diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Backbone.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Backbone/index.js
similarity index 99%
rename from frontend/src/Metamaps/Backbone.js
rename to frontend/src/Metamaps/Backbone/index.js
index bc303df4..7e6878b3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Backbone.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Backbone/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-/* global Metamaps, Backbone, _, $ */
+/* global Metamaps, Backbone, $ */
 
 import _ from 'lodash'
+import Backbone from 'backbone'
+Backbone.$ = window.$
 
 /*
  * Metamaps.Backbone.js.erb
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Router.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Router.js
index 6760edcc..0ad88efd 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Router.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Router.js
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
-/* global Metamaps, Backbone, $ */
+/* global Metamaps, $ */
+
+import Backbone from 'backbone'
+//TODO is this line good or bad?
+//Backbone.$ = window.$
 
 import Active from './Active'
 import GlobalUI from './GlobalUI'
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/ChatView.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/ChatView.js
index 5d8f5f65..d1efdf74 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/ChatView.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/ChatView.js
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 /* global Autolinker, $ */
+
+import Backbone from 'backbone'
+// TODO is this line good or bad
+// Backbone.$ = window.$
+
 var linker = new Autolinker({ newWindow: true, truncate: 50, email: false, phone: false, twitter: false });
 
 var Private = {
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/Room.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/Room.js
index 014df61b..5b70ee7c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/Room.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Views/Room.js
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 /* global Metamaps, $ */
+
+import Backbone from 'backbone'
+// TODO is this line good or bad
+// Backbone.$ = window.$
+
 import Active from '../Active'
 import Realtime from '../Realtime'
 
@@ -6,7 +11,8 @@ import ChatView from './ChatView'
 import VideoView from './VideoView'
 
 /*
- * Metamaps.Backbone
+ * Dependencies:
+ *   Metamaps.Backbone
  */
 
 const Room = function(opts) {
diff --git a/frontend/src/index.js b/frontend/src/index.js
index e5705512..176ac329 100644
--- a/frontend/src/index.js
+++ b/frontend/src/index.js
@@ -1,15 +1,8 @@
-import React from 'react'
+// create global references to some utility libraries
 import ReactDOM from 'react-dom'
-import Backbone from 'backbone'
 import _ from 'underscore'
-
-import Metamaps from './Metamaps'
-
-// create global references to some libraries
-window.React = React
 window.ReactDOM = ReactDOM
-Backbone.$ = window.$ // jquery from rails
-window.Backbone = Backbone
 window._ = _
 
+import Metamaps from './Metamaps'
 window.Metamaps = Metamaps