Friday, May 12, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The mainstream is polluted

The conventional wisdom in the mainstream media is that comedian Stephen Colbert bombed at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. But the blogosphere found him hilariously funny, and so did Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication. “The ossified and useless conventions of the mainstream media straitjacket it, making it unable to point out some of the irony and clear disengenousness of the Bush White House,” Pondillo says. He also points out that Colbert might have gotten a chilly reception in the room partly because he refused to spare the corporate press from his pointed barbs.

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465.
pondillo@mtsu.edu

Fill ‘er up!

Dr. Janet Colson, human sciences, says food helps some people get out of a slump. Usually, Colson says, the foods people choose for this purpose are high in fat, sugar and calories. “Substituting an activity that requires physical use of the body is the best way to avoid the nervous junk food habit,” Colson advises. She recommends cross-stitching, knitting, painting or gardening. “Or, better yet, putting in an exercise video or going for a long walk can relieve the nervousness and keep you occupied. That lets you avoid the junk food attack.”

Contact Colson at 615-898-2884.
jcolson@mtsu.edu

Get teed off

Join MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MTSU head coaches Rick Stockstill (football), Kermit Davis (men’s basketball) and Rick Insell (women’s basketball) for a golf scramble Monday at Temple Hills Golf Club, 6379 Temple Road in Franklin. The event begins with a 10:30 a.m. lunch followed by the scramble at noon. Following the scramble, a reception open to all alumni and friends will be held at 5:30. The cost for the entire event is $125 dollars per person or $10 for the reception only.
Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-533-6878 or go online at http://www.mtalumni.com.

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.

SEE SPOT RUN!—TOMORROW, 8 a.m.--Runners, walkers and their dogs will jog, trot and pant for a good cause in the See Spot Run 5K event on the west side of Peck Hall near the starting line. Proceeds will benefit MTSU’s goal of building a house for Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity. Registration will begin at 6:30 a.m. The entry fee is $15 and includes awards, t-shirts and doggie bags for all participants. The course is certified, flat and fast. Additionally, Tennessee Performing Arts Center staffers will be on site to select one lucky canine for a walk-on role in the May 16 performance of “Annie.” The dog’s owner will receive four complementary tickets to the musical and will be invited to the cast party following the show. The race is sponsored by Raider Habitat, Eta Sigma Pi, MTSU Alumni Relations, and the Office of Student Organizations & Community Service. Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or via http://www.mtalumni.com.

KEEP IT CLEAN!—TOMORROW, 8:30 a.m.--Have fun this weekend for a good cause! Volunteer for Raiders on the Harpeth, a family-oriented stream cleanup and picnic at the Aspen Grove Park Pavilion in Cool Springs at Cool Springs Boulevard near P.F. Chang’s. MTSU will provide lunch for all volunteers at 12 noon. The first 25 people to register will get a free MT T-shirt. The City of Franklin will provide equipment, including work gloves, trash bags and grabber tools for removing trash and debris from the Harpeth, along its banks and from areas adjacent to the watershed. This event is sponsored by the MTSU Williamson County Alumni Chapter. Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-533-MTSU or visit http://www.mtalumni.com.

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, 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.