Thursday, October 31, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The selling of the curricula

Downloading college textbooks from the Internet saves students lots of money. But these textbooks often are filled with ads for everything from restaurants to FedEx. If there can be the “State Farm Lecture Hall” and naming rights for stadia, would it be illogical to assume that ads in textbooks would be the next step? Dr. Robert Glenn, vice president for student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services, says, “In the feeding frenzy of naming rights, I don’t think any of us should be surprised when we see a front cover that says ‘Economics 101: Brought to you by KFC.’ It may save some individual students money, but it will be a large waste of good paper. Being bombarded by advertising, however, is a part of our modern existence, and I really doubt it will have much impact on students or their buying habits.”

Contact Glenn at 615-898-2440.
rglenn@mtsu.edu

All aboard!

Discover some of the stories and historic sites connected with Tennessee’s Underground Railroad routes created during the nineteenth century. What dangers did escaping slaves and safe houses face? How did people pass along clubes and information? Students will examine images, legends and oral histories as they uncover Tennessee’s abolitionist history in “Flight to Freedom: Tennessee and the Underground Railroad.” This videoconference for students in grades 4-8, particularly Tennessee history, social studies and American history students, will take place from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. CST TODAY and will be hosted by Melissa Zimmerman, Heritage Programming Specialist, Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU.

For more information, contact Jenny Marsh at 615-898-2737 or vmoxley@mtsu.edu

All shook up

In her recent Honors lecture titled “Immediate and Delayed Psychological Responses to Natural Disasters,” Dr. Gloria Hamilton, psychology, advises those who find their lives turned upside down by the ravages of nature to establish coping routines. They including limiting exposure to news coverage of the trauma, using a support network and taking care of the body by getting plenty of sleep, food, fluids and rest. Hamilton also notes that recovery is a process that includes verbalizing feelings with a caring, trustworthy listener, practicing breathing and retelling the story “with eyes open and feet on the ground.” The individual’s level of traumatization is determined by the intensity of the experience, the extent of previous trauma, informal supports such as family and friends and belief systems, including those pertaining to spirituality or religion.

Contact Hamilton at 615-898-5745.
ghamilto@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through FRIDAY in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Something fishy’s going on.

A new report out of Harvard University indicates that the benefits of eating a couple of servings of most fish or seafood weekly outweigh the potential health risks of mercury or other contamination for adults and children. Dr. Lisa Sheehan-Smith, human sciences, says, “Fish and shellfish, as part of a well-balanced diet, can contribute to heart health. These protein-rich foods are low in saturated fat and contain omega-3 fatty acides. However, most types of fish and shellfish contain mercury. For most people, the risk is not a health concern, but high levels of mercury can harm the developing nervous system of an unborn baby or young child.”

Contact Sheehan-Smith at 615-898-2090.
lsheehan@mtsu.edu

She blinded me with science.

More than 300 young women in grades five through eight are slated to attend the 10th annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference in Science and Mathematics SATURDAY. The Murfreesboro branch of the American Association of University Women and the Girl Scout Council of Cumberland Valley are co-sponsors. EYH gives girls a chance to learn about career opportunities for women in science, technology, math and engineering in hands-on workshops with titles including “Concrete is More than a Birdbath,” “Ooze, Goo and Slime,” and “Open Up and Say ‘Woof’”. A celebration reception is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. TOMORROW NIGHT in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. To find out more, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~eyh.

Contact Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253.
jiriarte@mtsu.edu

I’m your biggest fan.

Never mind the political candidates—the polls agree that the National Football League ranks first among professional sports leagues in Middle Tennessee for familiarity and affinity. Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says that has been the case in all three Middle Tennessee Sports Affinity Surveys conducted by MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research. The NBA realized the greatest increase in popularity from Fall 2005 to Fall 2006. Scores for the NHL, NASCAR, Major League Soccer and the Arena Football League all declined. Among collegiate leagues, NCAA football ranked first in both familiarity and affinity. The results are based on telephone interviews with 435 randomly selected adult residents aged 18 and older from Davidson, Rutherford and Williamson counties on Oct. 3 and 4.

Contact Roy at 615-904-8464.
droy@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. A reception for the Tanakas is slated for 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. SATURDAY in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

CURRY FAVOR WITH A DANCE MASTER--Sample some savory footwork with guest dancer Ivan Pulinkala next week. The director of dance at Kennesaw State University, Pulinkala will present a lecture on “The Sensuality of Indian Movement” from 9:10 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. FRIDAY in the University Honors College Ampitheatre. The lecture is free and open to the public. Pulinkala will teach a modern dance class and work with members of the MTSU Dance Theatre to produce a show at 10:15 a.m. SATURDAY in Room 140 of the Fairview Building following a Dance Theatre class. According to his online biography, Pulinkala, a New Delhi native, has served as the choreographer-in-residence for Delhi Music Theatre and was named among the 25 Indian artists of the Millennium in the December 1999 issue of India Today magazine. Media welcomed. Contact Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of MTSU’s dance program, at 615-904-8392 or nofsinge@mtsu.edu
To request interviews, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

MUSIC MASTERS--Ninety faculty, student and guest musicians will perform 30 new works by visiting composers during five free public concerts and two paper sessions at the Society of Composers Inc. (SCI) Region IV Conference on Oct. 26-28. The free and open concerts will be held at 8 p.m. THURSDAY; at 1:30, 4 and 8 p.m. FRIDAY; and at 1:30 p.m. SATURDAY in the Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building. George T. Riordan, director of the School of Music, says 35 composers hailing from 13 different Eastern states will participate. Also, composers from Korea, Taiwan, Argentina and Turkey will be involved. “This is the first time that MTSU has hosted a large composition conference with national exposure,” Riordan says. Contact Tim Musselman in the School of Music at 615-898-2493 or tmusselm@mtsu.edu

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Autism and television

Cornell University researchers say statistics indicate there is a significant relationship between rates of autism and television viewing by children under the age of three. They found that childhood autism rose more in counties that had cable TV since 1980 than those that didn’t have it. Dr. Zaf Khan, elementary and special education, says the American Academy of Pediatrics already recommends no TV for kids under the age of two. “However, I believe, like most researchers in the field, that … in statistics, correlation does not equal causation,” he warns. “So just because two variables show an upward trend, it doesn’t necessarily mean one is causing the other. … Let’s move cautiously over this new terrain.”

Contact Khan at 615-498-5678.
zkhan@mtsu.edu

Music masters

Ninety faculty, student and guest musicians will perform 30 new works by visiting composers during five free public concerts and two paper sessions at the Society of Composers Inc. (SCI) Region IV Conference on Oct. 26-28. The free and open concerts will be held at 8 p.m. THURSDAY; at 1:30, 4 and 8 p.m. FRIDAY; and at 1:30 p.m. SATURDAY in the Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building. George T. Riordan, director of the School of Music, says 35 composers hailing from 13 different Eastern states will participate. Also, composers from Korea, Taiwan, Argentina and Turkey will be involved. “This is the first time that MTSU has hosted a large composition conference with national exposure,” Riordan says.

Contact Tim Musselman in the School of Music at 615-898-2493.
tmusselm@mtsu.edu

Death on DVD

“Death of a President,” a fictional, but realistic documentary-style movie depicting the assassination of George W. Bush, is scheduled to make its U.S. debut this Friday, just in time for the Nov. 7 midterm elections. But the country’s largest theater chain, Regal Entertainment Group, is refusing to book the film. CNN is refusing to air advertisements for it, and NPR is refusing to air sponsorship announcements for it, although NPR will cover it as a news story. “Some critics said it will encourage copy-cat assassination attempts,” says Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism. “But, somehow I think that if someone is intent on harming the President, he won’t need a film to spur him on.” Burriss says the film raise several interesting questions, including whether the U.S. Customs Service will try to prevent its importation and whether the Federal Communications Commission will try to keep it off American television.

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. A reception for the Tanakas is slated for 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. SATURDAY in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?--To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the June Anderson Women’s Center and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. TODAY in the Keathley University Center Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, professor emeritus, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues. “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” is free and open to the public and is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

CURRY FAVOR WITH A DANCE MASTER--Sample some savory footwork with guest dancer Ivan Pulinkala next week. The director of dance at Kennesaw State University, Pulinkala will present a lecture on “The Sensuality of Indian Movement” from 9:10 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. FRIDAY in the University Honors College Ampitheatre. The lecture is free and open to the public. Pulinkala will teach a modern dance class and work with members of the MTSU Dance Theatre to produce a show at 10:15 a.m. SATURDAY in Room 140 of the Fairview Building following a Dance Theatre class. According to his online biography, Pulinkala, a New Delhi native, has served as the choreographer-in-residence for Delhi Music Theatre and was named among the 25 Indian artists of the Millennium in the December 1999 issue of India Today magazine. Media welcomed. Contact Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of MTSU’s dance program, at 615-904-8392 or nofsinge@mtsu.edu
To request interviews, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The play’s the thing

Amy Dolan, a Broadway actress who also serves as the national education and outreach coordinator for the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), will present an interactive session titled “Equity’s Student Outreach Seminar” at 4:30 p.m. TODAY in Room 123 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building. “Students will experience a dynamic presentation and candid, honest descriptions of Amy’s experiences in the entertainment industry,” Jeff Gibson, speech and theatre, observes. Dolan’s work includes touring with the national company of “Grease,” in which she played Rizzo and performing the role of Anytime Annie in the Broadway revival of “42nd Street,” among many other productions in professional theaters across the country and in Europe.

Contact Gibson at 615-898-5916.
jsgibson@mtsu.edu

A shot in the arm

With the flu season on the way, the MTSU School of Nursing will work with Health Services to offer flu shots to faculty, staff and students from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 7, 8 and 9, Rick Chapman, director of Health Services, says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination against influenza in October or November, since flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Injections of flu vaccine will be administered in Room 109 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building for a fee of $23 each payable by cash or check. Appointments may be made by e-mailing Linda Lawrence at lawrence@mtsu.edu. No phone calls, please. Walk-ins will be worked in around scheduled appointments.

For more information (but not to make an appointment), contact Health Services at 615-898-2988.

Caution! Teachers at play!

In the current issue of the “Atlantic,” Clive Crook argues against a college degree as a job-entry requirement in several fields, including preschool teacher? I understand experts disagree over whether a two-year degree is sufficient or a four-year degree is necessary to be a good preschool teacher. Dr. Ann Campbell, elementary and special education, comes down on the side of a full four years of college preparation. “Teachers need training to plan, write lesson plans, schedule, evaluate the effectiveness of the programs, etc.,” Campbell says. “There can certainly be a place for persons who have associate degrees in carrying out the daily routines of the classroom, but the planning, preparation and evaluation of the program needs to be done by someone who has more than ‘on the job’ training.”

Contact Campbell at 615-898-2321.
acampbel@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. A reception for the Tanakas is slated for 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. SATURDAY in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?--To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the June Anderson Women’s Center and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. TOMORROW in the Keathley University Center Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, professor emeritus, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues. “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” is free and open to the public and is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

CURRY FAVOR WITH A DANCE MASTER--Sample some savory footwork with guest dancer Ivan Pulinkala next week. The director of dance at Kennesaw State University, Pulinkala will present a lecture on “The Sensuality of Indian Movement” from 9:10 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. FRIDAY in the University Honors College Ampitheatre. The lecture is free and open to the public. Pulinkala will teach a modern dance class and work with members of the MTSU Dance Theatre to produce a show at 10:15 a.m. SATURDAY in Room 140 of the Fairview Building following a Dance Theatre class. According to his online biography, Pulinkala, a New Delhi native, has served as the choreographer-in-residence for Delhi Music Theatre and was named among the 25 Indian artists of the Millennium in the December 1999 issue of India Today magazine. Media welcomed. Contact Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of MTSU’s dance program, at 615-904-8392 or nofsinge@mtsu.edu
To request interviews, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

“AMERICA’S HISTORIAN”--Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough will speak on “Qualities of Leadership” at 7 p.m. TONIGHT in Tucker Theatre. The author of highly acclaimed biographies of John Adams and Harry Truman, McCullough’s latest title, 1776, entered The New York Times’ bestseller list at the top in June. “David McCullough is often regarded in academic circles as ‘America’s Historian,’ an unofficial title now embraced by a growing number of the country’s reading public as well,” Dr. John McDaniel, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, says. The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. A 15-minute question-and-answer session will be followed by an 8 p.m. book signing in the theatre lobby. For more information, contact Connie Huddleston, events coordinator, at 615-494-7628.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“America’s Historian”

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough will speak on “Qualities of Leadership” at 7 p.m. TUESDAY in Tucker Theatre. The author of highly acclaimed biographies of John Adams and Harry Truman, McCullough’s latest title, 1776, entered The New York Times’ bestseller list at the top in June. “David McCullough is often regarded in academic circles as ‘America’s Historian,’ an unofficial title now embraced by a growing number of the country’s reading public as well,” Dr. John McDaniel, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, says. The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. A 15-minute question-and-answer session will be followed by an 8 p.m. book signing in the theatre lobby.

For more information regarding McCullough’s lecture, contact Connie Huddleston, events coordinator, at 615-494-7628.

For children of all ages

The Stones River Chamber Players will open their 2006-2007 season with “Story Time” at 7:30 p.m. MONDAY in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. The MTSU ensemble-in-residence will perform “Sleeping Beauty,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Empress of the Pagodas” from the “Mother Goose Suite” by Ravel, as well as “Three Petrarch Sonnets” by Liszt and “Short Stories” by Zohn in the opening half. The second half will feature “Carnival of the Animals” by Saint-Saens. Dr. John McDaniel, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, will narrate the text by poet Ogden Nash in “Carnival.” “The Saint-Saens ‘Carnival of the Animals’ is a perennial favorite of children and adults, particularly when the Ogden Nash poetry is included,” Dr. Lynn Rice-See, professor of piano and co-director of the group, says. Free and open to the public.

Contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493.
tmusselm@mtsu.edu

How’s your helix, Felix?

The secret code to packing long DNA molecules into compact chromosomes has begun to unravel. On the cutting edge of what has been called epigenetics is Harvard chemist Stuart Schreiber. One of the key chemical changes in molecular structure which causes DNA to unravel is acetylation. “This is the same minor chemical modification that Bayer chemist Felix Hoffman made to willow bark extract over 100 years ago,” Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says. “Students routinely redo this experiment in freshman chemistry labs when they make aspirin on their own.” So why is this significant? “Various diseases and embryo development failures are thought to be caused by erroneous folding or unfolding of DNA,” MacDougall explains.

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

TR EXTRA

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?--To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the June Anderson Women’s Center and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Keathley University Center Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, professor emeritus, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues. “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” is free and open to the public and is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

CURRY FAVOR WITH A DANCE MASTER--Sample some savory footwork with guest dancer Ivan Pulinkala next week. The director of dance at Kennesaw State University, Pulinkala will present a lecture on “The Sensuality of Indian Movement” from 9:10 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27, in the University Honors College Ampitheatre. The lecture is free and open to the public. Pulinkala will teach a modern dance class and work with members of the MTSU Dance Theatre to produce a show at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in Room 140 of the Fairview Building following a Dance Theatre class. According to his online biography, Pulinkala, a New Delhi native, has served as the choreographer-in-residence for Delhi Music Theatre and was named among the 25 Indian artists of the Millennium in the December 1999 issue of India Today magazine. Media welcomed. Contact Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of MTSU’s dance program, at 615-904-8392 or nofsinge@mtsu.edu
To request interviews, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

SHAYKH IT UP!--The MTSU Middle East Center will present the first in its brown bag lunch lecture series MONDAY to spotlight faculty members with experience and expertise in the Middle East. The inaugural topic is “Shaykh Khalid and the Naqshbandiyya-Khalidiyya” by Dr. Sean Foley, history, at noon in the SunTrust Room of the Business Aerospace Building. Foley will focus on Shaykh Khalid’s socio-religious movement and his influence on Muslim thought and social movements. Foley has received both Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays fellowships for research projects in Syria and Turkey. He also is working on a book under contract to Lynne Rienner Press titled “The Arab Gulf States: When Oil is Not Enough.” Contact Foley at 615-904-8294 or sfoley@mtsu.edu

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Don’t fence me in!

The Israeli security fence and the U.S. border fence, if the latter is ever built, will not exactly be cut from the same spiral of concertina wire, so to speak. Dr. Karen Petersen, political science, observes, “Israel built a barrier to prevent terrorists from entering the country and carrying out suicide bombings. The political will within Israeli society to pay for the construction and maintenance of the barrier can be maintained because the threat is vital. That is unlikely to be the case in theU.S. in the long term. The cost estimates for the 700 miles of fence are inaccurate (at best). Based on the fence under construction in San Diego, the proposed section could end up costing over 6 billion dollars. Will U.S. citizens be willing to pay those costs and the costs to maintain, secure and patrol these areas in the long term?”

Contact Petersen at 615-494-8662.
kpeterse@mtsu.edu

Shaykh it up!

The MTSU Middle East Center will present the first in its brown bag lunch lecture series this Monday to spotlight faculty members with experience and expertise in the Middle East. The inaugural topic is “Shaykh Khalid and the Naqshbandiyya-Khalidiyya” by Dr. Sean Foley, history, at noon in the SunTrust Room of the Business Aerospace Building. Foley will focus on Shaykh Khalid’s socio-religious movement and his influence on Muslim thought and social movements. Foley has received both Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays fellowships for research projects in Syria and Turkey. He also is working on a book under contract to Lynne Rienner Press titled “The Arab Gulf States: When Oil is Not Enough.”

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

Curry favor with a dance master

Sample some savory footwork with guest dancer Ivan Pulinkala next week. The director of dance at Kennesaw State University, Pulinkala will present a lecture on “The Sensuality of Indian Movement” from 9:10 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27, in the University Honors College Ampitheatre. The lecture is free and open to the public. Pulinkala will teach a modern dance class and work with members of the MTSU Dance Theatre to produce a show at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in Room 140 of the Fairview Building following a Dance Theatre class. According to his online biography, Pulinkala, a New Delhi native, has served as the choreographer-in-residence for Delhi Music Theatre and was named among the 25 Indian artists of the Millennium in the December 1999 issue of India Today magazine. Media welcomed.

Contact Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of MTSU’s dance program, at 615-904-8392.
nofsinge@mtsu.edu
To request interviews, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

TR EXTRA

HEALTHY CHOICE—Dr. Mark Byrnes, professor of political science, will moderate a panel discussion on Tennessee’s health care crisis from 7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. TONIGHT at the Patterson Park Community Center in Murfreesboro. The event, titled “One Million Uninsured Tennesseans and Growing: How Do We Stop the Crisis?,” will be free and open to the public. Guests will include health care pfoessionals and some Rutherford County legislative candidates. For more information, contact Lori Smith at 615-227-7500.

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?--To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the June Anderson Women’s Center and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Keathley University Center Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, professor emeritus, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues. “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” is free and open to the public and is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Becky Thatcher’s not the only one whitewashing a fence.

Former California Governor Pete Wilson cited the Israeli fence as a model for the U.S.-Mexican border in an article he wrote for “Investor’s Business Daily.” But Dr. Karen Petersen, political science, says that analogy doesn’t work for several reasons, including geography and history. “The entire state of Israel would fit within the borders of Tennessee, and a large portion of Israel’s border consists of the Mediterranean Sea,” Petersen says. “Historically, Israel’s neighbors, unlike Mexico, are—at least implicitly—very interested in the elimination of Israel. Even Jordan and Egypt, who have backed away from that policy, do not constitute ‘friendly’ neighbors.”

Contact Petersen at 615-494-8662.
kpeterse@mtsu.edu

“Sesame Street” has been brought to you by the letter “I”—for “illiterate.”

A new adult literacy study shows that fewer than five percent of college graduates can read and comprehend a complex book. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says “Sesame Street” and “USAToday” are partly to blame. “While both have made valuable contributions, they also began a trend towards faster and faster delivery of content, which fostered the idea that all complex ideas can be reduced to a few sentences,” Burriss says. “Entertainment television hasn’t helped. Almost every program introduces a problem and then resolves it in less than an hour—often in less than 45 minutes. Unfortunately, real life isn’t like that. Literacy involves more than being able to read a bunch of words. It requires understanding.”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

The clicker is quicker.

Never mind getting students to respond to surveys with pencil and paper. Not even Scantron is clicker than the “clicker,” which now is in use at MTSU. As questions are displayed to a class on a screen with a variety of options offered, each student points the clicker at the screen and pushes a button on the device, which looks like a TV remote control, to make a selection. Albert Whittenberg, assistant director of Academic and Instructional Technology Services, has worked on a committee “testing a number of student response systems with the hopes of establishing a standard for MTSU.” Various systems have been evaluated on several criteria, including cost, ease of use, weight of layout and keys, durability, battery use/life and license or registration process.

Contact Whittenberg at 615-898-5062.
awhitten@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

HEALTHY CHOICE—Dr. Mark Byrnes, professor of political science, will moderate a panel discussion on Tennessee’s health care crisis from 7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. TOMORROW at the Patterson Park Community Center in Murfreesboro. The event, titled “One Million Uninsured Tennesseans and Growing: How Do We Stop the Crisis?,” will be free and open to the public. Guests will include health care pfoessionals and some Rutherford County legislative candidates. For more information, contact Lori Smith at 615-227-7500.

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?--To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the June Anderson Women’s Center and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Keathley University Center Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, professor emeritus, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues. “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” is free and open to the public and is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

REV IT UP!—The award-winning MTSU Formula Racecar and Mini-Baja vehicles will be featured at 11 a.m. TODAY at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville. Students conceived, designed and fabricated their own small formula-style racing car for competition against some 120 other vehicles from other colleges and universities. MTSU captured “Rookie of the Year” honors at last year’s contest. In addition, students participated in three U.S. Mini-Baja races, finishing in the top 15 percent of the 142 teams that competed in the Eastern race with an amphibious vehicle. Jeff Lane, owner of Lane Motor Museum, made the vehicles possible with a generous gift. Media welcomed. For more information, contact Jim Van Wicklin at 615-542-3673.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

American no-fly zones?

Federal officials are reviewing regulations that allow small planes to fly in Manhattan airspace following the plane crash that claimed the lives of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, on Oct. 11. U.S. Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) says anyone flying in the area should be under the supervision of air traffic controllers in the post-9/11 era because any kind of plane could be carrying explosives, biochemical weapons, or a “dirty bomb.” Dr. Wayne Dornan, aerospace, disagrees and says current procedures are sufficient. “It’s just going to ruin general aviation if they do that,” Dornan says. “They have a good system in place now to monitor unauthorized aircraft.”

Contact Dornan at 615-898-5832.
wdornan@mtsu.edu

Promoting peace by pummeling poverty

Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize and former MTSU economics professor, has revolutionized the lives of millions of people all around the world with his “microcredit” concept. Dr. Anantha Babbili, dean of the College of Mass Communication, covered the work of Yunus and his Grameen Bank as a journalist on the Indian subcontinent. “I've known many many women who could not have had access to banks if Mr. Yunus hadn't come along,” Babbili says. “He is a phenomenally important figure in the economics of the poor. Although it started in Bangladesh, this lending idea for the poor has taken off in other developing countries, in Africa, for example, and other poor countries. It really is a boon for women who now have an optimistic future just because the Grameen Bank emphasizes a humane lending system.”

Contact Babbili at 615-898-5872.
ababbili@mtsu.edu

Fit as a fiddle and ready for learning

The Tennessee Heatlh Coalition’s “Fit for the Future” conference will receive an uplifting message from entertainer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary TODAY. Yarrow, who heads an anti-bullying movement called Operation Respect, will provide the music and words for children of all ages at 8:30 a.m. at Tucker Theatre. Yarrow’s appearance will be free and open to the public. Other sessions scheduled for the conference include discussions of “How Schools Can Provide Daily Physical Education,” “Keeping Sales Up with Fat and Sugar Down,” and “School Health Services—It’s More than Just the Nurse.” Media welcomed.

For more information, contact Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, at 615-898-5110 or jwinborn@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

BE OUR GUEST!--Register now for the Nov. 11 Fall Visit Day. Prospective students can register for the tour and meetings with student services departments such as financial aid, housing, admissions and academic representatives from various colleges by going online to http://www.mtsu.edu/~admissn. Click “Prospective” and then “Campus Tour.” Or you can call 1-800-331-6878 or 615-898-5670. Both Saturday tours will start at 10 a.m. Central time and will begin in the lobby of the Cope Administration Building. Prospective students and their parents or guardians also may schedule a tour and campus visit during the week Monday-Friday except for today (fall break) and Nov. 22 (day before Thanksgiving). For more information, contact Christopher Fleming at 615-898-2237.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?--To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the June Anderson Women’s Center and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Keathley University Center Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, professor emeritus, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues. “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” is free and open to the public and is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

TO YOUR HEALTH--What causes depression and suicide? What are the triggers and the physical signs? What can you do for a friend or family member who is depressed or having thoughts of suicide? Mental health professionals will answer these important questions in a satellite videoconference aimed at students in grades 7-12 at 9 a.m. TODAY. The instructors will be P.J. Davis, Statewide Education Coordinator, Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee; Kim Rush of the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute; and Scott Ridgeway of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. This is a prerecorded videoconference—no field trips or call-in questions. This enrichment program is transmitted through the Satellite Videoconferencing Center at MTSU. For more information, contact Jenny Marsh at 615-898-2737 or vmoxley@mtsu.edu

Friday, October 13, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Why did Cory crash?

The tragic plane crash that claimed the life of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, on Wednesday remains a mystery. The aircraft that slammed into a Manhattan high-rise, a Cirrus SR20, was equipped with a parachute that enabled it to float down in the event of a crisis. However, Lidle’s plane might not have been high enough to accommodate the deployment of that parachute. Dr. Wayne Dornan, aerospace, says Lidle, who bought the plane with fewer than 400 hours of flight time under his belt, did the right thing by not attempting the long flight to Nashville by himself. “The very disappointing thing is that he was with a flight instructor” when the accident occurred, Dornan says. However, Dornan adds that Lidle should have filed a flight plan instead of opting to fly under visual flight rules given the overcast skies in New York that day.

Contact Dornan at 615-898-5832.
wdornan@mtsu.edu

To your health

What causes depression and suicide? What are the triggers and the physical signs? What can you do for a friend or family member who is depressed or having thoughts of suicide? Mental health professionals will answer these important questions in a satellite videoconference aimed at students in grades 7-12 at 9 a.m. THIS TUESDAY. The instructors will be P.J. Davis, Statewide Education Coordinator, Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee; Kim Rush of the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute; and Scott Ridgeway of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. This is a prerecorded videoconference—no field trips or call-in questions. This enrichment program is transmitted through the Satellite Videoconferencing Center at MTSU.

For more information, contact Jenny Marsh at 615-898-2737 or vmoxley@mtsu.edu

What’s love got to do with it?

To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lies of young aults, the June Anderson Women’s Center and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Keathley University Center Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, professor emeritus, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues. “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” is free and open to the public and is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU.

For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@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 X161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO TODAY. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or eyh@mtsu.edu or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word from Monday, Oct. 16 through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

BE OUR GUEST!--Register now for the Nov. 11 Fall Visit Day. Prospective students can register for the tour and meetings with student services departments such as financial aid, housing, admissions and academic representatives from various colleges by going online to http://www.mtsu.edu/~admissn. Click “Prospective” and then “Campus Tour.” Or you can call 1-800-331-6878 or 615-898-5670. Both Saturday tours will start at 10 a.m. Central time and will begin in the lobby of the Cope Administration Building. Prospective students and their parents or guardians also may schedule a tour and campus visit during the week Monday-Friday except for Oct. 13, Oct. 16-17 (fall break), and Nov. 22 (day before Thanksgiving). For more information, contact Christopher Fleming at 615-898-2237.

“FIT FOR THE FUTURE”--Find out how to ensure a healthier experience at school for your children at the Tennessee School Health Coalition “Fit for the Future” conference Oct. 16 and 17 at MTSU. Musician Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, who heads an anti-bullying movement called Operation Respect, will deliver his message in music and words at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 17 at Tucker Theatre. Yarrow’s appearance will be free and open to the public. Other sessions scheduled for the conference include discussions of “How Schools Can Provide Daily Physical Education,” “Keeping Sales Up with Fat and Sugar Down,” and “School Health Services—It’s More than Just the Nurse.” Media welcomed. For more information, contact Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, at 615-898-5110 or jwinborn@mtsu.edu

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Giving Buck his propers

With the passing of Buck O’Neil last Friday at the age of 94, baseball afficionados are clamoring for the sport to do for this former Negro Leaguer and racial pioneer posthumously what it would not do for him in life—induct him into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Dr. Roger Heinrich, electronic media communication, teaches a course on the history of sports in the media each year. He says, “Many of us got to know O’Neil through the PBS broadcast of Ken Burns’ (documentary series) ‘Baseball.’ O’Neil’s soft-spoken delivery did little to mask the twinkle in his eyes as his recollections brought the Negro League back to life.” Heinrich calls the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee’s failure earlier this year to enshrine O’Neil at Cooperstown “one of the great injustices in sports.”

Contact Heinrich at 615-904-8565.
heinrich@mtsu.edu

The Kyoto conundrum

Should the United States have signed the Kyoto Protocol, which sets a goal of reducing carbon dioxide below 1990 levels by 2012? Dr. Jim Henry, geosciences, says he thinks the U.S. should sign the document, but he also thinks it’s not global enough to work. Henry notes that China and India are the fastest-growing countries in terms of the greenhouse gases produced, and they haven’t signed it, either. However, if there’s a practical model for reducing greenhouse gases and combating the argument that doing so is not cost-effective, it might be found in Portland, Oregon. “They’ve got their carbon dioxide levels below 1990 levels,” Henry says. “Their economy has skyrocketed, and, next year, all gas sold in Portland, Oregon, is going to have to be partly ethanol. It can be done without wiping out your economy.”

Contact Henry at 615-904-8452.
jhenry@mtsu.edu

Be our guest!

Register now for the Nov. 11 Fall Visit Day. Prospective students can register for the tour and meetings with student services departments such as financial aid, housing, admissions and academic representatives from various colleges by going online to http://www.mtsu.edu/~admissn. Click “Prospective” and then “Campus Tour.” Or you can call 1-800-331-6878 or 615-898-5670. Both Saturday tours will start at 10 a.m. Central time and will begin in the lobby of the Cope Administration Building. Prospective students and their parents or guardians also may schedule a tour and campus visit during the week Monday-Friday except for Oct. 13, Oct. 16-17 (fall break), and Nov. 22 (day before Thanksgiving).

For more information, contact Christopher Fleming at 615-898-2237.

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 X161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or eyh@mtsu.edu or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word from Monday, Oct. 16 through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

“FIT FOR THE FUTURE”--Find out how to ensure a healthier experience at school for your children at the Tennessee School Health Coalition “Fit for the Future” conference Oct. 16 and 17 at MTSU. Musician Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, who heads an anti-bullying movement called Operation Respect, will deliver his message in music and words at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 17 at Tucker Theatre. Yarrow’s appearance will be free and open to the public. Other sessions scheduled for the conference include discussions of “How Schools Can Provide Daily Physical Education,” “Keeping Sales Up with Fat and Sugar Down,” and “School Health Services—It’s More than Just the Nurse.” Media welcomed. For more information, contact Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, at 615-898-5110 or jwinborn@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A whole new world

Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up.

Contact the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

All in the family

According to a 2003 study by the University of Tulsa, more than half of America’s childless singles feel put-upon in the workplace by their married and child-rearing co-workers. They feel they are being stereotyped, stigmatized and discriminated against by being made to work longer hours or having to take less flexible vacation. Dr. Patrick McCarthy, psychology, says, “The 2003 Tulsa study offers one early look at an unintended side effect that could emerge. More recently, our research has identified a variety of potential pitfalls that have been largely ignored or underemphasized but are essential to the success of family-friendly initiatives.”

Contact McCarthy at 615-898-2126.
pmccarth@mtsu.edu

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring! Banana Phone!

Has technology outstripped our sense of propriety? In a commentary on cell phone etiquette, Bob Schieffer of CBS News recalled when he heard someone in the bathroom stall next to the one he occupied talking on a cell phone while relieving himself. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says he heard someone at a mall go into graphic detail about his colonoscopy over a cell phone. “In some places, schools have banned the phones,” Burriss says. “But a judge in Crown Point, Indiana, struck a major blow for civility when she detained five people and ordered community service for two of them when a cell phone rang in her courtroom for the third time. She found the other three in contempt of court when they refused to say whose phone had gone off.”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@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 X161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or eyh@mtsu.edu or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

BEARING WITNESS--The “Silent Witness” exhibit in conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness Month will resume THROUGH TODAY and Oct. 23-25 on the second floor of the Keathley University Center. This powerful and effective display is intended to promote healing for the victims. It features blood red T-shirts, each of which is emblazoned with the story of a different domestic violence victim. One T-shirt tells the story of 26-year-old “Dorothy” of Murfreesboro, who was stabbed four times and left for dead by her boyfriend. The perpetrator, who had been charged previously with domestic assault, was tried on a charge of first-degree murder and convicted. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word from Monday, Oct. 16 through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

“FIT FOR THE FUTURE”--Find out how to ensure a healthier experience at school for your children at the Tennessee School Health Coalition “Fit for the Future” conference Oct. 16 and 17 at MTSU. Musician Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, who heads an anti-bullying movement called Operation Respect, will deliver his message in music and words at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 17 at Tucker Theatre. Yarrow’s appearance will be free and open to the public. Other sessions scheduled for the conference include discussions of “How Schools Can Provide Daily Physical Education,” “Keeping Sales Up with Fat and Sugar Down,” and “School Health Services—It’s More than Just the Nurse.” Media welcomed. For more information, contact Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, at 615-898-5110 or jwinborn@mtsu.edu

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Foleying around

Some members of Congress have suggested that the page system should no longer be under their purview or that the system should be done away with altogether because of the Mark Foley scandal. Dr. John Maynor, political science, was a page in 1986. He says, “Unfortunately, I think that the negative effects of the way the leaders of Congress have handled this affair will threaten the existence of the page program itself. To lose the page program would be a terrible loss for not only those young men and women who serve, but for the country as well … Pages go onto careers in law, public service, nonprofit (organizations), international aid, and academia, to name a few.”

Contact Maynor at 615- 494-8758.
jmaynor@mtsu.edu

“Fit for the Future”

Find out how to ensure a healthier experience at school for your children at the Tennessee School Health Coalition “Fit for the Future” conference Oct. 16 and 17 at MTSU. Musician Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, who heads an anti-bullying movement called Operation Respect, will deliver his message in music and words at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 17 at Tucker Theatre. Yarrow’s appearance will be free and open to the public. Other sessions scheduled for the conference include discussions of “How Schools Can Provide Daily Physical Education,” “Keeping Sales Up with Fat and Sugar Down,” and “School Health Services—It’s More than Just the Nurse.” Media welcomed.

For more information, contact Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, at 615-898-5110.
jwinborn@mtsu.edu

Dynamism and sensitivity

Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word from Monday, Oct. 16 through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.”

Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505.
lrnuell@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 X161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or eyh@mtsu.edu or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

REAL MEN DON’T HIT WOMEN--Author and educator Rus Funk (spelling is correct) will deliver an address titled “What’s a Guy to Do?” from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Oct. 10, in the Keathley University Center (KUC) Theatre. Funk will talk about the effects of domestic violence, prevention strategies and educating men to be allies in this Domestic Violence Awareness Month event sponsored by the June Anderson Women’s Center and the student organization Women 4 Women. In addition, Funk will provide specific training for various groups in the campus community in a workshop from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 in the KUC Theatre. The author of Reaching Men: Strategies for Preventing Sexist Attitudes, Behaviors and Violence, Funk is on the faculty of the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville and the Spalding University School of Social Work. Contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

CONCERT NUMBER TWO—The Austrian-Filipino pianist Aima Maria Labra-Makk will perform in the second event of the Presidential Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. TONIGHT in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 615-898-2493.

BEARING WITNESS--The “Silent Witness” exhibit in conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness Month will resume THROUGH WEDNESDAY and Oct. 23-25 on the second floor of the Keathley University Center. This powerful and effective display is intended to promote healing for the victims. It features blood red T-shirts, each of which is emblazoned with the story of a different domestic violence victim. One T-shirt tells the story of 26-year-old “Dorothy” of Murfreesboro, who was stabbed four times and left for dead by her boyfriend. The perpetrator, who had been charged previously with domestic assault, was tried on a charge of first-degree murder and convicted. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

Monday, October 9, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The pages’ pain

Dr. John Maynor, political science, was a Congressional page in 1986, an experience he cherishes to this day. Maynor says he is very disappointed by the page scandal resulting from revelations about former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley. “For a member of Congress to take advantage of these young people is an incredible betrayal of trust,” Maynor says. “For the leaders of Congress to willingly ignore the problem for as long as it appears that they did is unforgivable. Their inaction and ineptitude jeopardized the lives of all those pages who served while Mark Foley was in office.” Maynor has only good things to say about his own experience as a page. “I learned many valuable lessons about how our government and politics work and count this experience as one of the most valuable of my life,” Maynor says.

Contact Maynor at 615- 494-8758.
jmaynor@mtsu.edu

What would MLK do?

The National Black Republican Association is sponsoring a radio ad in Maryland that asserts that Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican and Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan. The ad has outraged both Democrats and King historians. Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, an African-American Republican running for an open U.S. Senate seat, demanded that the NBRA stop running the ad. Dr. Phillip Jeter, Geier Visiting Professor in the School of Journalism, says, “Political campaigns are always full of rhetoric. I keep hope alive that the public will recognize political rhetoric for what it is and evaluate candidates accordingly and by the rhetoric candidates use.” Jeter says it is good for our American tradition of free speech that broadcast stations can not edit political ads, and Maryland voters will have to make their decisions on the basis of how Steele handles the situation.

Contact Jeter at 615-898-2205.
pjeter@mtsu.edu

Bearing witness

The “Silent Witness” exhibit in conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness Month will resume TODAY through WEDNESDAY and Oct. 23-25 on the second floor of the Keathley University Center. This powerful and effective display is intended to promote healing for the victims. It features blood red T-shirts, each of which is emblazoned with the story of a different domestic violence victim. One T-shirt tells the story of 26-year-old “Dorothy” of Murfreesboro, who was stabbed four times and left for dead by her boyfriend. The perpetrator, who had been charged previously with domestic assault, was tried on a charge of first-degree murder and convicted.

For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193.
jawc@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 X161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or eyh@mtsu.edu or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

REAL MEN DON’T HIT WOMEN--Author and educator Rus Funk (spelling is correct) will deliver an address titled “What’s a Guy to Do?” from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. TOMORROW, Oct. 10, in the Keathley University Center (KUC) Theatre. Funk will talk about the effects of domestic violence, prevention strategies and educating men to be allies in this Domestic Violence Awareness Month event sponsored by the June Anderson Women’s Center and the student organization Women 4 Women. In addition, Funk will provide specific training for various groups in the campus community in a workshop from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 in the KUC Theatre. The author of Reaching Men: Strategies for Preventing Sexist Attitudes, Behaviors and Violence, Funk is on the faculty of the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville and the Spalding University School of Social Work. Contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

CONCERT NUMBER TWO—The Austrian-Filipino pianist Aima Maria Labra-Makk will perform in the second event of the Presidential Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. TOMORROW NIGHT in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 615-898-2493.

Friday, October 6, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Hawkish on Iran; dovish on Iraq?

According to the latest MT Poll, more than half of Tennesseans (56 percent) say the U.S. should take military action against Iran if that country continues to develop nuclear capability. Party identification and evangelical Christian identity are the strongest predictors with 72 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of evangelicals favoring military intervention. On the other hand, 51 percent of all respondents say sending troops to Iraq was a mistake. Eighty-three percent of Democrats believe the war was a mistake, compared with 62 percent of independents and 21 percent of Republicans. The telephone survey of 549 Tennesseans was conducted Sept. 19-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Contact Dr. Ken Blake, acting director, MT Poll, at 615-210-6187.
kblake@mtsu.edu
For total poll results, go to http://www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

A million reasons to vote?

With a proposal on the Arizona ballot to give each voter a chance at a $1 million lottery, the MT Poll asked Tennesseans how they felt about economic incentives for voting. Thirty-two percent supported the idea. But, among those who were concerned that the money might lure “the wrong people” to the polls, support fell to 24 percent. For those who did not fear drawing “the wrong people,” 44 percent backed the idea. Thirty-one percent favored increasing voter turnout with a drawing for a new car; 64 percent liked the idea of free child care; and 55 percent wanted to make every Election Day a holiday.

Contact Dr. Bob Wyatt, founding director, MT Poll, at 615-477-8389.
rwyatt@mtsu.edu
For total poll results, go to http://www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

The “assassination” of George W. Bush

A British cable network plans to show “Death of a President,” a fictional film about the assassination of President Bush produced in a documentary style, this Monday. It combines archival footage of the real Bush with computer-generated images and a body double. Many people who have seen it say it looks very realistic. A Los Angeles-based company plans to open the film in the U.S. October 27, just in time for the midterm election. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says, “Despite all of the publicity surrounding the film, there will undoubtedly be some people who won’t get the word and will assume the story is real. But as for actually blocking the film? Well, offensiveness has rarely succeeded as a criterion for censorship. The next few weeks should prove just what kind of reaction this hot-button film will produce.”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@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 X161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 13. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or eyh@mtsu.edu or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

ALUMNI ART--The art works of 24 MTSU alumni are on display at the Todd Gallery through TODAY. Paintings, prints, clay work, sculpture and graphic design imagery are among the featured media. The artists represent alumni from 1960 through 2004. Dr. Lon Nuell, art, says, “Their works are seen across the country and internationally in galleries and museums, are found in private collections, and seen in regional and national publications.” The Todd Gallery is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each Monday-Friday and closed on all state holidays. Admission is always free. Contact Nuell at 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

FOUR CONCERTS FOR FREE--The four-event Presidential Concert Series at MTSU will open with Requiem by Frigyes Hidas and will feature the MTSU Wind Ensemble, MTSU Concert Chorale and soloists beginning at 7:30 p.m. TOMORROW in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. Requiem has been noted for its groundbreaking scoring. Written in memory of the deceased from every war in history, it is the first work of its kind composed for winds rather than full orchestra, although it follows the traditional form of a requiem. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at http://www.mtsumusic.com.

ABLE IN THE ARTS--Internationally renowned actress/writer/teacher Estelle Condra will deliver the keynote address for Arts Talk, a two-day conference and career forum for artists with disabilities, TODAY AND SATURDAY at MTSU. Condra, who is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, will speak at 12:45 p.m. in the Business Aerospace Building. Another feature of the conference will be the Tennessee premiere of “The Goal,” an award-winning film by Darla Rae that stars MTSU alumna Laura Dodd, from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 6 in Tucker Theatre. In addition, “we will have people on campus discussing Social Security issues, legal issues, portfolio development and more,” says Lori Kissinger, MTSU speech and theatre instructor. Contact Kissinger at 615-826-5252 or userk7706@aol.com

REAL MEN DON’T HIT WOMEN--Author and educator Rus Funk (spelling is correct) will deliver an address titled “What’s a Guy to Do?” from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. TUESDAY, Oct. 10, in the Keathley University Center (KUC) Theatre. Funk will talk about the effects of domestic violence, prevention strategies and educating men to be allies in this Domestic Violence Awareness Month event sponsored by the June Anderson Women’s Center and the student organization Women 4 Women. In addition, Funk will provide specific training for various groups in the campus community in a workshop from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 in the KUC Theatre. The author of Reaching Men: Strategies for Preventing Sexist Attitudes, Behaviors and Violence, Funk is on the faculty of the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville and the Spalding University School of Social Work. Contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

Thursday, October 5, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The Bredesen bandwagon

Gov. Phil Bredesen holds a nearly three-to-one lead over his Republican opponent, Jim Bryson, in the latest MT Poll. The telephone survey of 549 Tennesseans conducted Sept. 19-30 finds Bredesen with 59 percent to Bryson’s 21 percent among the state’s likeliest voters. About a fifth of the likeliest voters are still undecided. Among Tennesseans in general, Bredesen leads Bryson 52 percent to 19 percent with 29 percent undecided. The governor even has a strong showing among Republicans. The survey finds 37 percent of Republicans support Bryson, but 34 percent back Bredesen with 28 percent undecided.
The poll has a margin of error or plus or minus four percentage points.

Contact Dr. Ken Blake, acting director, MT Poll, at 615-210-6187.
kblake@mtsu.edu
For total poll results, go to http://www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

The Bush beleaguerment

President Bush’s approval rating isn’t much better with Tennesseans than it is nationwide, according to the latest MT Poll. The survey finds 40 percent of respondents still back Bush, compared to 42 percent last spring. But the statewide approval ratings are divided along partisan lines. Seventy-seven percent of Tennessee Republicans and those who refuse identification approve of Bush’s handling of the presidency, compared with 31 percent of independents and those with other affiliations. Only 10 percent of Democrats and those listing no political affiliation approve of Bush. Overall, 43 percent agree with the way Bush is handling terrorism, and 35 percent approve of his handling of the war in Iraq.

Contact Dr. Bob Wyatt, founding director, MT Poll, at 615-477-8389.
rwyatt@mtsu.edu
For total poll results, go to http://www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

Real men don’t hit women.

Author and educator Rus Funk (spelling is correct) will deliver an address titled “What’s a Guy to Do?” from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, in the Keathley University Center (KUC) Theatre. Funk will talk about the effects of domestic violence, prevention strategies and educating men to be allies in this Domestic Violence Awareness Month event sponsored by the June Anderson Women’s Center and the student organization Women 4 Women. In addition, Funk will provide specific training for various groups in the campus community in a workshop from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 in the KUC Theatre. The author of Reaching Men: Strategies for Preventing Sexist Attitudes, Behaviors and Violence, Funk is on the faculty of the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville and the Spalding University School of Social Work.

Contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193.
jawc@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE SPIN CYCLE--Where does the news leave off and propaganda from special interest groups begin? Dr. Jay Black, Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics, emeritus, at the University of South Florida, will address that question in a guest lecture at 6 p.m. TONIGHT in Room 104 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. “He will initially describe and analyze the new and often-deceptive media mosaic, making note of relevant semantic and ethical dilemmas, and then outline possible remedies for media consumers and practitioners,” Dr. Thomas Cooper, ethicist-in-residence at MTSU, says. Black says, “My fundamental argument is that propaganda is inevitable, that it is not just what the ‘bad guys’ do, that contemporary society relishes propaganda [and] that media cater to our closed-mindedness as willing recipients of propaganda.” Contact Cooper at twcooper@comcast.net

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. REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS TOMORROW. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or eyh@mtsu.edu or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

ALUMNI ART--The art works of 24 MTSU alumni are on display at the Todd Gallery through TOMORROW. Paintings, prints, clay work, sculpture and graphic design imagery are among the featured media. The artists represent alumni from 1960 through 2004. Dr. Lon Nuell, art, says, “Their works are seen across the country and internationally in galleries and museums, are found in private collections, and seen in regional and national publications.” The Todd Gallery is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each Monday-Friday and closed on all state holidays. Admission is always free. Contact Nuell at 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

FOUR CONCERTS FOR FREE--The four-event Presidential Concert Series at MTSU will open with Requiem by Frigyes Hidas and will feature the MTSU Wind Ensemble, MTSU Concert Chorale and soloists beginning at 7:30 p.m. THIS SATURDAY in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. Requiem has been noted for its groundbreaking scoring. Written in memory of the deceased from every war in history, it is the first work of its kind composed for winds rather than full orchestra, although it follows the traditional form of a requiem. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at http://www.mtsumusic.com.

ABLE IN THE ARTS--Internationally renowned actress/writer/teacher Estelle Condra will deliver the keynote address for Arts Talk, a two-day conference and career forum for artists with disabilities, TOMORROW AND SATURDAY at MTSU. Condra, who is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, will speak at 12:45 p.m. in the Business Aerospace Building. Another feature of the conference will be the Tennessee premiere of “The Goal,” an award-winning film by Darla Rae that stars MTSU alumna Laura Dodd, from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 6 in Tucker Theatre. In addition, “we will have people on campus discussing Social Security issues, legal issues, portfolio development and more,” says Lori Kissinger, MTSU speech and theatre instructor. Contact Kissinger at 615-826-5252 or userk7706@aol.com

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Corker vs. Ford: It’s so tight, it squeaks.

The latest MT Poll shows the U.S. Senate race betweeen Democrat Harold Ford Jr. and Republican Bob Corker is a statistical dead heat. The phone survey of 549 Tennesseans conducted Sept. 19-30 reveals 43 percent of likely voters questioned supporting Corker and 42 percent in favor of Ford. Sixteen percent were undecided. Perhaps the more intriguing statistics are those regarding all Tennessee adults—not only those likely to vote, but those less likely to vote. Forty percent of those respondents favor Ford, 35 percent back Corker, 24 percent don’t know, and the rest declined to answer. The poll defines “likeliest voters” as those who reported being registered to vote, having voted in the last statewide election, and being “very likely” to vote in next month’s election.

Contact Dr. Ken Blake, acting director, MT Poll, at 615-210-6187.
kblake@mtsu.edu
For total poll results, go to http://www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

Same-sex support

With a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on this year’s ballot in Tennessee, nearly three-quarters of those surveyed in the latest MT Poll say state law should not recognize same-sex marriage. Twenty-one percent disagree. In last spring’s MT Poll, 69 percent voiced opposition to gay marriage. However, backing for same-sex civil unions is virtually unchanged from the spring figures. Thirty-three percent of respondents in the most recent poll would be in favor of allowing gay civil unions, but 59 percent would not want to permit such legal arrangements. In surveying attitudes on both same-sex marriage and civil unions, political orientation rather than religious orientation proved to be the strongest predictor of views.

Contact Dr. Bob Wyatt, founding director, MT Poll, at 615-477-8389.
rwyatt@mtsu.edu
For total poll results, go to http://www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

Food for thought

The annual month-long Islamic period of worship and contemplation known as Ramadan requires Muslims to fast during the daylight hours and refrain from smoking and sexual relations during fasting. The Muslim Students Association of MTSU will observe the end of Ramadan with an Iftar, the feast of fast-breaking, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. TONIGHT in Room S102 of the Business Aerospace Building. Students are encouraged to be there by 6:26, when they can break their fast. Food will be provided by Mezza Cuisine. The meal is free, but donations to Feed America First, a Tennessee-based charity, will be welcome. MSA President Roxanne Jenkins says the MSA obtained more than 100 pledges of help for Feed America First in its initial FAST-a-Thon this year. After breaking the fast, there will be a short presentation on the meaning of Ramadan, and students will share experiences of their day of fasting.

Contact the Muslim Students Association at msa@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE SPIN CYCLE--Where does the news leave off and propaganda from special interest groups begin? Dr. Jay Black, Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics, emeritus, at the University of South Florida, will address that question in a guest lecture at 6 p.m. TOMORROW in Room 104 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. “He will initially describe and analyze the new and often-deceptive media mosaic, making note of relevant semantic and ethical dilemmas, and then outline possible remedies for media consumers and practitioners,” Dr. Thomas Cooper, ethicist-in-residence at MTSU, says. Black says, “My fundamental argument is that propaganda is inevitable, that it is not just what the ‘bad guys’ do, that contemporary society relishes propaganda [and] that media cater to our closed-mindedness as willing recipients of propaganda.” Contact Cooper at twcooper@comcast.net

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. REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS THIS FRIDAY. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or eyh@mtsu.edu or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

ALUMNI ART--The art works of 24 MTSU alumni are on display at the Todd Gallery through THIS FRIDAY. Paintings, prints, clay work, sculpture and graphic design imagery are among the featured media. The artists represent alumni from 1960 through 2004. Dr. Lon Nuell, art, says, “Their works are seen across the country and internationally in galleries and museums, are found in private collections, and seen in regional and national publications.” The Todd Gallery is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each Monday-Friday and closed on all state holidays. Admission is always free. Contact Nuell at 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

FOUR CONCERTS FOR FREE--The four-event Presidential Concert Series at MTSU will open with Requiem by Frigyes Hidas and will feature the MTSU Wind Ensemble, MTSU Concert Chorale and soloists beginning at 7:30 p.m. THIS SATURDAY in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. Requiem has been noted for its groundbreaking scoring. Written in memory of the deceased from every war in history, it is the first work of its kind composed for winds rather than full orchestra, although it follows the traditional form of a requiem. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at http://www.mtsumusic.com.

ABLE IN THE ARTS--Internationally renowned actress/writer/teacher Estelle Condra will deliver the keynote address for Arts Talk, a two-day conference and career forum for artists with disabilities, THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY at MTSU. Condra, who is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, will speak at 12:45 p.m. in the Business Aerospace Building. Another feature of the conference will be the Tennessee premiere of “The Goal,” an award-winning film by Darla Rae that stars MTSU alumna Laura Dodd, from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 6 in Tucker Theatre. In addition, “we will have people on campus discussing Social Security issues, legal issues, portfolio development and more,” says Lori Kissinger, MTSU speech and theatre instructor. Contact Kissinger at 615-826-5252 or userk7706@aol.com