The Montana State Exponent

09/17/2024

“Call it a club all you want. We are running a collegiate sport team.”- Joe Williams, MSU men’s rugby club head coach

For the complete article, visit our bio and use the link tree to navigate to the Sports section!
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09/15/2024

A sea of gold welcomed the Bobcats home for the annual Gold Rush football game this past Saturday, with a 41-24 victory over the Maine Black Bears

For the complete article, visit our bio and use the link tree to navigate to the featured section!
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09/10/2024

This semester, there’s a new building on campus bustling with activity. Inside, climbers harness up, lifters rack their weights, students fill prescriptions and seek life-improving services.

For the complete article, visit our profile and use the Linktree to navigate to the Culture section!
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05/11/2023

A new student-led organization is committed to amping up the atmosphere in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse for basketball games. Some feedback from members that stood out during their meeting included getting more fans in the Brick, increasing fan interaction and just making basketball games more fun overall.

Jackson Dudak, the director of marketing and game operations at MSU, who is spearheading the organization is creating a call for action among the students. With a rise in Bobcat athletics success and overall domination of Bobcat basketball in the Big Sky Conference student involvement is one of the things we can improve on.

Students have the opportunity to come together and increase interaction within athletics and bolster Bobcat spirit.
Read the full article through the sports link in our bio or on page 10 of the print edition.
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05/08/2023

On Thursday, April 20. MSU was a target of a large-scale cyberattack interrupting network services for over a week.

In a statement to the Exponent on April 25, MSU spokesperson Mike Becker said, “The university immediately took steps to secure its network and began investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity specialists.”

The third-party specialists include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Exponent reached out to the FBI for more information. Sandra Barker, an FBI Public Affairs Specialist for the Salt Lake City office, confirmed the organization’s assistance but was not able to comment further, she said.

“This investigation is ongoing,” Becker said. “Services began to return in the days after the attack was detected, with many systems returning to normal operation prior to classes Monday morning. Work continues to bring the rest of our services back to normal as quickly
as possible.”
Read the full article through the news link in our bio.

05/04/2023

Two Montanans have passed away after eating at Dave’s Sushi restaurant in Bozeman. Other customers who dined at the restaurant have also fallen ill in an outbreak of foodborne illness suspected to be caused by morel mushrooms, according to the Gallatin County Health Department and Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS). Health and police department investigations into the matter are open and ongoing and the deaths have not been confirmed as being caused by foodborne illness.

On April 21, Dave’s Sushi made a Facebook post that stated they were aware that several customers who dined in the restaurant on April 17 had become ill. “We believe that the common ingredient that may have been consumed was FDA-approved, cultured morel mushrooms used in Monday’s special roll,” the statement read.

Read the full article through the News link in our bio or on page 3 of the paper edition.

05/04/2023

Last edition of the semester is out now. Grab a copy on campus or read through the “Latest Edition” link in our bio.

05/02/2023

Whether it’s skiing on the slopes or saddled up on horseback, Eagle Mount Bozeman offers locals a chance to combine their love for the outdoors with rewarding multipersonal relationships. The nonprofit organization focuses on providing adaptive recreation for the disabled, children with cancer and veterans.

Eagle Mount Bozeman was established in 1982 by Robert and Greta Mathis. What began as a small ski program has since grown into a source of volunteering opportunities for recreationalists across the board. According to Kevin Sylvester, executive director of Eagle Mount, the organization began with around 100 participants their first year. They now provide adaptive recreation for 850 participants, as well as engaging 1000 annual volunteers, across all its programs.

Read the full article through the Outdoors link in our bio.

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05/02/2023

The final girl trope in the horror genre has been simultaneously loved and hated since the mid-1970s. While the term was not officially coined until 1992 by author Carol J. Clover, the “final girl” is defined as the one who gets a final confrontation with the villain where she either kills him or is saved at the last minute by someone else such as a police officer.

In the early days of the slasher genre, movies such as “Friday The 13th” declared that the final girl was portrayed as the girl who follows the rules, suppresses her sexuality and is thus deemed more valuable than her female counterparts in the films because of her moral high ground. But, in recent years, one franchise has challenged what it means to be deserving of the final girl trope: “Scream.”

Read the full article through the Opinion link in our bio.

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04/30/2023

In its dynamic and adaptable fashion, the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse transformed this past Saturday to house a six sided ring to host the Fusion Fight League. The night included four amateur fights and five professional fights, the first a kickboxing event and the next eight consisting of mixed martial arts (MMA).

According to Terrill Bracken, owner and CEO of Fusion Fight League, Saturday saw an exciting number of fights, and the pro fights uniquely represented Montana. “Tonight is the most pro-fights we’ve put on, and that is just a part of us growing, all five of the pros represented tonight are Bozeman fighters,” Bracken said.

04/28/2023

Dean Adams, the newly appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture (CAA), has been an integral part of the CAA at MSU for 22 years. After receiving his undergraduate degree from MSU in 1992, he returned as a first-year art instructor in 2001.

“The most rewarding aspects of my work at MSU are defined by the wonderful people I have the privilege to work with — students, staff, faculty, and leaders,” he said. “This is an incredible community, and the relationships, some short-term and many longer-term, enrich my life in numerous ways. I have always found joy in my work at MSU.”

Adams was announced as the new dean of the college in April after a national search for candidates was narrowed down to three people, according to the MSU News Service. The search committee consisted of deans, faculty, external advisory council members, and students. After a series of interviews and open forums, Adams was chosen for the job.

Read the full article through the News link in our bio or on page 3 of the paper copy.

04/24/2023

A word from your ASMSU candidates! Voting is open on April 25 and 26. Visit the ASMSU webpage for information on how to vote montana.edu/asmsu/

04/23/2023

Last week, the MSU VOICE Center hosted its annual Take Back the Night event to celebrate and support survivors of sexual assault. The VOICE Center is an on-campus resource for anyone, including faculty, who has experienced, survived, or supported a survivor of interpersonal violence.

Take Back the Night, which took place on April 11 and 12, included an open exhibition about the impact of violence in the Bozeman community, several guest speakers, a vigil, a march and a talking circle, which is a new event this year.

On Wednesday night, students gathered for the talking circle, a confidential space for students to speak and listen to one another. The event coincided with a period of high tension on campus due to the recent death threats to MSU’s Q***r-Straight Alliance (QSA). Organizers were initially unsure if holding the event would be beneficial on campus.

“There was a moment of, alright, well, do we cancel this event and keep space for everything that’s going on?” said Hope McWilliams, who is part of the student staff at the VOICE Center. “But that quickly turned into creating a healing space, a space for people to connect. I think that’s what a lot of people need right now.”

At the talking circle, VOICE Center leaders passed out play dough to ease tensions in the room, then turned the conversation over to participants. “A big part of what we do at the VOICE Center is just listening,” McWilliams said.

The talking circle lasted for over an hour. Participants sipped iced tea and shared frustrations and stories with one another. “I feel a little bit lighter,” Rebeca Montano, a VOICE Center volunteer, said after the circle. “I feel happy to know that I’m not alone and that there’s people who also care and people that are angry. I feel happy to be part of a community that listens to other people and makes them feel heard. That fills me up with a lot of joy.”

Read the full article through the News link in our bio or on page 6 of the paper edition.

04/23/2023

Only a few high stakes games this weekend stand between the MSU club baseball team and a chance to compete in the regional tournament for the National Club baseball Association (NCBA)

The team is approaching regionals at the same time as club sports across MSU, like the women’s lacrosse and round net teams, who are staking their claim in other regional and national competitions.
Last year, the baseball team became a part of the NCBA, the governing body that oversees collegiate club baseball, for the first time.

It was also the first year the club reached regionals for the NCBA Northern Pacific East Conference.

Read the full article through the Sports link in our bio or on page 16 of the paper edition.

04/21/2023

In light of recent campus events including the death threats made against the Q***r Straight Alliance (QSA) and the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), the Office of the President and the Associated Students of Montana State University (ASMSU) student government created a series of events called the Week of Belonging, which occurred from April 10-14.

Last week’s events included a resource fair, chalking the Centennial Mall, a concert featuring local band 70 in a Skool Zone and a de-stress day, all culminating in Friday’s teach-in. The overall purpose of these events was to create greater awareness of the on-campus resources available to students, and to create a physical community through events, said MSU President Waded Cruzado.

“We were looking for ways to reach out to students who felt impacted by the adverse situations that we had been dealing with this semester,” Cruzado said. “We translate lessons learned into action.”

The planning process was relatively swift, Cruzado said. During a routine planning meeting on Tuesday, April 4, “I mentioned something like, in my culture, there’s nothing that you cannot fix with music,” Cruzado said. The next day, ASMSU president Lucas Oelkers called Cruzado.

“I said, ‘We’ve got to make this all five days with events of different types to cater to different people’s identities,’” Oelkers said. “People need different types of resources and different styles of events.”

The original concept of the Week of Belonging was to host a concert to bring people together, said ASMSU Vice President Bella Roccisano. After receiving feedback while planning the concert that would take place Wednesday, April 12, she said ASMSU realized that more events should be done throughout the week to cover the wide range of student needs.

“We created opportunities for students to give tons of feedback to ASMSU and to the administration so that we can learn how to support people better through an event like this in the future,” Roccisano said.

Student feedback was indeed given, with a mixed bag of responses.

Read the full article through the News link in our bio or on page 4 of the paper edition.

04/20/2023

This week’s edition is out now! Hit the e-edition link in our bio or grab a copy on campus.

04/19/2023

In the winter of 2019, the roof of the North and South gyms of the Marga Hosaeus Fitness Center collapsed after unprecedented heavy snowfall. Now, researchers and undergraduate students are using geographic information system (GIS) technology to prevent future collapses.

Eric Sproles, assistant professor of the Department of Earth Sciences, approached university facilities after the roof collapse to gauge if his work in GIS would help measure rooftop snowfall. “We usually map and measure snow in the field, but it’s actually a lot easier to do it on a rooftop,” Sproles said.

A GIS takes information and distills it into a map, Sproles said.

“We’re taking a location-based measurement of snow density and then we’re able to take millions of measurements of snow depth and integrate those to make a map of snow density across rooftops,” he said.

Read the full article through the News link in our bio or on page 3 of the paper edition.

04/18/2023

From selling houses to baking traditional french pastries, Aurore Adams, ( ) born and raised in France, has turned 180 degrees and switched professions to start a life here in Bozeman.

It all started in 2020 when Adams came out to visit her twin sister in Bozeman to celebrate her birthday. She only planned to stay for a visit, but the pandemic had other plans in store for her. “They closed the border three days after I landed,” Adams said.

Like others, Adams adopted a new hobby of baking during quarantine to pass time, she said.
“During this time I was kind of like everyone in their kitchens during COVID-19, baking stuff that you never thought of before,” she said.

Not only did Adams find a love for baking but also for the city of Bozeman. “The best part about baking is when you make other people happy,” Adams said.

Adams knew she wanted to make the move but soon found out that she could not continue her previous job as a real estate agent. “My immigration attorney told me that it's one of the exceptions that you can’t be a real estate agent when you are not American,” she said.

After realizing she had to switch careers, Adams got to thinking. “I was like, ‘I'm French,’ so I can play the card of champagne or wine but I’m not drinking a lot. Then there's cheese, but in the U.S. there is good cheese and I’m not a farmer, so no way I’m doing that. So I was like, ‘ok, baking’.”

Read the full article through the Culture link in our bio or on Page 14 of the paper edition.

04/16/2023

The Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) chapter of MSU aims to inspire the student body, promote public land access and cultivate an all inclusive organization of people who share love for these hobbies.

The chapter is a spur of the national organization of the same name. According to the national organization’s website, “Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife.”

Their non profit nationwide effort has spread throughout the country. There is a BHA chapter at University of Montana, a few more starting up throughout the state, and also here at our own MSU.

Elliott Drewry, junior at MSU and avid hunter and fisher, got involved with the BHA as a general board member in the Fall of 2021, and stepped into the role of president at the beginning of the 2023 spring semester. Drewry grew up in Port Townsend, Washington, and has been fishing and hunting since he was a child. These experiences proved formative enough to inspire his involvement with the club, he said.

“Now, at the place I am in college, I've been able to insert myself more into what allows sportsmen like me to engage with public lands and in turn what drew me to Backcountry Hunters and Anglers,” Drewry said.

Read the full article through the Outdoors link in our bio or on page 7 of the paper edition.

Photo courtesy of Hunters & Angler Club

04/14/2023

Only a few programs at MSU can boast a connection to education, student engagement, community involvement and on-campus dining all at the same time. The Animal Science department of the College of Agriculture’s Steer-A-Year program, which gives students the opportunity to raise cattle, accomplishes all of these missions.

“This year, we have 37 steers on campus, and they came from 35 different producers,” said course instructor Hannah Delcurto-Wyffels. Steers are donated from all around Montana for the program to use.

“One reason producers donate to the program is for our hands-on learning in the animal and range science department. And it's a fundraiser: The money from those steers goes to support students in the College of Ag,” she said.
Student groups supported in the college include Collegiate Stockgrowers, judging teams, beef practicum and different 4H events.

Those who join the program have the opportunity to get hands-on learning in the beef industry from contacting producers and reporting steer performance to vaccinations and daily feeding.

The program is structured around ANSC 437, the professional development in beef feedlot systems class. The year-long program utilizes fall and spring semester classes to make it all happen.

Read the full article through the Culture link in our bio or on page 5 of the paper edition.

04/13/2023

An inaugural night celebrating Asia's vast customs and cultures will light up the SUB ballrooms this weekend, on Sunday, April 16. The event will feature everything, including dancing, solo music performances, great food, even customary toys and a fashion show.

The newest night to celebrate different cultures will be brought to campus by the Asian Student In*******al Association at Montana State (A.S.I.A), and its partnerships with other student organizations, like the Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan Student Associations at MSU.

“The idea of this event is to showcase to the Bozeman community and the university how diverse Asian cultures are,” said A.S.I.A vice president Aishik Biswas. “There are so many countries in Asia, so we've tried to contact other organizations, such as the Indian Student Association and the Chinese Cultural Club, and we are partnering with them to bring different elements”.

Read the full article through the Cultrue link in our bio or on page 15 of the paper edition.

04/13/2023

The resolution affirms that the existence of hate speech should not be ignored, as that could be seen both as a tacit endorsement of hateful rhetoric and isolating to those experiencing threats. Ignoring this speech also slows down the passing of critical information between targeted groups and is overall detrimental to the mental health of these members of the MSU community, it reads.

It lists the resolutions of the senate; including supporting efforts to increase communication between administration and faculty about hate speech at MSU, continuing support of targeted groups by connecting them to campus and community resources, working to ensure the safety of all members of the MSU community, and finally reaffirming the Senate’s commitment to equity and justice, according to the resolution.

Personal testimonies were not limited to students last Wednesday. Faculty senator Gilbert Kalonde, an associate professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Development and the curriculum and instruction program leader, explained that as a person of color with a son on campus, this is a pressing matter — and he considers this resolution draft the first step. “What we've heard from our students, saying ‘We are ready to jump ship from MSU’ — is serious,” he said.

Read the full article through the News link in our bio or on page 8 of the paper edition.

04/13/2023

This week's edition is out now. Grab a copy on campus or read through the E-Edition link in our bio.

04/12/2023

Esports have enraptured audiences nationwide as the growing popularity of video games
weaves people throughout generations together. However, here in Bozeman the movement is
slow to start. It is not from lack of trying.

Esports is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and it just so happens that the college age is a pretty captivated demographic. Many colleges have begun adopting esports as a part of
their athletic repertoire, but MSU is not quite there yet.

Independent organizations have brought video games into a competitive environment on campus but these are often small local area networks (LAN) or Minecraft related events.
LAN is a template that esports can take where multiple computers are set up in an area for players to use and compete against each other. Smaller localized gatherings, such as tournaments running out of one console, are much more frequent throughout campus and this is where a lot of interest is being cultivated. Tournaments can be organized based on location, such as a dorm, or target a specific game. While they are a great way to build a community, local tournaments function very differently than esport sanctioned events.
-Catch the full article through the Opinion link In our bio or on page 11 of the paper edition!

04/11/2023

It’s that time of year again: the yard signs are out and campaigns for Associated Students of Montana State University (ASMSU) elections are underway.

For those who may be unfamiliar, ASMSU is the student-run government on campus that consists of an executive team, a student senate, and a supreme court. Students are encouraged to vote for an executive team and senators to represent their college or run for public office if they so choose.

Each college on campus is represented by student senators, said ASMSU President Lucas Oelkers. The number of senators is proportional to the size of the college they represent. For example, the College of Arts and Architecture currently has one senator, while the College of Letters and Science currently has four.

The filing applications for both the executive teams and senators opened in early March, said Kelly Wilcox, the ASMSU Elections Director. The executive team applications closed on April 4 and the senator applications close on April 18. Students can apply online through CatsConnect.
-Read the full article through the News link in our bio or on page 3 of the paper edition

04/10/2023

The MSU Round Net Club is carving out a niche spot in the campus club sports scene, and making a name for itself. After being held back by financial constraints, they are now preparing for their first trip to the Spikeball College National Championships on May 20, in Richmond, Virginia.
Round net, also commonly known as spikeball, exploded in popularity as a game to play outdoors during the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. This new love of round net quickly led to an MSU club for more competitive play being founded in the fall of 2021, and now the club is regularly traveling to tournaments.
Trey Thompson, president of the club, said he recognizes how quickly the club is growing and wants to maintain that momentum. “We are tier three this year, and looking to go tier two next year,” Thompson said. “We needed a lot more funding for what we want to do.”
Read the full article through the Sports link in our bio.

04/10/2023

04/09/2023

Hipsters of Bozeman: you may have heard of it. This cornerstone Instagram account perfectly encapsulates the absurdity of Bozemanites spanning from Bridger Bowl to Big Sky. From Four Corners to Livingston. From Roskie to The Quads. If you have ever wondered about the mysterious entity behind HOB, then you’re really out of luck here because they do an excellent job at staying anonymous. Join me now for an exclusive conversation with Hipsters of Bozeman themselves. Be sure to catch the full Q&A through the Culture link in our bio or on page 15 of the paper edition.

AC: Do you have any funny stories about running the page?

HOB: I once met George Strait in Big Sky and had no idea who he was (apparently he’s a big deal) so I awkwardly said “well I run a rather (locally) famous Instagram account .” He had no idea what that was so that put us on what I felt was a fairly level playing field.

AC: What sorts of posts perform the best on HOB? Is it the type of hipster? The caption?

HOB: Train car derailments in which beer has spilled do fairly well apparently. Beyond that, relatable content in which the subject is wearing visually appealing colors. *see beacon man in Town and Country.

04/08/2023

On Friday, March 31, the SUB ballrooms filled with fog, local music and a rowdy crowd for the annual Battle of the Bands competition. Six local bands competed for the audience's support to win a first-place prize which totaled over $500.
Battle of the Bands allowed the musicians to showcase their talents to their peers in an electric environment.

When I walked through the main doors of the SUB ballrooms, fog filled the air and I could hear a band playing bluegrass music inside the ballrooms. Upon entering, two stages were set up with multi-colored strobe lights and a crowd of students with glow-in-the-dark bracelets cheered on the band.
-Read the full article through the Culture link in our bio.

04/07/2023

Aamold is a third-generation Montanan who grew up in the tiny town of Hobson, which according to the World Population Review has 195 residents in 2023. There was limited work opportunity in a town like Hobson; however, many residents worked at the nearby yogo sapphire mine in Central Montana.
Aamold worked as a loader operator and as a security guard in the winter. The mine could only operate until the water froze, as they could no longer wash out the sapphires, he said. Since the equipment needed to be protected from people shooting it up, Aamold was hired as security. However, the company soon faced financial difficulty, and Aamold lost his job.
In response, he started working as a security patrol officer in Bozeman almost 38 years ago.
-Read the full article through the Culture link in our bio!