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Dear Bobcat parent and family members,
For those of you who were not in Bozeman this past weekend, the weather was picture-perfect for the Homecoming. From lighting the College "M" on Mount Baldy, to the parade downtown, to a football win over Portland State, the weekend had it all. And, we managed to wrap things up before the cold drizzle rolled into town on Sunday.
We loved welcoming our Bobcat alumni home, and now we turn our attention to our current Bobcats and their families -- you! It's nearly time for Parent and Family Weekend. Don't forget that you can find a full schedule of events on our Parent and Family Weekend webpage. We hope to see you there, and if you haven't yet registered, it's not too late! You can do so here.
It's hard to believe we're almost halfway through our fall semester already. October is a busy time, with students preparing for midterms and some of our seniors getting ready to graduate in December. In the midst of all the activity, it can be easy to miss important updates, so I wanted to share a few resources for staying in the loop.
One of those resources is our Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This is a document that we publish each year as part of upholding our responsibilities under the federal crime law known as the Clery Act. This report is a collaboration between a number of campus entities including the Office of Institutional Equity, University Police, the VOICE Center, the Fire Marshall and University Student Housing. It defines the role and resources of MSU's safety and security programs and communicates campus crime and fire data for the past three calendar years. You can find the full document on our Clery Reports website, along with past editions and other important information about campus safety.
We use a variety of tools to communicate safety concerns with our community. All students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in MSU Alert, a system used to notify our community of criminal activity, public safety concerns or other timely information. Anyone can opt in to receive MSU Alerts, which can come via text message, phone call or email. If you would like to enroll in MSU Alert, text "montanastate" to 888-777, or visit the FAQ page to learn more about emergency communications.
Is your student undecided about an area of study? MSU's annual Major Madness event on Oct. 16 can help. This interactive evening allows exploring students to learn about various academic programs from upper-division peers. In "speed round" style conversations, they will be introduced to majors, minors and certificates by other students who are passionate about their areas of study.
And if your student is preparing to graduate this December, they can pick up their regalia, ensure their name is listed properly on the roster of candidates, learn about loan exit counseling and more at our upcoming Grad Fair in the MSU Bookstore. They can drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Oct. 12 and find everything they need for graduation, all in one place. Before you know it, winter commencement will be here, and we can't wait to celebrate each and every one of our graduating seniors. But first, we hope to see you Oct. 13-14 for Parent and Family Weekend!
Warm regards,
Matthew R. Caires
Dean of Students
P.S. As midterms approach and many students are putting in some long study hours, we're very happy to announce the return of the popular "Late Night Bites" offering in Miller Dining Hall. Beginning this week, Miller will be open Monday through Friday from 7:30-10 p.m. for students on campus to grab a snack and work on their studies together.