Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Third World War?

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich recently posited that World War III has begun, and it’s the war on terrorism perpetrated by Islamic extremist groups. Is this an overreaction, or does it have an historical basis in fact? Dr. Sean Foley, history, says, without minimizing this past summer’s Israeli-Lebanese conflict, “it was not nearly as serious as the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. During that conflict, U.S. Soviet tensions were so great that the entire United States military went to DEFCON 3, the highest level of readiness of the U.S. military during peacetime. In the Cuban Missle Crisis in 1962, portions of the U.S. military went to DEFCON 2 status—a status just short of nuclear war. The world was much closer to realizing a Third World War in 1962 and 1973 than it has been ever since.”

Contact Foley at 615-904-8294.
sfoley@mtsu.edu

The eyes have it

Pro golfer Michelle Wie uses them. Baseball star Ken Griffey Jr. uses them. Even high school and prep school athletes in Tennessee use them. They’re MaxSight contact lenses, which were designed to give athletes a competitive edge. Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says his brother, optometrist Dr. Jeff Anshel, tells him they’re “just another inexpensive piece of athletic equipment.” Dr. Mark Anshel says, “Certainly, players can choose the type of training technique they use to prepare for competition, as long as body chemistry is not artificially altered. Baseball players have used sunglasses as optional equipment to prevent sun glare for decades.”

Contact (no pun intended) Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

For the record

The fall 2006 semester student tally stands at a record 22,863 students. That’s a 1.4 percent increase, or 309 additional students, for the fall. “We’re still growing,” said Dr. Bob Glenn, vice provost for enrollment and academic services and vice president for student affairs. “It’s a little lower than what we would’ve liked. For budget purposes, we were hoping for a three percent increase. But, on a practical basis, we’re happy to be at 1.4 (percent).” Late spring and early summer projections indicated MTSU would pass 23,000 students.

For a breakdown of the numbers by categories, contact Dr. Sherian Huddleston, assistant vice provost, enrollment services, at 615-898-2828.
shuddles@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

THE SWEET SMELL OF SCIENCE--Registration is open for the 2006 Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science. The conference for girls in grades 5-8 will be held from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, across the MTSU campus. Open to the first 300 girls who register, EYH will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on campus. To register, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~EYH. Look for the registration button on the left side. Complete, print out, and mail the form to: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, c/o MTSU EYH, P.O. Box 161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

BRAIN POWER--The Student Activity Fee funds are making possible two free workshops that can provide students with the necessary tips to earn better grades. Plymouth, Mich.-based Jamie Nast, a nationally acknowledged expert on helping individuals organize their thinking, will lead the “Mind Mapping” sessions from 1-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. THURSDAY in the Hazlewood Dining Room of the James Union Building. In 1998, Nast and her husband founded NastGroup, a consultancy organization specializing in optimizing mind potential. Her first book, Idea Mapping: How to Access Your Hidden Brain Power, Learn Faster, Remember More, and Achieve Success in Business, is slated for publication Sept. 20. For more information, contact Dr. Carol Ann Baily, Adult Services Center director, at 615-898-5989 or cabaily@mtsu.edu

A LITTLE “FRESH AIR”--One of the media’s premier interviewers, Terry Gross, host of National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air with Terry Gross,” will lecture at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. The talk is free and open to the public. “I think it’s a great opportunity to have a nationally recognized award-winning interviewer come here to talk,” Marc J. Barr, EMC professor, said. “She has come to be one of the best interviewers, if not the best interviewer, out there in media.” While the Tuesday night lecture is free, tickets are required for admission. Tickets that were issued for the original April date are good for Gross’ upcoming appearance, and those individuals will be allowed first entry. No new tickets will be issued. However, non-ticket holders will be allowed entry after ticket-holders based on available seating. For more information, contact Barr at 615-898-5118 or mjbarr@mtsu.edu

SAVING OUR HISTORY--The public is invited to participate in a town hall meeting on historic preservation at 7 p.m. TOMORROW at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 315 East Main St. in Murfreesboro. David Brown, executive vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will be the featured host and speaker. Dr. Carroll Van West, director of MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, says, “Brown is the most illustrious alumnus of our nationally recognized historic preservation program … He grew up in the East Main historic district; he brings a love of Murfreesboro and its citizens, but adds a healthy dose of realism and experience to the issue of balancing the past with the present.” Contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.