Participant Info

This page offers logistical information for participants who have been accepted into the Summer 2024 Research Experience for Teachers program at MSU. Participants will have received all of this information by email; we are consolidating here for easy access and will update it as needed.

How to contact us for support

For general questions, email [email protected]

For urgent support during your stay at MSU, contact

Suzi Taylor -- cell 406-580-0831

Paul Gannon - cell 406-570-9449

Participants: Please save all your receipts for travel to the MSU campus to begin the RET 2024 program. We will discuss on Day 1 how to be reimbursed for expenses

First Day of Class and First Few Weeks of Class

Our RET begins virtually on Monday, July 1. Be prepared to spend significant time over the first few days in live meetings and online trainings.

Our online agenda will include introductions, orientations, trainings and placements with Research Mentors. During orientation we will review stipends and travel reimbursements.

The first day of in-person class is Monday, July 8 in Norm Asbjornson Hall Room 331 at 9 a.m. This is the new engineering hall and is also called "Norm Hall" or NAH, just south of the Student Union Building (SUB). We will have coffee and continental breakfast items. Norm Hall 331 is "home base" throughout the summer.

Special dates: 

• July 1, 2024: First day of RET! (virtual)
• July 8, 2024: First day of in-person RET at MSU.
• July 10 and 11, 2024: National Energy Education Development training 
• July 25, 2024: Field trip to Madison Dam and Buffalo Jump
• Aug. 1, 2024: USDA FireWorks training
• Aug. 5-7. 2024: STEM Summer Institute conference at MSU
• Aug. 7-8, 2024: RET Reunion - all cohorts
• Aug. 8, 2024 - Final Day of RET - celebration!

What to wear

The RET program is casual - on a daily basis, you can wear jeans, shorts, t-shirts, etc. You may want to bring slightly more dress-up clothes for the presentation at the STEM Summer Institute.

You will want to wear comfortable shoes for walking, and when you get your lab assignment, they may ask you to wear long pants, long sleeves and close-toed shoes (or maybe not – but it would be good to be prepared). A lot of people wear comfortable sandals for the non-lab days; just be sure they are comfortable to walk quite a bit in.

It is always good to have a rain coat with you, and it can also be quite warm! In other words, be prepared for a Montana summer.

Packing List - Residents and commuters

Bring a laptop or tablet if possible. You will need it here and there for trainings and assignments, but you will probably not have to bring it to daily sessions or lab work.

Bring your MSU CatCard if you have one.  We will issue one in the first few days if you need one.

Comfortable, casual clothing is appropriate; jeans, shorts, t-shirts, etc.  

Comfortable shoes. We will do lots of walking.

Lab assignments may require closed-toed shoes and long pants.

Bring a jacket or sweatshirt for chilly evenings and field trips.

Umbrella and/or rain jacket.

Residents

Bedding and towels are provided in the residence halls.  A bathrobe and slippers are recommended for the dorm-style showers.

Bring a fan if you can -- the residence halls may be able to provide them, but it's best to have your own.

Some participants like to bring a bicycle to get around campus and the campus neighborhoods. The area near MSU is very bikeable. Don't forget your lock and helmet!

GID and netID - your MSU identification numbers

Every RET participant is considered an MSU affiliate and will be assigned two numbers (if you don't already have them from previous MSU affiliation):

GID (generated ID number). A GID typically starts with a dash and is all numerical, such as -00012345. Some people also call this a student ID number. This essentially takes the place of a social security number.

netID: Your netID includes a combination of seven letters and numbers, such as -a12b345. The netID is used to log in to campus secure wifi, software packages and trainings, and Desire2Learn (D2L), the Learning Management System we use for the RET course. The RET team will create and then tell you your netID if you don't already have one.

• First-time users will need to set up a user profile and password on the Self-Service Password Portal
• You can also re-set your password here if you forget it
• First read the instructions toward the bottom of the page, then click the blue Go to Password Portal button to begin.

How to put money on your CatCard

The RET program will cover most of your housing and living expenses while on campus, but one thing we can't cover is laundry. If you do laundry in the residence halls, you will need to swipe your CatCard (student ID card - you will get one as an RET participant), and you need to money onto the card ahead of time.

Laundry is $2 per washer and $2 per dryer.

You can add funds at the CatCard office near Miller Dining Hall using cash, check or credit/debit card; or via phone, the website or an app using a credit/debit card. Here are the instructions. A minimum deposit of $5 is required per credit/debit card transaction. Once you have put money onto the CatCard, you can't take it back, but you can use it to purchase food, snacks or supplies on campus, including items at the MSU Bookstore, so be sure to use up all you funds if you don't plan to return to the MSU campus in the near future once the RET is done.

Here are places that will take CatCard funds.

Online trainings and surveys (wait for instructions)

T-STEM survey -- no log-in credentials requred. 

Montana University System Indian Education for All training -  No log-in credentials required

Mandatory Reporter (Employee) - 1 to 1.5 hours (MSU log-in credentials (netID and password) required)

• [Note from Suzi - 6/29/23....it may be that you don't have to take this training after all, as RET participants are probably considered temporary employees. Please click and log in, but if you don't see a Mandatory Reporter training in your required trainings, then you should be good]

Responsible Conduct of Research training - about 2 hours - (MSU log-in credentials required)

• You only need to do the main RCR training, not the engineering RCR training

MSU campus

A map of the campus is here.  Please review it so you can orient yourself to Yellowstone Hall, Rendezvous Dining Pavillion, Parking Lots, and 'Norm' Hall.

Parking for Commuters and On-Campus Residents

Vehicle information for all participants has been provided to parking services and you have a virtual pass to park in any MSU Bison Lot.  Parking in other lots (Wolf, Bobcat, Eagle, etc.) may result in a ticket.  There is no decal or hangtag required.  

MSU Parking Map

The nearest lots to Yellowstone Hall are Bison 1, 2, and 27.For daily commuters, Bison Lot 2 is closest to Norm Hall.Due to on-going construction, lot closures may occur throughout the summer.  We will alert you to any closures that impact your stay.

Meals

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided, including weekends, for our participants housed in the dorms.  Lunch is provided for our participants who are daily commuters. All meals for both on-campus residents and commuters will be in Rendezvous Dining Hall.

For participants staying at Yellowstone Hall, you will receive a QR Code at check-in with your lanyard and key.  This is your dining pass.  Daily commuters will receive the QR Code during class on the first day on campus.

Residence Hall Accommodations

All RET participants who requested on-campus housing will be in Yellowstone Hall.

Google Maps will take you there.

Rooms have a fan, pillows, linens, and bath towels. A bathrobe and slippers are recommended for the dorm-style showers. Communal refrigerators are available in the common area.  A dorm fridge is available in your room for medical purposes only and can be requested at check-in.  Other frequently asked questions are answered here.   

Lounges, vending machines and laundry facilities are located throughout each building. Laundry cards can be purchased at the front desk. Front desks are staffed 24 hours a day. Attendees requesting assistance or special services may contact the desk at any time.

Yellowstone Hall has:

• Ice machine
• Kitchen
• TV lounge
• Laundry room
• Free cable TV in the public areas of the Residence Hall
• Direct and wireless internet access

For more information, including the Tobacco and Alcohol polices for Montana State University, please see our University Policies and Summer Housing Guidelines.

Check-in/Check-out

Check-in time is after 3:00 pm and before 10:00 pm on Sunday, July 7. Staff is on hand at the front desk of Yellowstone Hall to check you in.

Participants who stay on campus may choose to eat in Rendezvous Dining Hall on Sunday evening (it closes at 7pm); however, they may not yet have our RET passes set up yet, so be prepared to pay on your own and save the receipt -- we will reimburse you. You may also choose to eat elsewhere in the community; please save your receipt to turn in.

Check-out time is before 11:00 am on the date of departure. Guests must check out at the front desk to assess charges accrued and return room keys.

Residence Hall Curfews

The main entrance of Yellowstone Hall is locked at 10pm and requires an MSU CatCard to enter. An MSU CatCard will be issued within the first few days. If you plan to be out of the residence hall after curfew, we recommend checking in with the front desk to ensure you have access after hours.

MSU Alerts

Three notification processes are used to warn the campus community in the event of an emergency or public safety risk; Emergency Notifications, Timely Warnings, and Public Safety Advisory. It is important for everyone to become familiar with each procedure and understand when they are used. The local community, family, and friends are encouraged to opt in to the university Emergency Notification system by texting "montanastate" to 888-777. Opt-in steps can be found here.

MSU Police also offers a free app, Safe Cats, which visitors can use to keep themselves informed while on campus. Safe Cats is available for free in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app features multiple services which can be assessed with a click and the services can differ time to time based on the demand and more information can be found online at: http://www.montana.edu/police/safe_cats.html.

Please feel free to contact MSU Housing- [email protected] with any questions.

Summer 2024 fun events on campus and in the community

The MSU campus and Bozeman community are home to many fun evening events, and a lot of them are free! We will try to post items here as we hear about them:

• Tuesday evenings throughout the summer: Farmer's market at Lindley Park, 5pm to 8pm
• Thursday evenings throughout the summer: Music on Main - Downtown Bozeman
• Friday, July 12 - Sunday, July 14 - Montana Folk Festival in Butte. FREE music festival that is way more than just "folk" music -- funk, blues, jazz, swing, plus many performers. Butte is about an hour and 20 minutes from Bozeman.

Check the MSU Calendar for other performances, lectures and events.

Bozeman Magazine events calendar is good, too!

How to find your graduate credits from MSU

THIS INFORMATION WILL BE UPDATED AFTER the  2024 session

If you earned graduate credits for participating in the Summer 2023 RET, here's how you can get a record of them. (Pre-service teachers who had not yet earned a bachelor's would not have received these).

1. Log into MSU's MyInfo - http://www.montana.edu/myinfo -- and log in with your MSU NetID and password. (If you forgot your netID or password from this summer, go here: https://www.montana.edu/uit/ids-services/portal.html)
2. Open up “DegreeWorks” and see confirmation on your end.

If you need to provide documentation of the course completion, you have a few options:

• If they take “unofficial records”, you can print the DegreeWorks page that shows the course completion
• or you can use MyInfo to print an unofficial transcript.
• If the district requires something more official, you can request an official transcript from the Registrar’s office (https://www.montana.edu/registrar/transcripts.html).