The Kaimin Cast

As Missoula's housing crisis worsens and the school year starts back up, new and returning UM students and staff face the tightest housing market Missoula has seen in memory. With a rental vacancy rate of .4% and construction taking away around 266 beds in the dorms since 2019, many people in and around campus face less-than-ideal living situations.  In this episode, Kaimin Cast editor Elinor Smit...

It’s been a hell of a year at the University of Montana. Over the last two semesters, students protested misogynistic and racist professors, worked to oust law school leadership for bungled Title IX complaints, set record attendance at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, boosted UM to its first overall enrollment increase in a decade and shook off the dust of the COVID-19 pandemic.  UM President Seth Bodn...

The results of the University of Montana's student government elections are in, and even though UM students overwhelmingly approved a fee hike to make counseling free at Curry Health Center, low voter turnout has forced senators to pump the brakes on the referendum. Reporter Alyssa Tompkins has the update.   Questions? Comments? Email us at editor@montanakaimin.com   A podcast from the Montana Kai...

The name Lily Gladstone might not be one that you recognize yet, but it won't stay that way forever. Gladstone is an actress and University of Montana grad from Montana, who's going on to star in movies with household names like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Originally from the Blackfeet Reservation, Gladstone worked her way up the Hollywood food chain with what some of her close mentors c...

On Tuesday, candidates for the University of Montana's student government clashed onstage in the University Center Theater in a first-ever Kaimin debate. Our moderator asked them questions about their qualifications and policies to give students at UM a clear idea of who's running to represent them at the University.  Rounding out our debate series are the senators — the largest group of any of th...

On Tuesday, candidates for the University of Montana's student government clashed on stage in the University Center Theater and a first-ever Kaimin debate. Our moderator asked them questions about their qualifications and policies to give students at UM a clearer idea of who's running to represent them at the University.  Today, you'll hear from candidates running to be the next ASUM President. Th...

On Tuesday, candidates for the University of Montana's student government clashed onstage in the University Center Theater in a first-ever Kaimin debate. Our moderator asked them questions about their qualifications and policies to give students at UM a clearer idea of who's running to represent them at the University.  On this episode: the vice presidential debate. These candidates, paired on a t...

On Tuesday, University of Montana student government candidates clashed onstage in the University Center Theater in a first-ever Kaimin debate. Our moderator asked them questions about their qualifications and policies to give students at UM a clear idea of who's running to represent them at the University. We'll separate the debates into their own episodes, releasing on a day-by-day basis leading...

Bells, buses, hot water and healthy plants — through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn't just professors and students who had to carry on. Essential workers across the University of Montana kept campus running, even when there were no students to serve. With the COVID-19 threat fading, those workers are reflecting on their pandemic experiences. On this episode, the stories of UM's essen...

Nine out of the 10 tennis players on the University of Montana men's tennis team are from outside the United States. Elinor Smith reports on the UM’s men's tennis team and the home players made far away from home.   The Second Look is reported and edited by Elinor Smith.    Questions? Comments? Email us at editor@montanakaimin.com     A podcast from the Montana Kaimin , University of Montana's ind...

Scott Blankney is a former University of Montana men's basketball player facing a big decision. After completing his last season with the team and starting in just four games, he's at a crossroads: retire from the game he loves, or continue playing overseas. Fewer than 2% of college hoopers in the U.S. move on to the NBA or WNBA after school. The international market for pro basketballers is much...

Organizations like Latino Outdoors and Here Montana are expanding access to the outdoors across the Rocky Mountain West — giving people of color opportunities to get out and recreate that may not have been there before. Elinor Smith reports on efforts to expand outdoor access to everyone. Through programs focused on community outreach and building, students of color and people across Missoula are...

Missoula is a recreationist’s dream, but for many Americans, the idea of accessing the outdoors is only a dream as well. The U.S. Forest Service says that, while people of color make up 40% of the population, nearly 70% of visitors to public lands are white.  Now, two grassroots organizations in Missoula are aiming to narrow that spread. Here Montana and Latino Outdoors Missoula are headed by two...

The University of Montana's Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership Lab was one of 34 grantees to win the Google Impact Grant for Women and Girls in collaboration with the Blackfeet Community College and the Salish Kootenai College. With the money, WELL is starting the Native Women Launch Program.   On this episode of the Second Look, Elinor Smith speaks to representatives from the colleges about th...

In honor of Women's History Month, the Kaimin's print edition is celebrating women in business in Missoula and beyond. While women have historically faced obstacles to business ownership, U.S. census data shows gains in women entrepreneurship, and in Montana, 46% of small business owners are women as of 2021.   On this episode, an interview with one UM grad and entrepreneur who got her start with...

Reports of drug-facilitated assaults rose drastically this semester at the University of Montana, leading to important questions about what to do if you or a friend believe you've been drugged while out on the town.   On this episode of the Second Look, Elinor Smith has a step-by-step breakdown of how to treat and prevent the effects of "roofie" drugs.   The Second Look is reported and edited by E...

On Feb. 9, University of Montana students received an alert email warning about increased reports of drug-facilitated assaults at Missoula bars, more commonly known as "roofies." So far this semester, the Student Advocacy Resource Center has received 10 reports of roofies assaults — five times the amount they normally receive, raising concerns about student safety and awareness. On this episode, K...

The University of Montana officially rescinded its campus-wide mask mandate on March 3, nearly two years after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down campus.  Administrators say the change is due to a rapid plunge in new cases in Missoula. It also comes after pressure on Montana colleges from the Commissioner of Higher Education to roll back pandemic-era policies.  On this episode, UM students chime in o...

As COVID-19 cases plunge in Missoula from an Omicron peak in early February, the University of Montana is making big changes to its long-standing pandemic policies. As of March 3, students and staff are no longer required to wear masks indoors.  While the change may mark a turning point in the pandemic, the effects of COVID-19 adaptations are lingering. In a recent survey of UM professors by the U...

Long before Monte was a twinkle in the University of Montana's eye, an eclectic collection of mascots represented the school, including a series of live bears, a guy in a chicken costume, Ronald McDonald and other oddities with little resemblance to the backflipping bear we know and love today.   On this episode of the Second Look, audio reporter Elinor Smith breaks down UM's wacky mascot history....

The University of Montana announced it had ended its mask mandate for all indoor spaces on campus besides classrooms and labs on Feb. 24. The rest of campus will follow a week later, on March 3.  Kaimin Cast host Austin Amestoy has the update. A podcast from the Montana Kaimin , University of Montana's independent, student-run newspaper.

When the University of Montana's now-iconic mascot Monte was introduced in the early 90s, it was an experiment in permanence for the University. Prior to Monte, UM had had few long-term mascots, and even some disastrous stints with live bears. But with Monte, UM finally struck mascot gold, with major thanks to the many performers to don the suit through the years. From motorcycle rides across Wash...

After welcoming an international, virtual audience in 2021, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is returning to Missoula with more films and audience interest than ever — and a hybrid option to boot.  On this episode of the Second Look, the festival's six-year director reflects on the changes administration has made and the hope they have for this year's event. The Second Look is reported and ed...

After moving online for the first time in its 19-year history in 2021, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is back in full force. The 10-day event will see more than 200 artists descend on Missoula as their nonfiction films are premiered for an audience of thousands. While films are shown on subjects from around the world, nine are featured in the "Made in Montana" category. On this episode, con...

After a pandemic lull, the queer community has reemerged in full force with a drag show thrown by the Lambda Alliance and the Women's Resource Center at UM's University Center. That's given LGBTQ students the chance to explore identity in a group setting for the first time in years — and the party's just getting started. On this episode of the Second Look: how Missoula's queer community comes toge...