We have had some delays in getting this issue to the printers and apologize to those of you who might have thought that we lost you. Thank you for your support and patience and for sending us the information we need to write it.

Many of you will already know about the history of the "We Love MSU-Northern" Ball. It's identified with the Havre Soroptimists and they have produced it each winter for the last 20 years. It began out of legislative action to take away our education programs in a legislative proposal in 1986. This produced a hue and cry from far and wide. An even louder objection was raised by the local community that had always been closely involved with the political challenges to the college. The "We Love NMC" Ball was a direct response to show support by raising funds for scholarships and was a joint effort between the college and community. The proposal was brought to the MSU-Northern Foundation Board by Bill Fuglevand, then the Director of the Physical Plant (and responsible for the major landscaping and tree planting that makes our campus such a beautiful place in the summer and fall months). The Foundation board financially supported it for the first couple of years, until the Havre Soroptimists took over the entire production. They have brought in over $130,000.00 in scholarships for Northern students, with the current annual contribution being over $9,000.00 per year.

Over the years, with leadership and membership changes, the Soroptimists found that they no longer had the numbers to be able to produce such a big undertaking and they notified Northern. The "We Love MSU-Northern" Ball was a semi formal affair, with a great dinner, silent auction, and a dance. It was a great night out to break up the winter monotony and was an event that was different from anything else going on at the time. It was also a fine fundraiser for scholarships so there was concern about letting it go without making an effort to keep it going.

A steering committee, made up of campus and community members has formed and determined members have divided the work into sub committees and the event will happen. The date has changed from a February event to April. Also new this year will be a live auction featuring various vacation packages. The Soroptimists are helping to make sure the leadership transition and the event runs smoothly. When you look at current circumstances, the need is still very real for a "We Love Northern" Ball.

The date this year will be April 21st, so please mark your calendar and plan to attend. It will be held in the SUB with nohost cocktails at 6:00 p.m., followed by a fabulous dinner at 7:00 with live and silent auctions and dancing until midnight. For anyone who has attended this event in the past, you know what a fun time it is. All of the proceeds from the Ball go towards student scholarships as before. This year, our new community partner Wal Mart has agreed to help sponsor this year's ball with a contribution of $2,500.00.

The Alumni Board is participating in the departmental competition with a package to be determined. We are asking all alums who would be willing to contribute an auction item or one that could be combined with other items to make a package deal to please contact Judy in the Alumni Office asap (406) 265-3770 or bricker@msun.edu. We also want to encourage all alums to please come to the "We Love Northern" Ball. If you are interested in attending or enlisting to help out, please contact me, Jim Potter 265-3727, Janice Brady 265-3730, Debbie Ritz 265-3720, or Cindy Small 265-3787.

Thank you for your time and your support!

Judy Bricker
Director, Alumni Affairs