My plea to the University of Montana

A few days ago my alarm went off like any other normal day and I proceeded to browse my Facebook as I do every morning, trying to wake myself up. It didn't take long as one of the first posts I came across was an article from the Montana Kaimin that detailed how budget cuts at my alma mater, the University of Montana would affect someone who is very dear to me. See the University is in trouble. Enrollment is down and money is tight. So to fix the problems, the President of the University has decided that he should fire people and take a big raise.

I'm not someone who sits back and takes punches so I decided that I needed to do something. I wrote the following letter hoping to express my disdain with the situation that U of M now finds itself in. I can only hope that it will help in some way.

Dear Dean Tessman, President Engstrom, and Provost Brown, During my tenure at the University of Montana I had many teachers and mentors and yet all these years later, there is only one who I stay in touch with and that is Laure Pengelly Drake. I was not a Davidson Honours College Student and yet it is this woman who changed my life the most. Today however, I learned that she is to be a victim of the harsh and outrageous budget cuts introduced by President Engstrom in an effort to 'save' the University. I say 'save' in quotation marks because cutting someone like Laure is saving no one, and is in fact further proof of how flawed and repugnant the University of Montana has become. I grew up in Missoula and all of my life would have been a strong 'Griz' supporter. However over the years due to mismanagement the University has lost the sheen it once had. With these latest cuts, I can only assume that U of M will loose it's lustre and it's soul completely. Laure is a credit to not only the Davidson Honours College and the University of Montana, but to each and everyone of the students she has helped, inspired and mentored in her numerous years at U of M. For many, college is hard. It is our first step into the adult world and at times it can be scary and intimidating. For me, as I'm sure many others will attest too, Laure was a shining beacon in a strange and unfamiliar place and it was through her support that my life changed for the better. Nine years ago Laure led a raggle taggle group of U of M students on the first Ireland trip. The experience was one not easily forgotten and that trip reminded me of the love that I had and continue to have for Ireland. Upon my return to Missoula that cold January in 2007, I decided to apply to return to Ireland for a semester abroad the following year, and it was Laure that helped make that happen. When I returned from my semester abroad in September 2008 it was Laure who was there to comfort me when I became so burnt out my senior year and it was Laure that helped me find a way to return to Ireland again after I had graduated. Seven years later I'm still living and working in Ireland and have had so many wonderful and unique experiences that I never would have received in America. Without Laure these things would never have happened and my life would be completely different. I know that you will receive many letters during this time, all from students, alumni and parents who are seeking to return the favour to those mentors and teachers who at some point touched their lives in an incredible way. We write because we care for these people that to you are just disposable, a way to save a buck or two. However I urge you to reconsider. I dread to imagine what the University of Montana and the Davidson Honours College will be like without Laure Pengelly Drake and I feel sorry for the future students who will be robbed of the opportunity to know her and be inspired by her. Please keep Laure Pengelly Drake. You won't realise what you are actually missing until it's too late. Sincerely yours, Jacalyn Blake

#letter