We Are HER is one of Bozeman’s newest nonprofits for trauma survivors, and already it has helped over 100 survivors across the globe.

HER is an online community for survivors of abuse or assault to be Healed, Empowered, and Restored. Currently HER serves survivors from many US states and has reached internationally with survivors in Germany, the Philippines, and Denmark. We Are HER’s website builds community for survivors of domestic abuse or sexual assault by giving them a voice to share their stories.

HER was started in 2016 by Bozeman resident Stevie Croisant. She left an abusive relationship in April of 2016 and found help from HAVEN.

“HAVEN gave me a voice and helped me feel empowered. Joining their End the Silence program was one of the best decisions I could have made for myself.”

But programs like End the Silence and organizations like HAVEN aren’t available for everyone.

“I wanted to create an organization where survivors could come and get help even if I never knew their name.”

HER partners with HAVEN and is honored to bring another resource for survivors who want to share their story.

HER has several goals for 2019 including starting more survivor-centered events and hosting a podcast so survivors have even more opportunity to build community. For more information, please email Stevie@weareher.net.

They touch every area of the university, ranging from Montana State University’s first female mathematics teacher to one of the country’s first Extension poultry experts to MSU’s first female president. And now the public can know more about the stories of the Extraordinary Ordinary women who have molded the history of MSU with an exhibit at the MSU Library and an expansive website.

The 125 “Extraordinary Ordinary Women” who impacted the university were selected this summer by the MSU President’s Commission on the Status of University Women from nominations submitted by the public is part of the university’s yearlong quasquicentennial celebration.
 
MSU President Waded Cruzado said the list shines a light of recognition and appreciation on women who have been leaders, problem solvers and innovators throughout the university’s history, whether they were widely recognized or were relatively unknown during their time on campus.
 
“This list, which is not exhaustive, demonstrates how the pivotal contributions of scores of brilliant MSU women made Montana State the dynamic university it is today. It should also give us inspiration and hope for the future about how the daughters of the land-grant university in the future will excel in everything they do,” Cruzado said.


Rebecca Belou, co-chair of the commission that selected the honorees, said more than 400 nominations poured in from across Montana, recognizing those who have had an impact on the status of women at MSU and inspired others by their example. The 125 honorees were picked from those nominations. Women from every era of the university were represented as well as a diverse representation of race, age and academic or service areas.

A full list of the honorees can be found here. More information about each recipient can be found in a brief drop-down menu, and there is a website where more in-depth biographical information may be accessed.
 
The Extraordinary Ordinary Women are honored with displays in several locations in the MSU Library through Nov. 9. Posters and an interactive exhibit of honorees is located in the atrium. A computer adjacent to the posters provides virtual access to biographies of each honoree. The MSU Library Open Collection, which is located on book shelves near the cyber discovery wall on the first floor mezzanine, features works from women on the list.  Featured contributors are also highlighted in MSU Library Special Collections located on the second floor. And the display case at the library entrance features memorabilia from some of the honorees.

The women will be honored at a private reception on Nov. 2. They will also be introduced at MSU’s home football game on Nov. 3 against Cal Poly.
 
Nika Stoop, a member of the selection committee, said the accomplishments of the women on the list are truly extraordinary.
 
“The vast array of these women’s accomplishments is amazing,” Stoop said. “When you read what they have done, it blows you away. I am inspired by this remarkable collection of women.”

The 19th annual Can the Griz food drive, an off-field competition between Montana State University and the University of Montana to see which school can collect the most donations for its local county food bank, begins Saturday, Nov. 3.

The competition ends Nov. 17 at the end of the first quarter of the annual Brawl of the Wild football game between MSU and UM, which will be held this year in Missoula. The winner of the competition will be announced during the second half of the football game.

“All of the food collected at Can the Griz remains in the Gallatin Valley, and we’re proud that it is used to support our friends, neighbors, children and MSU students”, said Randi Maiers, community engagement program coordinator with the MSU Office of Student Engagement. “Every year, we beat the previous year’s collection record, and I’m continually in awe of the generosity of our community.”

Organizers of the drive ask that nonperishable food donations be taken to collection locations throughout Bozeman to support those in need in Gallatin County. A list of participating locations can be found at www.canthegriz.com/.

Bobcat supporters can designate their contribution to MSU by telling the Gallatin Valley Food Bank or collection location host that their donation is for the Can the Griz food drive.

Those wishing to donate are also invited to bring cans to the MSU football game on Nov. 3 versus Cal Poly and to the Nov. 10 football game versus Northern Colorado. Collection bins will be located at the Ressler and the XL Country tailgates. Donations will also be collected at the men’s basketball game on Nov. 6. Admission to that game will be only $5 with a donation to the food drive.

Monetary donations may be made directly to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank by visiting canthegriz.com/donate. Each dollar donated counts as 1 pound of food.

Can the Griz will have numerous food-raising events, and many area businesses – including grocery stories and breweries – will be collecting donations and running Can the Griz specials during the two-week competition. Visit canthegriz.com and click “events” to learn more.

Individuals who participate in the drive are invited to take a photo or video of themselves donating and post it on social media with the hashtag #canthegriz.

Maiers urged Can the Griz supporters to get their donations in to the food bank by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, in order for them to count toward the competition.

Last year, MSU and the Bozeman community donated a record 257,336 pounds of food plus $131,757 to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. The University of Montana and Missoula community also raised a record amount for the Missoula community's local food bank and won last year’s competition. Donations from UM and the Missoula community totaled 255,070 pounds of food plus $139,008.

Can the Griz proceeds go to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank.

For more information, or to host a collection box, please contact the MSU Office of Student Engagement at 406-994-2933 or email canthegriz@montana.edu.

Can the Griz is coordinated by the MSU Office of Student Engagement and the Gallatin Valley Food Bank.

Between July and October, 2018 Bozeman Police Officers responded to four separate incidents of indecent exposure in Bozeman businesses.  In all occasions, an unidentified male exposed his genitals while partially covering himself with various items from the store he was in.  The suspect ran from each store on foot when confronted.  Luckily, two stores were equipped with surveillance cameras which captured the suspect on video.  We ask the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect.  The public is urged to contact the Bozeman Police at 582-2242, Crimestoppers (406-586-1131), or policcetips@bozeman.net  with information leading to the identity and apprehension of the suspect.  Any person with information that helps to solve this crime may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward.

Fork & Spoon Homestyle Kitchen, formerly known as the Community Café, is inviting area businesses to treat friends and neighbors to dinner by Picking Up the Tab.

At Fork & Spoon, we believe that sharing a good meal with others makes everyone’s day better. We want to make it easy for businesses to share that feeling, which is why we have launched our Pick Up the Tab fundraising campaign. The idea is simple: a business, service club, church, family or friends can commit to picking up the dinner tab for one night or one week each month. Cost is $500 for one night or $3,000 for one week. That pays for meals for 100 people per night. In return, participants benefit from knowing they have helped feed hungry children, families and individuals in our community. They also receive shoutouts on Fork & Spoon social media channels, website, restaurant table tents and more. We’ve chosen a superhero theme for this campaign to emphasize that being a local superhero is as easy as buying dinner for a friend or neighbor in need.

Fork & Spoon strives to become a self-sustainable and profitable restaurant. Then, our profits will be put back into the community to provide help through a broader range of services.

As Montana’s only pay-what-you can social enterprise restaurant, Fork & Spoon makes it possible for everyone in our community to receive a fresh, healthy dinner at a price they can afford. While a price is suggested for each night’s dinner, guests can choose to pay less, more or nothing at all. Because of this structure, Fork & Spoon depends on community support to be able to provide dinner for our friends and neighbors in need. Members of the community can support Fork & Spoon by coming in to eat dinner or being a part of Pick Up the Tab.

Fork & Spoon serves dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Friday. The kitchen is led by Chef Rick Hilles who sources local ingredients whenever possible for his from-scratch recipes. Fork & Spoon, a program of the HRDC, is located at 302 N. 7th Ave. in Bozeman. For more information on Pick Up the Tab, please contact Fork & Spoon General Manager Chelsea Eddy at 406-587-4225.

A poll of Montana voters conducted jointly by Montana State University political scientists and the Montana Television Network indicates that the 2018 U.S. Senate race for Montana is a dead heat.

The poll showed incumbent Democrat Jon Tester holds a 3-point lead over GOP challenger Matt Rosendale – with 46. 2 percent of respondents favoring Tester, 43.1 percent supporting Rosendale, 2.6 preferring Libertarian candidate Rick Breckenridge and 6.5 percent respondents still undecided. Another 1.6 percent opted for an “other” category.

Those undecided voters could be key to the outcome of the highly contested race, said David Parker, associate professor of political science. Parker led a team of four MSU political scientists who mailed out ballots to 10,400 registered Montana voters in mid-September. About 20 percent of those who received the questionnaire — 2,057 respondents — sent it back by Oct. 6, which is considered a very good response rate, Parker said

“The key is how the independent vote will break,” said Parker, who added that the results are “a snapshot in time.”  He said that about 44 percent of the undecided voters identify as Republican, 27 percent as independent and 26 percent as another party. “Those voters could decide the election, as will turnout.”

Parker said there are three key takeaways from the data, which was weighted with U.S. Census Bureau statistics to reflect the key Montana demographics of age, education, gender by marital status and media markets. Results were also weighted to the 2016 presidential vote in Montana to reflect the state’s partisan dynamics, he said.

First, Democrats are nearly united in their support for Tester, with only 1 percent of the Democratic respondents reporting that they are undecided at this point. For Tester to win, Democratic voters will need to turn out at a rate similar to the 2006 or 2012 Senate elections, Parker said.

The second factor is undecided voters. Undecided voters are largely Republican -- 44 percent – and Parker said, given historical patterns, those voters could move to Rosendale’s column by Election Day, which could tighten the race if Democrats don’t turn out.

Parker said another related issue is whether undecided Republicans will vote with Tester, who is famously likeable, or remain loyal to President Donald Trump, who has made three personal visits to Montana to campaign against Tester.

“Rosendale has not established his personality in this race,” Parker said.  “Tester, on the other hand, is eminently likeable, even his opponents say that. Rosendale has focused his campaign on one thing: his loyalty to Trump. He has embraced that. The question is: Will Republicans vote for Rosendale not knowing him that well, or will they back him to support the president?”

The third factor involves independent voters. Independent voters favor Tester by nearly 30 points -- some 57.3 percent of independent voters support Tester, compared to 29.5 for Rosendale. Again, that makes turnout even more essential, Parker said. For Tester to win, his Democratic supporters and independents favoring him have to show up and vote, Parker said.

Other findings in the data include that women favor Tester by about 13 percentage points (51.7 percent to 38.6 percent) while men favor Rosendale by 6 points (47.5 percent to 41.6 percent). Rosendale’s support is concentrated among middle-aged voters, particularly between the ages of 40 and 49, while Tester has a clear lead among the youngest and oldest voters.

Parker said that several events linked to the election occurred during the time that the questionnaire was out, including the contentious hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as well as a visit by Trump to Billings.

“But (election) events don’t have a long-term effect,” Parker said. “After a few days of a bump following the event, voting preferences return to their baseline condition.”

The questionnaire for the poll and data analysis was conducted by Parker and fellow MSU political scientists Eric D. Raile, Sara Guenther and Elizabeth Shanahan who also analyzed the data. The political scientists opted for a mail-in poll, which has a better response rate than telephone polls.

The MSU/MTN poll was divided into four sections. The Montana race for U.S. House will be announced tomorrow. Referendums will follow the next day. The week will conclude on issues and approval ratings. The team will also conduct a post-election poll in Montana.

For more information about the survey results, go to http://helpslab.montana.edu/

Current Principal Trumpet for the Dallas Symphony and former Principal Trumpet for the world famous Canadian Brass, Ryan Anthony, is scheduled to join the Bozeman Symphony presenting Concerto for Hope on October 27th and 28th, 2018. However, former Canadian Brass member and internationally celebrated trumpeter Jens Lindemann will appear in his place.

Ryan Anthony brings a unique aspect to his music-making and performances as he was diagnosed in 2012 with an incurable form of cancer called Multiple Myeloma - a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.  A favorite guest artist of the Bozeman Symphony, audiences have come to know Ryan over the years and his battle with Multiple Myeloma. Thanks to a stem-cell transplant soon after his diagnosis, Ryan has been successful at keeping the cancer at bay. Determined to beat it, Ryan has been on a mission to raise awareness through “Cancer Blows” concerts and establishing the Ryan Anthony Foundation, and telling his story to anyone who will listen. All of this while maintaining an active schedule of performances, clinics, travel, regular treatments, and as a husband and father of two young children.

 
Ryan’s heroic fight has been ongoing as 2018 brought tandem stem cell transplants this September and October as life-saving treatment of his multiple myeloma. In the first transplant, Ryan received his own stem cells and in the second, he received stem cells from a matched donor located through the Be The Match registry. Maestro Matthew Savery, Music Director and Conductor of the Bozeman Symphony shares “so far, he’s made great progress and is home recovering from the procedure. While he is doing very well, he still has some recovering to do, so traveling to Bozeman for our performances was out of the question. Ryan sends his deepest regrets and hopes to return to Bozeman soon.” Maestro Savery also shares “we’ll have a place on our stage for him when he is ready.”

 
Trumpeter Jens Lindemann will join the orchestra on October 27th and 28th. Jens and Ryan go way back, and they are incredibly close friends. Maestro Savery shares: “I had the pleasure of getting to know Jens two years ago when we both appeared on Ryan’s Cancer Blows: The Legends Return concerts with the Dallas Symphony. We had a fantastic time working together and there is no one I would rather have to fill in for Ryan than Jens. In essence, we are replacing one living legend with another, and all of us at the Bozeman Symphony are grateful.”

About the performance, Jens says “we’re doing this concert for Ryan, for music, and for Bozeman. On Ryan’s behalf, we’re going to give Bozeman an amazing performance.”
 
As stated in the program notes about the Concerto for Hope: “Concerto for Hope is completely and entirely dedicated to Ryan. Just three years before the creation of this concerto, Ryan received his diagnosis. At Ryan’s request, this concerto would be about his story: a concerto that would evoke the events that have shaped forever his view on life, the world, and relationships. To quote Ryan:

‘emotionally powerful, beauty and heartache but ending with hope; fun and full of rejoicing. My recent life: hearing the news and crying out ‘why’ and realizing ‘what’s going on?’ Then accepting it and dealing with the reality and possible future. Then surviving and enjoying life.’
 
I therefore essentially set Ryan’s descriptive paragraph to music. The first movement is full of beauty and fun, with a slight undertone of foreboding. This leads directly (without stoppage) into the second movement, where disbelief, pain and sadness are most prevalent. At one point, the soloist almost literally screams ‘why me?’ to the audience, as the orchestra reaches its most climactic point. This is followed by off-stage musicians who carry on seemingly with a joyous life, leaving the soloist temporarily feeling almost indescribably alone. The instrumentation for the off-stage players, and for other key moments in the work, involves violin, cello and French horn (and brass), all of which have played a significant role in Ryan’s family and musical life.

Again, the second movement passes almost seamlessly onto the third; as we move from sadness and despair to hope and a rebirth of the joy of life. The music struggles constantly between uplifted spirited music and music with a certain darkness. This is musically represented by a battle between G and Eb Major. G Major finally triumphs in the end, and the piccolo trumpet of the soloist awards the listener with the undeniable belief that life is to be lived to the fullest, and that nothing can stop the human spirit.” – James Stephenson

Performances will be held Saturday, October 27th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 28th at 2:30 p.m.  Both performances held at Willson Auditorium (404 West Main Street), Downtown Bozeman. Tickets can be purchased online at bozemansymphony.org, at the Bozeman Symphony offices located at 1001 West Oak Street, Suite 110, by phone at (406) 585-9774, or at the door based on availability. Adult tickets range from $27.00-$67.00. Student discounts are available. Please contact the Bozeman Symphony at (406) 585-9774 or info@bozemansymphony.org with questions you have regarding performance, ticket sales, venue, and seating information. This concert season is generously sponsored by David and Risi Ross. Thank you to Eve Art, Andy, and Jackie, in honor of Mike Art, for sponsoring these performances.

The skills can’t be gleaned online or from a phone. Some of the classes don’t have a textbook. Students may get a little dirty in the lab, which happens to be a shop in one of Montana State University’s equipment facilities. The final grade depends on lessons learned by way of one’s hands.
 
For the MSU students who enroll in Dustin Perry’s classes, and for a modern economy desperate for a skilled labor workforce, honing agricultural mechanics talents are old, albeit, new skills for MSU’s next-generation agricultural educators and agriculturists.
 
Perry, assistant professor in the Division of Agricultural Education, housed in MSU’s College of Agriculture, joined MSU in 2014. Since then, he has revamped the university’s agricultural mechanics classes to promote what he calls “experiential learning” so that students can garner “skills required not just for a job, but for life.” Those skills involve learning to frame, build sub-floors, correctly wire a switchboard and safely use power tools. Bob from InspireDesignAndCreate.com says that proper safety techniques are paramount before taking on any DIY project, especially when novices and new power tools are involved. 

 
“To be sure, there’s a generational decrease in the hard skills of even basic tool operations and safety,” Perry said. “The previous generation would have some kind of inherent knowledge. But in today’s classrooms, it’s a mix between students who know how to operate basic tools and equipment and those who haven’t been exposed to any of it.”

 
About half of Perry’s construction students are required to take his courses for an agricultural education degree. The other half, according to Perry, are students from all majors who are putting their names on wait lists for classes like electrical power and systems operations, small engines, construction and lab management.

 
“I think people are hungry to take these kinds of classes because they’re different and outside of what students are traditionally used to,” he said. 
 
In one of his classes, construction technology, students spend the semester planning and executing a small-scale construction project. Students take on projects from organizations and the public, who are responsible for purchasing the project’s materials. Students present a formal design and budget for the project.  Under Perry’s supervision, they’re responsible for procuring the materials and its entire construction.

 
Former projects include a storage shed at the MSU Child Development Center preschool, an informational kiosk for the Gallatin Valley chapter of Pheasants’ Forever located at MSU’s Lutz Farm, multiple greenhouses and a chicken coop.
 
Last fall, his students built a homecoming float for the College of Agriculture that included the college’s original 1907 seal in honor of MSU’s 125th anniversary year. The float features a center pivot irrigation system powered by 250 gallons of water, which cooled crowds during Bozeman’s Sweet Pea Festival in August. Students constructed hexagonal wooden planters for holding wheat varieties grown on MSU’s Horticulture Farm, as well as the frame for the collegiate seal.

 
Perry, who has a doctorate in agricultural education, grew up in Texas “following his dad around fixing things.” He helps build decks for a local construction company in the summer - what he calls professional development -- so that he doesn’t become disconnected from the industry.
 
Focused on agricultural education recruitment and retention at MSU, he works closely with FFA chapters across the state and is a board member of the Montana FFA. Perry was presented a Teaching Award of Merit by the North American Colleges of Teachers of Agriculture in 2016. Last year at the Western Region Agricultural Education Conference he was awarded a first runner up for distinguished impact in research involving the career decisions of agricultural education teaching graduates. 

 
Jondie Rianda, a graduate student in agricultural education from Kalispell, is a former student of Perry’s and now is a graduate assistant for the construction technology class. Rianda said she enjoys observing students navigate the community aspect of planning and building.
 
“I think what’s so valuable about Dr. Perry’s classes is that he gives his students free rein to really figure things out independently,” she said. “For big projects, that’s a lot of responsibility for students who haven’t been given that learning opportunity. That’s especially true in classes where the level of hard skills really varies.”

 
Rianda said from a teaching perspective, that kind of hands-on learning allows some students to follow a natural tendency to lead.
 
“When it comes to teacher training in agriculture, a lot of rural school districts expect a higher competency in mechancis,” she said. “It’s fun to see the progression of some students take on leadership roles, which is based on the small-group nature of the class.”
 
Austin Standley, an MSU alumnus and current agricultural mechanics teacher at Sweet Grass County High School in Big Timber, said he’s modeling his own classrooms after Perry’s instruction.
 
“It’s almost identical to how I format my electricity class, especially in terms of how much I encourage students to use their hands,” Standley said. “You can go over and over what the electrical principles are in connecting a switchboard, but until you actually do it yourself, you won’t get that ‘ah-ha’ moment. Dr. Perry completely understands the learn-by-doing, which is the nature of ag ed.”

 
Standley said Perry’s classes “were absolutely instrumental” in his ability to teach and connect with students and for an appreciation “of the concepts of how and why most things work.”
 
“It’s a really exciting time to be in ag ed,” Standley said. “There’s a lot of things changing. The most important, I think, is more attention being paid to its value.”