Prospective patrons who expect to see a warehouse full of books will observe something else when they enter the Bozeman Public Library. To reach the first shelves of books, they must pass a coffee shop, a large meeting room, electronic anti-theft detectors and self-checkout circulation desks.

According to Lois Dissly, the head of technical and automated services at the Bozeman Public Library, libraries are no longer just about books. Technological advances have spurred changes in library services, the way libraries are used and even the jobs of librarians.

Dissly said one of the largest changes the Bozeman Public Library and other libraries across Montana have undergone has been the emergence of MontanaLibrary2Go as a new service.

According to the Statewide Library Resources Division, “MontanaLibrary2Go is a consortium service that offers circulating downloadable digital e-books and audiobooks to patrons at participating libraries.”

Any library patron with a valid library card can access over 10,000 free e-books and audiobooks from any location with access to the Internet, according to the Statewide Library Resources Division’s official website. A registered library member with an MP3 player, tablet or e-reader does not even have to enter the library to utilize its services.

“People can access library resources from anywhere,” wrote Pam Henley, a technology assistant at the library.

Jennifer Pawlak, an involved patron at the library, also suggested that technology is providing new ways to access library materials.

“Technology has allowed information access to become quicker, mobile and personalized,” Pawlak wrote.

Issues with the MontanaLibrary2Go system still exist, Dissly said. People who are 35 years old to 80 years old often do not know how to use the technology.

Dissly said that she has recently been given permission to price e-readers by Susan Gregory, the director of Bozeman Public Library. With funding, Dissly could provide library users with the opportunity to borrow e-readers which could be used to help older patrons learn how to utilize systems like MontanaLibrary2Go.

“For less than $200 each, I can put together these nice little community e-readers,” said Dissly.

Paula Beswick, the director of the Bozeman Public Library Foundation, said library programs have also been planned to help the elderly learn how to use technology. Members of the foundation will be going to assisted living homes to offer their help.

“We are physically going to them several times in May,” said Beswick.

Dissly said that another change experienced by the Bozeman Public Library has been the transition to the use of the Montana Shared Catalog. According to the Statewide Library Resources Division, the catalog strives to standardize systems and often provides patrons at member libraries with access to the collections of other libraries.

According to Dissly, another advantage of the system is that libraries can receive support from one another due to a mutual knowledge of the Montana Shared Catalog.

However, Dissly said the catalog has also proven to be cumbersome and overwhelming for users. Libraries using the Montana Shared Catalog have lost the ability to simplify and personalize their library catalogs to fit the needs of patrons.

“You felt like you gave up so much local control,” said Dissly.

As technological advances have crept into the Bozeman Public Library, Dissly said the very reason why some people come to visit has changed.

Beswick said the Bozeman Public Library Foundation provided 135 programs for community members last year. Patrons come to the library to participate in activities involving any of a large number of subjects including music, art, theater and technology.

Also, Dissly said some segments of the library building are designed to provide environments where groups can meet. In some ways, the Bozeman Public Library has become a community center.

According to the official website of the Bozeman Public Library, groups can reserve a large or small meeting room at the library for events of an “informational, educational, cultural or civic nature.” Library program groups and community organizations regularly use the meeting rooms as places to bond together.

Children have the opportunity to interact at the Bozeman Public Library as well. Dissly said mothers often bring their children to the play area at the library so they can socialize.

“People will always need other people,” Dissly said.

Other patrons have begun to regularly work within the confines of the library, according to Dissly. She said the library is a quiet place for thought which also provides the silent companionship of others.

Dissly said she has seen ministers working on sermons and tutors meeting with their students in the library, and college students and traditional workers regularly spend long periods of time at the library completing tasks. Community members have also taken notice of the growing use of the library by a variety of individuals.

“I have the sense that public libraries in particular are in the midst of transitioning into a new role, providing not only traditional services but providing a physical common ‘town center,’” wrote Pawlak.

The employees of the Bozeman Public Library have not remained untouched by advancing technology and the shift toward a more community building approach, according to Dissly. What it means to be a librarian has changed.

Dissly said librarians are now expected to go out into the community to help with programs and to actively seek to assist patrons while in the library. She sees this as a large change in approach from how librarians often operated in the past.

“Libraries used to attract introverts. Now we have to be out there selling things. In some ways, we are all salesmen,” said Dissly.

Henley said librarians no longer only store information. Library employees are now expected to teach patrons how to find information and determine its validity.

“The librarian’s job has shifted a little to more of instruction on finding and using information rather than just providing information as in the past. We show people where to find what they are looking for and how to be critical about what they find,” wrote Henley.

Library employees are not the only ones who have noticed the role of librarians changing to favor extroverts who are willing to teach. Pawlak said she has noticed the added responsibilities of librarians.

“The need to stay not only technologically literate but to own the ‘leader/teacher’ role is a new challenge for the profession and will require a different skill set than librarians needed in the past,” Pawlak wrote.

Although Dissly said she believes the number of physical books in libraries may decline in the future, she also said she thinks libraries and librarians will always be important parts of their communities. No matter how much time passes, certain people will not be able to afford e-readers or paper books and will come to libraries for the opportunity to learn.

“Librarians and libraries have always been the great equalizers,” Dissly said.

Edited by Michele McDonald

Ty Sherwood and Nick Fordyce seem like any other twenty-something roommates.  The only difference is that in their Bozeman bachelor pad there’s no beer in the fridge and the toilets seats are down.

Despite disabilities, Ty Sherwood and Nick Fordyce are able to live independently.

And on the back side of their front door is a note that reads “Is it after 9 p.m? If it is…STAY INSIDE!” I wonder what this means. But I decide not to ask, not yet at least. I had just arrived.

Inside their three-bedroom, two-bath duplex, Sherwood and Fordyce lounge around in t-shirts and basketball shorts. Fordyce has a Hewlett Packard computer in his lap and Sherwood is busy cleaning up the kitchen where French toast is frying in a skillet.

Fordyce shows me what he’s been working on.

“It’s a menu for the coming week,” says Fordyce. “Ty and I take turns cooking dinner every other week.” This week was Fordyce’s. His menu looks pretty appetizing – spaghetti, pork chops, a variety of vegetables. Thursday night just says “leftovers.” Sundays are reserved for dinner with their parents.

At this point you’re probably wondering what is different about these two young men. They plan out their menus a week in advance? They clean the kitchen? They put the toilet seats down? That’s just not normal, certainly not for a 20-year-old male. Well, you would be right.

In fact, it’s quite extraordinary, especially considering that Sherwood and Fordyce have mental disabilities that prevent them from doing some of the things that many of us take for granted. 

Sherwood and Fordyce graduated from Bozeman High School in 2010 and 2011, respectively. They’ve been living together and away from their families for over a year now. When asked how they like being roommates, Sherwood says “good.” Fordyce quickly quips “terrible.”

Sherwood grabs Fordyce around the waist and presses his head into Fordyce’s shoulder. Fordyce winces and howls as he pushes Sherwood away from him. They laugh and fist bump each other while reciting some inside joke I haven’t been let in on.

I’m practically in stitches watching this act unfold in front of me. It’s hard to believe they can keep up this comedy act from sun up to sun down. Perhaps some of it is just for my benefit.

Regardless, I see little difference in how the two of them interact in comparison with how I used to (and sometimes still do) interact with my male friends. I remember my first year away from home. I wasn’t nearly as responsible as Sherwood and Fordyce seem to be.

Not all people with disabilities are able to live independently. Sherwood’s and Fordyce’s is a success story that started with supportive families and continued in Bozeman’s Public School system.

Their education included learning life and vocational skills, with an emphasis on practical learning. Before Sherwood and Fordyce ever struck out on their own, they had practiced how to cook, how to choose the right food. They both worked jobs for a certain part of the day throughout their final years at Bozeman High.

“I have three jobs now,” Sherwood says proudly, “McKenzie River, Reach and Eagle Mount.” Fordyce tells me he works part time at Safeway. “Horse poop,” Sherwood breaks in. “Sometimes I shovel horse poop at Eagle Mount.”

“Ew, gross!” they say in unison. The laughter quickly erupts again as they wrestle with each other.

Fordyce reminds me of a gentle giant. He towers above Sherwood, but his sometimes pensive look quickly gives way to wide smiles when he notices me watching him. Fordyce wears wire-rimmed glasses, a grey Denver Broncos t-shirt, black basketball shorts and white athletic socks. His hair is a short sandy brown.

By all accounts he looks like he should be a lineman on a football team, but watching him dance around his home to country music makes me wonder if he would rather let the other team score a touchdown than have to tackle someone.

Sherwood has broad shoulders, dark skin and black hair that stands on end. Errant whiskers spot his upper lip and chin. He wears a black basketball tournament t-shirt, the kind with sponsor logos all over the back, a pair of green cargo shorts and bare feet.

Their house is tidy, a consequence, I quickly surmise, has more to do with Fordyce than Sherwood.

“Ty, can you please put your coffee cup in the dishwasher?” Fordyce asks his roommate. “Thank you.”

I also gather that even Fordyce and Sherwood need help from their parents and some community agencies every once in a while.

But many people with disabilities need someone to assist with everyday needs, such as cooking or personal care. This is where one of the many support groups in Bozeman comes in.

AWARE is a statewide organization that provides support services, including vocational and living assistance, for a wide range of people with disabilities. AWARE operates a group home in Bozeman called the Candlelight Home for people with autism.

“Candlelight serves four youth from across the state who are challenged by developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorders,” said Jim Tracy, public affairs officer at AWARE. The staff at Candlelight are “trained in Applied Behavioral Analysis,” said Tracy. ABA is an intensive program designed to identify and reinforce good behaviors, giving people with autism the skills they need to have more successful interactions with other people.

Programs like the Candlelight Home are great, but services like this have a long waiting list.

“The Developmental Disabilities Program has many children waiting for services, and some of them are requiring out of home placements,” said Jeff Sturm, former Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services’ Developmental Disabilities Program director. Group homes represent a cost-effective way to provide people with disabilities the support they need.

Reach, the Bozeman-based community agency where Sherwood works, not only provides supported work for people with disabilities, but also provides a wide range of living support services, from group homes to minimal assistance services that Sherwood and Fordyce may need.

However, most of these services are restricted to the amount of funding state and non-profit organizations can provide. The result is a huge shortfall in the amount of services available to people with disabilities.

Sherwood and Fordyce are lucky. They qualify for some of these services and have a tremendous local support system from family and friends.

Back at their home, Sherwood and Fordyce are reading their friends’ posts on Facebook. Sherwood cranks a song he finds on Spotify, a free online digital music service. Fordyce sings out loud. They seem to be getting along just fine on their own. But everyone needs a little help every once in a while.

- Edited by Levi Worts and Autumn Toennis

Within a region, populations of wildlife cannot exist in isolation; changes that occur in one population will affect all of the others. This has proven especially true over the decades for Montana’s gray wolves.

That’s where state agencies like the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks come into play: One of their main goals is to preserve and manage the animal populations that reside within Montana. With a state full of large, elusive and sometimes dangerous mammals, this is not always an easy task.

According to their website, the FWP’s “wolf team” consists of a group of experts with over 35 years of combined experience dealing with wolves. They work throughout the state, “monitoring the wolf population, investigating wolf reports, working with landowners, and doing public outreach.”

Public education about animal management in Montana is important to the FWP, because as wildlife populations rise and fall in numbers, hunters, recreationists and naturalists need to understand how they are being dealt with.

For over 30 years, wolves were listed as endangered in this region. At that time, the FWP needed to enact policies that supported their return, and this meant banning the hunting of wolves in Montana. At that time wolves were allowed to live and thrive in peace.

However, things have changed since those days, and the luck has shifted for wolves in the western United States. In 2009, elk and deer hunters were finding many more signs of wolves than they were elk and deer in the wild. Hunters gathered in protest, demanding that the FWP do something about it.

However, their protest was not unjust and their observations proved to be correct. In 2012, wolves were taken off the federal endangered species list. Furthermore, since the reintroduction of the gray wolf to Montana in 1995, it has been officially noted by the FWP that some elk and deer populations have been on the decline. This has caused the gray wolf, once a protected predator, to become the prey.

According to FWP Bureau Chief Robert Aasheim, “FWP believes wolves are fully recovered and should be managed by the state as other wildlife in the state are.” Other species managed by the FWP include mountain lions, bears, elk, bald eagles, and bighorn sheep.

The FWP staff spend their time in the field “monitoring population numbers, working with private landowners and assisting with depredation removals,” according to Aasheim.

For wolves in particular, this management consists of the hunting, trapping and removal of wolves that are known to be preying on livestock. It also means balancing the number of wild prey that are killed by wolves. “Elk and deer are prey of wolves, and wolves have affected numbers and distribution in some areas,” said Aasheim. Elk and deer populations are defended in part by modifications of the regulations placed on hunters during wolf hunting season.

This effort led to another recent development in wolf management — the passing of House Bill 73. According to Aasheim, it “allows multiple hunting licenses per hunter per FWP commission rule; electronic calls; hunting without hunter orange after the general big game season, and reduces the nonresident license fee from $350 to $50.”

Aside from hunting wolves in season, it is legal for a human to kill a wolf in self defense or if it is seen attacking dogs or chasing livestock. However, the FWP prefers that people take precautionary measures to ensure encounters of this kind are few and far between.

Striving to live and recreate amongst wolves, the FWP has several guidelines to maintain safety while in wolf territory. Most importantly, the FWP warns people not to be careless with food or to feed wild animals, including wolves but also deer, turkeys, or other wildlife that may attract wolves.

If a wolf is too close for comfort, citizens are encouraged to make loud noises to scare them away. If all else fails, it is wise to carry bear spray or pepper spray as defense against a wolf attack.

With that said, wolf attacks in Montana are fairly rare. They tend to shy away from humans and instead go for livestock and other wild prey. Unfortunately for Montanan farmers, wolves often attack large groups of livestock for no apparent reason, leaving many wounded and uneaten. For this reason, it is even more important for the FWP to manage wolves because they are affecting the livelihoods of Montana farmers and ranchers.

According to the Montana Constitution, the legislature “shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.” Montana’s Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks has made this message their mission.

To report a dead wolf or possible illegal hunting activity, citizens may call the FWP at 1-800-TIP-MONT.

- Edited by Codie Wyers 

“Damn, that is good,” Shawn Swain says as he sips on his Bridger Brewery IPA.

Handcrafted, local beer is just one of the many fine things these Kitchen Dwellers appreciate about their hometown of Bozeman. From Montana, Alaska, Colorado, Wisconsin and Illinois, these five boys have unmistakably crossed paths to collaborate what they define as “no ordinary string band.”

All past and present students of Montana State University, these once individual musicians have found their collective sound as a foot-stomping, crowd-pleasing, heart pumping bluegrass band.

Joe Funk and Kyle Shelstad met their freshman year in 2009 when the magic started. “I met Kyle in September of 2010 and the three of us started playing together,” said Swain. “A week later I met Torrin in class.”

Shelstad left the country for a semester and Tyler Schultz stood in as a substitute guitar player for the Kitchen Dwellers. Upon Shelstad’s return, the band had one too many guitarists and were short one fiddle player. The obvious, rational solution Schultz came to was to “just show up with my fiddle that I had never played before. Never.”

“We never actually asked him to play the fiddle,” said Torrin Daniels. “But I don’t think we ever told him he couldn’t either.” Alas, the Kitchen Dwellers were whole.

“We are all from different backgrounds, different states, different mothers, but we all like to have a good time and pick bluegrass,” said Shelstad.

When the Kitchen Dwellers started jamming together, “the kitchen was the only space to play in my house,” said Swain. Years later, the kitchen is still these boys choice of rehearsal space. “Kitchens usually bring people together.”

Kitchen Dwellers fans that originally started listening to their music in Bozeman homes now bring the kitchen to them at live shows. “People actually bring pots and pans to our shows,” said Schultz. “It’s great.”

Whether it’s picking old fiddle tunes in a friend’s kitchen or playing original material on a big stage at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, this group of dwellers “are a fun-loving rowdy bunch who bring in a raging crowd for an energetic time,” said long-term friend and fan Kylee Firlit.

With their name growing in recognition across Montana and Colorado, the Kitchen Dwellers are seizing new opportunities to expand their sound. “There is really no middle ground,” said Swain. “You either stay small or you grow and expand.”

The Kitchen Dwellers have taken full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the short time they’ve been together. Aside from their weekly, local shows, the band has gotten to play in multiple festivals with some of their idols. Last summer the Dwellers shared the stage with various bluegrass legends at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival where they will play again this June. “Telluride was definitely a high,” said Daniels. “Playing the same venue Phish played their “Colorado ‘88” album on … stuff like that is exciting.”

In February the boys played some of their favorite shows to date at the Big Sky Bluegrass Festival here in their home state of Montana alongside some of their favorite musicians. “We ended up in a pickin’ circle with some of our legends…Billy Nershi of The String Cheese Incident, Drew Emmitt and Andy Thorn from Leftover Salmon,” stated Daniels. “Those are important time to prove to life that you’re awesome,” followed Schultz.

“I never thought anything would actually come of this,” Schultz continued. “We were just living in the moment,” but this summer the Kitchen Dwellers will record their first album of current material. “It gives us a chance to develop our original sound.”

“We are trying not to be held to one genre necessarily,” said Swain. “We hope to break free from genres….We want people who don’t understand bluegrass to find us easy to listen to,” continued Schultz.

“It’s really easy to define yourself as a bluegrass band and fall into the traditional tunes,” Daniels expressed.

“It’s like the tradition of oral storytelling…the borrowing of fiddle toons” followed Swain. “These songs are handed down from person to person and overtime people remember. It just blows my mind those songs still survive.”

“But ever since we have been together we have been writing original material,” said Daniels.

“A lot of our songs can just come out of practicing in general. Someone will play something that sounds good and we can just go off of it. Timeless artists create,” said Schultz. “That’s what I like about our band so much. We do show off-style tradition of bluegrass, but I think we rope people in with our song variety and energy on stage.”

Shelstad contributes to a majority of the songwriting among the Kitchen Dwellers material. “Kyle is the intellectual one of the group,” said Daniels. “He’s more poetically minded.”

“I’m inspired by everything around me.  Family, friends, art, history, dairy products, the weather, sleep, where the sidewalk may or may not end, pork chops and applesauce, Crazy Mountains, crazy women, long drives and other music,” stated Shelstad. “I listen to all sorts of music, from Medeski, Martin and Wood to Tyler the Creator.  I try to use all these different genres to influence a bluegrass song and then I’ll bring it to the boys and see what they think.  If it works for us as a band I feel like the songs really begin to take shape. Everyone adds their piece to the mix to create a final product.”

All the Kitchen Dweller members agreed that their fan base remains their key source of inspiration and are integral towards their growing success here in Southwest Montana. “It’s so cool to have kids that will come with us on 1,000 mile road trips,” said Swain.

“It really motivates us to build our repertoire and change things up,” said Daniels.

“Amidst their musical success, they’ll never turn down the chance to have a fun time with any fan, making them a very down to earth group of guys,” said Firlit.

“At the end of the day we’re just a group of guys that loves music and just playing all night in the kitchen,” said Schultz. “We never expected people to really like our stuff.”

Among all the Kitchen Dwellers recent and upcoming accomplishments, they have remained true to themselves as musicians and individuals. “We will never ever no matter where we end up say that Montana is not our home,” vowed Sawin. “Bozeman is where we will always be from.”

- Edited by Kaylee Walden

Mary Powell is not what you would expect from a belly dancer. As a former tire saleswoman who spent the majority of the day covered in vehicle grease, she made the transition to that of a woman dancing in a hand-sewn costume. It goes without saying, such a transformation requires a leap of imagination.

“I got into dancing because I was curious and I loved it from the first moment I tried it. I realized I could express myself through this,” said Powell. “My palate of emotional strata in movements – in layers – comes from my daughter, Rayven, my family and friends. The root of my heartbeat is made of emotions, music and dreams.”

It was in 2003, on a self-described “double dog dare” when Powell joined an existing local belly dance group in Bozeman, called Lotus Fire. Five years later, she branched off to teach others what had originally inspired her: the spark and the passion that existed within every woman to dance.

“Dance is an ancient, connective form of communication that comes from the past and expresses into the future,” said Powell. Bellydance takes that further and reaches out to the existential woman. A lot like meditation, it gets to the core of identity. “No matter how I feel at the start of the day, I can always dance and feel as if a great circle has been completed.”

“I began to experiment with different forms and styles,” said Powell, “transitioning into deeper emotions and expressions.” Individualities and personalities show through each person in a different way, Powell believes, allowing each dancer to express things differently in an emotional sense.

Unlike sitting meditation, dance is the outward expression of the body coming into focus with the center. Powell says this is the birth of rhythm and harmony. “This movement is my favorite, when body and mind are one. Think of the start as the mind is red, the body moves in violet. That point where there is union expressed as a rainbow,” said Powell.

Powell says choreography becomes a matter of working to make the music fit to the personal style and also working to fit stylistic dance moves into the tune of the musical piece. These pieces come together in each piece of choreography, becoming synergistic with the music, dance, and audience.

The hand-sewn costumes become a focal point with the movement of the dance.  Each costume is hand crafted for an event and tailored to the particular dancer, many by Powell herself. “My favorite part about costumes, is that I can make them become a part of the vision within the inspiration,” said Powell. “There is a type of personal ceremony behind each costume. They have a deep historical meaning with the dancer.”

Powell says that she has been inspired by the art form and that she wishes to openly give that art to those who would seek it, the ability to move the Earth with each shimmy, being a true woman with the power to help others become “sparkly and glittery” with their inner strength and to grasp the Goddess within and make the loudest ROAR is an experience like none other.

“I wish to expand and strengthen my charitable drives,” said Powell. “To be a local awareness engine and take it to the next level.” Learning from the demands of those she teaches encourages her to become a student of others, reaching out to the greater dance community for guidance and support.

“I will dance until the day I can no longer move. I danced all the way throughout my pregnancy and Rayven [my daughter] started there, in the womb,” said Powell. Rayven is now taking tap and ballet at the Main Street Dance theatre. “She loves to dance.”

Powell’s goals for dancing are to become better than the day before and to spread it around. “Teaching anyone that can think outside of the box, anyone that can get into a song and feel the goose bumps of an emotional release within using their experiences in the paths they have walked.”

The music never stops.

- Edited by John Kirk Vincent

The Montana State University administration has been trying to increase the availability of online core classes. However, finding faculty that is both willing and has the time and knowledge to do so has been a struggle, according to English professor Josef Verbanac.

“Online courses are extremely time-consuming, not easy, and often there is not a lot of support when using technology as a teaching tool,” Verbanac said. On average, an online class is three to four times more time-consuming than a typical on campus class, according to Verbanac. He believes that the amount of time an online class requires is not adequately stressed by faculty.

“Online classes aren’t for everyone. They require a tremendous amount of self-motivation and discipline. The faculty stresses that online classes are great because of the flexibility, but that is a misnomer. They don’t stress the rigor.”

Also, it is a much heavier workload for the teachers, as well. “Administering tests online often takes double the time to administer than tests in the classroom,” Verbanac said.

Kristin Ruppel, chair of the Native American Studies department says, “It really depends on the course, whether it is difficult or not. They can be more challenging than face-to-face courses simply because students have to be more self-motivated, and because they usually require substantial amounts of reading and writing.”

When asked what the largest benefit of teaching online is, Ruppel said, “Being able to work from anywhere, but that is also a drawback because you can never get away from it.”

What classes MSU chooses to offer online is completely up to the department itself. Ruppel explains, “No one has told us what we should or shouldn’t put online. We’ve been encouraged to offer more courses online, that’s all. What we decide to put online is up to us, and there are certain courses that we’ve decided wouldn’t work well as online courses, such as graduate theory and method courses.”

When considering what the most effective methods of online education are, Verbanac points to a blended model, which uses online resources and online learning with face-to-face activity and in-class learning.

Ruppel echo’s Verbanac’s claim that a blended model works best. “I don’t mind teaching online, but I prefer a blended approach, which it turns out, seems to be the most effective teaching and learning method.” Ruppel teaches several NAS courses.

What remains to be seen is whether institutions look at what is most successful for students and instructors or what is easy to administer and profitable, or if the answer is somewhere in between.

The future of online education is bright at MSU, and Ruppel believes there will continue to be an increase in virtual classrooms in the future. “But I think there will always be a place for the face-to-face.”

One of Ruppel’s students, Stacey McMillan, says she benefits from online classes. “I can fit them in around work and being a mom. I don’t have a set time that I have to be in class.”

But even for supporters of online education, there are certain things you just can’t glean from taking a class online.

McMillan explains: “The largest drawback is the lack of spontaneous discussion that typically occurs in a classroom setting. Comments made in postings can also be misconstrued and the author doesn’t have a chance to clarify.”

Right now, MSU is working towards obtaining the resources and infrastructure to continue a solid online education program. One thing holding students back, however, is that the costs of online classes are more expensive than those in the classroom. Verbanc explains “Once institutions get more of those things automated, those extra fees will go away.

However, for MSU junior Monica Van Hatten the two classes she has taken online, Drugs and Society and Human Sexuality (both taught by James Carter), were not difficult. “I would say they were more fast-paced than normal, but not that much day-to-day homework.” However, when asked whether cost was a factor, she was quick to explain that it is.

“I definitely will try and not take any more online classes because they are a lot pricier than brick and mortar classes at MSU. However, they were a great option for me when I was home in California during the summer.”

Another student offers a different perspective.

MSU Junior Madeleine Sherrier said she completely underestimated the time that was needed to do well in an online class. Last summer, she took Introduction to International Business. “I had never taken an online class before and I thought it would for sure be easier than classes in the classroom. I don’t think I could have been more wrong about that.” According to Sherrier, “Halfway through the session, I was struggling to keep up with the weekly assignments.”

Sherrier offers some advice to students who are considering taking an online class. “Students should definitely treat it as a regular class. They should set up a time and log in everyday for an hour at that time. That will really help them take the class seriously so they can succeed, which is ultimately what MSU wants.”

- Edited by Kevin Knapek

Long before the competitors arrive with their horse trailers and the crowd fills the arena, the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse is in preparation for the spring rodeo.

Brick Breeden Fieldhouse after it has been transformed into a rodeo arena.

The Brick Breeden Fieldhouse’s unique design lends it self to the rodeo better than most indoor facilities since it is “the largest domed structure in the western hemisphere without a center support,” according to the Montana State Bobcats website.

“For this year’s rodeo, 6,692 tickets were sold,” according to Michelle Cook, Montana State University ticket manager. Saturday night’s ticket sales filled over 3,000 seats of the possible 4,867, a spectacular turnout for the rodeo, says Cook. But none of this would be possible without the nine months of planning that the Montana State University facilities office does.

In mid-July the first contract is signed, between MSU and the company that will be setting up the fieldhouse as a rodeo arena. MSU has used Sime Construction for the last eight years, since transforming the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse into an arena takes specific machinery and skilled workers, according to Ron Pike, president of Sime Construction.

“The dirt is stored out in concrete bunkers, on the property just over there. We use the same dirt every year for the rodeo,” says Melanie Stocks, director of Sports Facilities and Conference Services at Montana State University. “MSU also owns most of the equipment needed for the arenas transformation.”

“This year no sand was added and it had a great consistency,” says Stocks. She attributes this to the minimal snowfall that Bozeman has had in the past few weeks.

Depending on the last seasons and the previous weeks weather the dirt can be manipulated to the ideal rodeo arena consistency.

“If the dirt is too dry an irrigation process will occur and if it is too wet the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse turns on its central exhaust fans, evaporating the excess water,” says Stocks.

Before the dirt is transported into the arena, the 55,000-square-foot fieldhouse must be prepared to hold hundreds of fans, competitors and their animals. About 250 volunteers, 10 MSU staff members and 20 students take part in the process.

The first step is to “Clear the arena and lay about 55,000 square feet of tarp to protect the floors from dirt and the damage caused by livestock,” says Stocks.  “From there a layer of plywood is placed down,” creating a new base-floor for the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.

Heavy-duty plastic sheeting is lined over the plywood, “layering upwards on the bleachers, in hopes of keeping the dirt in a confined space,” Stocks.  The plastic only rises a few feet over the lower bleachers, trying to minimize the number of seats that can’t be occupied.

Within the following days the rodeo team is recruited to finish up the final transformations.  About 30-40 rodeo athletes lay the final level of plywood and head home for the night, says Mike True, rodeo head coach.

“At 6 o’clock on Monday morning the dirt begins to move,” says Stocks. The process takes about eight hours using skilled volunteers and specialized machinery. The arena stays up throughout the week before the rodeo, but is removed right after finals on Sunday night.

“The rodeo is left in place so the dirt and all the plywood can settle. This makes a better competition arena, also it is easier to involve volunteers and rodeo team members on the weekends,” comments Stocks.

To remove the bulk of the dirt, Sime Construction “brings paddle wheel scrapers into the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse” according to Pike, along with a full-sized dump truck. Once the majority of dirt is removed the rodeo team comes in for a preliminary sweeping.

“The day after the rodeo was over I went in and striped plywood from all of the platforms and winner’s podiums that were built before the rodeo started. Most of us who volunteered to take everything down were there for three to five hours,” says Sarah Wright, rodeo team member.

A group of residence life custodians and facilities staff sweep the fieldhouse with a compound cleaner to remove the heavily settled dust. They finally use scrubbers to collect what remaining dust is left. “Dust collects on the railings and piping and continues to fall even after our heavy cleaning,” say Stocks.

“A cleaning crew is necessary after an event like the rodeo. Not only does the arena floor have to be cleaned but we have to clean up after the audience,” according to Stocks. She went on to say “This year we had to clear the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse quicker than normal. As the cleaning crews were finishing, the PowPow was being set up.”

After about nine months of planning, two weeks of preparation in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse and one weekend of the rodeo, a “great event took place. Truly a Montana atmosphere,” Stocks says.

-Edited by Madeleine Sherrier

In a world where everyone has a camera, where an Instagram is considered art and the word “film” has lost its meaning, what is the importance of studying classical approaches to photography?

The photography students of the Montana State University photography program would argue strongly for the older processes because they are an important part of understanding the visual language.

“We are teaching an entire language to our students, and the same as any other language, we start with the basics,” professor Chris Anderson says. This visual language is one of the most complex languages to learn or express.

“Since we see the world visually, minute to minute, we pay less attention to the detail and the beautiful scenes,” said professor Ian van Coller. “Using the commonplace to create something spectacular is the most important role of photographer.”

The MSU Photography Program is a very unique program, offering an education in technical aspects of photography as well as the its history. This program combines technology of traditional darkroom processing of black-and-white film to digital processing labs allowing student the ability to combine, alternate and experiment with these processes.

Offering a four-year degree, opposed to the dominant two-year degree programs across the county, MSU offers 17 unique photography courses. They offer two university core classes taken by 500 students from across campus. This degree has over 100 combinations for any major or minor a student could want with a retention rate of 80 percent, according MSU’s webpage.

“We are a four-year program because we believe photographers need a broad base not only in photography but also in other fields,” Anderson said.

The School of Film and Photography is considered “state of the art” by other universities. This facility gives students access to two large 20-station gang labs and 18 individual darkrooms attached to a large finishing room equipped with lockers, film and print dryers, dry mount presses, and matting equipment. There are also two digital labs equipped with Mac computers, large format printers, and film and flatbed scanners, along with a 2500-square-foot studio space devoted to the photography students.

An expensive degree to pursue, the school has a checkout department equipped with approximately 2000 pieces of equipment that are maintained continually, including view cameras, medium format cameras, 35mm digital and analog cameras, a variety of lenses, lighting equipment, other types of cameras such as pinholes and Rolleiflexes and, of course, all enlarger equipment, contact printing frames and film-developing equipment for student to use.

If a student decides to major in photography, they must pass through what the school calls “the gate” in order to move forward with their degree. The process is done because it’s a highly competitive degree program and the process will helps weed out students by making the student maintain a certain GPA. They must also submit a final portfolio for professional critique in order to go pass through “the gate.” “Black and white allows students to learn the basics of composition and lighting,” professor Dan Wise said.

Once through “the gate,” students will be introduced to photography history. This is one of three undergraduate photography programs that teach three photographic history classes.

“We firmly believe in history’s ability to teach us,” said photography history professor Steve Jacson. Seeing photography’s progression through time gives more meaning to where we are today.

Photography student Kayla Bedley said, “Only when we know where we came from can we move forward and create something better.”

Later on in ones degree program in photography, student advance from using the smaller 35mm film cameras to the larger cameras. The large format cameras allow photographers to correct optical distortions and capture seven times the detail of the best-known digital cameras.

“The detail captured by these beautiful mechanisms allows the photographer complete control and maximum ability,” said the well-known Ansel Adams who actually loved to use a very large camera. The school checkout department has available some 14 different types of large format cameras for students to experiment with during their education.

As a student progresses in their photography degree, they will be exposed to analog color and digital processes and printing. At this point in the students degree, they are also exposed to some of the following processes along with more creative freedoms to develop their own unique research or project: hand coloring, pinhole, gum, cyanotype, mordancage, chemigram, lithe, lumen, bleachout, casein, van dyke brown, and platinum.  Several of these aren’t taught anywhere else in the world and learning them helps student invent their own techniques and processes.

“This photography program puts a lot of effort into preserving appreciation for the history and progression of processes.” Anderson said.

Photography has always had an inherent relationship with every part of the human experience, and thus, “We believe it’s important to understand as many different ways of life as we can,” van Coller said. This is where the importance of being a four-year program lies.

In the world of contemporary photography, van Coller said, “some of the most successful and interesting work is being done by classically trained photographers who work in odd places, who use photography to interpret their daily lives.”

During the spring of 2013, the school began making a Camera Obscura, a course that stands for their identity as a school dedicated to research and ingenuity. A Camera Obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a wall or screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography and the camera.

The device consists of a dark room with a single hole. Light from an external scene passes through this hole and strikes a surface inside where it is reproduced on a screen overhead. “We have created a moveable, walk-in Camera Obscura as part of the President’s Fine Art Series that will be showcased on MSU campus for the next 2 years in a variety of locations,” said the course professor Jon Long.

We’ve seen it all, or have we? Photographic processes have been advancing for the last 176 years and yet we already started developing systems so fast that they can record the path of light as it moves through time, to cameras that can capture a picture of a pebble on Mars. “The program keeps students working “conceptually, technically and emotionally” said Anderson.

For more information on the SFP or the Photography Program itself, go to http://sfp.montana.edu/ or call 994-2484.

–Edited by Melinda Peirce

The pastel colored walls of the Verge Theatre are decorated with framed portraits of past dance performances and other ornaments befitting of a ballet studio. Tucked in the middle of the theatre is the Rainbow Studio. Rhythmic music pumps from the studio as women of all ages move and sway their hips to the various musical beats.

Initiated in 2008, Bad Asp Belly Dancing Troupe is holding strong in their fifth year and currently revolves around five diverse local women. Each instructor focuses on her own blend and style of belly dancing. The troupe maintains a self-described “Earthy feel” to their Tribal Fusion style of dance. “Our style is about setting our own style,” said Mary Powell.

Sitting comfortably on a wooden bench outside of their studio, Powell is half in costume, half in street clothes while she tells the backstory of Bad Asp and the art of belly dancing.

“We started in the living room dancing and it was a lot like the garage band of dancing,” said Powell. Bad Asp is based in a self-made image to maintain a community-influenced approach to the arts.

Powell sews most of the costumes that are used in the dance performances so what people see is a truly original piece of art. The costumes, too, are a fusion of the traditional and contemporary, designed to reflect more of the dancer’s spirit than anything else.

“I can make them become a part of the vision within the inspiration,” said Powell.

The Fusion Style gets its name from the blending of traditional styles to non-traditional forms of bellydance like tribal, jazz, flamenco, rock, as well as many others. “Fusion Bellydance is a dance art for everyone, all ages, all sizes, all levels,” said Powell.

Members of the groups have come and gone. There have been a number of alterations to the lineup of the group before Bad Asp, but the core remains centered around some of the original belly-dancing members.

Many of the dancers come from a trained dance background – such as ballet – while others are first timers who are simply trying it out for the first time.

Mary Powell, Amy Madsen, Hillari Ladd, Caitlin Dahl and Missy O’Malley have become the core members of the troupe. With two private studios attached to the homes of members of the troupe, they are able to practice and train extensively within their own constructed sanctuary.

While each dancer moves within individual limitations and sets personal goals for a performance, the choreography is in itself group effort. Powell says that specific choreography to a song can take as short as a week or up to a month for a specific routine to be successful.

“Everyone is so cool and supportive of each other,” said Powell. “It’s a very liberating experience for women, giving them a sense of confidence of power.”

There is a very real sense of teaching people to think outside the box and teaching others to feel a sense of confidence, said Powell. “Unlike sitting meditation, dance is the outward expression of the body coming into focus with the center. That becomes rhythm and harmony.”

“Well, since this is a very liberating and empowering experience for women, husbands sometimes find themselves feeling threatened because their wives are now feeling so empowered,” said Powell when asked if belly dancing ever caused issues with significant others.

This statement mirrors what Bad Asp suggests to its dancers: “enter into a loving and supportive environment with fellow dancers as we explore and discover our inner dancer through friendship and dance.”

And it’s not only women who participate in belly dancing. The often clichéd image of women in scantily clad costumes doesn’t begin to cover the history of the art of belly dancing – a true art.  Powell says what is unusual is that “back in the day” it wasn’t uncommon for men to be belly dancers. In fact, the male belly dancers were often the most coveted by the Egyptian kings.

“We had some male dancers with us for a while because of where they were in strength and weight training. They wanted to increase their flexibility while they were training,” said Powell.

Bad Asp seeks to create and foster an environment where students can learn not only from the instructors but each other. The idea of limiting a student to a specific style or technique of dance comes across as counterproductive to Powell and the troupe.

“We really strive to share the joy of dance with our students and if we can’t give you the answer to your questions about dance, we are more than happy to help you find that answer, together,” said Powell.

Powell says that the troupe is available for many kinds of celebrations, but emphasizes that it’s not for bachelor parties or for all male parties. These are rules that will not be ignored and exist for the safety of the dancers, but also for the enjoyment of the audience.

With the unique Fusion Style, the troupe is able to cater to numerous events including but not limited to, office parties, surprise parties, engagement parties and even “Girls Night In” parties.

- Edited by John Kirk Vincent

For Kristin Ruppel, associate professor of Native American Studies, following her bliss allowed everything to fall into place.

Kristin Ruppel of MSU Native American Studies is leading the charge on the development of online education opportunities.

Ruppel wanted to be closer to her parents who live in Twin Bridges. So she decided to make her way back to Montana. Before graduating with her doctorate, she had an opportunity to buy a gutted-out log cabin in Virginia City.

“Eventually, my parents and I went in on it together, and since then, my husband and I, but mostly my husband, have made it livable. So coming to Bozeman was really the tail wagging the dog. I just knew I wanted to be back in Montana,” Ruppel said.

At the time she was hired, the NAS department at Montana State University had been considering the idea of setting up online courses. The plan was in place, but lacked any staff with adequate time to get the program rolling. In 2006, Ruppel, along with the NAS department heads proposed to the university provost that they support the program by allowing funds to support the development of classes through the NAS department.

Saralyn Sebern, who was an NAS-tribal liaison at the time, worked with Ruppel in researching what worked and what did not. The research required Ruppel to visit tribal colleges in Montana to see what she would find useful from the tribal school’s perspective.

When all the research was completed, it was decided that Ruppel and her team would move ahead.

“Out of those conversations, we decided to move ahead with a graduate certificate program in NAS, which was the first of its kind in the country as far as I know,” Ruppel said. She developed and taught the first of several NAS online courses here at MSU, and has been chair of the program ever since.

Ruppel has her doctorate in anthropology with significant post-graduate work in conservation biology and ecology. Her MA is an interdisciplinary degree (the first of its kind at Idaho State University) in anthropology and botany. The job and opportunity to teach NAS is what made Ruppel decide on her position here at MSU.

“I had studied federal Indian law and policy on my own for my doctoral research, so they asked me to teach that. Everything else I’ve learned on the job because it’s what was needed at the time,” she said.

Ruppel does not mind teaching online classes, but prefers a blended “hybrid” (face-to-face mixed with online portions) approach. According to her, the hybrid classes seem to be the most effective teaching and learning method.

Some critics might say that online classes are “easier” than the typical face-to-face classes, but Ruppel is quick to dispel that myth. “I am not hearing they are ‘easy.’ Like any course, it depends on how the course is set up. They can be more challenging than face-to-face courses simply because students have to be more self-motivated, and because they usually require substantial amounts of writing and reading,” Ruppel said. She also acknowledges that students can also “come to class” any time they want, which makes online courses more appropriate for students who work or have young children.

Stacey McMillan is a non-traditional student who is taking an online NAS literature class this semester. Even though it is not being taught by Ruppel, McMillan sees the flexibility of online classes.

“The largest benefit for taking online NAS classes is that I can fit them in around my busy work schedule. I don’t have a set time that I have to be in class,” McMillan said.

She enjoys being able to do the readings, required postings and papers in ways that work around her hectic schedule. Not only does McMillan work, she is a single mother of two.

“The main reason I am taking online classes is because there is no need for me to find babysitters or miss work,” McMillan said. She acknowledges that the flexibility is great, but the workload involved with online classes is still pretty hefty.

Ruppel agrees that having the technology and flexibility of being able to work from anywhere is the largest benefit from teaching online classes. “It can also be a drawback—you can never get away from it!” she said jokingly.

Skeptics of online courses feel that students will act differently in what they say in person versus what is posted online. Ruppel tends to be split on this argument.

“Yes, sometimes, and sometimes that’s to the detriment of the class as a whole. Students need to apply the same rules of civility to their online discussions as they do (or should do) in the physical classroom. And they should expect to be called out for it if they can’t maintain a civil discussion,” Ruppel said.

McMillan confirmed this thought by saying, “I do think in online classes you can be a bit more candid than you would in a traditional classroom environment. Some may find it easier to post their true thoughts given that there aren’t actual people in the room while you make your comment—no facial expression to read and its a bit more impersonal.”

Josh Mori is familiar with Ruppel’s work at MSU.

“I have taken more classes from her than I can remember, and have enjoyed them all. I think one of her strong points as an instructor is that she doesn’t try and over teach or go outside of her abilities, which are very broad. She allows her students to be guided to understanding instead of being told how to think,” Mori said.

Mori has been working with Ruppel since 2008. His first collaboration with Ruppel was an indigenous film class in 2011. He was still a graduate student, and believes that it was the first time he was a part of the planning process and had an understanding of how he could have a small contribution to class from an administrative standpoint.

“I created a course that the university thought was an online course but we met in a classroom. I did have one student join us every class from Chicago via Skype, so that was fun,” Mori said. “I am also tentatively working on a chapter in a book she [Ruppel] is writing right now.”

MSU has been encouraging Ruppel and the NAS department to offer more courses online. “What we decide to put online is up to us, and there are certain courses (such as our graduate theory and method courses) that we’ve decided wouldn’t work well as online courses,” Ruppel said. Those classes will be left as face-to-face.

Josef Verbanac of the English department sees what Ruppel has accomplished with online courses at MSU. Even though he does not work directly with Ruppel, he was full of praise when talking about the online structure of the NAS department. “The NAS department has set a positive model of working towards outreach education,” Verbanac said.

This semester Ruppel was able to step away from the online teaching. “I oversee our online courses, which are currently all being taught by adjuncts (most of whom are graduates of our master’s program. I may teach my ‘Native America: Dispelling the Myths’ course again next spring,” Ruppel said.

So where does this technology of online classes lead students at MSU? “I see more virtual classrooms in the future, but I think there will always be a place for the face-to-face [classrooms],” Ruppel said.

When she is not dredging through her workload, Ruppel enjoys the peace and tranquility that her home offers. Weather permitting, she can be found hiking side-by-side with her family in the mountains near her home. Being outside with her loved ones and enjoying the beauty that Montana has to offer, has made this journey for Ruppel worth every minute.

- Edited by Cassidy Geoghegan