Paying for your child’s college education can be challenging because the cost of tuition has gone up significantly. While you should not sacrifice your financial stability to pay for your child’s college education, there are still some ways to help them out. By starting your planning early, you and your child will be better off. Still, even if you haven’t started saving since your kids were small, there are some ways to support them.

Consider Cosigning a Loan
If your student needs more assistance after getting federal loans, they might need a private student loan instead. Still, a student will need to have a good credit history to qualify, especially if they want to get a lower rate. To help them gain approval on a student loan, you might consider being a student loan cosigner. Of course, you are assuming liability for payments if your child becomes unable to pay back the funds. It is beneficial to your child, but it can be risky for you. Consider things carefully before making this decision and think about your child’s financial goals. Assess their financial responsibility before choosing to make the signature, and learn how you can be released from your obligation in the future if necessary.

Using a College Savings Plan
It is a good idea to create a college savings plan while your child is still young. Even if you don’t have a full eighteen years to save up, you can still get ahead of things with a 529 savings plan. All of the states and the District of Columbia have at least one kind of plan you can look into. Still, every state has different regulations around their plans, so it is best to do your research on yours to determine whether it would be helpful for you. You will want to find out how the savings add up over time as well. There are often high contribution levels, meaning you can often put away as much as you can afford. And there are often long-term options for investments, so your account might grow at a good rate as well. Share your plans with your child in advance of them entering college. Same as you would discuss nightlife dangers to avoid, and how to assimilate into dorm life, you should have open lines of communication about funding their tuition as well.

Using a Home Equity Loan
You can use your home’s value to help cover the cost of college, even though putting your home up could sound extreme to you. Still, it could be a good option if the interest rates are better than the current student loan rates. Know that it is not without its risks. Using this type of loan to minimize or prevent student debt does come with some risks. At some point, you could owe more on the home than it is worth. Plus, if you can’t make the repayments, you could lose the house. The federal government allows for a certain amount of student aid based on income and asset levels, and if you have too much access to cash, your student might not qualify for as much aid. And the funds you get from a home equity long could be taken into account during the financial review. Even if your child qualifies for some aid, it might not be as high as you need.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announces the annual fishing regulation photo and kids’ art contest. Winners will see their work on the front and back cover of the 2022 fishing regulation booklets.

All submitted photos will be considered for the contest, but the department will give special consideration to photos that highlight the diversity of people and fishing opportunities that Montana has to offer.

Photo contest:

• Photo must be vertical (portrait) mode, or suitable for tight vertical cropping to fit the available space on the regs cover.
• Photo must be a minimum resolution and size of 6 inches tall at 300 pixels-per-inch.
• FWP will feature your name on the front cover as credit. Please specify how you would like to be credited.
• Please include a short description of the photo, so we can provide some caption information.
• Ownership of the photo is retained by the photographer, who may use his/her image for other purposes.
• Please do not send photos of fish that have been mounted.
• Photo must be taken in Montana.

Art contest

• Kids 12 and younger are invited to submit a colored drawing of a fish that lives in Montana.

Please send in your best photo and drawing today! Email to fwpphotocontest@mt.gov. Deadline is Oct. 15.

Winners will receive their photo on the cover, a subscription to Montana Outdoors Magazine and a Montana Outdoors t-shirt.​

ENNIS – Two people were injured Tuesday in an encounter with a grizzly bear southeast of Ennis. 

Around 8:30 p.m., two men were hiking with a dog off trail in the Bear Creek area when they encountered a sow grizzly bear with cubs at close range. During the encounter, the two hikers were injured by the bear. However, they were able to use bear spray to defend themselves. Fortunately, both hikers were able to leave the attack site without assistance and received treatment for relatively minor injuries.  

Sows with cubs can be especially defensive in close encounters with people. It’s likely this attack was defensive in nature. 

A game warden with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks investigated the scene of the attack on Wednesday with law enforcement staff from the U.S. Forest Service. The trail nearest the incident has been closed and signed temporarily as a precaution. Other trails in this area have also been signed, advising visitors of the incident. No further management action is planned at this time. 

Recreationists, residents and people who work outdoors can be prepared for a surprise bear encounter. Activities that are deliberately quiet or fast moving, such as hunting, mountain biking or trail running, put people at greater risk for surprising a bear. When you’re spending time in Montana’s outdoors, keep these precautions in mind: 

• Be aware of your surroundings and look for bear sign. 
• Read signs at trailheads and stay on trails. Be especially careful around creeks and in areas with dense brush. 
• Carry bear spray. Know how to use it and be prepared to deploy it immediately.  
• Travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise, which can help alert bears to your presence. 
• Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears. 
• Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency. 
• If you encounter a bear, never approach it. Leave the area when it is safe to do so. 
•
Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Management authority for grizzlies rests with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working closely in Montana with FWP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, the Forest Service and Tribal lands. This collaboration happens through the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.  

For more information on bear safety, visit go.usa.gov/xFmsQ. 

Registration is now open for fall semester courses and programs offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Montana State University. Programming includes courses, lectures, forums, field trips and book discussion groups for the intellectually curious aged 50 and over.

Eleven noncredit enrichment courses are being offered for the fall semester. Topics covered include Russian culture and history; free speech; bison ranching; transportation policy and planning; artificial intelligence; global civics; Bob Dylan; Christian nationalism; humor and the English language; angling around the world; and Montana Native trailblazers. OLLI courses are typically offered once a week over four to six weeks. The cost for courses and workshops ranges from $40 to $75 with an OLLI membership. 

For fall, OLLI at MSU is offering nine Side Trip Lectures on Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m. These lectures will cover topics ranging from circadian rhythms to the Yellowstone volcanic system and from viruses and vaccines to tornadoes. Side trips; three book discussion groups; the How It’s Made field trips; and behind the scenes previews of arts performances with Preludes and Performances are all free with an OLLI membership.

OLLI also offers free community programs, including the longstanding monthly Friday Forum and evening lectures in partnership with the Belgrade Community Library.

Fall programming will include a mix of face-to-face and online options. Recordings of online programs will also be available to members. To view more details about fall programs, including the delivery and location, please visit montana.edu/olli/offerings.

To purchase an OLLI membership or to register for courses or programs, visit montana.edu/olli/register. For more information, please contact Academic Technology and Outreach at OLLI@montana.edu or 406-994-6550. To sign up for OLLI’s free weekly e-newsletter, please visit montana.edu/olli/newsletter.

Some people are night owls, and they only feel alive once the sun goes down. There is nothing wrong with that. If you enjoy being awake at night and participating in various activities, you can probably find plenty of other individuals who share that trait.

There are some particular nightlife dangers you will want to avoid, though. You can do so if you’re aware of why they’re perilous, and you can modify your behavior accordingly.

Driving or Riding a Motorcycle at Night
Riding a motorcycle is dangerous at any time, but even more so at night. Stats show that in 2018, there were 58.18 fatalities for 100,000 registered American motorcycles. That should certainly get your attention. 
 
If you ride your motorcycle at night, the likelihood is higher that you will crash it. That’s because visibility is not as good. You can’t see other drivers as well, and they cannot see you.

Even driving a car at night is more dangerous than during the daytime. If you decide to head to a bar, club, or restaurant after the sun sets, you may want to take a ride share vehicle or a cab to get there instead of utilizing your own conveyance.

By doing so, you not only make it less likely you’ll get in a wreck, but you can also consume alcohol responsibly if you are a drinker. If you drink and drive or ride your motorcycle at night, that multiplies your chances of causing an accident.

Excessive Drinking
Drinking alcohol often fits into nightlife, and that’s fine. You can enjoy a couple of beverages with friends, and they will often get you in a better mood and loosen you up after a long day.

If you drink too much, though, you are not going to enjoy your night so much. Heavy drinkers often throw up at the end of the night, and no one wants to get to that point.

You might also make a poor decision if you drink too much. If you consume alcohol beyond what your body can handle, you might go home with someone who you wouldn’t under normal circumstances.

The following day, when you realize what you did, you will feel bad about yourself. It’s far better to know your limit and stop drinking when you know you’re getting close to it.

Illegal Drugs
Illegal drugs often go with the nightlife as well. There are dozens of different ones, from cocaine to MDMA to methamphetamines.

None of them are good for you, and obviously, they are all illegal. Even if you feel like you are using them responsibly, if the cops catch you with them, they can arrest you, and you don’t want to spend a night in jail or end up in front of a judge.

Also, many of these drugs are addictive, and you don’t want to get hooked. They can seriously mess your life up and turn you into a junkie.

Lack of Sleep
If you go out every night, that’s okay, provided you can still get a sufficient sleep amount afterward. If you've got a job you need to get to early in the morning, though, and you’re still going out drinking and dancing at the club, that’s probably going to lead to problems.

You should only go out at night if you don’t have to be up early the following day. If you ignore your body’s sleep requirements, you’re going to be like a zombie at work. Your performance will probably suffer, and your superiors may pass you over for raises and promotions when the time comes.

Relationship Damage
You can also go clubbing every night if you’re single because there’s no one to tell you they don’t want you to do it. If you are in a committed relationship, though, you’ll have to think about that and modify your lifestyle accordingly.

If you go out every night while your spouse or significant other stays home with the kids, they will quickly start to resent you for that. They will probably want you to change your behavior, and you will have to think about what is more important: the relationship or the nightlife.

As you get a little bit older, you may have to be more selective about when you go out. Nightlife is a young person’s game. The only time you might get away with going out every night at any age is if you have no attachments and you’re also well off financially.

Did you know? 1 in 6 Montana children struggle with hunger. The Gallatin Valley Food Bank KidsPack Program provides nutritious, kid-friendly foods over the weekend during the school year. The bags are distributed to elementary children across 21 schools in Gallatin, Jefferson, and Madison counties. Each week they distribute an average of 450 bags.

While KidsPack bags aim to support the children in a family, they often supplement the entire family's food budget. Please help us by donating the items listed below to ensure that children arrive at school fed and ready to learn on Monday and don’t fear a weekend without meals.  

Wish List Items:

• Low sodium canned soup
• Low sodium canned chicken & tuna
• Fruit cups in fruit juice (ex: peaches, oranges)
• Veggie cups (ex: carrots, green beans)
• Low sugar, single serve cold cereal cups
• Low sugar, instant oatmeal packets
• 100% juice fruit juice boxes
• Whole grain granola bars (preferably store brand)

Each person who donates will receive a coupon for a free taco from Taco Bell (one per person for the duration of the drive)! Donations can be dropped off at GVM Guest Services (located near Macy's) between August 9-September 6. To learn more and to discover more ways you can make a difference, visit the Gallatin Valley Food Bank website.

Sixteen Montana State University architecture students have worked to remove barriers for homeless youth in Bozeman by helping design an obstacle course that will be used in a local fundraiser this month.
 
The students from two Honors first-year design classes taught by Brian W. Brush, instructor in the MSU School of Architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture, designed obstacles that will be used in HRDC’s Blueprint Obstacle Adventure Race. The inaugural BOAR event will feature 1K and 5K obstacle races in the style of popular Spartan Races and will be held Saturday, Aug. 21, at Glen Lake Rotary Park, formerly called the East Gallatin Recreation Area. The race is a fundraiser for HRDC’s Blueprint Continuum, which provides housing resources for area homeless youth.

 
Jeremy Alcoke, HRDC Blueprint Continuum coordinator who supports Blueprint’s services, said the MSU-designed obstacles are a key part in what HRDC hopes will be a fun and popular community fundraiser.
 
“We didn’t want to do just another race,” Alcoke said. “We wanted to do something that would also raise awareness about some of the hurdles faced by members of our community.”
 
MSU students became involved after the Bozeman Sunrise Rotary Club, which has supported the local transitional home since 2015, had to step back from providing full support. Also, last summer, Blueprint moved to a larger facility and expanded its services, including rent assistance and long-term housing options, so more funding was needed.

 
HRDC knew races are effective fundraisers in the Bozeman community. The organization already operates Huffing for Stuffing, a popular Thanksgiving Day run that raises money for the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. Alcoke and others on the race committee had run in popular Spartan Race obstacle runs, and together they wondered if there might be a way to bring the energy and enthusiasm of an obstacle race to the Blueprint Continuum. The race committee emailed the School of Architecture faculty seeking assistance designing the obstacles.

 
At about the same time Brush, who earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from MSU in 2005, was appointed studio director for the school’s Community Design Center. Brush is a runner and outdoor athlete, so the committee’s email caught his attention.
 
“I thought that this was the kind of project that was in my wheelhouse,” Brush said. “I replied that I’d be interested in helping out.”
 
Brush thought the project a good fit for his Honors first-year design studio, which focuses on the design of full-scale objects and spaces that interact with the human body. He also thought the project would give the students an exercise in empathy and public service.
 
The six students in the 2020 first-year Honors spring design studio began working on the project in early 2020. Brush successfully applied for a grant from MSU’s Undergraduate Scholars program so the students could participate in a Spartan Race in California in February 2020 and learn about obstacle races firsthand. But soon after they returned from the race, the COVID-19 pandemic forced MSU classes online, including the studio.

 
“(The quarantine) definitely changed the dynamic, but we switched to digital tools and began designing remotely,” Brush said.
 
Atticus Cummings said the project was a major highlight of his first year, helping him to be aware of demographics in his hometown of Bozeman that were not on his radar before – particularly homeless youth and alternately able athletes.
 
“As a college student, this experience taught me how rewarding it is to take the learning we are doing in school and apply it in the real world to help people,” Cummings said.
 
Rebecca Hennings, now a third-year architecture major from Loveland, Colorado, said working on the project helped her find her place at MSU as a freshman and taught her unexpected skills such as grant proposal writing and project management. It also demonstrated the many options she would have in a future career.

 
“I feel proud of the work that my team did on this project,” Hennings said. “We worked very hard to make obstacles that were enjoyable and accessible, also addressing youth homelessness. This had the added challenge of being abruptly moved to an online course halfway through. We all adapted and learned new programs and continued our collaboration.”

 
The class resumed a year later with 10 new Honors freshmen. Professor Zuzanna Karczewska and instructor Stephanie Irwin also worked with the new class. In all, the students produced a packet of about 30 obstacle designs that they presented to the BOAR committee for consideration.
 
The committee opted to build 16 obstacles that would appeal to a broad range of racer abilities. The 1K is designed to be equitable for all skill levels and accessibility, while the 5K offers more athletic challenges. The obstacles range from what is called a The BOAR strong wall where participants will scale out into the water to a spin maze composed of a field of rotating gates.

 
“We worked with the thought of how we can make this fun and different,” Brush said. HRDC then made the obstacles from materials donated by community partners.
 
Ryann Spang, now a second-year architecture student from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, was in the second class to work on the project and designed the spin maze obstacle. She said working on the project taught her how to “think beyond myself, to see through multiple, unique perspectives. I’ve come to realize that there is so much more to architecture than simply designing buildings.”

 
Spang said she found the process so interesting that she continued to volunteer on the project after class ended helping to build some of the obstacles for the BOAR race, including her design.
 
“I had invested so much emotion into the project that I couldn’t just stop after the class came to an end,” Spang said. “Everything about this project has been such a great learning experience.”
 
Brush said the exercise of designing the accessible 1K course obstacles exposed students to design considerations that come from the Americans with Disabilities Act.
 
“It was also a good lesson in how the design of these obstacles could teach awareness and engender empathy for the homeless,” Brush said.
 
Ralph Johnson, director of the School of Architecture, said the design of the BOAR obstacles is an excellent example of service learning, where students in the school gained hands on experience in accessible design through working with a real client, HRDC, to solve a difficult set of design challenges. 

 
“The project was a wonderful example for first year students of not only the role architects can plan in a community but also the role of the School of Architecture in fulfilling the University’s Land Grant mission,” Johnson said. “It is undoubtably an academic experience for which they can be very proud.”

 
Alcoke said he expects around 500 participants in the inaugural Aug. 21 race. HRDC hopes it will be an annual Bozeman event.
 
“We’re trying to be accessible to all community members, from obstacles that allow anyone to participate, from mothers pushing strollers and racers with ambulatory difficulty and racers with developmental disabilities to challenges for experienced racers,” Alcoke said. “It will be special.”
 
For more details about the race, including aged-based pricing, see runtheBOAR.com.

Montana State University has once again been recognized among some of the top universities in the world for its scientific impact and collaboration.

The university earned a spot on the CWTS Leiden Ranking for 2021, which ordered the 1,225 universities in the world with the largest contributions in international scientific journals. MSU is one of just 200 universities in the U.S. to be included on the list.

The ranking is based on universities’ scientific contributions published in scholarly journals, as well as the impact those scientific findings have on the international community. Impact is measured by the number of times the research is cited in subsequent journal articles.

MSU’s overall publication impact rank was 915, while its overall collaborations ranking was 843. According to the Leiden Ranking, MSU had 1,290 published articles appear in the citation database during the 2016-2019 period used in the latest ranking. Close to a tenth of those articles were among the top 10% of papers cited in their respective fields, signifying their high impact.

“We are proud to see our world-class faculty receive this merited recognition,” said Jason Carter, MSU vice president for research, economic development and graduate education. “MSU’s research and publications continue to have an impact globally, in addition to our service to the state and nation, and I look forward to the continuing efforts across campus to make a difference on a large scale.”

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Robert Mokwa added that MSU's continued inclusion in the rankings remains a point of pride for its research community.

“Recognitions based on actual work and impact, like the Leiden Ranking, signal that our research and creative solutions to challenging problems are touching lives all over the world”, Mokwa said. “I am proud of our faculty for their efforts in preparing students for exciting careers and for providing the state new opportunities with emerging and important sectors that contribute to the diversity of Montana’s economy. We are humbled and appreciate greatly this recognition for our creative, innovative and hard-working faculty.”

MSU tallied an all-time high for total research expenditures in 2019-2020, totaling $167 million. This marks an 8% increase over the previous year’s expenditures reported to the National Science Foundation and the seventh year in a row that research expenditures have topped $100 million.

The Leiden Ranking is based on a leading bibliographic database, the Web of Science. More information, including the full list, is available at the Leiden Ranking website.