Tuition increase will pose challenges for student

By RANIA AMPNTEL CHAFINT/Montana State News
Wearing a blue Montana State University (MSU) hoodie and an MSU basketball cap, Sean Weber has been involved in various roles on campus.

Weber was a student supervisor at the MSU Alumni Foundation, a resident advisor for MSU Residence Life and the president of the Chinese Culture Club, to name a few. Despite his commitment, Weber is at risk of dropping out in the face of the looming possible 21 percent tuition increase.

Weber, 24, has been involved with various initiatives on campus. In the past, he has lobbied for the renovation of Romney Hall in Helena and has taken on a role within the Associated Students of Montana State University (ASMSU). Weber’s connection with MSU runs long in his family.

From Palmdale, California, Weber is second generation MSU student.

“My father was MSU class of ’80 and I visited [MSU] often growing up,” Weber said with a smile, explaining proudly that his father gave him the cap he wore when he was in middle school. “It seemed like an adventure.” Weber enrolled at MSU five years ago to pursue a degree in international relations with a minor in Chinese studies.

To Weber, MSU was an affordable alternative to universities in California.

U-system tuition increase hiatus ends

By VIRGINIA HOLST/Montana State News

Montana State University (MSU) is about to raise tuition and break a trend of slower tuition increases than the rest of the country for 10 years now.

Since the Legislature’s approval of House Bill 2, which cuts funding to the entire Montana University System (MUS), including MSU and other state Universities which will be increasing tuition.

The hike seems drastic, but when compared to similar universities across the country, such as Colorado State University (CSU) and the University of Wyoming (UW), other universities have increased their tuitions more rapidly than their counterparts in Montana.

“Over the past ten years the MUS has increased tuition at slower pace than any other state in the nation,” according to the Montana University System website.

In comparison, both CSU and U. of WY have seen dramatic climbs to both in-state and out-of-state tuition rates in the past ten years. Below are two graphs comparing each university’s annual tuition rates, for both in and out-of-state students, to their annual undergraduate enrollment.

Bone marrow donation saves a life

BY MICHELLE BURGER/Montana State News

Christian Lapp knew he would be serving his country when he joined the Marine Corps in March 2009, but Lapp had no idea he would be donating his bone marrow to save someone’s life.

Lapp, 26 and born and raised in Bozeman, joined the Marine Corps right out of high school.

“In high school, I was a horrifically bad student and my options were kind of limited. A couple schools wanted to give me scholarships for mountain biking. When it came time for me to choose, I realized (joining the marines) was that thing in the back of my head where since second grade. I was like, ‘I’m gonna go be a marine’,” said Lapp.

Many of Lapp’s family members joined the army, including two cousins and his uncle. Joining the military “was in my culture,” said Lapp.

Lapp’s uncle had the greatest influence on his choice to join the military. Lapp saw his uncle, who had a troubled upbringing, transform after joining the army and decided it was a dream of his as well. Around 10 years old is when he fell in love with this destiny.

Ultimate Frisbee team gain national recognition

By ZACHARY COE/Montana State News

The Montana State University Ultimate team is the unsung pride of this university’s athletic program. While the common name of Ultimate Frisbee cannot actually be uttered due to trademark laws on the actual word Frisbee, the players and captains of the sport have made this relatively overlooked event nationally recognized.

Captained by Quinn Hanson, Drew Shanafelt, Than Wiggins and managed by Thomas Walz, the MSU Ultimate team has been nationally recognized as the 35^th ranked team in the nation with a perfect tournament record that may lead the team into this summer’s national competition in Cincinnati.

While many in the community consider this to be a hobby rather than a serious, school endorsed activity, the last five to 10 years have seen a sharp rise in the level of support from MSU. The team is considered a varsity association and is officially called The Montana State Rum Runners. As a result of this involvement, the team is required to do fundraising and volunteering activities in the community. In exchange, the school assists with car rentals, insurance and other miscellaneous costs.

MSU Swim Club flies under the radar

By JARED MILLER/Montana State News

Bozeman is an active community with runners, cyclists and fitness junkies of all kinds. However, if four years ago you were a student at Montana State University and loved swimming, specifically competitive swimming, you didn’t have an organized club to practice and compete with.

Today, though, the same cannot be said.

Thanks in large part to the efforts of current MSU Swim Club President Alex Irish and club Vice President Jordan Burt, the university was able to have a club for those who like getting their exercise in the water. Irish being a lifeguard at a local pool saw he had the perfect opportunity to get the club on its feet. “I love swimming,” he said, “and I was also in the great position to start (the club).”

It took some hard work and mentoring from his boss, but some two years ago MSU’s swim club was born. “We ended up with five to 10 regular members that first semester,” said Irish and since then the club has only grown. Now they have about 15 members that attend regularly according to Irish.

Writing classes limited by faculty shortage

By CHELSEA ANDERSON/Montana State News

This fall semester’s registration has left a number of English students, with the writing option in particular, frustrated with the lack of classes offered. With a dip in funding, the English department doesn’t have nearly enough faculty available to teach the number of upper division classes that are necessary for seniors to graduate.

According to Kirk Branch, the English department chair, next year is a particularly difficult year for scheduling, “We’re stretched very thin.” Two tenured faculty will be operating next year with decreased teaching schedules, “We have one teacher who will have a reduced schedule for research purposes and another with a reduced schedule for the tenure application process,” says Branch.

According to Branch, the writing department has the funding for five tenured faculty, although four of them have reduced teaching schedules because of required administrative duties, “It really worked out quite poorly for next year because most of these administrative positions rotate through writing, literature and teaching faculty and currently most of the positions are held by writing faculty.”

New tyrannosaurus species named for Horner

By EMILY SCHABACKER/Montana State News

Seventy-five million years ago in northern Montana a lipless creature with scaly facial armor and cornified skin wreaked havoc on duckbilled hadrosaurs and other small carnivores. Newly discovered dinosaur D. horneri, unearthed in Choteau in the early 1990s, has finally been classified as a species closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex and was never before seen by paleontologists.

Twenty-five years since the dinosaur was excavated, the species has finally been named Daspletosaurus horneri or “Horner’s Frightful Lizard,” named after Jack Horner, the renowned former Montana State University paleontologist and Museum of the Rockies curator.

Paleontology professor David Varricchio of Montana State University suggested naming the dinosaur after Horner in honor of the mentorship he provided for paleontology students at MSU as well the contributions he has made to the field, according to Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Many rally for ‘Take Back the Night’

By CULLAN STAACK/Montana State News

One out of three women and one out of every six men have been beaten, forced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime by someone they know or are in a relationship with, according to Montana State University’s website. Less than 50 percent of assaults are ever reported to the police, leading the organizers of Bozeman’s “Take Back the Night” event and rally to try and make a change.

“Take Back the Night” is an international event and non-profit organization with the mission of ending sexual, relationship and domestic violence in all forms and for all genders. Hundreds of events are held in over 30 countries annually. Events often include marches, rallies and vigils intended as a protest and direct action against rape and other forms of domestic violence.

20 years of research behind VOICE methods

By TIM STOVER/Montana State News

The mission of the Montana State University VOICE center is simple: “(The) VOICE Center is committed to the belief that all people have the right to live free from violence and the fear of violence.”

While their message is simple, their abilities and resources go far beyond what would be expected.

They offer a variety of services, from a confidential support line, to counseling, support groups, and in general, someone to talk to.

The VOICE Center is staffed by peer advocates who have been “trained to provide information, crisis intervention, and support services to anyone affected by sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking.”

Peer advocates go through rigorous training across the spectrum of support.

Multiple bumble bee species found in Montana

By MICHELLE BURGER/Montana State News

Researchers once thought the bumble bee population was on the rise in Montana, until the discovery of many new species. Researchers at Montana State University have classified over 28 species in Montana of the 250 found worldwide over the past five years. With the help of the Agriculture and Ecology Departments at MSU, a team of three researchers presented a paper about their findings in a popular science journal.

This paper, published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America, AESA, describes how the growing population of bumble bees in Montana is now accounting for the widespread number of species of bumble bees currently present in our ecosystem.

Today, bumblebees and honeybees are mistaken for one another all the time. The honeybee is responsible for most of the honey made today. Bumble bees are more important regarding the pollination of wild plants like blueberries and other berries found in Montana.