Friday, April 28, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Game called on account of darkness

Recently, Steve Masten, an 18-year-old University of Nevada pitcher, committed suicide by shooting himself. While media reports of Masten’s death do not speculate on what led to his demise, Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says athletes sometimes kill themselves when they are not meeting performance expectations. “The message here is that athletes must have a ‘healthy’ self-esteem about more than sport—to realize that sport is only one segment of life and does not represent success or failure as a human being,” Anshel says. “There are several sources of self-esteem, and it is unhealthy to define our self-worth by only one source. If that one source fails us or passes us by (e.g., retirement from sport, injury, performance failure), we feel worthless as a person.”

Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

Believe and achieve

Darrell S. Freeman Sr., president and chief executive officer of Zycron Computer Services Inc. in Nashville, will be the featured speaker for the African American Awards Ceremony at 5 p.m. Friday, May 5, in the Tom H. Jackson Building (Alumni Center). Freeman founded Zycron in 1991 after earning his master’s degree at MTSU in 1990. The firm now employs more than 100 people. For the first year, the event will recognize both student and alumni award recipients at the same ceremony. Tickets are $10 per person or $5 for students. They may be purchased by calling 1-899-533-MTSU (6878) or by visiting http://www.mtalumni.com/.

For more information, contact Valerie Avent, Office of Multicultural Affairs, at 615-898-2718.
vavent@mtsu.edu

The leg bone’s connected to the …

When two college students stumbled over a skull in the Columbia River in 1996, they thought it was evidence of a modern homicide. Little did they know that what they found could be the start of a complete revamping of the history of North America. The skull and the 380 bones from its skeleton collectively are known as Kennewick Man since they were found near Kennewick, Wash. Dr. Hugh Berryman, a forensic anthropologist at MTSU, was one of the few experts brought in to analyze the findings. “It’s one of the oldest skeletons, one of the earliest individuals that populated this continent,” Berryman, a fracture expert, says. “And we have a chance to look at those remains and learn from them what they tell us about the past and who these people were.”

Contact Berryman at 615-494-7896.
berryman@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

SAVE THOSE TICKETS!—Due to illness, “Fresh Air” radio show host Terry Gross was notable to fulfill her previously scheduled commitments at MTSU. Her appearance has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 19. Marc J. Barr, electronic media communication, says new tickets will not be printed. Therefore, people with the original April 17 tickets are encouraged to keep them for the September event. For more information, contact Barr at 615-898-5118 or at mjbarr@mtsu.edu.

CLEAN AND GREEN—TODAY--Representatives from environment, education, state agencies, natural resource agencies and nonprofit groups from across Tennessee will be in attendance at MTSU’s first-ever Environmental Education Summit with the Tennessee Environmental Education Association. The event will take place in the Fairview Building off Greenland Drive in Murfreesboro. Summit presenters will include Dr. Padgett Kelly, biology, on the history of environmental education in Tennessee; Linda Jordan, science coordinator for the state Department of Education, on the No Child Left Behind Act; and Tami Coleman, coordinator of Project CENTS (Conservation Education Now for Tennessee Students) at the state Department of Education. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters at 615-898-5449; Karen Hargrove at 615-898-2660; or Cynthia Allen at 615-904-8133.

APPLES FOR THE TEACHERS—SATURDAY, 5:30 p.m.--The Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame will induct six new members at its annual induction ceremony and banquet in the Presidential Ballroom of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. This year’s inductees are: Connie Balturshot of Gallatin; Ann Dunn of Murfreesboro; Ruth Gaines of Unicoi; Mary Lou Murphy of Oak Ridge; Joan Payne of Mountain City; and Mary Ann Stewart of Lenoir. “The hall of fame is a wonderful way for Tennesseans to honor those who have made exemplary contributions to the education profession and the lives of young people,” Dr. Gloria Bonner, dean, College of Education and Behavioral Science, says. Advance tickets are $35 each. Media welcomed. Contact the College of Education and Behavioral Science at 615-898-2874.

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY—MONDAY--The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance. Contact Sells at 615-898-5342 or dsells@mtsu.edu.

SUPERVISING STUDENTS—TUESDAY, 12 p.m.—A panel of staffers from the Office of Financial Aid will discuss policies and procedures for the Federal Work-Study Program and the Scholarship Service Program at the June Anderson Women’s Center’s next Career/Professional Development Brown Bag luncheon. The event will take place in the SunTrust Room of the Business Aerospace Building and is available to staff, administrators, faculty and students. Sign up by contacting the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES—WEDNESDAY, 6 p.m.--Ten high school seniors whose perseverence has seen them through tough times will be honored at the eighth annual Neill-Sandler Strive for Excellence Banquet in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room. The students were nominated by their schools and school systems to receive scholarships for achieving academic triumphs. “These students have weathereed many losses and hardships with gret courage and determination,” says Kippy Todd, assistant director for annual giving in the Office of Development. The youngsters hail from the Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Rutherford, Warren, Williamson and Wilson county school systems and Tullahoma City Schools.Contact Randy Weiler in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. We now post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

In the minds of the consumers

Middle Tennessee consumers increasingly feel they won’t be “better off financially” 12 months from now, according to the latest Consumer Confidence Index from MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research. The overall index dropped from 311 in February of this year to 260 in a poll of 406 randomly selected residents of Davidson, Rutherford and Williamson counties. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the OCR, says, “A major source of this pessimism regarding the future of the economy can be found in consumers’ fears of continually increasing gasoline prices. Increased prices at the pump mean less discretionary dollars that consumers can spend on other purchases.”

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

Overcoming obstacles

Ten high school seniors whose perseverence has seen them through tough times will be honored at the eighth annual Neill-Sandler Strive for Excellence Banquet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room. The students were nominated by their schools and school systems to receive scholarships for achieving academic triumphs. “These students have weathereed many losses and hardships with gret courage and determination,” says Kippy Todd, assistant director for annual giving in the Office of Development. The youngsters hail from the Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Rutherford, Warren, Williamson and Wilson county school systems and Tullahoma City Schools.

Contact Randy Weiler in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

Techological tools

Are students who are new to the collegiate experience using information technology to enhance their educations? According to the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research 2005 national survey, fewer MTSU freshmen than freshmen at other universities rat themselves as proficient at working with spreadsheets, presentation software, graphics and course management systems. But they say they are as proficient as other freshmen at word processing, video/audio files, Web pages, computer maintenance and securitng electronic devices. They consider themselves better than other freshmen at working with online library resources and computer operating systems. “Like the senior data, our freshmen found the CMS test-taking and assignments features more valuable than the communication features,” Dr. Thomas Brinthaupt, psychology professor and Information Technology Division faculty intern, says.

Contact Brinthaupt at 615-898-2317.tbrintha@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

CLEAN AND GREEN—TODAY AND FRIDAY--Representatives from environment, education, state agencies, natural resource agencies and nonprofit groups from across Tennessee will be in attendance at MTSU’s first-ever Environmental Education Summit with the Tennessee Environmental Education Association. The event will take place in the Fairview Building off Greenland Drive in Murfreesboro. Summit presenters will include Dr. Padgett Kelly, biology, on the history of environmental education in Tennessee; Linda Jordan, science coordinator for the state Department of Education, on the No Child Left Behind Act; and Tami Coleman, coordinator of Project CENTS (Conservation Education Now for Tennessee Students) at the state Department of Education. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters at 615-898-5449; Karen Hargrove at 615-898-2660; or Cynthia Allen at 615-904-8133.

IT’S AN HONOR, TAKE TWO—TODAY, 7 p.m.—The African American Organization United and the Office of Multicultural Affairs will present the 15th annual Ebony Achievement Awards Banquet in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room. Tickets are $8 each and are available in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Room 128 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-2987.

APPLES FOR THE TEACHERS—SATURDAY, 5:30 p.m.--The Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame will induct six new members at its annual induction ceremony and banquet in the Presidential Ballroom of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. This year’s inductees are: Connie Balturshot of Gallatin; Ann Dunn of Murfreesboro; Ruth Gaines of Unicoi; Mary Lou Murphy of Oak Ridge; Joan Payne of Mountain City; and Mary Ann Stewart of Lenoir. “The hall of fame is a wonderful way for Tennesseans to honor those who have made exemplary contributions to the education profession and the lives of young people,” Dr. Gloria Bonner, dean, College of Education and Behavioral Science, says. Advance tickets are $35 each. Media welcomed. Contact the College of Education and Behavioral Science at 615-898-2874.

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY—MONDAY--The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance. Contact Sells at 615-898-5342 or dsells@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. We now post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Queasiness at the cash register

Consumer confidence in Middle Tennessee is a mixed bag, but it’s still higher than confidence on the national level. The latest consumer confidence index by MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research shows the current situation index rose from 111 in February to 118. But the future expectations index plummeted from 106 to 68. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the OCR, says, “This is mostly likely the result of recent increases in gasoline prices and recent reminders of the financial costs associated with natural disasters such as storms and tornadoes. As gasoline prices continue to rise, consumers’ budgets will become tightened, with less discretionary money for other purchases.”

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

Laying down the law

Knoxvillian Katie Crytzer, who will graduate May 5, is one of only 60 members of Phi Kappa Phi across the country to receive a National Graduate Fellowship in the amount of $5,000. This pre-law political science major received a Best Attorney Award at the 2005 Mid-South Classic as a member of MTSU’s mock trial team. Crytzer’s honors are too numerous to list in full, but they include membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and seven consecutive semesters on the Dean’s List. Following graduation, Crytzer intends to study law at George Mason University. “I see the study of law as my opportunity to lend a voice to those in society who are without the knowledge and opportunity to assert their own,” she says. “After I earn my degree, I hope to work for a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of those who are without representation.”

Contact Crytzer at 615-2174029 or 865-804-0910.
kac2s@mtsu.edu

Students in cyberspace

More MTSU freshmen report owning personal desktop computers compared to freshmen at other institutions of higher learning. That’s one conclusion of the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research 2005 survey of the role of information technology in higher education student life. But Dr. Tom Brinthaupt, psychology, says fewer MTSU freshmen report owning laptops than those at other colleges. One encouraging sign: MTSU freshmen use technology in the library. “Our freshmen were more favorable than other freshmen in the use of library resources to complete course assignments,” Brinthaupt says. “Fewer MTSU freshmen (44%) than other freshmen (50%) categorized themselves as infrequent users (‘do not use’ or ‘less than 1 hour per week’) for this activity.”

Contact Brinthaupt at 615-898-2317.tbrintha@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

CLEAN AND GREEN—TOMORROW AND FRIDAY--Representatives from environment, education, state agencies, natural resource agencies and nonprofit groups from across Tennessee will be in attendance at MTSU’s first-ever Environmental Education Summit with the Tennessee Environmental Education Association. The event will take place in the Fairview Building off Greenland Drive in Murfreesboro. Summit presenters will include Dr. Padgett Kelly, biology, on the history of environmental education in Tennessee; Linda Jordan, science coordinator for the state Department of Education, on the No Child Left Behind Act; and Tami Coleman, coordinator of Project CENTS (Conservation Education Now for Tennessee Students) at the state Department of Education. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters at 615-898-5449; Karen Hargrove at 615-898-2660; or Cynthia Allen at 615-904-8133.

IT’S AN HONOR, TAKE TWO—TOMORROW, 7 p.m.—The African American Organization United and the Office of Multicultural Affairs will present the 15th annual Ebony Achievement Awards Banquet in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room. Tickets are $8 each and are available in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Room 128 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-2987.

APPLES FOR THE TEACHERS—SATURDAY, 5:30 p.m.--The Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame will induct six new members at its annual induction ceremony and banquet in the Presidential Ballroom of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. This year’s inductees are: Connie Balturshot of Gallatin; Ann Dunn of Murfreesboro; Ruth Gaines of Unicoi; Mary Lou Murphy of Oak Ridge; Joan Payne of Mountain City; and Mary Ann Stewart of Lenoir. “The hall of fame is a wonderful way for Tennesseans to honor those who have made exemplary contributions to the education profession and the lives of young people,” Dr. Gloria Bonner, dean, College of Education and Behavioral Science, says. Advance tickets are $35 each. Media welcomed. Contact the College of Education and Behavioral Science at 615-898-2874.

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY—MONDAY--The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance. Contact Sells at 615-898-5342 or dsells@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. We now post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Middle Tennessee State University
News and Public Affairs

The worst song of all time

Todd Leopold of CNN’s “Eye on Entertainment” asked his viewers and Web readers to name what they think is the worst song of all time. Leopold’s vote goes to “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro. Other candidates were “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band and “We Built This City” by Starship. But Dr. Paul Fischer, recording industry, says he wouldn’t vote in this poll, which he calls “meaningless and ill-informed. None of the songs mentioned go back further than the 1960s. These don’t even consider the Tin Pan Alley era when popular songs were (almost literally) a dime a dozen.” Fischer says Leopold has not even begun to plumb the depth of “awful songs. There are thousands of far worse stinkers out there.”

Contact Fischer at 615-898-5470.
pfischer@mtsu.edu

No nukes is good nukes?

With oil in the $75-a-barrel range and gasoline at $3 a gallon in many parts of the country, nuclear energy is being re-examined as an option. Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, notes that prominent environmentalist Patrick Moore now argues that nuclear energy is “one of the most environmentally responsible ways to meet the planet’s enormous energy needs” because it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions. In 1971, Moore co-founded Greenpeace, a movement that has protested both the construction of nuclear energy power plants and the testing of nuclear weapons. As for nuclear energy’s bad reputation, MacDougall says, “Rational responses require updated and correct knowledge. That applies to everybody—those who are for a particular technology and those who are opposed to it.”

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@mtsu.edu

No music, no peace

Once upon a time, in a radio universe far, far away, protest songs were played on the radio—or were they? Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, says in the 1960s, that heyday of dissent, “Peter, Paul & Mary’s ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ was stonewalled by Top 40 stations for a time, as was The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ and John Lennon’s ‘Imagine.’” Pondillo was put in mind of all this after hearing and falling in love with “Dear Mr. President” by Pink, which he hopes radio will not ban. “A song like Pink’s would have taken more courage to release a few years ago, but, if art and music are the ‘canaries in the mine’ of culture, this song is a real harbinger of the rapidly changing attitudes toward the Bush administration,” Pondillo says.

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-9465.
pondillo@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

IT’S AN HONOR—TODAY, 3 p.m.—The College of Basic and Applied Sciences will recognize about 200 students with its annual Awards Day in the James Union’s Building’s Tennessee Room. State Rep. John Hood (D-Murfreesboro) will serve as master of ceremonies. For more information, call 615-898-2613.

SPRINGOUT SING OUT—TODAY, 7:30 p.m.—Nashville in Harmony will perform in concert in Room 204 of the Todd Building. Nashville in Harmony is Nashville’s only gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender and friends community chorus. This event is a presentation of SpringOut, sponsored by the student organization Lambda and the National Women’s History Month Committee. For more information, contact Dr. Trixie Smith at 615-904-8153 or tgsmith@mtsu.edu.

CLEAN AND GREEN—THURSDAY AND FRIDAY--Representatives from environment, education, state agencies, natural resource agencies and nonprofit groups from across Tennessee will be in attendance at MTSU’s first-ever Environmental Education Summit with the Tennessee Environmental Education Association. The event will take place in the Fairview Building off Greenland Drive in Murfreesboro. Summit presenters will include Dr. Padgett Kelly, biology, on the history of environmental education in Tennessee; Linda Jordan, science coordinator for the state Department of Education, on the No Child Left Behind Act; and Tami Coleman, coordinator of Project CENTS (Conservation Education Now for Tennessee Students) at the state Department of Education. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters at 615-898-5449; Karen Hargrove at 615-898-2660; or Cynthia Allen at 615-904-8133.

IT’S AN HONOR, TAKE TWO—THURSDAY, 7 p.m.—The African American Organization United and the Office of Multicultural Affairs will present the 15th annual Ebony Achievement Awards Banquet in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room. Tickets are $8 each and are available in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Room 128 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-2987.

APPLES FOR THE TEACHERS—SATURDAY, 5:30 p.m.--The Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame will induct six new members at its annual induction ceremony and banquet in the Presidential Ballroom of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. This year’s inductees are: Connie Balturshot of Gallatin; Ann Dunn of Murfreesboro; Ruth Gaines of Unicoi; Mary Lou Murphy of Oak Ridge; Joan Payne of Mountain City; and Mary Ann Stewart of Lenoir. “The hall of fame is a wonderful way for Tennesseans to honor those who have made exemplary contributions to the education profession and the lives of young people,” Dr. Gloria Bonner, dean, College of Education and Behavioral Science, says. Advance tickets are $35 each. Media welcomed. Contact the College of Education and Behavioral Science at 615-898-2874.

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY—MAY 1--The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance. Contact Sells at 615-898-5342 or dsells@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. We now post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Apples for the teachers

The Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame will induct six new members at its annual induction ceremony and banquet at 5:30 p.m. this SATURDAY in the Presidential Ballroom of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. This year’s inductees are: Connie Balturshot of Gallatin; Ann Dunn of Murfreesboro; Ruth Gaines of Unicoi; Mary Lou Murphy of Oak Ridge; Joan Payne of Mountain City; and Mary Ann Stewart of Lenoir. “The hall of fame is a wonderful way for Tennesseans to honor those who have made exemplary contributions to the education profession and the lives of young people,” Dr. Gloria Bonner, dean, College of Education and Behavioral Science, says. Advance tickets are $35 each. Media welcomed.

Contact the College of Education and Behavioral Science at 615-898-2874.

Clean and green

Representatives from environment, education, state agencies, natural resource agencies and nonprofit groups from across Tennessee will be in attendance at MTSU’s first-ever Environmental Education Summit with the Tennessee Environmental Education Association. The event will take place in the Fairview Building off Greenland Drive in Murfreesboro THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. Summit presenters will include Dr. Padgett Kelly, biology, on the history of environmental education in Tennessee; Linda Jordan, science coordinator for the state Department of Education, on the No Child Left Behind Act; and Tami Coleman, coordinator of Project CENTS (Conservation Education Now for Tennessee Students) at the state Department of Education. Media welcomed.

Contact Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters at 615-898-5449; Karen Hargrove at 615-898-2660; or Cynthia Allen at 615-904-8133.

“Dear Mr. President”

Pink has written “the first bona fide American protest song of the 21st century” in the opinion of Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication. Pondillo finds “Dear Mr. President” reminiscent of the protest music of the 1960s and early ‘70s. “Her son isn’t just a protest of the war alone,” he says. “Pink takes on urban poverty, women’s rights, gay issues, the minimum wage, the homeless, even No Child Left Behind. She wails, as if writing a letter to President Bush, ‘How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?’” Pondillo says “Dear Mr. President has “a great hook and a haunting melody.” The question is whether a controversial song like this will get played on radio stations.

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-9465.


TR EXTRA

PUMP IT UP!—TODAY, 4:30 p.m.—Campus Recreation and Disabled Students Services invite you to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Challenge Circuit 7000 adaptive weight-lifting machine in the Campus Recreation Weight Room. For more information, call 615-898-5569.

IT’S AN HONOR—TOMORROW, 3 p.m.—The College of Basic and Applied Sciences will recognize about 200 students with its annual Awards Day in the James Union’s Building’s Tennessee Room. State Rep. John Hood (D-Murfreesboro) will serve as master of ceremonies. For more information, call 615-898-2613.

SPRINGOUT SING OUT—TOMORROW, 7:30 p.m.—Nashville in Harmony will perform in concert in Room 204 of the Todd Building. Nashville in Harmony is Nashville’s only gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender and friends community chorus. This event is a presentation of SpringOut, sponsored by the student organization Lambda and the National Women’s History Month Committee. For more information, contact Dr. Trixie Smith at 615-904-8153 or tgsmith@mtsu.edu.

IT’S AN HONOR, TAKE TWO—THURSDAY, 7 p.m.—The African American Organization United and the Office of Multicultural Affairs will present the 15th annual Ebony Achievement Awards Banquet in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room. Tickets are $8 each and are available in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Room 128 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-2987.

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY—MAY 1--The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance. Contact Sells at 615-898-5342 or dsells@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. We now post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Dead men do tell tales

A forensic anthropologist at MTSU is one of a select number of scientists to participate in the examination of a skeleton that could force historians to rewrite the story of the entire North American continent. Dr. Hugh Berryman was one of only 11 experts allowed to scrutinize the bones of Kennewick Man, a 9,300-year-old skeleton found in Washington state. Their analysis is that he did not look like a Native American. If it ultimately is determined that he was not a Native American, it would turn much of what we thought we knew about the origins of America on its head. But much more study is needed. “Bone is great at recording its own history,” Berryman says. “Throughout your life, there are different things that you do, and they may leave little signs in the bone. If you can read those signs, it’s almost like interviewing a person.”

Contact Berryman at 615-898-7896.
berryman@mtsu.edu

Alvin York’s battlefield

If you’re one of the few Tennesseans who has yet to learn about the thrilling new discovery by Tom Nolan, geosciences, you’re in for a treat, especially if you’re a history buff. Using global positioning systems, Nolan and his team have pinpointed the exact site in France where Pall Mall native Alvin York performed his legendary World War I heroics. They recovered rifle cartridges believed to have been fired from York’s rifle, as well as German grenades. “We do plan to return, but we funded ourselves so we are looking for additional money that will allow us to continue our work,” Nolan says.

Contact Nolan at 615-898-5561.
tnolan@mtsu.edu

The stress mess

If occupational stress costs American businesses and consumers billions of dollars each year, why don’t companies do more to alleviate it? Research by Dr. Larry Howard, management and marketing, shows that only a small minority of companies have policies to deal with stress. “Similarly, a survey of nearly 28,000 insurance policy holders found almost no correlation between employee burnout problems and physical issues addressed by employee wellness programs,” Howard says. On the other hand, “the potential for diminishing the multitude of mental, emotional and physical health consequences attributed to employee stress and burnout by enhancing perceptions of organizational justice seems great.”

Contact Howard at 615-898-2825.
lhoward@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE BEST DEFENSE—TODAY--A new Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class for women will begin TODAY at the MTSU Police Department training room, 1412 East Main Street. The program is free and open to university students, faculty, and staff, and to the community at large. The class will be held from 6-9 p.m. for six consecutive Thursdays. The teacher, Officer David Smith, says, “The beauty of the RAD system is that it teaches only self-defense techniques that have been proven to work. We put students in simulation training where an aggressor dresses up in a padded suit, and we put the women in different situations to see how they react. We teach them maximum effective targets on an aggressor and show them that they have enough strength to be effective.” Contact Smith at 615-494-8855.

SHALL WE DANCE?—TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY—The Spring Dance Concert by MTSU Dance Theatre will conclude the 2005-2006 MTSU CenterStage Series at 7:30 p.m. each evening in Tucker Theatre. Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of the dance program, says the concert will be the culmination of a year’s work with nationally and internationally known choreographers in what promises to be the event of the season. For more information, contact the Department of Speech and Theatre at 615-898-2640.

WHY NOT THE BEST?—TOMORROW, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.--Ken Bain, director of the Center of Teaching Excellence at New York University and author of What the Best College Teachers Do, will be the featured speaker at the culminating workshop for the College Showcast Series this TOMORROW. The event, titled “Teaching the Basics with New Technologies,” will take place at the Consolidated Utility District Conference Center at 709 New Salem Road in Murfreesboro. Bain will address what makes a “great” teacher, why students remember some professors long after college, how the great teachers engage and challenge students, and other issues. The event is sponsored by MTSU’s Learning, Teaching and Innovative Technologies Center. For more information, contact Bobbie J. Palmer at 615-494-7671 or go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~ltanditc.

WEIRD SCIENCE—SATURDAY--Are theapists treating their mental health patients with pseudoscience instead of using widely tested and accepted modalities? Dr. Scott Lilienfeld of Emory University fears that some of them are doing just that. He’ll address that issue at the 2006 Middle Tennessee Psychological Association Conference this SATURDAY in the Business Aerospace Building at MTSU. Lilienfeld “claims that most of what therapists do either isn’t supported by research evidence or actually flies in the face of the evidence that we have,” says Dr. William Langston, associate professor of psychology at MTSU. Admission to the conference is open to the public and costs $5 per person. Contact the MTSU Department of Psychology at 615-898-2706.

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY—MAY 1--The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance. Contact Sells at 615-898-5342 or dsells@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. Beginning today, we will post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.

ATTENTION: MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at:http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.comClick on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.TOPIC 1—BATTER UP!: It’s spring, when every young fan’s heart turns to baseball. Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English and Chicago Cubs fan extraordinaire, will celebrate this annual rite of rebirth with the Baseball Literature Conference March 31st. Special guests will be East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Don Johnson, editor of the sports literature journal “Aethlon,” and former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.

TOPIC 2—NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nadine Strossen, will be the keynote speaker for National Women’s History Month at MTSU. Dr. Elyce Helford, chair of the Women’s Studies program, discusses Strossen’s upcoming appearance and the other events on tap to celebrate women’s fight for equality and justice.
Radio stations, if you need audio from MTSU, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. We will be glad to send MP3 audio via email or post the audio on our Audio Clips web page http://www.mtsunews.com/. Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Why not the best?

Ken Bain, director of the Center of Teaching Excellence at New York University and author of What the Best College Teachers Do, will be the featured speaker at the culminating workshop for the College Showcast Series this FRIDAY. The event, titled “Teaching the Basics with New Technologies,” will take place from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Consolidated Utility District Conference Center at 709 New Salem Road in Murfreesboro. Bain will address what makes a “great” teacher, why students remember some professors long after college, how the great teachers engage and challenge students, and other issues. The event is sponsored by MTSU’s Learning, Teaching and Innovative Technologies Center.

For more information, contact Bobbie J. Palmer at 615-494-7671 or go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~ltanditc.

Weird science

Are theapists treating their mental health patients with pseudoscience instead of using widely tested and accepted modalities? Dr. Scott Lilienfeld of Emory University fears that some of them are doing just that. He’ll address that issue at the 2006 Middle Tennessee Psychological Association Conference this SATURDAY in the Business Aerospace Building at MTSU. Lilienfeld “claims that most of what therapists do either isn’t supported by research evidence or actually flies in the face of the evidence that we have,” says Dr. William Langston, associate professor of psychology at MTSU. Admission to the conference is open to the public and costs $5 per person.

Contact the MTSU Department of Psychology at 615-898-2706.

Distressed about stress

There is a major disconnect between sources of on-the-job stress and the ways employers are trying to minimize stress. That’s the premise of research by Dr. Larry Howard, management and marketing. In a paper Howard presented in March at a “Work and Stress” conference in Washington, he cited data that show that perceived unfairness is associated with more than a 40 percent increase in job stress, a higher figure that stress associated with work tensions and meager pay. “Employee perceptions of how fairly they are treated by their employoers have a significant influence on their experience of stress, their transfer of occupational stress to family conflict, their intrinsic motivation, and their work motivation,” Howard says. “The bottom line is it makes neither medical sense, nor moral sense, nor financial sense to permit this insidious villain of occupational stress to spread like a cancer when the means for exterminating it might be within our grasp.”

Contact Howard at 615-898-2825.
lhoward@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

SAY “HI” TO HIATT—TODAY, 7 p.m.--John Hiatt, one of America’s finest songwriters, will discuss his craft and perform a few numbers in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public. MEDIA WELCOMED. Hiatt is this year’s participant in the Tom T. Hall Writers Series, which celebrates songwriters, authors, poets and screenwriters. He is known for such hits as “Slow Turning,” Perfectly Good Guitar,” “Riding with the King,” “Cry Love,” and “Have a Little Faith in Me.” His songs have been covered by artists ranging from Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt to B.B. King and Iggy Pop. Contact Beverly Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.

THE BEST DEFENSE—TOMORROW--A new Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class for women will begin TOMORROW at the MTSU Police Department training room, 1412 East Main Street. The program is free and open to university students, faculty, and staff, and to the community at large. The class will be held from 6-9 p.m. for six consecutive Thursdays. The teacher, Officer David Smith, says, “The beauty of the RAD system is that it teaches only self-defense techniques that have been proven to work. We put students in simulation training where an aggressor dresses up in a padded suit, and we put the women in different situations to see how they react. We teach them maximum effective targets on an aggressor and show them that they have enough strength to be effective.” Contact Smith at 615-494-8855.

SHALL WE DANCE?—TOMORROW THROUGH SATURDAY—The Spring Dance Concert by MTSU Dance Theatre will conclude the 2005-2006 MTSU CenterStage Series at 7:30 p.m. each evening in Tucker Theatre. Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of the dance program, says the concert will be the culmination of a year’s work with nationally and internationally known choreographers in what promises to be the event of the season. For more information, contact the Department of Speech and Theatre at 615-898-2640.

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY—MAY 1--The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance. Contact Sells at 615-898-5342 or dsells@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. Beginning today, we will post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.
ATTENTION: MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at:http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.comClick on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.TOPIC 1—BATTER UP!: It’s spring, when every young fan’s heart turns to baseball. Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English and Chicago Cubs fan extraordinaire, will celebrate this annual rite of rebirth with the Baseball Literature Conference March 31st. Special guests will be East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Don Johnson, editor of the sports literature journal “Aethlon,” and former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.

TOPIC 2—NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nadine Strossen, will be the keynote speaker for National Women’s History Month at MTSU. Dr. Elyce Helford, chair of the Women’s Studies program, discusses Strossen’s upcoming appearance and the other events on tap to celebrate women’s fight for equality and justice.
Radio stations, if you need audio from MTSU, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. We will be glad to send MP3 audio via email or post the audio on our Audio Clips web page http://www.mtsunews.com/. Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Tiger and that “spaz” jazz

After losing this year’s Masters golf tournament, Tiger Woods said in a live TV interview, “As soon as I got on the green, I was a spaz.” Following criticism from some disability rights groups, Woods apologized for using the word “spaz,” which also has been used disparagingly to refer to people with cerebral palsy. John Harris, director of Disabled Student Services, says this comment does not rise to the level of calling the disabled “retards” and “cripples.” “I think in the disability community we certainly want to be referred to as who we are, as individuals with disabilities,” Harris says. But, he adds, “I think we have to be careful not to harp on every little remark that may not be intended to be demeaning.”

Contact Harris at 615-898-2783.
jlharris@mtsu.edu

The atomic deficit

You’ve heard of the national deficit, but what about the atomic deficit? That’s the imbalance in the international trade of the U.S. chemical industry, says Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry. “As a whole, the chemical industry has been a very healthy one—economically—with chemical exports far exceeding chemical imports, when all the books have been balanced, every single year,” he notes, “until 2002, when the American chemical industry recorded its very first trade deficit of $5 billion. The atomic trade balance has been in the red every year since then, reaching $10 billion last year.” MacDougall warns, “I suspect that if our supply of highly trained chemists continues to decrease, deficits of various kinds will continue to increase and the hole will get deeper.”

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@mtsu.edu

Pooling the resources

Middle Tennessee State University has joined Oak Ridge Associated Universities, becoming one of the newest members of the university consortium. What does this mean for MTSU students and faculty? They can win members-only grants and internships. They also can take part in laboratory research at federal facilities, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The consortium now consists of 96 sponsoring institutions and 13 associate members. Other prestigious colleges belonging to the group include Johns Hopkins, Penn State, San Diego State, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Texas at Dallas.

Contact Dr. Robert Carlton, interim dean, College of Graduate Studies, at 615-898-2840.
carltonr@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

A FULL PLATE—TODAY, 9 a.m.—Jacqueline Heigle, electronic media communication, will lecture on “Nineteenth Century Wet Plate Collodion Photography” in a video teleconference for students in grades 9-12. Wet plate collodion was a process that revolutionized photography by producing highly detailed images, albeit by a difficult, cumbersome process. For more information, contact vmoxley@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2737.

SAY “HI” TO HIATT—TOMORROW, 7 p.m.--John Hiatt, one of America’s finest songwriters, will discuss his craft and perform a few numbers in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public. MEDIA WELCOMED. Hiatt is this year’s participant in the Tom T. Hall Writers Series, which celebrates songwriters, authors, poets and screenwriters. He is known for such hits as “Slow Turning,” Perfectly Good Guitar,” “Riding with the King,” “Cry Love,” and “Have a Little Faith in Me.” His songs have been covered by artists ranging from Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt to B.B. King and Iggy Pop. Contact Beverly Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.

THE BEST DEFENSE—THURSDAY--A new Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class for women will begin this THURSDAY at the MTSU Police Department training room, 1412 East Main Street. The program is free and open to university students, faculty, and staff, and to the community at large. The class will be held from 6-9 p.m. for six consecutive Thursdays. The teacher, Officer David Smith, says, “The beauty of the RAD system is that it teaches only self-defense techniques that have been proven to work. We put students in simulation training where an aggressor dresses up in a padded suit, and we put the women in different situations to see how they react. We teach them maximum effective targets on an aggressor and show them that they have enough strength to be effective.” Contact Smith at 615-494-8855.

SHALL WE DANCE?—THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY—The Spring Dance Concert by MTSU Dance Theatre will conclude the 2005-2006 MTSU CenterStage Series at 7:30 p.m. each evening in Tucker Theatre. Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of the dance program, says the concert will be the culmination of a year’s work with nationally and internationally known choreographers in what promises to be the event of the season. For more information, contact the Department of Speech and Theatre at 615-898-2640.

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY—MAY 1--The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance. Contact Sells at 615-898-5342 or dsells@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.


NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. Beginning today, we will post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.

ATTENTION: MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at:http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.comClick on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.TOPIC 1—BATTER UP!: It’s spring, when every young fan’s heart turns to baseball. Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English and Chicago Cubs fan extraordinaire, will celebrate this annual rite of rebirth with the Baseball Literature Conference March 31st. Special guests will be East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Don Johnson, editor of the sports literature journal “Aethlon,” and former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.

TOPIC 2—NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nadine Strossen, will be the keynote speaker for National Women’s History Month at MTSU. Dr. Elyce Helford, chair of the Women’s Studies program, discusses Strossen’s upcoming appearance and the other events on tap to celebrate women’s fight for equality and justice.
Radio stations, if you need audio from MTSU, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. We will be glad to send MP3 audio via email or post the audio on our Audio Clips web page http://www.mtsunews.com/. Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Today' s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The thrill of discovery

The May 1 deadline for registering for MTSU’s Summer Discovery Institute program is approaching quickly. Two potentially life-changing learning opportunities—“In Flight!” and “On Stage!”—await interested African American high school students who would like to learn how to pilot a plane or star in a theater production. “This program is a combination of campus projects, experiments and off-campus field trips,” Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice president of Academic Support Services, says. “Students will have time to visit and learn from topnotch faculty at our university. It is also meant to be a lot of fun.” The program is free, but students must register in advance.

Contact Sells at 615-898-5342.
dsells@mtsu.edu

The best defense

A new Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class for women will begin this THURSDAY at the MTSU Police Department training room, 1412 East Main Street. The program is free and open to university students, faculty, and staff, and to the community at large. The class will be held from 6-9 p.m. for six consecutive Thursdays. The teacher, Officer David Smith, says, “The beauty of the RAD system is that it teaches only self-defense techniques that have been proven to work. We put students in simulation training where an aggressor dresses up in a padded suit, and we put the women in different situations to see how they react. We teach them maximum effective targets on an aggressor and show them that they have enough strength to be effective.”

Contact Smith at 615-494-8855.

Historic days

If you compiled a list of “Ten Days That Shaped America,” what would make your list? Pearl Harbor? 9/11? The first manned moon landing? The History Channel’s list, on which its documentary series is based, includes none of these events. But Dr. Susan Myers-Shirk, history, says the list is still valuable for generating intelligent conversation. “One of our most important obligations in a democratic society is to engage in civil debate about important issues,” Myers-Shirk says. “A list that identifies our most critical historical moments can and should open a discussion about what we as a nation believe and value and where we think we ought to go from here.”

Contact Myers-Shirk at 615-898-2386.
sshirk@mtsu.edu

TR BULLETIN—ALL OF NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO TALK SHOW HOST TERRY GROSS’S MTSU APPEARANCES TODAY AND TONIGHT HAVE BEEN CANCELED DUE TO ILLNESS. MTSU HOPES TO REBOOK GROSS IN THE FALL.

TR EXTRA

A FULL PLATE—TOMORROW, 9 a.m.—Jacqueline Heigle, electronic media communication, will lecture on “Nineteenth Century Wet Plate Collodion Photography” in a video teleconference for students in grades 9-12. Wet plate collodion was a process that revolutionized photography by producing highly detailed images, albeit by a difficult, cumbersome process. For more information, contact vmoxley@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2737.

SAY “HI” TO HIATT—WEDNESDAY, 7 p.m.--John Hiatt, one of America’s finest songwriters, will discuss his craft and perform a few numbers in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public. MEDIA WELCOMED. Hiatt is this year’s participant in the Tom T. Hall Writers Series, which celebrates songwriters, authors, poets and screenwriters. He is known for such hits as “Slow Turning,” Perfectly Good Guitar,” “Riding with the King,” “Cry Love,” and “Have a Little Faith in Me.” His songs have been covered by artists ranging from Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt to B.B. King and Iggy Pop. Contact Beverly Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.

SHALL WE DANCE?—THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY—The Spring Dance Concert by MTSU Dance Theatre will conclude the 2005-2006 MTSU CenterStage Series at 7:30 p.m. each evening in Tucker Theatre. Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of the dance program, says the concert will be the culmination of a year’s work with nationally and internationally known choreographers in what promises to be the event of the season. For more information, contact the Department of Speech and Theatre at 615-898-2640.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

NEW WEB LOGS

We’ve made some changes on the News and Public Affairs website that will make your job a little easier. These changes won’t replace the mail, faxes and e-mails for those who prefer to get their information that way. The changes will be in addition to those methods. Beginning today, we will post TODAY’S RESPONSE and our NEWS RELEASES in a web log (blog) format. Links to TR and the news releases will be in the right column of the NPA website, http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.com/.
One of the advantages of using the blog format is that the media will have an expanding, searchable archive of MTSU expert opinion and MTSU news releases. Thanks in advance for visiting these new features. If you have comments or questions, please contact John Lynch, director of marketing technologies, jlynch@mtsu.edu, 615-898-5591.

ATTENTION: MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at:http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.comClick on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.TOPIC 1—BATTER UP!: It’s spring, when every young fan’s heart turns to baseball. Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English and Chicago Cubs fan extraordinaire, will celebrate this annual rite of rebirth with the Baseball Literature Conference March 31st. Special guests will be East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Don Johnson, editor of the sports literature journal “Aethlon,” and former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.

TOPIC 2—NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nadine Strossen, will be the keynote speaker for National Women’s History Month at MTSU. Dr. Elyce Helford, chair of the Women’s Studies program, discusses Strossen’s upcoming appearance and the other events on tap to celebrate women’s fight for equality and justice.
Radio stations, if you need audio from MTSU, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. We will be glad to send MP3 audio via email or post the audio on our Audio Clips web page http://www.mtsunews.com/. Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Counting the days

The History Channel is running a 10-part documentary series titled “Ten Days That Shaped America.” The parts are: Antietam, Massacre at Mystic, Einstein’s letter to FDR, McKinley’s assassination, Elvis on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” the California Gold Rush, the Scopes trial, the Homestead strike, Freedom Summer, and Shay’s Rebellion. Conspicuous by their absence are Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and the Kennedy assassination. The topics were picked by polls and historians. Do historical lists like this have any educational value? Dr. Robert Hunt, history, says, “Not really. As a storytelling device they’re perfectly fine. But, as with most of these listed, they’re of ‘obvious’ events. You can’t build much context through these means.”

Contact Hunt at 615-898-5519.
rehunt@mtsu.edu

Metriculating in Manila

Opportunities for students to broaden their worldviews are expanding with the new partnership between MTSU and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) in Quezon City, just outside Manila in the Philippines. Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito, economics and finance professor and director of the U.S.-Japan Program, was the pivotal figure in arranging the agreement. He says ADMU is considered the finest private institution of higher learning in the country. “This is a good place for development studies and Chinese and Japanese studies,” Kawahito says. “Any MTSU student can take courses in English, and transferring credits is easy.” Students must have at least a 3.0 grade point average. Three ADMU students are slated to arrive at MTSU in August for a semester’s study.

Contact Kawahito at 615-898-5751.
kawahito@mtsu.edu

Can you hear them now?

Dr. Reuben Kyle, economics and finance, says antitrust agencies will examine the pending merger of AT&T and BellSouth very carefully, “if just for the sake of reassuring the public. But it will likely be approved with few objections from any corner.” Kyle says the new relationship would not herald the resurrection of the old Ma Bell, but it might signal the beginning of the end of the land line. “Telephones with lines are going the way of the horse and buggy,” Kyle says. “Increasingly, households choose not to even have a land line phone. … Voice over Internet service threatens long distance service, which was AT&T’s main business. Consequently, these companies are no longer the the financial powerhouses that they were just a few short years ago.”

Contact Kyle at 615-898-5617.
rkyle@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

DEDICATED FOLLOWER OF FASHION—TODAY, 3:30 p.m.--The second and final lecture in the Philosophy Lyceum lecture series for Spring 2006 is “Dressing Down, Dressing Up: The Philosophical Fear of Fashion” to be presented by Karen Hanson in Room 304 of the James Union Building. Hanson, who begins an appointment as dean of the Honors College at Indiana University this year, is the author of “The Self Imagined: Philosophical Reflections on the Social Character of Psyche” and a co-editor of “Romantic Revolutions: Criticism and Theory.” Her principal research interests are in philosophy of mind, ethics, aesthetics and American philosophy. Contact Department of Philosophy at 615-898-2907 or Dr. Michael Principe at principe@mtsu.edu.

“THE TEACHER” IS IN THE HOUSE—TODAY--Hip-hop legend KRS-One will deliver a special guest lecture at 5 p.m. in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. Reporters will have an opportunity for questions and answers at 4 p.m. in the same room. Born Lawrence Krisna Parker in Brooklyn, N.Y., KRS-One originated Boogie Down Productions, “one of the most influential hardcore hip-hop outfits of the ‘80s,” according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide. “KRS-One was known for his furiously political and socially conscious raps, which is the source of his nickname, ‘The Teacher.’” This event is free and open to the public thanks to support from the Center for Popular Music, the Robert W. McLean School of Music, the Department of Recording Industry and the MTSU Urban Music Society. Contact Dr. Felicia Miyakawa, music, at 615-904-8043 or miyakawa@mtsu.edu.

SAY “HI” TO HIATT—WEDNESDAY, 7 p.m.--John Hiatt, one of America’s finest songwriters, will discuss his craft and perform a few numbers in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public. MEDIA WELCOMED. Hiatt is this year’s participant in the Tom T. Hall Writers Series, which celebrates songwriters, authors, poets and screenwriters. He is known for such hits as “Slow Turning,” Perfectly Good Guitar,” “Riding with the King,” “Cry Love,” and “Have a Little Faith in Me.” His songs have been covered by artists ranging from Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt to B.B. King and Iggy Pop. Contact Beverly Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

ATTENTION: MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at:http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.comClick on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.TOPIC 1—BATTER UP!: It’s spring, when every young fan’s heart turns to baseball. Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English and Chicago Cubs fan extraordinaire, will celebrate this annual rite of rebirth with the Baseball Literature Conference March 31st. Special guests will be East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Don Johnson, editor of the sports literature journal “Aethlon,” and former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.

TOPIC 2—NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nadine Strossen, will be the keynote speaker for National Women’s History Month at MTSU. Dr. Elyce Helford, chair of the Women’s Studies program, discusses Strossen’s upcoming appearance and the other events on tap to celebrate women’s fight for equality and justice.
Radio stations, if you need audio from MTSU, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. We will be glad to send MP3 audio via email or post the audio on our Audio Clips web page http://www.mtsunews.com/. Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The peacock vs. the perverts

NBC admits paying the organization “Perverted Justice,” an anti-kiddie porn group, to help it set up a sting titled “To Catch a Predator” for the series “Dateline NBC.” The Washington Post reported that the network paid at least $100,000. NBC officials say this is not comparable to paying for sources. They contend “Perverted Justice” was working as a consultant in the same way the network paid a company for its hidden camera technology. Dr. John Omachonu, assistant dean, College of Mass Communication, says, “I don’t think NBC violated any journalistic ethics in trying to facilitate a process that could put a child rapist or molester in prison. It is well worth it. The key is that NBC’s tactics should be applied only as a last resort. If there are other ways to obtain the same information or cooperation, I am sure that NBC would have explored them.”

Contact Omachonu at 615-898-2695.
omachonu@mtsu.edu

Dedicated follower of fashion

The second and final lecture in the Philosophy Lyceum lecture series for Spring 2006 is “Dressing Down, Dressing Up: The Philosophical Fear of Fashion” to be presented by Karen Hanson at 3:30 p.m. TOMORROW in Room 304 of the James Union Building. Hanson, who begins an appointment as dean of the Honors College at Indiana University this year, is the author of “The Self Imagined: Philosophical Reflections on the Social Character of Psyche” and a co-editor of “Romantic Revolutions: Criticism and Theory.” Her principal research interests are in philosophy of mind, ethics, aesthetics and American philosophy.

Contact Department of Philosophy at 615-898-2907.
principe@mtsu.edu

Say “Hi” to Hiatt

John Hiatt, one of America’s finest songwriters, will discuss his craft and perform a few numbers at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public. MEDIA WELCOMED. Hiatt is this year’s participant in the Tom T. Hall Writers Series, which celebrates songwriters, authors, poets and screenwriters. He is known for such hits as “Slow Turning,” Perfectly Good Guitar,” “Riding with the King,” “Cry Love,” and “Have a Little Faith in Me.” His songs have been covered by artists ranging from Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt to B.B. King and Iggy Pop.

Contact Beverly Keel at 615-898-5150.
bkeel@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

TOP CHOPPERS—TODAY, 10:30 a.m.—UH-60 troop transport helicopters from the Tennessee Army National Guard will land on the open field next to the soccer field behind the Campus Recreation Center. Landing times could vary by plus-or-minus 30 minutes. Following safety briefings and classes, contracted and enrolled Army cadets will be airlifted on short rides from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. For more information, contact LTC Todd Overby, military science, at 615-898-2470 or taoverby@mtsu.edu.

BOYS AND GIRLS AND EXERCISE—TOMORROW, 3:30 p.m.—Dr. Kathryn Davis, health and human performance, lectures on “The Influence of Gender on Teaching Elementary Physical Education” as the final presentation in the 2005-2006 Women’s Studies Research Series in Room 100 (the Faculty Senate room) of the James Union Building. For more information, contact the Women’s Studies Program office at 615-898-5910 or Dr. Trixie Smith at 615-904-8153 or tgsmith@mtsu.edu. MEDIA WELCOMED.

“THE TEACHER” IS IN THE HOUSE—FRIDAY--Hip-hop legend KRS-One will deliver a special guest lecture at 5 p.m. in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. Reporters will have an opportunity for questions and answers at 4 p.m. in the same room. Born Lawrence Krisna Parker in Brooklyn, N.Y., KRS-One originated Boogie Down Productions, “one of the most influential hardcore hip-hop outfits of the ‘80s,” according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide. “KRS-One was known for his furiously political and socially conscious raps, which is the source of his nickname, ‘The Teacher.’” This event is free and open to the public thanks to support from the Center for Popular Music, the Robert W. McLean School of Music, the Department of Recording Industry and the MTSU Urban Music Society. Contact Dr. Felicia Miyakawa, music, at 615-904-8043 or miyakawa@mtsu.edu.

MULTICULTURAL KIDS—THROUGH MAY 5--It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center). Contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-898-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu.

ATTENTION: MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at:http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.comClick on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.TOPIC 1—BATTER UP!: It’s spring, when every young fan’s heart turns to baseball. Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English and Chicago Cubs fan extraordinaire, will celebrate this annual rite of rebirth with the Baseball Literature Conference March 31st. Special guests will be East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Don Johnson, editor of the sports literature journal “Aethlon,” and former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.

TOPIC 2—NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nadine Strossen, will be the keynote speaker for National Women’s History Month at MTSU. Dr. Elyce Helford, chair of the Women’s Studies program, discusses Strossen’s upcoming appearance and the other events on tap to celebrate women’s fight for equality and justice.
Radio stations, if you need audio from MTSU, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. We will be glad to send MP3 audio via email or post the audio on our Audio Clips web page http://www.mtsunews.com/. Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Today's Response
Middle Tennessee State University

But what are they really saying?

How can computer software pick apart a politician’s rhetoric to tell us what he or she is REALLY all about? Dr. Mohammed Albakry, English, says, “With the advances of computer text programs focused on analyzing certain linguistic patterns, we are now better able to investigate how people actually use language, both spoken and written, in real life situations. In so doing, we can gain powerful insights into a person’s type of personality and guiding ideology.” Albakry also says it is very likely (and not too Orwellian) that “software will be used to train public speakers such as presidential candidates for the maximum effect.” Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin already have performed post-election analyses on the 2004 presidential and vice-presidential speeches using such software.

Contact Albakry at 615-484-8658.
albakry@mtsu.edu

Multicultural kids

It’s time for the annual “Diverse Tales for Diverse Tots” book drive through May 5. The Diversity Committee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is asking for donations of children’s books that reflect or teach about any aspect of diversity and/or multiculturalism. These books may be old or new and for any age group. They will be presented in May to the MTSU Extended Evening School Program at the Homer Pittard Campus School. Dropoff locations include in the Sociology and Anthropology office (307 Todd Building), the English office (302 Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (206 James Union Building), and the Older Wiser Learners office (320 Keathley University Center).

Contact Dr. Ida Fadzilla at 615-898-8275
ifadzill@mtsu.edu
or Dr. Elvira Casal at 615-898-2668.
ecasal@mtsu.edu

“The Teacher” is in the house

Hip-hop legend KRS-One will deliver a special guest lecture at 5 p.m. Friday, April 14, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. Reporters will have an opportunity for questions and answers at 4 p.m. in the same room. Born Lawrence Krisna Parker in Brooklyn, N.Y., KRS-One originated Boogie Down Productions, “one of the most influential hardcore hip-hop outfits of the ‘80s,” according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide. “KRS-One was known for his furiously political and socially conscious raps, which is the source of his nickname, ‘The Teacher.’” This event is free and open to the public thanks to support from the Center for Popular Music, the Robert W. McLean School of Music, the Department of Recording Industry and the MTSU Urban Music Society.

Contact Dr. Felicia Miyakawa, music, at 615-904-8043.
miyakawa@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

HE HAS A STORY TO TELL—TODAY--Governor Phil Bredesen will speak following the 11:30 a.m. lunch at the “Tennessee Summit on Mathematics & Science Education: Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce Today” event at the Doubletree Hotel in Nashville. The purpose of the summit is to bring together business, government and education leaders together from across the state to emphasize the need for improved math, science and technology education for all Tennessee students. MEDIA WELCOMED. Contact Dr. Ray Phillips or Dr. Dovie Kimmins at 615-904-8573.

“FROM BACH TO BEETHOVEN”—TODAY, 12:40 p.m.—A speial Lenten choral concert will be presented in MTSU’s Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building. Dr. Raphael Bundage will conduct the MTSU Concert Chorale in this concert. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the McLean School of Music at 615-898-2493.

NOT-SO-INTELLIGENT DESIGN?—TODAY, 7 p.m.--Raiders for Rationalism will host a talk titled “Is Intelligent Design Falsifiable?” in Room S118 of the Business Aerospace Building. The speaker will be Sarah Jordan, a campus and community organizer for the Center for Inquiry on Campus. The theory of intelligent design posits that life on Earth occurred through an” intelligent agent” instead of through evolution. Dr. William Langston, associate professor of psychology and faculty adviser for Raiders for Rationalism, says, “Intelligent design, which depends on the intervention of a supernatural designer, is often criticized for being a wholly religious hypothesis that offers no testable scientific claims.” He says Jordan will argue during her lecture that two criteria for intelligent design are inadequate and principally rhetorical. Contact Langston at 615-898-5489 or wlangsto@mtsu.edu. MEDIA WELCOMED.

VOICES OF VICTIMS AND MEN—TODAY, 7 p.m.--On New Year’s Eve 1995, Andrea Cooper returned home from a party to find that her 20-year-old daughter, Kristin, had taken her own life. Cooper eventually learned that Kristin had been so traumatized by an acquaintance rape that she had fallen into a deep depression that spiraled downward even further when her boyfriend rejected her. Cooper will talk about Kristin in Tucker Theatre. Immediately following Cooper’s address, Ben Atherton-Zeman will lighten the mood at Tucker Theatre with a humorous presentation poking fun at some male attitudes toward women through movie characters such as James Bond, Austin Powers and Rocky Balboa. This Sexual Assault Awareness Month doubleheader is free and open to the public. MEDIA WELCOMED. Contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

BOYS AND GIRLS AND EXERCISE—TOMORROW, 3:30 p.m.—Dr. Kathryn Davis, health and human performance, lectures on “The Influence of Gender on Teaching Elementary Physical Education” as the final presentation in the 2005-2006 Women’s Studies Research Series in Room 100 (the Faculty Senate room) of the James Union Building. For more information, contact the Women’s Studies Program office at 615-898-5910 or Dr. Trixie Smith at 615-904-8153 or tgsmith@mtsu.edu. MEDIA WELCOMED.

ATTENTION: MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at:

http://www.mtsunews.com

Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

TOPIC 1—BATTER UP!: It’s spring, when every young fan’s heart turns to baseball. Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English and Chicago Cubs fan extraordinaire, will celebrate this annual rite of rebirth with the Baseball Literature Conference March 31st. Special guests will be East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Don Johnson, editor of the sports literature journal “Aethlon,” and former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.

TOPIC 2—NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nadine Strossen, will be the keynote speaker for National Women’s History Month at MTSU. Dr. Elyce Helford, chair of the Women’s Studies program, discusses Strossen’s upcoming appearance and the other events on tap to celebrate women’s fight for equality and justice.

Radio stations, if you need audio from MTSU, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. We will be glad to send MP3 audio via email or post the audio on our Audio Clips web page http://www.mtsunews.com. Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.