Monday, July 3, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Just for laughs

Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Kelsey Grammer and Jennifer Aniston will be putting in appearances at an MTSU class this month. It’s Dr. Tom Berg’s popular class about television situation comedies, which will start July 10. This summer, he starts again with “I Love Lucy” and ends with “Friends,” but there will be a lot to think about and talk about between those classics. “The truly great situation comedies just have fantastic writers who know how to explore the human condition and to help us to see ourselves in that human condition,” says Berg, an associate professor of electronic media communication.

Contact Berg at 615-898-5867.
tberg@mtsu.edu

For purple mountains’ majesties

A poll by AP-Ipsos find more than 40 percent of Americans favor increasing development like cell towers and snowmobile trails inside national parks. Is this really what Teddy Roosevelt had in mind? Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley, visiting distinguished public historian at MTSU, was chief historian for the National Park Service from 1995-2005. He says a certain amount of development is expected to make visitors comfortable. “However, development inside and immediately outside parks can be carried too far,” Pitcaithley says. “Parks are unique places, different from neighboring places because of spectacular scenery, special biotic communities or other natural features worthy of preservation. They are not theme parks.

Contact Pitcaithley by calling the Department of History at 615-898-2536.
dwightpitcaithley@comcast.net

Measuring matriculation

The annual ranking of colleges and universities by “U.S. News and World Report” magazine doesn’t impress Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemisty, all that much. He says, “As questionable as the ‘reputation’ criterion is, the ‘acceptance rate’ criterion is the biggest hazard to students seeking to expand their knowledge at selective colleges that seek to move up in the rankings. The rank thinking goes like this: to be more like Harvard (which has by far the highest acceptance rate and has long been perched atop most college rankings), universities should reject students that are likely to be accepted by Harvard and go there.”

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


TR EXTRA

DON’T BOTHER TO KNOCK--MTSU will be closed Tuesday, July 4, because it is a designated university holiday. All offices will be closed, but will resume regular hours of operation (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) on Wednesday, July 5. All undergraduate and graduate students will resume classes July 5. MTSU offices will be open and classes will be held Monday, July 3. The fun, food and festivities of Celebration Under the Stars will take place at MTSU on Tuesday, July 4. (See TR extra below.) There will be no Today’s Response on Independence Day. In case of campus emergencies, contact the MTSU Department of Public Safety by calling 615-898-2424.

STAR-SPANGLED PARTY—INDEPENDENCE DAY--Once again, MTSU will host “Celebration Under the Stars.” The party will start at 5 p.m., Tuesday, July 4, on the intramural field. There will be games and activities for the youngsters from 5-8 p.m. There will be prizes and promotional giveaways. Wal-Mart will donate the “Celebration Under the Stars” birthday cakes. At 8 p.m., the Murfreesboro Fire Department’s color guard will present the colors. The Tennessee Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will perform patriotic tunes, Sousa marches and inspirational classics. Capping off the evening’s entertainment will be the traditional fireworks display at 9 p.m. Contact Marlane Sewell, steering committee chair, at 615-896-6710. Tune in to WGNS-AM 1450 on July 4 starting at 3 p.m. for any changes in the day’s schedule of activities.

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.

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 July 10-14 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.

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 6-7 and 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.