Monday, July 10, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Coaches’ corner

MTSU alumni, friends and fans are invited to attend two Blue Raider Blasts from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18 on the courthouse square in Woodbury and Thursday, July 20 at the Celebration Pavilion off Celebration Way in Shelbyville. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MT head doaches Rick Stockstill (football), Rick Insell (women’s basketball) and Steve Peterson (baseball) will be on hand to meet fans and share exciting news about the upcoming season. There will be inflatables, face painting and music for families to enjoy. Whitt’s Barbecue will provide dinners for $5 per plate. Admission is free.

Contact the MTSU Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or at http://www.mtalumni.com.

“…yearning to breathe free”

The Independent Institute, an Oakland-based nonprofit think tank, has released its Open Letter on Immigration to President Bush and members of Congress. One of the more than 500 signatories is MTSU’s own Dr. Bill Ford, holder of the Weatherford Chair of Finance. The letter reads, in part, “The effect of all immigration on low-skilled workers is very likely positive as many immigrants bring skills, capital and entrepreneurship to the American economy. Legitimate concerns about the impact of immigration on the poorest Americans should not be addressed by penalizing even poorer immigrants. Instead, we should promote policies, such as improving our education system, that enable Americans to be more productive with high-wage skills.” (Read the entire letter at http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1727.)

Contact Ford for his thoughts on the impact of immigration on the economy at 615-898-2889.
wfford@mtsu.edu

Picture this

Last month, two news stories related to national security broke in the same week. A potential terrorist cell was broken up in Florida, and the federal government was tracking Americans’ bank accounts in an effort to sniff out terrorists’ sources of funding. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says there is room to debate which story was more important. “Some people have said the terrorist story is more important because it shows just what kind of danger the country is in,” Burriss says. “Other people say the financial story is more important because it shows a pattern of disregard for civil liberties and privacy.” What is clear is the difference between print and broadcast treatments of the stories. Because it’s difficult to show interesting pictures of bank accounts and easier to show “perp walks” and mug shots and interview members of the suspects’ families, television gave more weight to the terrorist cell story. The moral of the story, according to Burriss, is “ … a story that requires more thought and depth is more likely to be in the newspaper.”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2893.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

FROM CAMP TO COLLEGE--Kayley Kravitz is a veteran of all three years of Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp. She studied guitar, bass and piano. In the fall, the 18-year-old graduate of The Webb School in Bell Buckle will attend Boston’s Emerson College, where she will major in journalism with an eye to becoming a music journalist. Simultaneously, Kayley will minor in music at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. She encourages parents to enroll their daughters (ages 10-18) in this year’s camp, which is slated for July 31-Aug. 5. “Not only will they get to learn the ins and outs of the music business—they will gain a self-confidence that will benefit them for the rest of their lives,” Kayley says. Contact Kelley Anderson, Anna Fitzgerald or Courtney Sharpe at sgrrc05@gmail.com or call 615-898-8140.

GROWING YOUNG MINDS--More than 300 people are expected to attend this year’s “Growing Young Minds,” a dinner/live/music/silent auction fundraiser to benefit Project HELP, July 13 in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Registration is at 6:15 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Live music by the Boomers will follow at 7:30 p.m. The silent auction bidding will close at 8:15 p.m. Founded in 1983, Project HELP provides early intervention and family support services to high-risk children, children with disabilities and children with developmental delays.Contact Project HELP at 615-898-2458 or at http://www.mtsu.edu/~projhelp.

TEACHING ANDREW JACKSON--MTSU and The Hermitage are collaborating in a “Landmarks of American History Teacher Workshop” funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. “The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson, and “America 1801-1861” will be offered TODAY through July 14 at The Hermitage. These workshops will enable K-12 educators to intensify their study and increase their knowledge of important historical topics through direct on-site experiences. Topics to be explored include “Growing Democracy,” “Cotton Economy and Slavery,” “Indians and Westward Expansion,” “Reform and Religion,” “Women’s Lives in a Changing America,” and “Developing a Distinct American Material Culture.” Contact Dr. Janice Leone, history, at 615-898-5580 or jmleone@mtsu.edu.

SHOW US YOUR STUFF!--The students who have attended the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts at MTSU this summer will showcase their talents at the Finale Festival Thursday, July 13 and Friday, July 14. The July 13 event will include performances in opera and theatre. The July 14 event will feature dance and music. Performances on both evenings will begin at 7 p.m. and will be presented in Tucker Theatre. Tickets are $20, a price which includes admission to both nights of entertainment. A fundraising reception will take place at 5:30 p.m. and will include an hors d’oeuvres buffet in the Todd Gallery lobby prior to the July 14 performance. The cost to attend the reception is $100 per person, which includes tickets to the performances. Contact Brenda Batey at 615-352-5184 or b.batey@comcast.net.

GET ACCUSTOMED TO IT--Nine sessions of orientation for new students, called CUSTOMS, will be offered in July for freshmen and transfers on a first-come, first-served basis. Students pursuing majors in the colleges of Basic and Applied Science and Mass Communications and undeclared majors will have CUSTOMS July 11-12 and July 24-25. Students pursuing majors in the colleges of Education and Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts and Business and undeclared majors will be held July 20-21. Transfers may complete CUSTOMS online and be cleared by their advisers to register for fall classes. For more information, call the Office of New Student and Family Programs at 615-898-5533 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~customs.

HEAD FOR THE MOUNTAINS!--Some 16 MTSU alumni and several faculty members have contributed to the newly published “Encyclopedia of Appalachia.” The title has more than 2,000 entries which provides ready reference to information about the people, culture and history of Appalachia. MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation was contacted by scholars at East Tennessee State University’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Services about collaborating on the project. CHP Director Dr. Carroll Van West says he agreed to participate because of his interest in southern architecture and because the Applachian region suffers from stereotyping. Contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.