September 2021 Newsletter

"Learn to think critically! Take the time to think about something before you accept it as true/correct."

-Taylor Bayne, Grad Student

"Get out of your comfort zone and meet new people in your classes!"

-Allison Denton, Sophomore

"Take classes seriously and don't get behind, because it will be hard to catch up!"

-Sage Jackson, Sophomore

By Emma Hill, GEAR UP MSU Program Assistant

GEAR UP has many services to offer to students from Montana GEAR UP schools but of them all, the SmartyCats tutoring is one that directly supports you through your courses. SmartyCats is able to help you manage your learning as you work through the concepts and processes underlying your courses. They have tutors for over 250 courses in math, chemistry, engineering, physics, stats, psychology, computer science, business, astronomy, music, and more! This year, SmartyCats has both online and face-to-face tutoring sessions. Usually, SmartyCats has a small fee for individual tutoring sessions, however, this year GEAR UP has offered to pay for any of your SmartyCats tutoring sessions! Not only is tutoring a great way to make learning more enjoyable and clear concepts, but you can also earn ChampChange points for it!

Counseling and Psych Services

CPS, provides both virtual and in-person services to undergraduate and graduate students. We encourage students to seek out help for any type of issue—it’s ok to not be ok! They offer free and confidential individual, group, and couples counseling, as well as a variety of prevention services. Additionally, not all students want or need ongoing counseling and may just need a one-time meeting to get some input on smaller problems. Let's Talk is a resource that CPS offers that allows students the opportunity to have a quick consultation with a CPS counselor who can provide their professional insight, as well as assist with referrals to CPS or other campus resources. Students can simply drop in at any of the Let's Talk locations to chat. There are no appointments necessary, and consultations are on a first-come, first-served basis. Find more information and resources at the CPS Website.

Bounty of the Bridgers

The goal of the Grab & Go program is three-fold. First, we want to provide students, faculty, and staff with healthy snacks that will fuel them throughout the day. Secondly, we want to normalize the experience of food insecurity by making sure our services are accessible to everyone on campus. And last, we hope that this program increases the transparency of the services that Bounty of the Bridgers offers. Ellie Jackson, started this program over the summer by initially talking with department heads and program and office managers to assess the feasibility of implementing it. The overwhelming majority of those that she talked to were excited to partner with and support Bounty of the Bridgers. Now there are currently 15 Grab & Go locations (and counting) across campus! The goal is to provide a monthly supply of snacks to each location!

GEAR UP will be hosting our September event, Food for Thought, on the 16th of September in the SUB Ballroom C from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Lunch will be provided, along with several workshops for students to engage in to be sure that you are adjusting well to college and know what to expect in the coming weeks. We will talk about things such as how to navigate D2L, study tips, employment opportunities, and much more! We are so excited to see you there!RSVP on CatsConnect, or email [email protected]