The University of Montana (StudentsReview) -

Grassroots group touts versatility of green jobs
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 18, 2009
“Green jobs don’t have to be in traditionally “green” fields, panelists told students Wednesday night.
“Find out what you are passionate about, and do that in a sustainable way,” UM’s sustainability coordinator, Cherie Peacock, said during the “Opportunities in a Green Economy” panel. “Don’t sell your passions short, whatever they may be.”
The panel is part of a month-long program called the Made in America Job Tour, a series of grassroots events highlighting the economic benefits of transitioning to a clean-energy economy. The tour was organized by the Repower America campaign, launched in 2008 by Al Gore to transform our national energy infrastructure.
Repower America worked closely with The ASUM Sustainability Center and the Sierra Club to assemble local professionals to talk about how a green economy can bring local jobs.
Panelist Ashley Preston, Director of the Energy Technology Program with the UM College of Technology, said that her program has been in high demand by students from all academic disciplines at UM.
“The neat thing about renewable energy is that it seems to cut across the interest groups,” she said.
Along with Preston and Peacock, Montana Senator David Wanzenried moderated the discussion, and three other panelists spoke at the event, including the President of United Steelworkers Local 285, Roy Houseman.
Houseman said many “heavy” industries like the Steelworkers have had a “big awakening” and are also going green.
The Steelworkers now put up most of the state’s wind turbines and recycle up to 500 tons of cardboard every day, he said. He hopes the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the “cap-and-trade” bill, is passed in the U.S. Senate like it was in the House of Representatives. If the bill passes, its call for a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 will likely bring many new green jobs into existence, he said.
While many of his workers are leery of the legislation, the bill will help create new jobs that they could also partake in, especially in Montana where wind-energy potential is high, he said.
Russ Hellem, owner of Energetechs, a company that works to promote the energy efficiency of buildings, said that any job can be made green.
He said that carbon isn’t going to be eliminated from our economy, but that the fossil fuel industry needs to change with the times or it won’t survive.
Shawn Skinner, a mechanical engineer for GT Solar, said that the green industry will hire many people who previously worked in the petroleum industry because their skills are “applicable no matter what the industry is.”
However, he said America still has a lot of work to do if we want to be the leader in sustainable-energy technologies. All of his company’s customers are from foreign countries, and about 70 percent of those customers are from China, he said. Most of his company’s supplies are also purchased in Asia, he said.
Skinner said more green jobs in America need to be created by utilizing “global supply chains and local knowledge to make a better planet.”
Angie Lipski, an architect who focuses on making buildings more sustainable at MMW Architects, said we’re in a crisis period where reinvention and creativity need to flourish.
“In a certain way this is a renaissance for us all,” she said.”

Importance

Robberies in music department lead to arrest of former student
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 18, 2009
“A former University of Montana student was arrested Monday in connection with a string of music department robberies after he was pulled over for a traffic violation in Cincinnati.
According to police reports, Richard E. Burkhart, 45, of Atlanta allegedly stole more than $7,000 worth of musical equipment from three different rooms in the Music Building between April 9 and May 26.
UM student Chris Hanson, who had multiple items stolen from a locked percussion room, said the string of crime made him doubt his fellow students.
“It made me question everybody who had access to the room,” he said. “I felt unsafe.”
Robert Ledbetter, a faculty member in the music department, was the first to report missing cymbals from his office and the percussion room. He also provided officers with a list of items that had previously gone missing. Ledbetter told police he suspected Burkhart, who had been enrolled in classes and was seen by a student trying random keys in the lock of the percussion room days earlier.
An additional three cymbals and a stand were stolen from three separate rooms between May 1 and May 13, including one cymbal valued at $400.
On May 26, Michael Rukstad, a music department staff member, made a startling discovery as he sat in his office.
“I heard the room door next to mine [Ledbetter’s office] close. I saw him [Burkhart] walking away from me with a snare drum,” Rukstad said. “He saw me coming; he looked very surprised. I could see his wheels turning, trying to make up some sort of story.”
Rukstad followed Burkhart around a corner and said he was stunned when he saw Burkhart sitting calmly on a couch with the snare drum a few feet from him.
“I told him, ‘You’re not going anywhere,’” Rukstad said.
Rukstad then grabbed his cell phone and went upstairs to call campus security. After ensuring they were on their way, he returned to the basement.
“I went down to Bob’s [Ledbetter’s] office to make sure he was still there, and when I turned the corner, he [Burkhart] was coming out of the office with an electronic practice pad,” said Rukstad.
Rukstad said he immediately grabbed Burkhart and questioned him.
“He said he was borrowing things to teach autistic kids how to play percussion,” Rukstad said. “He told me he had an autistic kid at home.”
Campus security arrived and questioned Burkhart, who admitted he had items belonging to the music department at his residence and more items at a friend’s house, but refused to release the address where the other items were located.
A search of Burkhart’s car came up empty, but items were recovered at his residence.
According to police reports, Burkhart explained that he had gained access to the percussion room by convincing an unidentified person who had a key that he had permission to enter and borrow equipment. Burkhart admitted he entered Ledbetter’s office about four times and the percussion room about three times.
Burkhart told police he had pawned some of the items. When police checked Down Town Pawn they found three cymbals and a stand and confirmed what Burkhart had said.
However, in an attempt to recover remaining items, campus security let Burkhart walk away. Rukstad, who was waiting near by, said he was shocked.
“They let him go to try and get back more items, I guess,” he said. “That’s what they said.”
According to police reports, Burkhart left a message with campus security on June 8, saying he was uneasy with being called a thief and was relocating out of Missoula, but was planning on paying restitution for the items he had taken.
His whereabouts were unknown until early Monday morning when he was arrested in Ohio and booked for felony theft.
Richard Burkhart is facing 10 years in state prison and/or a $50,000 fine. Bail is set at $5,000 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29 at 4 p.m.”

Importance

ASUM passes resolution favoring women’s rights
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 18, 2009
“Some students were forced to share chairs at Wednesday’s ASUM meeting, so great was the opposition to a possible state ballot initiative that would legally define personhood as beginning at conception.
More than two dozen students representing Students for Choice, Planned Parenthood of Montana, the Women’s Resource Center, and College Democrats stood to show their support of an ASUM resolution opposing the initiative. None of the students present opposed the resolution, which ASUM passed later that night.
“It’s really important we protect reproductive rights,” said Amanda Zimmel, a junior majoring in sociology. She attended the meeting to represent College Democrats.
The constitutional initiative would change the definition of “person” in the state’s due process clause to include “every human being regardless of age, health, function, physical or mental dependency, or method of reproduction, from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.”
Montana Planned Parenthood reports on their Web site that the initiative, submitted by Montana ProLife Coalition, could limit privacy rights and threaten access to emergency contraception, in-vitro fertilization, and birth control.
The Montana ProLife Coalition Web site describes themselves as “a grassroots, Montana-based citizen’s group that will focus on mobilizing pro-life Montanans.” The organization could not be reached for comment.
ASUM senator Patrick Rhea and Students for Choice campus organizer Daniel Viehland co-wrote the resolution not only to address the possible negative implications of granting fertilized eggs constitutional rights but also because the initiative includes no clause considering the health of the mother.
“Women could possibly be investigated for miscarrying,” Zimmel said. “It’s ridiculous.”
Viehland said that with the current wording, women might need a judge’s approval before receiving a life-saving medical abortion.
Discussion among senators was dominated by concerns that the iniative unfairly discriminated against women.
“What happens when guys masturbate? Aren’t they killing half their children then?” senator Corrina Chuang said when addressing the related issues of equal rights, emergency contraception and abortion.
Viehland said similar initiatives and bills have been proposed annually since 2007, with the last attempt falling 20,000 signatures short of being added to the ballot. The ProLife Coalition will need nearly 49,000 signatures to qualify for next year’s ballot.
In other business, ASUM voted to support the creation of an Arabic minor and to amend house rules to require senators to abstain from votes in which they have financial conflicts of interest.”

Importance

Buses shouldn’t be leaving students behind
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 18, 2009
“I applaud and appreciate the ASUM Office of Transportation for trying to revamp the current Park-N-Ride system, but there is something really wrong.
I have been a resident of the University Villages for more than two years and have yet to see a beginning of the year as problematic as this one.
One of the reasons I chose to live in the University Villages was that the Park-N-Ride buses stop just a block away from my house, meaning that I wouldn’t have to buy a parking pass and tackle parking on campus. It was a perfect system: I left a little early and caught a bus that would stop many places on campus so I wouldn’t have to park on the far side of the stadium and trek to a class in Urey Hall.
For the first couple of months, everything was fine. Then winter hit and suddenly I was being passed by crammed bus after crammed bus. While it caused some problems for me – like a few long waits in the Montana cold – I found that if I left even earlier, I could catch a bus, even if it meant I had some time to kill at school.
This year, the problem isn’t waiting until winter. It’s starting in September.
I understand that more students have started riding Park-N-Ride buses, but I worry about what’s going to happen when winter hits. If I’m getting passed now, when there are still many people walking and riding bikes, it will be near impossible to get on a bus on South Avenue when winter arrives.
Here’s the deal: Students trying to get on the bus at the Lewis and Clark apartments don’t get left behind; those on South do. I live near the very last stop before campus, so I, and the people who live around me, have the most trouble catching a bus. In previous years, the College of Technology bus was my saving grace because I knew it wasn’t full of students from Lewis and Clark. That’s no longer the case now that the COT heads to Lewis and Clark before heading to campus.
It looks something like this: A full bus passes you as the driver waves as if to say sorry while turning down Arthur Avenue. As this happens again and again, the people waiting start to pile up: ten, twenty, thirty students waiting to get to class on time. And the larger the group, the less likely they’ll have room on a new bus. Even the Mountain Line buses are filling up before reaching the last stop on South.
At the Lewis and Clark apartments, however, a bus arrives pretty much empty. While there are many students waiting there as well, they probably haven’t been waiting long, and most of the time they are able get on the bus. If not, there’s another empty bus on the way.
People on South Avenue, however, don’t have that luxury. If a bus is full when it gets to them, chances are more full buses are in store. Those at the last stop have to wait until everyone else, including the people waiting at other stops on South, get a bus before there’s room for them. Many times you see them give up and start taking a bitterly cold walk to class.
I bring this up now so that something can be done. Yes, I can walk or ride a bike now, but come winter, those options aren’t as plausible and, for some people, are nonexistent.
Something needs to be changed so that no one is left behind.”

Importance

The modern common sense of things: Reunion tours
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 18, 2009
“I spend a lot of my time watching the Game Show Network on mute, obsessing over the fact that I watch the Game Show Network on mute and am probably the least interesting individual alive.
This mundane habit paid off yesterday in the most lackluster way when I was confronted with the Backstreet Boys, silently flapping their mouths at me during a promotional appearance on GSN for their soon-to-be-released seventh studio album, “This Is Us.”
Seriously. The Backstreet Boys are, for lack of a better word, back (and apparently plugging their material on networks that only old people and dejected college kids watch). Kevin Richardson is notably absent, which is fine, because he was always the one who looked freakishly old anyway (he left the band in 2006).
Fortunately for my sixth grade self, another resurrected ghost of favorite bands past has re-entered the active music scene: Blink-182.
Clearly I had impeccable taste in music, even at an early age (not to brag or anything, but the first CD I ever owned was Hanson’s “Middle of Nowhere”). But now, at 21, I am a college student who pretentiously sneers at any artist with a fan base larger than seven, and I am left wondering why these bands would leave the comfortable vacuum of late 1990s/early 2000s success to venture into the great unknown of 2009.
I have decided they are either a) recklessly ambitious, b) avaricious, c) bored, or d) completely unaware of how Karen! Garcia has compartmentalized them into her sixth grade life. I acknowledge it is possible that it might be all four.
The difference between Blink-182 and the Backstreet Boys, though, is that the Backstreet Boys can play the game, while Blink-182 can’t. But, God help us, they both succeed anyway.
Realizing it would be completely asinine to continue to produce generic teenage love ballads, the Backstreet Boys now produce generic grown-up love ballads and have relegated themselves to the Adult Contemporary category of music.
And with good reason: The first single, called “Inconsolable,” from their sixth studio album reached No. 21 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts, but only climbed to No. 86 on the Billboard Top 100. The second single (“Helpless When She Smiles”) managed No. 52 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts, yet altogether failed to breach the Billboard Top 100.
Blink-182, however, with all three members in their mid-30s, continue to produce toilet humor-laden, teenage angst-ridden songs so entrenched in the concept of partying that even Andrew W.K. would be jealous.
Don’t get me wrong; I (sort of) love poop jokes and can (kind of) relate to high school melodrama. But when 33-year-old guitarist Tom DeLonge whines, “Mom and Dad possess the key, instant slavery … I’ll pack my bags, I swear I’ll run, wish my friends were 21,” I can’t help but feel a little indignant.
This adolescent anti-authority attitude just seems silly spewing from the mouth of a married 33-year-old father of two. Admittedly, I think Blink’s most recent original album, a self-titled attempt at more “serious” songwriting, possibly could have maybe tweaked their image a bit, but then again it was preceded by an album titled Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, so whatever effect it might have had is negligible. (Listen to “Happy Holidays, You Bastard” off this album for the quintessential Blink-182 experience.)
To make this reunion even more confusing, the trio is touring alongside Weezer (God, I hate Weezer) and Fall Out Boy (?????). I’m not even going to try and comment on this, because the fact that these three bands are touring together is deserving of a column in its own right.
Anyway, Blink-182 has just doomed themselves to perpetual ridiculousness. And by doomed themselves, I mean that they will continue to make millions of dollars from tours and album sales, and I will continue to be baffled by whether they are somehow creating a new legion of tormented teenage followers or if, for some bizarre reason, people my age still listen to Blink-182.
But even if they are ridiculous, Dude Ranch will always be a better record than Millennium. That doesn’t mean I am going to pay $80 to see three 30-somethings jump around on stage and sing about diarrhea, blowjobs and cross-dressing. Maybe $10, but that’s where I draw the line.”

Importance

UM history professor talks dirty
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 18, 2009
“In a dark room, men in robes sat down to watch a dirty movie.
It was movie day for the Supreme Court, a weekly ritual during the 1960s and 1970s in which some members of the nation’s highest court would make popcorn and review the films involved in upcoming obscenity cases.
University of Montana history professor Michael Mayer, who spoke about obscenity and its relationship with the Constitution in the University Center Ballroom Wednesday, recounted one instance when the justices watched the 1971 film Carnal Knowledge.
“I thought we were going to see a dirty movie,” said a disappointed Justice Thurgood Marshall, according to Mayer. “The only thing obscene about this movie is that it’s obscenely boring.”
From Huckleberry Finn to George Carlin, the Supreme Court has never quite nailed down what obscenity is, nor what to do with it. Mayer spoke about the court’s changing views on obscenity and how it has tried to reconcile it with the First Amendment.
Mayer’s lecture was part of UM’s observance of Constitution Day, in which all federally funded schools are required to observe the day with an educational presentation having to do with the Constitution.
Obscenity joins slander, libel and fraud as a form of speech not protected under the First Amendment, Mayer said. Obscenity has never been given a concrete definition in either the Constitution or in subsequent Supreme Court opinions.
Mayer spoke mostly about the court’s long relationship with obscenity, which actually dates back as far as the mid-19th century when American courts adopted a definition set by the English court case Regina v. Hicklin. The decision said that obscene material was anything that could corrupt the minds of the most vulnerable in society.
That definition has evolved in later cases. In United States v. One Book Called Ulysses, the Court’s lead opinion said that James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses,” while having a few sections that could be considered obscene when not taken into context, had literary value and was protected under the First Amendment. The Court later took that opinion further in Roth v. United States, saying that only material that was completely devoid of “redeeming social value,” could be considered obscene and that “sex and obscenity are not synonymous.”
Such broad interpretations haven’t made obscenity any easier to define. Justice Potter Stewart famously made this clear in an opinion he wrote in 1964 as he mentioned what constituted hard-core pornography:
“I know it when I see it.””

Importance

Portland brings mix of youth, experience
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 18, 2009
“Jerry Glanville was having reoccurring visions this week, most notably of his first trip to Missoula as Portland State University’s head football coach two years ago. It was in that game that his freshman quarterback Drew Hubel brought back the ghost of Billy Tolliver, the cannon-armed quarterback he coached while with the Atlanta Falcons in the early ‘90s.
“Billy could throw a ball through a car wash and not get it wet,” Glanville said.
That’s who Hubel, now a junior, reminds him of. Almost two years have passed since that game, a 34-31 loss to Montana, and the Vikings are still a work-in-progress. But they are no longer the joke of the Big Sky and will bring with them a mix of youth and experience.
Portland State brings back 16 starters in 2009, including Hubel, senior wide receiver Aaron Woods and three senior offensive linemen. The Vikings also have 15 redshirt freshmen and three preseason All-Big Sky conference players.
The Grizzlies gave up 362 passing yards to UC-Davis last Saturday and Portland State will be no downgrade. Through two games, Hubel is averaging 311 yards per game, completing 56.7 percent of his passes, and has only thrown two interceptions.
The Vikings are coming off a home-opening victory over Southern Oregon. Portland State dominated the NAIA school, winning 34-10. Even more impressive was that in their first two possessions of the game, Hubel had two touchdown passes of 90-plus yards. The first was a 96-yard screen pass to Woods, the second a 91-yard deep ball to senior Levonte Kirven.
“Both series, we’re in trouble. We’re fortunate to come out with a big play there,” Glanville said.
Even though the two strikes were the longest passes Hubel has ever thrown, he was quick to give credit to his receivers.
“We got some pretty special receivers here. It helps,” Hubel said. “Once it gets in their hands, they make the big plays.”
In 2008 the Vikings led the football championship subdivision in passing for the second year in a row, averaging 372.2 yards per game. But last November in Portland, the Grizzlies held the Vikings to 195 passing yards and had three interceptions. The total was Portland State’s lowest in 2008.
“I think last year we did not execute. We got to control what we can do,” Hubel said. “We got to control our end of the deal.”
Hubel was recruited by Portland State before Glanville was hired and when Glanville saw him for the first time, he “went into shock because he [Hubel] was so small and thin”. Glanville estimated that Hubel weighed about 160 pounds in his freshman year.
“With that frail look, he is still a tough guy,” Glanville said.
Hubel threw for 2,912 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2008 and admits that while he may not have bulked up all that much, playing for Glanville has increased his knowledge of the game and his faith in his teammates.
“He [Glanville] always talks to us about team unity and a team that trusts each other. It’s a big deal to him,” Hubel said. “Whether you got a great teammate or not, you got to trust in him and believe in him.”
Hubel, an Oregon native, led his high school team to an Oregon 5A State Championship in 2006. Winning the championship is one of Hubel’s greatest football achievements. Another was winning his first collegiate game against Northern Colorado in 2007.
A little over two years into his collegiate career, Hubel is already one of Portland State’s most accomplished quarterbacks. He now holds Viking records for completions (44), yards (623), and touchdowns (9) in a game.
In his young career, Hubel ranks in the top 10 all-time in touchdown passes, yards, and completions for Portland State.
In order for the Vikings to win in Missoula, Hubel is going to need to bring his game against the Grizzlies this Saturday. Based on last year’s game, Hubel knows a tall task lies ahead.
“Every time we play Montana, we meet a team that’s ready to play. It’s not going to be an easy game at all,” Hubel said. “A chance to play the Grizzlies is a chance to play the best.””

Importance

Griz-turned-Viking talks Montana jokes, NFL camp and Favre
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 18, 2009
“Nobody asked Colt Anderson to play for the Grizzlies, but after walking on as redshirt in 2004, the Butte Bomber terrorized opposing offenses for four years, nabbing three All-Big Sky selections and coming a game away from winning a national championship. But when draft day rolled around this April, Anderson sat at home, waiting for a call that never came. Like he had five years earlier, Anderson decided to walk on – this time with the Minnesota Vikings, where he made the eight-man practice squad.
Making the cut in Minnesota is an infinitely tougher challenge than it was here in 2004, but do you find any comfort in the fact that you’ve seen this scenario before?
Like you said, it’s two very different situations but I think there is something to be said about that. I’ve always been pretty confident in my abilities and now I just want to do what I can as best I can. If I continue to put in the work, hopefully I can make things work out.

You had to hear the Butte jokes for five years, Any Montana jokes in the locker room now?
Haven’t really heard too many Montana jokes out here so far, but I’m sure I will at some point. Everybody everywhere seems to be able to come up with some Montana jokes.

What’s been the biggest challenge life in an NFL camp has posed?
I think the biggest challenge has been getting used to the physical, big, fast game. It’s just such a different pace, so different from college, where it seems like you only had a few guys that were that big and fast and stood out. Everybody on the field is so athletic at this level, so you’re always making sure you’re at the top of your game.

Some scouts have said you’re undersized and lack the speed to make it in the league. What do you say to them?
That’s always a tough question, but I’d say I’ve just got good football instincts and I think I’ve shown that throughout my career. I love to play the game and I think it helps me work harder. But I think as far as natural abilities go, I have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

You saw some action in three preseason games, what was it like to step onto the field for the first time?
The first time getting in there was pretty intimidating, with all the fans and so much going on. Your heart starts racing a little bit for the first couple minutes. It just takes a couple of plays for you to settle down and you realize that it’s just football. This is a game you’ve been playing your whole life.
Anyone remotely involved with the Vikings has had to answer at least one Brett Favre question this offseason. Here’s an easy one for you: any contact with him so far?
I’ve talked to him a little bit. I didn’t sit down and have a big heart to heart with him or anything, just said hi a couple times. It’s not like the impression that you get on TV, he’s just another guy on the team. He’s a nice guy, he talks to everybody, likes to crack a lot of jokes and keep it pretty light.”

Importance

Black Studies program to celebrate 41st anniversary
by Montana Kaimin News
Sep 16, 2009
“Forty-one years after its creation, more than 70 members of the University of Montana’s Black Studies program will reunite on campus Friday for a keynote speech from the program’s first director, Ulysses Doss.
Doss, who came to campus in 1968, said he will talk about the history of the program and his involvement with it.
“It was my life for the 25 years I taught, as was the university,” Doss said.
Doss was also voted the most inspirational teacher of the year in 1990.
Coming at a very important time in civil rights history, Doss said there was an element of serendipity in the program’s formation.
“It was the first outside of California, at the worst it was the third [in the nation],” Doss said. “We also had a president named Robert Pantzer who was well ahead of his time, and I happened to be here and had experience in organization, and it just was a perfect fit.”
After Doss’ speech, Arielle Scott, the 2009 president of the Black Student Union, will give a short presentation before Doss’ brother, Pferron Doss, speaks about the commemorative journey 13 students made in 1974 from Missoula to St. Louis via bicycle.
Pferron Doss, Richard Smith and Dave Watson headed the journey, which was made in honor of the black soldiers of the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps, who did the 1,900-mile trip in 1897 to test the viability of bicycles as a mode of transportation for soldiers.
“I think it was very significant that anybody would try to relive that experience,” Doss said.
The reunion was inspired by the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the program last year, and Doss said Dianna Riley was largely to thank for tracking down the classmates.
Riley and her husband began hosting Black Studies students in 1969 and said the program has been a large part of their lives ever since.
“[The students] were like family to us,” Riley said. “They babysat our kids, and we had them over at the house all the time. Then we stayed connected so it’s been a life-long, lovely friendship.”
The event starts at 10:30 a.m. Friday in room 123 of the Gallagher Business Building. It’s open to the public, and Doss especially encouraged present students to attend.”

Importance