planned to forgive needy students a $430 bn loan.
 
New teaching guidelines on slavery in Florida criticized
 
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina recently criticized Governor Ron DeSantis due to new teaching guidelines that he supported. Florida okayed middle school teachers to instruct students that slaves benefited from slavery. The educators are required to teach students the slaves learned skills that they could use for their benefit.

Scott insisted that slavery was all about mutilating humans. It was about separating families and raping women. The report by AP News said that Scott regretted the position taken by the Governor. He said Ron is in the presidential race and should come clean and clarify his position.
 
It is not the first time that Ron is dealing with criticism. He has faced a lot of criticism from teachers, civil rights activists, and Black Republicans. President Joe Biden’s administration has also criticized him on school standards. Students in the US have written a lot of essays on slavery.
 
A student is free to support any side when writing a research paper. Some of the essays can be published as examples for other students to read. However, when a politician takes a stand, it is prone to attract great criticism. A week ago, Vice President Kamara Harris visited Florida to condemn the state’s curriculum. Ron defended himself by saying he was free to speak the truth. He said Americans have for many years believed in a lie.

Conclusion
 
As schools prepare to open for the 2023/24 academic year, many issues still need to be addressed. There have been concerns about cyberattacks on school data. Concerns about inclusivity and diversity in educators remain a major concern. Being a presidential election year, presidential candidates are making many promises to change the education sector. Teachers on the hand are pushing for empowerment. They also want the curriculum empowered to fit a STEM-driven world. Stakeholders can only hope that the promises will be implemented to make schools a better place.

BOZEMAN – Ellie Jackson, a 2022 Montana State University graduate in cell biology and neuroscience, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the nation’s oldest collegiate honor society, Phi Kappa Phi.

Jackson, who is originally from Bozeman and is planning a career as a family physician in a rural community, said she will use the $8,500 fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Washington beginning this fall. Though her end goal is to become a rural health care provider, she believes her studies in UW’s Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program will provide a solid public health background and enable her to provide services more effectively in a small community.

“I wanted to do this master’s program before medical school because I do really have a passion for public health,” Jackson said. “I chose that program because it’s specific to what I want to do, which is community-oriented work.”

In the year since she graduated from MSU, Jackson has worked in a number of different roles at a community health clinic in Three Forks, where she says she has learned a lot about the workings of a small-town clinic and strengthened her resolve – initially forged through her academic and extracurricular activities at MSU – to become a rural health care provider.

As an undergraduate, Jackson was a Cameron Presidential Scholar in the Honors College and active in many campus organizations, including student government. She represented the College of Letters and Science for two years as an elected ASMSU senator and was ASMSU Senate vice president during her second term. In 2019, she participated, through the Office of Student Engagement, in a BreaksAway trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, where she says she learned about health issues facing migrants. For three years, she served as director of the HEART Initiative, a student organization committed to furthering awareness of human trafficking and encouraging action to prevent it. And for one summer, she managed the Bounty of the Bridgers Food Pantry on campus with the goal of making the service more widely accessible and destigmatizing the experience of food insecurity.

“Ellie was an incredible student who fully utilized the opportunities available for undergraduate students at Montana State University,” said Jeff Heys, MSU’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter president and MSU Honors College acting dean during the 2023 fellowship nomination process.

In addition to her major studies in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology in the College of Agriculture, Jackson earned minors in Hispanic studies and global health in MSU’s College of Letters and Science. Together with seminars she took through the Honors College, “a lot of those classes informed my interest in health and medicine and inspired my passion for public health,” she said.

Mary Cloninger, who was Jackson’s honors organic chemistry professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said she has no doubt that her former student will attain her professional goals.

“She will thrive in the more advanced curriculum,” she said. “She’s going to be excited to do more school, and she’s going to do it well.”

Jackson participated in an internal competition before being invited by the Honors College to apply for the national fellowship. The selection criteria include evidence of an applicant’s graduate potential, service and leadership experience, and undergraduate academic achievement. Jackson’s mentors say she excelled in all areas.

She’s a scholar, she’s a hard worker and she’s absolutely dedicated to serving the community, whether that be at MSU or outside,” Cloninger said.

Heys added, “As a freshman, Ellie studied how influenza mutates so that we can design better vaccines in the future. Later, she studied growth of and interactions of neurons to help us better understand neurodegenerative diseases, and this work is the basis of her honors thesis.

“We cannot wait to see what this incredibly talented and hard-working student does next,” he said.

Though Jackson has received much recognition for her scholarship and service – her many accolades in 2022 included MSU’s Award for Excellence, Student Organization Leader of the Year Award, Torlief Aasheim Community Involvement Award and Ethelyn C. Harris Award – she said being named a Phi Kappa Phi fellow is especially meaningful.

“It’s something I’m really grateful for as a first-generation graduate student. The fellowship will be of tremendous help,” she said. “The support of the Honors College was huge, helping me and supporting me along the way. It set me up really well to be a recipient of this award.”

Jackson said she expects to return to Montana after she finishes her higher degrees.

"Having grown up in Montana and now working in Three Forks, I have a deep appreciation for working in a rural community and realizing how we have limited access to (health) care compared to other states nationwide,” she said. “I think I definitely want to come back and give back to the state I grew up in.”

In the early morning hours of Sunday, August 6, 2023, the Gallatin County Coroner’s Office along with Montana Highway Patrol and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office investigated a fatal motor vehicle accident between a motorcycle and a pickup truck. The accident occurred at Mile Marker 15 on the Frontage Road near Belgrade. The driver of the motorcycle was taken to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center where he died of his injuries. The victim was identified as 28-year-old Hunter Berry of Manhattan. His cause of death was determined to be blunt force injuries of the head and the manner was ruled an accident. The driver of the pickup truck fled the scene after the crash. Law enforcement is still looking for the driver of the pickup truck at this time.

Sheriff Springer wishes to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Hunter Berry during this time.

Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) is best known for the Main Street to the Mountains trail system, but the definition of trail is expanding. GVLT and partners have launched the area’s first water trail, the Missouri River Headwaters Paddlers’ Trail.

The trailhead (or “put in” as it’s better known in the paddler world) is located at the Missouri River Boat Launch in Headwater’s State Park. The trail takes floaters past the Fairweather Fishing Access Site and ends at the Toston Dam “take-out”. Paddlers can choose to continue for a more strenuous adventure or start at Fairweather Fishing Access for a less challenging route with a shorter time commitment.

The National American Trails organization recently published an article praising water trails. “Water trails connect us to nature and history in a way that other trails cannot. Many American towns and cities are built at the edge of water bodies, so taking to the water is a way to explore areas from a different perspective, close to home. Water trails can allow access to wild places that may be almost unreachable otherwise. Water trails are fun and inclusive.”

The creation of the trail was inspired by GVLT’s mission to connect people to the lands, and rivers, in beautiful southwest Montana. Water trails are especially aligned with GVLT’s focus on inclusivity for community members of all abilities and levels of experience accessing the outdoors.

Water trails typically have a predetermined route along a river with dedicated access points to put in and take out your personal watercraft such as kayak, canoe, raft, or even stand-up paddle board. The trail includes signage and mapping with mile markers to help users of all abilities and experience levels have a better understanding of what to expect on their journey. Even with these new resources, it is important to follow the Leave No Trace principle “know before you go” to stay safe out there. Looking up weather conditions, water levels and flows, common hazards and being aware of your surroundings can ensure you have an incredible day on the water. A key component to this project includes educating the public about how they can keep Montana waters healthy.  Signage at put in and take out locations encourage paddlers to follow Leave No Trace principles and explains how they can help maintain water quality and the sensitive lands surrounding the river corridor.

GVLT was one of many nonprofit and government agency partners that worked together to bringthis vision to life. "It's amazing when a community can rally around a project that combines recreation with the power of education to protect a resource. GVLT relies on its many partners to build incredible trails, and this project is no different," GVLT Trails Director, Matt Parsons said.Partners included Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the Montana Association of Conservation Districts, Montana Conservation Corps, and GVLT. GVLT and partners will be celebrating the launch of the Missouri Headwaters Paddlers Trail on Friday August 11th at the Missouri Headwaters Boat Lunch at 9am. The public and members of the press are invited to attend. About Gallatin Valley Land Trust: Gallatin Valley Land Trust connects people, communities, and open lands through conservation of working farms and ranches, healthy rivers, and wildlife habitat, and the creation of trails in the Montana headwaters of the Missouri and Upper Yellowstone Rivers. For more information, visit www.gvlt.org.

BOZEMAN — Alicia Crane wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to afford her doctor of nursing practice degree.

As an undergraduate at Montana State University, she had always hoped to earn an advanced degree so she could better serve her rural community, but she knew that raising three children while working as a registered nurse would make paying for another three or four years of school difficult.

Then she applied for MSU’s Advanced Nursing Education Workforce program scholarship. As one of 20 ANEW scholars selected annually, Crane receives a stipend each semester to help cover the costs of tuition, books and travel as she prepares for a career as a nurse practitioner working in a rural community.

“It’s been a huge blessing and help,” Crane said. “I can’t say in words how thankful I am for the scholarship.”

The ANEW program is funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MSU received its first ANEW grant in 2019, and it was recently renewed for $2.6 million over four years, which administrators in the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing refer to as ANEW 2.0.

“The ANEW grant allows us to provide the financial support to cover tuition and fees, books and supplies, and even travel,” said Sarah Shannon, dean of MSU’s nursing college. “ANEW also allows us to offer special learning opportunities to ensure that we produce not just nurse practitioners but rural-ready nurse practitioners who are already embedded in and committed to their local communities.”

The ANEW program is designed to increase access to health care for rural Montanans, a core focus of the nursing college. All but two of Montana’s 56 counties are classified as health care professional shortage areas, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.

MSU offers two options in its doctor of nursing practice, or DNP, degree program. Family practice nurse practitioners serve as primary care providers with the ability, in Montana, to diagnose, prescribe and refer patients to specialists. Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners assess, diagnose and treat acute and chronic mental health needs of their patients.

ANEW scholarship recipients commit to working in rural health care. Scholars are required to perform some of their clinical work at rural hospitals or health centers. They also must join the Area Health Education Center scholars program, a two-year, nationally recognized certificate program designed to develop and improve skills to help them better serve patients in rural communities. The AHEC scholars program includes 80 extra hours of learning and access to specialty training seminars, like classes on suturing or managing diabetes in a rural setting.

“They’re going above and beyond what they’re learning in the DNP program and spending more time learning about various health care topics,” said Kailyn Mock, director of the Montana AHEC and Office of Rural Health at MSU.

Many of the current ANEW scholars, like Crane, are already living and working in rural communities. Crane lives in Roberts, Montana, and works nearby at the Beartooth Billings Clinic in Red Lodge.

“What I love about being at a small hospital is being that puzzle piece for my community to provide what they need,” Crane said.

Stacy Stellflug, an MSU nursing professor who is the principal investigator for the ANEW grant, said during the early days of ANEW, many applicants came from large metropolitan areas. Now, she said, many more of the ANEW scholars are coming from rural communities.

The DNP program offers distance learning, which allows students to remain living in their home communities and attend classes virtually. The university also works with clinical preceptors around the state to allow students to perform their hands-on learning, or clinical work, close to home.

“When our students are actually coming from those rural settings, they often have a job promised to them when they graduate,” Stellflug said. “The ANEW grant is a mechanism for them to financially be able to do DNP education and become a much-needed health care provider for rural Montana.”

HELENA – Fishing restriction and closures on several streams in southwest Montana will be lifted at midnight tonight because of recent cool temperatures and forecasted rain.

This includes the hoot owl restrictions on the lower Beaverhead River, four sections on the Big Hole River, the lower Gallatin River, Jefferson River, the lower Madison River and Ruby River. This also includes lifting the full closure on the Madison below Ennis Dam. 

Fishing restrictions, such as hoot owl restrictions and full fishing closures, are designed to protect fish that become more susceptible to disease and mortality when conditions, such as low flows and high water temperatures, combined with other stressors, including catch-and-release fishing.

All stress to fish at this time of year is cumulative, and anglers should consider fishing in cooler waters during times of low flows and high water temperatures in rivers. Anglers can help reduce stress for fish by following these practices when catching and releasing fish, though fish mortality may still occur:

• Fish during the coolest times of day, where permitted.
• Land the fish quickly.
• Wet your hands before handling the fish.
• Keep the fish in water as much as possible.
• Remove the hook gently. Using artificial lures with single and barbless hooks can make hook removal faster and easier.
• If the fish is hooked deeply, you may have to cut the line at the fish’s mouth or consider keeping it if regulations allow.
• Let the fish recover before releasing it.

BOZEMAN – On Aug. 8, Bozeman City Commission will consider adopting an ordinance that would establish restrictions on the time, place, and manner in which people can shelter or camp in the public right of way. The draft ordinance will help the city maintain safe and clean public streets, sidewalks, paths, and boulevards while balancing concerns for people experiencing homelessness.

“The draft ordinance follows 9^th Circuit laws and does not impact anyone’s constitutional right to keep themselves warm and dry while sleeping when no other form of shelter is available,” City of Bozeman Assistant City Manager Kira Peters stated. “Instead, it establishes when, where, and how people can stay in the right-of-way, which would help us better handle things like snow plowing and street sweeping.”

The proposed ordinance allows people to stay in the public right-of-way in a vehicle for up to five days if they are homeless and no other form of shelter is available. After five days, they must move to a different named street.

Additionally, people may not camp adjacent or across from a residence, park, school, or daycare, or within 100 feet of a business entrance. Camping may not occur in violation of any posted parking restrictions or prohibitions, or in a bike lane or sidewalk.

The draft ordinance proposes general rule conditions related to the manner that people stay in the public right-of-way, including that people must maintain clean and orderly spaces with no trash or personal items stored outside their vehicles.

The City’s newly established Community Health & Safety Officers would help people stay in compliance with the proposed regulations through education, notice, and connections to services, with the goal of achieving voluntary compliance. Violations may result in a municipal infraction punishable by a civil penalty of $100. 

The number of people staying in the right-of-way has been increasing along with impacts on the surrounding environment, prompting the creation of the draft ordinance.

Those interested in more information on the draft ordinance can contact the City Manager’s office at 406-582-2306.

CARDWELL – Three women were injured by an otter Wednesday evening while floating on the Jefferson River.

About 8:15 p.m., the three women were floating on inner tubes about 3 miles upstream from Sappington Bridge when they observed one or two otters. An otter approached and attacked them. The women got out of the water, and the otter swam away.

The women then called 911, and several agencies responded, including Montana Highway Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Valley Ambulance, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Life Flight and a local landowner.

All three women were injured during the encounter and received medical treatment in Bozeman. One of them, whose injuries were more serious, was taken to the hospital in a helicopter.

FWP staff have posted signs at several fishing access sites in the area advising recreationists of otter activity. No further management action is planned at this time.

While attacks from otters are rare, otters can be protective of themselves and their young, especially at close distances. They give birth to their young in April and can later be seen with their young in the water during the summer. They may also be protective of food resources, especially when those resources are scarce. Otters are members of the weasel family.

FWP advises recreationists to keep a wide distance, giving all wildlife plenty of space. In drought conditions, low water levels can bring recreationists closer to water-dwelling wildlife. Being aware and keeping your distance can help avoid dangerous encounters, reduce stress for wildlife, and promote healthy animal behavior. If you are attacked by an otter, fight back, get away and out of the water, and seek medical attention.

HELENA – So far this year, FWP and its partners have inspected 66,000 watercraft for aquatic invasive species. Of those, 35 were mussel-fouled and more than 200 were found with aquatic weeds.

FWP and partner agencies, which include tribes, counties and conservation districts, operate more than 17 road-side watercraft inspection stations across the state. To find a watercraft inspection station or to learn more, go to CleanDrainDryMT.com or call the FWP Aquatic Invasive Species Bureau at 406-444-2440.

A July survey for Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) in Beaver Lake near Whitefish found no EWM. Another follow-up survey will be conducted later this month. Eradication of EWM is the goal for Beaver Lake through persistent survey and removal.

Eurasian watermilfoil in Nilan Reservoir (near Augusta) was treated with herbicide by FWP in 2022. Surveys conducted last month found no evidence of EWM in the lake. Nilan is the only location of EWM on the Rocky Mountain Front and EWM eradication is the objective for that system.

All boaters and other water recreationists need to follow the rules to prevent aquatic invasive species from affecting Montana’s waters.

Those rules include:

• All boats must stop at all open watercraft inspection stations they encounter. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $500. 
• Always be sure to clean, drain and dry your boat.
• All watercraft entering Montana are required to be inspected for aquatic invasive species. An inspection is required before launching on Montana waters.
• Non-residents transporting watercraft into Montana must purchase a Vessel AIS Prevention Pass before launching. The fee is $30 for motorized and $10 for nonmotorized watercraft. The pass is valid until Dec. 31.
• Inspection is required for Montana residents before launch IF: the boat is entering the state, crossing west over the Continental Divide or entering the Flathead basin. 

On August 1, 2023, at 1:20 pm, Gallatin County Dispatch received a call for an injured horseback rider on Lizard Lake Trail approximately 2.5 miles from the Cache Creek Trailhead. The injured rider was bucked from the horse and then stepped on. The rider reported injuries to the hip, lower back, leg, and hand.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue Big Sky Section deployed a hasty team on e-bikes as well as ground litter teams. The Heli Team was also requested to access and evacuate the patient. The helicopter was able to land near the patient, load them in the helicopter, and fly to the Sage Creek Trailhead where they were transferred into the care of Big Sky Fire Department for ground transport to Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center.

Sheriff Springer wants to remind residents and guest of Gallatin County that horse accidents can be a common occurrence in the backcountry. This rescue was expedited because the group had a GPS device to provide an accurate location, radios to allow for communication with rescuers, and were able to provide clear and accurate information on the condition of the terrain, condition of the patient, and patient needs.