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About the Leadership Passport:

Do you have what it takes to become a great leader? If that is your goal then STEP UP! We can help you develop your leadership skills and give you the hands-on experience you need to distinguish yourself in the eyes of prospective employers. On completion of your passport, MSUB will provide you with a letter of recommendation that you can add to your resume or portfolio.

Completing your Passport:
Are you ready to begin completing your passport? Start submitting verification of activities by clicking on the activity below. Each activity will expand and give more information about meeting our criteria. Click “I’ve completed this task!” to submit verification.

We will then contact you to let you know if you have met the requirements and inform you of your current degree level.Once your passport is completed Student Health Services staff will send a letter of recognition to your provided mailing address. Any students that complete their 4th, 5th and 6th degrees will be recognized by listing their names on our website and will be recognized at the Annual Leadership Recognition Program.

If you miss an opportunity to complete a task or you don’t feel comfortable with one of the tasks we have provided some substitutions.

How substitutions work:

  1. You can only substitute one task, per degree
  2. Fill out the verification in the same way that you would for the task that you are substituting.
  3. It’s that simple!

Contact Misha Mixon, Bystander Intervention Specialist, with questions at stepup@msubillings.edu.

Attend a Step Up workshop

  • Tell us where and when you attended a Step Up workshop! Did we visit your classroom, or was it at Student Leadership Day? You’ve completed this task by just being there and learning about how to intervene in problem situations.
  • Missed Leadership Day? Don’t worry, we will have plenty of other workshops that you can attend to meet this requirement!  Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Participate in a Service Saturday

  • One Saturday a month MSUB students and staff give up two hours of their time to help a local non-profit agency with any needs they may have.  Past projects have included serving lunch at the Montana Rescue Mission, building a house with Habitat for Humanity, playing Bingo with residents at St. John’s Retirement Home, and reading to children at the Women’s Shelter.Each Service Saturday is sponsored by an MSUB student club and campus department.  We meet by the bookstore in the Student Union at 10am and are finished by noon.
  • Contact the Office for Community Involvement to learn more about Service Saturdays!
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Write a short essay about a time that you noticed a problem situation

  • In Step Up we teach the 5 steps for intervening in problem situations. The first step is to Notice an Event! You can’t begin helping if you aren’t aware of what is going on around you. Tell us about a time that you noticed a situation that was potentially problematic. It doesn’t matter to us if you Stepped Up or not, we just want to know that you noticed!
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Write 3 goals that you have for this year

  • What do you want to accomplish this year? Do you want to pass that really difficult class you’re signed up for? Start doing yoga to destress? Eat healthier? Whatever your 3 goals are for the year, we want to know them!
  • Harvard did a study on students that wrote their goals down vs. students that didn’t write them down or didn’t have goals. They found that the 3% of students that had written goals were earning, on average, ten times as much income than the other 97% of the class combined. Let’s get your goals written down!
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Attend a diversity awareness event

  • The Diversity Center on campus is rich with activities and programs you are able to participate in as a student. From an open house to a variety of student organizations, you can get to know the campus and a new culture in a different way. Tell us how it impacted you in a few sentences, what did you learn that you didn’t know before?
  • If one of the campus events doesn’t work for your schedule, then find an opportunity in the community to learn more about a culture, religion, community, that is different from your own.
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Write a short essay about a time that you asked questions to explore a problem situation

  • In Step Up we teach the 5 steps for intervening in problem situations. Exploring and asking questions is a key part of step two: Interpret a situation as a problem. Some situations that you notice may not be an issue, but you won’t know until you explore and ask questions. Remember you can ask your friend, someone nearby, or the people involved in the situation. Tell us about a time where you put this step into action and how it impacted your decision.
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Volunteer for Night on the Van

  • The MSU Billings Office for Community Involvement and Salvation Army are excited to get you involved with an amazing volunteer opportunity... MSUB Night on the Van! MSUB students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni are encouraged to volunteer 1 night on the Salvation Army Community Table Feeding Van! Volunteers will assist with loading the food and going out on the van to various neighborhoods in the Billings community for 1 night to help provide a dinner meal to kids, families and individuals within the community.
  • Contact the Office for Community Involvement to learn more about Service Saturdays!
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Pay it forward at a local coffee shop

  • It’s java time! Pay it forward at your local coffee shop or in the drive through line and inspire a chain reaction. Guaranteed the employees and the recipient of your pay it forward will be inspired to go and do the same!
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Attend a Stress Less Week activity

  • HEROES and Student Health Services work to bring together campus partners on the week before finals to help you destress! Pet a dog from Ruff Relief, stop by for yoga or meditation, or just grab a stress-less item from the HEROES table. You can Step Up and take care of others if you don’t take care of you first!
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Write a short essay about a time that you Stepped Up and it didn’t go as planned

  • In Step Up we teach the 5 steps for intervening in problem situations. In the 3rd step we ask you to assume personal responsibility and Step Up. However, sometimes that doesn’t go as we planned. THAT’S OK! You did your part and we want to hear about it.
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Donate items that you don’t need to a charity organization

Attend an MSUB Athletics Event

  • Whether you are a popcorn eating volleyball fan or a body painted basketball die-hard, this passport event will give you a sense of pride to be attending MSUB. Keep an eye out for opportunities for random acts of kindness or Step Up scenarios!
  • Check in with MSUB Athletics to learn more about the different sports!
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Participate in an American Indian Outreach event

  • The Office of American Indian Outreach offers fantastic programs to help advocate for MSUB’s American Indian students as well as provide opportunities for other students and employees to learn about the culture.  These programs and events include tying shawls at the Women’s Prison, beading classes, the Veterans Medicine Wheel Ceremony, the Annual MSUB Powwow and more.
  • Visit the American Indian Outreach Office website to learn more about their events and programs.
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Do a random act of kindness and tell us about it

Attend a live performing arts event on campus or in the Billings community

Help another student begin their Leadership Passport

  • At this point, you are a seasoned pro in crossing events off your passport. Show a fellow passport owner how easy it is to get involved and be recognized for your efforts! Tell us who you got involved!
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Attend a Power of One Week activity

  • The Power of One Week has been a tradition on our campus for many years. It is a week dedicated to increasing awareness of diversity, social justice, and inclusivity. This year MSUB will once again be the host of many events and activities. Power of One Week is held around Martin Luther King Day in January.
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Write a short essay about a time that you Stepped Up and it had a positive outcome

  • In Step Up we teach the 5 steps for intervening in problem situations. The 5th and final step in Step Up is to do just that: STEP UP! Often times we see opportunities to Step Up and we are left with an empowered feeling of making a difference. No act of stepping up is too small. If it stands out to you, you were meant to step up in that situation. Tell us about your experience and how it made you feel.
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Create a helping hands bag or make sandwiches for the homeless

  • These bags would be great to keep under the seats of your car for those moments where you see someone who needs a helping hand! Items in the bag may include: toiletry items, travel size shampoo/conditioner, small snacks, water bottle, washcloth, or drink mixes to name a few. Fill a ziploc bag with small necessities you may have on hand and make a difference in someone’s day! This would be a great Step Up activity to do with friends, or lead for your 6th degree.
  • Make your own or if you need supplies contact us or stop by one of our tables.
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Attend the Step Up Facilitator Training

  • At this point, it’s time for you to think about teaching others all that you’ve learned. Twice a year we will host a Step Up Facilitator Training. You will learn the skills to empower others by becoming a Step Up Trainer. No strings attached, if you don’t want to join our movement and lead workshops, that’s okay too!
  • Contact us at stepup@msubillings.edu for more information.
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Attend a Be Kind Week activity

  • From a visit by therapy dogs to a campus clean-up and barbecue, this week is themed around being kind to oneself, to others and to the Earth. Be Kind Week is held in the final week of Spring semester.
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Watch a documentary on social issues and write a short essay about what you learned.

  • Fire up the microwave popcorn and find a documentary about an issue you find interesting. Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon Prime can be your ticket to this item.
  • Here are a list of documentaries that might peak your interest!
  • The MSUB Women’s and Gender Studies Center & MSUB Library also host an array of documentaries throughout the year!
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You choose:____________ Pick an activity that you believe shows Step Up leadership.

  • It’s as simple as it sounds folks. Have an activity that you feel embodies the spirit of Stepping Up. If your creative approach is something that inspires you to Step Up, it counts! Tell us about it!
  • Need some pinspiration? Check out our Pinterest board for some ideas!
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Lead a Step Up event of your own!

  • Think back to the passport events that impacted you the most. Build on those ideas or create one of your own. You might have a group documentary night or an hour where you can put together helping hand bags!
  • Need help with planning? Contact us at stepup@msubillings.edu
  • Tell us all about your event and PLEASE email us a few photos. We want to hear about your greatness!
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Attend the 9/11 Memorial at City College

  • City College at Montana State University Billings has been given a piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center. That piece of steel is incorporated into a community 9/11 memorial on the MSU Billings West End campus. Each year, MSUB hosts a memorial services on 9/11, come out and help us remember and honor those lives lost.
  • Check the 9/11 Memorial website for more information.
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Donate time or blood at a blood drive event

  • United Blood Services is a nonprofit community blood center, providing blood and blood products for local area hospitals throughout the United States. Visit their website to make an appointment. Also, the MSUB Office for Community Involvement will often times host a blood drive on campus.
  • Not eligible to donate blood? Not a problem, donate your time to the cause!
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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Get CPR Certified
  • Whether with a class or on your own! You’ll be better prepared to Step Up if you are CPR Certified! Finished your certification? Tell us when and where you took your class.
  • Check with Billings Clinic or St. V’s for class offerings
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Form a study group
  • Seriously, working together to solve problems is one of the most important skills you can build to be better at Stepping Up. If you’ve formed a study group or joined one, tell us about it. What class is it for? How often do you meet and how has it helped you be more successful in class.
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Play on an intramural sports team
  • Learn to play a sport together and you can learn to problem solve together. This is a vital part of being a better Step Up leader. Check out the MSUB Rec Activities website for more information on how to join a team. Tell us about your team!
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Attend a QPR Suicide Prevention Training
  • Suicide affects us all. Every year, millions of Americans are directly affected by the more than 37,000 suicides and hundreds of thousands of suicide attempts made by friends or loved ones. Yet, suicide is preventable.
  • Feel more prepared to Step Up in problem situations that involve suicidal ideations by attending a Question Persuade Refer (QPR) workshop. MSUB Student Health Services offers a workshop once per semester and by request for 3 or more people. Have 3 or more of your friends ready to take the class with you? Contact us at stepup@msubillings.edu
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Take a walk through the Northcutt Steele Gallery

Experience new food at the MSUB International Food Fair

  • MSUB’s International Studies Office hosts the annual International Food Fair in the Spring semester. For many international students on campus, coming to Montana culture brings a variety of changes, including what is at the dinner table. During MSU Billings’ annual International Food Fair, the table is turned and international students get to share their recipes with the Billings community from back home.
  • Check the Master Calendar for upcoming event dates!
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