Wednesday, July 5, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The art of the sitcom

Which situation comedies stand the test of time? Dr. Tom Berg, electronic media communication, says “Frasier” is an example of a sitcom that will last because “it’s looking at human beings, characters, and it doesn’t really talk about who’s in office at that particular time or what the social problems are of that time, the hot button issues.” Berg, whose summer class on TV sitcoms will start July 10, says he is chagrined by the increase in commercial content, which gives writers less time to develop fully formed characters. He says he also is tired of seeing the screen polluted with endless promos and crawls that detract from the comedy and offer largely useless information.

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

All natural ingredients?

A study by the Nature Conservancy finds that per capital visits to national parks by 2003 had dropped to 0.9 visits per year. The study finds that 98 percent of the decline was explained by video games, movie rentals, going out to movies, Internet use and rising fuel prices. Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley, visiting distinguished public historian at MTSU, says, “Parks were initially set aside for the contrast they provided to our daily ‘work-a-day’ existence. They were designed to provide an environment where Americans could ‘gear down’ and get back in tune with the natural rhythms of the natural world. …The more developed they become, the more they lose their unique qualities.” (Pitcaithley was chief historian for the National Park Service from 1995-2005.)

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

“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.

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.

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.