Here are your Monday Minutes for the week of June 29 - July 3, 2020. 

Happy summer break, everyone! Stay safe this summer, and we'll see you in the fall! (In the meantime, you can expect to hear from us on a pretty regular basis.)

From the Department Head

Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty,

I hope that you are having a good summer and have taken the time to rest and recharge. For relaxation, I have been watching the Explore Live Nature Cams. If you can’t get out and about, this is a great way to connect with nature from your device (The Katmai National Park (AK) bear cams are my favorite!)

This summer I am learning about how to be an anti-racist. I am currently learning about land acknowledgement, a practice I began in Fall 2019. One way to recognize Indigenous experiences is to do a land acknowledgement as you begin a school year, event, or unit—but go beyond superficial connections. Resources are available here (American Indians in Children's Literature) and here (Native Land - Territory Acknowledgement). Additionally, my email signature now contains the following statement:

Many Indigenous peoples, including the Apsáalooke (Crow), Niimiipuu (Nez Perce), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Lakota), Piikani (Blackfeet), Seliš (Salish), Shoshone, and Tsétsêhéstâhese (Northern Cheyenne), have traditional claims to the lands upon which Montana State University (MSU) physically sits. Indigenous histories and perspectives inform my work.*

To move toward an anti-racist stance, learning and cultural humility are important. We must examine all of our assumptions and thinking. This begins with taking responsibility. I hope you will take some time to reflect on your own journey this summer.

Take good care,

 Ann Dutton Ewbank's signature 

Dr. Ann Ewbank

* Thank you to Dr. Christine Rogers Stanton for the land acknowledgement statement and resources.

From the Advising Office

  • The current Fall 2020 schedule in MyInfo is not accurate. MSU is working on changing the dates in MyInfo to reflect the new semester dates, as well as room reallocations for in-person classes due to reduced room capacity. This means that some courses will be changed to 100% online (synchronous or asynchronous), and face to face classes may be split into groups which meet on alternate class days. Thank you for your patience—this is a complicated process and we will provide you with periodic updates on our progress.
  • Make sure to check the MSU COVID-19 webpage frequently as university and system-wide updates are available all in one place.

Scholarship Opportunities

  • The Student Emergency Fund assists Montana State University students by providing limited emergency financial assistance to currently enrolled students who are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses due to an unexpected emergency. For more information on possible expenses covered by the Student Emergency Fund (SEF), please visit the SEF webpage. Students may complete the Student Emergency Fund application to submit a request or faculty and staff may submit a request on behalf of students. 
  • Small Town Scholarship -- For real, there's a scholarship specifically for students who live in a town of less than 10,000 people. If you live in a state like Montana or Maine, that's most of the state.
    SatelliteInternet.com wants to learn how the digital divide is impacting the education of students who live in rural areas. Satellite Internet wants to use this annual scholarship to empower rural students to achieve their dreams. Deadline: July 1, 2020. Apply at https://www.satelliteinternet.com/resources/small-town-scholarship/.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resources

  • Implicit Bias and Microaggressions from Edutopia provides a definition as well as what microaggressions look and sound like in a school setting with resources to begin the conversation.
  • Black Lives Matter at School Coalition’s curriculum committee has lessons for every grade level. The 2020 Curriculum Resource Guide contains free, downloadable lessons to challenge racism, oppression, and to help build happy and healthy classrooms.
  • The Montana Historical Society has put together a Montana’s African American Heritage resource site including oral histories of black Montanans.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

 

Take care, 

David Reese
Academic Advisor
MSU Department of Education
davidreese@montana.edu
406.994.5948 

Click here to schedule an appointment