MONTANA KAIMIN THE VACCINATION QUESTION Half of Missoula can now be vaccinated, do you qualify? Story by Griffen Smith News ASUM anti-racism plan Page 7 Arts Abstract MFA exhibitions Page 13 Sports Kaimin Sports Awards Page 16 Volume 123 Issue No. 24, March 17, 2021 Kiosk Kaimin Editorial Cover Photo Antonio Ibarra The Montana Kaimin is a weekly independent student newspaper at the University of Montana. The Kaimin office Livable wage protests Don’t go Spring Breaking and the University of Montana are located on land originally FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA inhabited by the Salish People. Kaimin is a derivative of a Salish language word, “Qe‘ymin,” that is pronounced kay-MEEN and For comments, corrections or letters to means “book,” “message” or “paper that brings news.” Montana Kaimin the editor, contact our hearts [email protected] EDITORIAL STAFF NEWSROOM STAFF or call (406) 243-4310. Remember when we got that cool little Some, like University California at Davis, email last March asking us not to come are offering gift cards for students to stay EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NEWS REPORTERS COPY EDITORS @montanakaimin For advertising opportunities, contact back to campus, effectively creating a put. Where are the gift cards, Bodnar?! Erin Sargent Jacob Owens Zandria DuPuis nice, long Spring Break? We aren’t New Zealand though, and Mariah Thomas Alicia McAlpine [email protected] or call (406) 243-6541. One year later, almost to the day, we should stop acting like it. Those damn BUSINESS MANAGER Grace Carr Gwen Nicholson another email from the Office of the Kiwis get to enjoy concerts, maskless Cassandra Williams Allie Wagner President appeared. This time with a Ha- outings and spring, summer, winter and DESIGNERS @MontanaKaimin waiian-shirt-clad Seth Bodnar sipping a fall break every day. Why? Because they SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS REPORTERS Isabella Musgrove beverage on the Oval, reminding campus took the pandemic seriously. As a collec- Jack Marshall John Orzechowski McKenna Johnson that Spring Break 2021 is still canceled. tive unit, the country where Hobbits live Makayla O’Neil NEWS EDITOR ARTS & CULTURE REPORTERS Olivia Swant-Johnson And that sucks. stopped the spread. Mazana Boerboom Clarise Larson Yes, it is a privileged complaint. Yes, But we couldn’t. Meghan Jonas CARTOONIST it is for the better that we don’t become At this point, we’ve all fucked up. ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Haley Yarborough Cooper Malin the Florida of the West. But for burnt-out Hundreds of thousands of people have Alex Miller students, one measly week off would died in the United States. A virus be- MULTIMEDIA STAFF OFFICE ASSISTANTS have been nice. First off, these “Wellness came political. We failed so miserably, FEATURES EDITOR Liam McCollum Christine Compton Days” are more like “Well shit...what do so resolutely, it would be pretty bold to Addie Slanger Matt Tryan Maura Lynch we do?” days. Three days placed smack assume we wouldn’t face the long-term Zach Meyer University of Montana studentsWeek Katie of 3/15/21 Jacquet, left, - 3/21/21 and Mady Head listen to a speech dab in the middle of the week, spaced consequences. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Antonio Ibarra ADVISERS given by Devin Jacaruso at a protest held outside Sen. Jon Tester’s office in Missoula on two weeks apart. It’s a little hard to not Sure, chastising others makes us feel Claire Shinner Sarah Mosquera Geoff McGhee Saturday. Jacquet and Head were part of group of protestors organized by the Sunrise worry about the next day’s homework better. But most of this campus has, in Lukas Prinos Jason Begay Movement who stood outside Tester’s office demanding an increase to the minimum anyway. Alas, the universe is cruel and one way or another, broken the rules. DESIGN EDITOR Kennedy Delap wage for workers in Montana. Read the rest of the story online: “Sunrise Movement the pandemic takes no prisoners. And when one of your friends miracu- Griffen Smith Missoula protests for livable minimum wage.” Photo by Antonio Ibarra So think of this as an obituary to some- lously disappears for a week only to re- DIGITAL EDITOR/COPY CHIEF thing that is not gone, just taking a break turn poorer and tanner, giving them shit Andrea Halland until the world returns from its forced — is okay. But remember, it took a village but necessary — slumber. to end up where we are. Edited by Margie E. Burke Spring Break is a bespoke time built And it always could be worse. We SUDOKU for “relaxation.” For the massive intake were extremely lucky to have returned KAIMIN COMIC Difficulty: Easy of beer, vodka or whatever poison strikes to campus last fall. We’re even more HOW TO SOLVE: your fancy. It’s when college students lucky to have not shut down again, 4 2 1 5 Each row must contain the collectively cut loose, or stay home in especially as infection numbers began numbers 1 to 9; each column must their underwear avoiding human contact. to rise. contain the numbers 1 to 9; and 2 5 3 each set of 3 by 3 boxes must Whether it be a sandy beach or a dirty So we’ll just have to follow Bodnar’s contain the numbers 1 to 9. couch, both are welcome in the Spring example: Sit on a lawn that someone 9 3 1 Break multiverse. else paid for in 50 degree weather for Us poor, stressed-out little bastards are the afternoon. Answers to Last Week’s Sudoku: 3 9 2 like difficult flowers in a garden that dra- Happy Spring Break 2021, gang! 9 4 2 3 8 7 5 1 6 matically increases our financial — and 6 7 8 2 1 5 3 4 9 emotional — debt. Spring Break was our Alex Miller, Arts & Culture editor 5 4 water. It was the nourishing goodness 1 5 3 6 9 4 7 8 2 that proved there was a light at the end Like it? Hate it? Wish we were dead? 5 6 7 6 1 4 3 2 9 5 8 of this self-imposed, insomnia-inducing email us your opinions at [email protected] 3 9 5 8 7 1 6 2 4 tunnel. 1 3 4 Many colleges around the country 2 8 4 9 5 6 1 7 3 have called off the annual respite as well. 8 1 5 3 9 1 4 8 2 6 7 7 2 1 8 4 2 7 5 6 3 8 9 1 Copyright 2021 by The Puzzle Syndicate 8 1 6 7 2 9 4 3 5 COOPER MALIN | MONTANA KAIMIN montanakaimin.com 2 March 17, 2021 montanakaimin.com March 17, 2021 3 Week of 3/15/21 - 3/21/21 Briefs & Blotter The Weekly Crossword by Margie E. Burke Horoscope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Briefs: Protests for Breonna Taylor, Montana pride rally and online degrees 14 15 16 17 18 19 Remembering Breonna Taylor Online program aims for military access guage in our statute that labeled us as felons and quick matter that doesn’t essentially bring 20 21 22 23 through protest just because of who we are and who we love,” them a headache,” he said. (Jacob Owens) Who’s your Paddy? Bennett said at the rally. “But bills like SB 215 Missoula College will begin offering its first 24 25 26 27 Saturday was the one-year anniversary of want to steal that away and destroy what we online associate degrees of arts and sciences in COVID-19 in Missoula update 28 29 30 31 32 33 the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman have built together. They want to allow land- May. The degrees will be available to all, but killed by Lexington, Kentucky, police officers. lords to deny you housing, employers to will include an incentive for non-resi- Missoula County was still in Phase 1B+ 34 35 36 37 Taylor was shot in the early morning hours on fire you from jobs, and business dent, federal military members on Monday, which includes people of color, March 13, 2020, after police raided her home owners to kick you out of their on active duty. The two-year people over 60 years old and those with qual- 38 39 40 41 in search of someone who wasn’t there. The shops. They want to pretend degrees will be offered to ifying health conditions. Some providers, like 42 43 44 45 26-year-old emergency medical technician that this doesn’t happen these students at a dis- Walgreens, are offering vaccines to school staff became one of the many names representing and bills like this won’t counted rate of $250 and childcare workers as well. The county’s 46 47 48 49 the Black Lives Matter movement over the last legalize discrimination per credit hour, in- website keeps an updated list of vaccine 50 51 52 year. and drive people like us cluding fees, with an providers and public vaccination clinics, such Thousands across the U.S. posted about from Montana. But we annual cap of $4,500 as the Partnership Health Center’s clinic at the 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Taylor’s death on social media and took to all know in reality they to help minimize Missoula fairgrounds on weekdays. the streets to protest the fact that the officers can and they will.” (MB) out-of-pocket costs. As of Monday, Missoula County: 61 62 63 64 involved have still not been convicted for her Military credits can also • Administered almost 45,000 doses of the 65 66 67 killing.