Regents change, abolish UM student fee collection policy

DILLON - The Board of Regents decided Friday that the University of Montana will no longer collect fees for any student organization.

Critics quickly condemned the decision as an attempt to silence the Montana Public Interest Research Group, a liberal organization often demonized by conservatives.

''This was a concerted strategy by some very ideological people ... who oppose the issues we work on,'' said Matthew Singer, MontPIRG treasurer. ''It's an attempt to silence us. What they're going to find is that we're not easily silenced.''

The university for years has collected a student fee that w...