Monday Minutes

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

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,

Dr. Ann Ewbank

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

News and Announcements

• Thanks to all instructors for completing surveys about fall 2020 courses. The current Fall 2020 schedule in MyInfo is not accurate. Ann Ewbank is working on a revision to submit on July 2. Thank you for your patience!
• Personal Health Information- Please refrain from sharing your personal situation regarding your or your family’s health condition or discussing medical concerns with anyone in the department, even with your supervisor and the Department Head, as it is considered sensitive information.  This type of information should only be shared with authorized representatives of Montana State University, in most cases with Janet Simon, ADA/Leave Coordinator ([email protected]).  You are also welcome to contact our college HR Business Partner - Kasia Maison ([email protected]) to discuss your personal situation. The MSU Office of Human Resources will work with faculty or staff member and the department head to determine any appropriate accommodation(s), if needed.
• Instructors: As you develop your Fall 2020 syllabi, please include the MSU approved syllabus language for COVID-19. This will help us to have a clear and consistent message of expectations in our department.
• Our national accreditor, CAEP, issued a call for public comment on revisions to the Accreditation Policy Manual. Public comment is due September 15.
• Make sure to check the MSU COVID-19 webpage frequently as university and system-wide updates are available all in one place.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

MSU Department of Education alum Terry Bradley has been working on anti-racism initiatives in our community. Thank you Terry for helping Bozeman to become a more just and equitable community!

Professional Development & Engagement Opportunities

• Call for Articles: Expanding the Conversation: Rural Education Research—A special issue of the Peabody Journal of Education. Manuscripts are due 10/15/2020.
• Call for Proposals: The Department of Education is a member of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate. This year’s October convening is a virtual event. Proposals are due 8/1/2020.

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.