Friday, April 7, 2006

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Disaster preparation and media preparation for disaster coverage will be the goals of a two-day Emergency Preparedness Challenge TODAY and TOMORROW. A simulated disaster will provide students an opportunity to practice news coverage through a Video News Network for continuous field and studio reporting and an independent Web site. “This will be as close to teaching real-world news as we can ever get,” Dr. Bob Spires, chair, electronic media communication, says. “That’s the problem we’ve faced in teaching; we can’t cover breaking news because we don’t know when it’s going to break. This will allow us to handle all the behind-the-scenes coverage, on-air reporting … the benefit of this experience for our students is amazing.”

Contact Spires at 615-898-2217 or Heide Jordan at 615-862-8530.

“Two feminisms”

Dr. Noelle McAfee, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, will deliver the first lecture in this year’s Applied Philosophy Lyceum at 3:30 p.m. TODAY in Room 304 of the James Union Building. Her talk is titled “Two Feminisms” and will focus on feminism’s relationship to democracy and political power. McAfee’s areas of specialty are social and political philosophy, feminist theory, modern and contemporary continental philosophy and ethics. “The Applied Philosophy Lyceum is intended to provide the campus community with the opportunity to engage with first-rate philosophers on issues of immediate and contemporary relevance,” Dr. Michael Principe, professor of philosophy, says.

Contact the Department of Philosophy at 615-898-2907.

A non-hostile takeover

About 50 executives will take over the 10:15 a.m. and 11:20 a.m. classes at MTSU today in the 15th annual University Takeover/Executives-in-Residence program, the largest event of its kind in the Southeast. “The Executives-in-Residence program provides an opportunity for our students to interact with some very dynamic executives in Middle Tennessee and gives them a chance to see some of the theory they’re being taught in actual practice,” Dr. Jim Burton, dean of the College of Business, says. Following an invitation-only luncheon in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building, Jack O. Bovender Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America, will address the attendees.

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

TR EXTRA

REV IT UP!—TODAY--The MTSU moonbuggy team is headed to the Great Moonbuggy Race in Huntsville, Ala. This is a NASA-sponsored competition between national and international universities. The race will be conducted on Saturday, April 8. This year, MTSU is taking two moonbuggies to the highly competitive race. Each vehicle must have a male and female driver. TODAY the MTSU team will be available for the media between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. behind the Voorhies Industrial Studies Building near Room 120. At 11:30 a.m., Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost, will be present, along with other faculty members, to meet team members and take photographs. Contact Dr. Saeed Foroudastan, associate dean, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, at 615-494-8786 or sforouda@mtsu.edu. MEDIA WELCOMED.

AN END TO GENOCIDE?—TODAY, 9:10 a.m.--What are the prospects for peace in Sudan, venue of the longest civil war on the African continent? Is there any hope for the refugees in Darfur? The Southern Sudan government’s representative in North America, Ezekiel Gatkuoth (pronounced (gat-KWAHTH), who also represents the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement, will tackle the subject of “Law and Politics in Traditional Societies” in the classroom of Dr. Richard Pace, sociology and anthropology, at 9:10 a.m. TOMORROW in Room S270 of the Business Aerospace Building. MEDIA WELCOMED. Contact Karen Case, advisor to the South Sudanese Student Organization, at 615-898-5087 or kcase@mtsu.edu, or Biith Maker, president of the South Sudanese Student Organization, at bjm2v@mtsu.edu.

COME ON IN!—TODAY, 10 a.m.—Project HELP is having an open house today. Officials will unveil their new Family Resource Center and their first Project HELP Family Quilt. Classrooms will be open, and staff will be on hand to give tours and answer questions. For more information, contact Debbie Bauder at 615-898-2458 or dbauder@mtsu.edu. MEDIA WELCOMED.

VIEWING THE WORLD THROUGH GOLDEN GOGGLES—TODAY, 11:30 a.m.—Nationally known scientist and mentor Dr. Carlos Gutierrez, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, will be the featured speaker for the College of Basic and Applied Sciences’ College Showcase. For more information about the showcase, contact Dr. Tom Cheatham at 615-898-2613. For more details about Golden Goggles, contact Dr. Andrienne Friedli at 615-898-2071. MEDIA WELCOMED.

STAR PARTY—TONIGHT, 6:30 p.m.—Dr. Charles Higgins, physics and astronomy, will present “What About the Dark Matter?” at the monthly First Friday Star Party in Room 102 of the Wiser-Patten Science Building. Telescopes will be set up in the field in front of the building for observation, weather permitting. For more information, contact the Department of Physics and Astronomy at 615-898-2130.

IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL THE MOTHER SUPERIOR SINGS—TONIGHT AND TOMORROW, 7:30 p.m.—The final opera of the season at MTSU is Francis Poulenc’s thriller “Dialogue of the Carmelites” in the Wright Music Hall. Based on actual events, the opera explores how a closed community of Carmelite nuns copes with questions of life and death when confronted by evil. It is a story of terror and fear that, ultimately, is conquered through the sharing of suffering and the universality of grace. For tickets, please call 615-494-8810 or go to the CenterStage Ticket Office in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building from noon-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.

WELCOME THE VISITORS—TODAY—More than two dozen of the nation’s best communicators return to MTSU for the second meeting of the College of Mass Communication’s Board of Visitors. The panel includes John Seigenthaler; John Seigenthaler, Jr. of NBC News; Eric Ludgood, vice president, CNN International; and Rodney Crowell, singer/songwriter. For more information, contact the College of Mass Communication at 615-898-2813.

THROWING BASEBALL A CURVE—TODAY AND TOMORROW--Tickets for an MTSU production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play “Take Me Out” are on sale at the CenterStage Ticket Office, located inside the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building at MTSU. The play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. TODAY AND TOMORROW at Tucker Theatre. “Take Me Out” is the story of a rich and famous major league centerfielder who incorrectly assumes that his popularity will not wane when he announces casually that he is gay. “When I read the script, I was intrigued by its nontraditional structure, having no unity of time,” Deborah Anderson, speech and theatre professor, says. “I also grew up loving baseball, and in this play the sport develops a mystical nature.” There are scenes with brief moments of nudity. This show is recommended for mature audiences only, and MTSU does not contend that this drama is suitable for all ages. Contact Anderson at 615-898-2276 or at danderso@mtsu.edu. For ticket reservations, call 615-494-8810.

SPRING PREVIEW DAY—TOMORROW, 10 a.m.—Visitors can expect a one-and-a-half-hour walking tour leaving from the Cope Administration Building lobby every 15 minutes on Spring Preview Day for prospective students. Limited to the first 250 visitors by appointment. To register, call 1-800-331-6878 or 615-898-5670.

ACT GLOBALLY, EAT LOCALLY—TOMORROW, 5 p.m.--A mouthwatering array of the world’s most delicious foods will tantalize attendees at this year’s International Banquet in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. The menu includes paella, Tandori chicken, shrimp coconut curry, couscous with apricots and honey-roasted Cornish hen. Diners will be entertained by music from Romania, Venezuela and Mexico, as well as an Indian fashion show and a Chinese tai chi demonstration. Tickets are on sale now for $15 for adults, $13 for children 12 and under, $8 for MTSU students and $13 for students from other colleges. Contact the International Programs and Services Office at 615-898-2238 or ipso@mtsu.edu. MEDIA WELCOMED.

ROLL ON—SUNDAY, 2 p.m.—The Panhellenic Council will sponsor an Easter egg hunt for all children of the Murfreesboro community on MTSU President Sidney McPhee’s law at the corner of Middle Tennessee Boulevard and East Main Street. Games, refreshments, face-painting and more! Call 615-898-2870 for more information.

IT’S A BEAUTY!—MONDAY, 10 a.m.—MTSU alumni, friends, and students are invited to participate in Campus Beautification Day starting under the blue tents on the Keathley University Center knoll. Participants will help with painting, picking up litter, and planting trees and flowers. Boxed lunches will be provided. Please register by calling 1-800-533-6878. MEDIA WELCOMED.

ATTENTION: NEW MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

New MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at: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.
04/07/06