Monday, March 26, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“Today’s Response” will be on hiatus from March 27-March 30. “Today’s Response” will return April 2, 2007. If you need to contact a faculty expert, call the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

Forrest fire

Dr. Robert Tracy McKenzie, professor of history at the University of Washington, will speak on “Middle Tennessee and the Reconstruction Era” at 4:30 p.m. TODAY in Room 221 of MTSU’s Learning Resources Center. This event is part of the continuing debate on the legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest, for whom MTSU’s Forrest Hall is named. In addition, a town hall meeting on the subject will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11, at Patterson Park Community Center on Mercury Blvd. in Murfreesboro.

Contact Dr. Colette Taylor, associate dean of students, at 615-898-5812.
cmtaylor@mtsu.edu

Pi are round, cornbread are square

Homer Pittard Campus School’s first Family Math Night took its traditional open house to an all-new level as students and parents practiced math skills in a carnival-style atmosphere in the gym. Learn how they leveraged university, parent, teacher, and student math team resources for a successful event that went beyond Pi – and pie – to make math fun for all ages. “Pi in Your Face: Planning and Implementing a Family Math Night” will be presented through the auspices of MTSU’s Satellite and Webcasting Center from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central time this Thursday, March 29. The presenters will be Dr. Jeremy Winters, elementary and special education, Cindy Cliché of Campus School, and Kory Wells, a parent volunteer. This professional development program is aimed at teachers of grades K-6.

Call 615-898-2737 or e-mail itsc@mtsu.edu for more information.

“Ferry Tales” and “Covered Girls”

“Ferry Tales” exposes a secret world that exists in the powder room of the Staten Island Ferry—a place that brings together suburban moms and urban dwellers, white-collar and blue-collar, sisters and socialites. For 30 minutes every day, they gather around mirrors to put on their makeup—talking not as wives, mothers, or professionals, but just as themselves. In “Covered Girls,” the daily experiences of a colorful and startling group of Muslim-American teenage girls in New York are documented. This film challenges the stereotypes many Americans may have about this culture and reveals typical teenagers suddenly caught in a tug-of-war between religious extremism and the American dream. Both of these documentary films are free and open to the public and will be shown starting at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in Room 106 of MTSU’s Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. This is a National Women’s History Month event.

Contact 615-898-2152 or 615-898-5645 for more information.

TR EXTRA

“WE MUST NOT DEMEAN LIFE BY STANDING IN AWE OF DEATH.”—DAVID SARNOFF--Dr. William M. Bass, an internationally recognized expert in the field of forensic anthropology who has gained prominence through his research facility, the UT Body Farm, will deliver a free and open guest lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business Aerospace Building. The upcoming visit by Bass will mark the formal kickoff for the Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE), which is led by Dr. Hugh Berryman, sociology and anthropology, and serve as the inaugural talk in the university’s newly established William M. Bass Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship. For more information, contact Connie Huddleston in the College of Liberal Arts at 615-494-7628.

WOMEN AND ENGINEERING--Find out about the careers available in the engineering field at the MTSU Women in Engineering Panel at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in Room 100 of the Davis Science Building. A reception will follow the panel discussion. The speakers will be Susan D. Ferrell, Nuclear Assurance Project Manager at TVA’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant; Fiona King, E.I., Infrastructure Marketing Specialist for Gresham, Smith and Partners; and Brenda Sanford, Conservation Engineer, Prince George’s County (Maryland) Soil Conservation District. Students are invited to join the panelists for dinner in the James Union Building at 5:30 p.m. (Students must purchase their own dinners.) For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu.

WOMEN AND THE MEDIA--Lynn Sherr, correspondent for the ABC News program “20/20,” will be the keynote speaker at “Women and Media: Are Women’s Voices Heard in Mainstream Journalism?,” a National Women’s History Month event sponsored by the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. The event will take place MONDAY in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building beginning at 2:20 p.m. with a panel discussion that addresses the main topic. The moderator will be Beverly Keel, director of the Seigenthaler Chair. Sherr will deliver her speech, “Women, Politics and the Media,” at 6 p.m. All talks are free and open to the public. Media welcomed. Contact Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.

READY FOR DENNYBALL?--Denny McLain, whose pitching brilliance propelled the Detroit Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, will deliver the luncheon address at MTSU’s second annual Conference on Baseball in Literature and Culture Friday, March 30, in the James Union Building. McLain, the last Major League pitcher to win more than 30 games in a season, chalked up 31 victories in 1968, capturing the league’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. His life took a tragic turn with federal convictions on racketeering and extortion charges in the 1980s and money laundering, conspiracy and theft charges in the 1990s. His forthcoming book is titled I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect.Contact Warren Tormey, assistant professor of English, at 615-494-7878 or tormey@mtsu.edu.

THAT’S CHOW, NOT CIAO!--An array of mouthwatering delights from all around the world is on the menu for this year’s International Banquet Saturday, March 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Attendees will have the opportunity to dine on Irish stew, vegetable stir-fried rice, shrimp coconut curry, tandori chicken (marinated in Indian spices and roasted), German pork schnitzel with brown sauce, beef fajitas, Asian cole slaw, spring mix salad with dressing, sushi, and assorted pastries. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children age 12 and under, $14 for students from other colleges or schools, and $10 for MTSU students. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for viewing of cultural exhibits. The meal will begin promptly at 5 p.m. For further information, call 615-898-2238, or go to Room 124 of MTSU’s Keathley University Center.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

GET INTO THE SWIM OF THINGS--The works of Kenda North are on display through April 19 in a photography exhibit titled “Urban Pools” at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of color Iris prints ranging in sizes up to 33” x 47”. The images were photographed underwater with a Nikonos 35mm camera. The original color negatives have been scanned and worked through Photoshop. North will give a slide show/lecture on her work at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the center. The gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Women’s History Month Committee. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

TONY BROWN AND HIS CAREER OF RENOWN--Famed music industry executive Tony Brown, producer of more than 100 No. 1 hit singles and winner of more than a dozen Grammies, Country Music Association (CMA) awards, Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards, and American Music Awards, will share his expertise and his experiences with the MTSU community Tuesday, April 3, as part of the 2007 SunTrust Lecture Series. Brown’s visit is set for 7 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Brown’s 2007 ACM nominations, announced earlier this month, include Album of the Year for Brooks & Dunn’s “Hillbilly Deluxe” and for George Strait’s “It Just Comes Natural,” Single of the Year for Strait’s “Give It Away” and Vocal Event of the Year for “Building Bridges” with Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow. Contact Dr. Bob Wood, coordinator of production and technology for the Department of Recording Industry, at 615-898-2532 or bwood@mtsu.edu.

THE EMBODIMENT OF FEMINISM--Why do some intelligent, independent women shy away from the “feminist” label? Has it become the “f” word? In fact, feminists come in all shapes and sizes, both genders, all races, nationalities and socio-economic groups. They’re conservative and liberal and everything inbetween. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, the June Anderson Women’s Center will present “This is What a Feminist Looks Like!” on the Keathley University Center knoll. This is an opportunity for the MTSU community to share ideas and give feedback on the definition of a Feminist/Womanist and what it means for themselves and others. A large sign will be available for people to write down their definitions. Contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The embodiment of feminism

Why do some intelligent, independent women shy away from the “feminist” label? Has it become the “f” word? In fact, feminists come in all shapes and sizes, both genders, all races, nationalities and socio-economic groups. They’re conservative and liberal and everything inbetween. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, the June Anderson Women’s Center will present “This is What a Feminist Looks Like!” on the Keathley University Center knoll. This is an opportunity for the MTSU community to share ideas and give feedback on the definition of a Feminist/Womanist and what it means for themselves and others. A large sign will be available for people to write down their definitions.

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

E pluribus unum: out of many, one

MTSU has a new Office of Institutional Diversity. The purpose of the office will be to keep diversity concerns in the forefront to ensure equity for all faculty, staff and students. Officials say this will keep the door open to a diverse population of students, faculty and staff and also provide them with a more enriching educational experience. Dr. Sharon Shaw-McEwen, professor of social work, will assume her new role as assistant vice provost for institutional diversity in the Office of the Provost under the umbrella of Dr. Jack Thomas, senior vice provost for academic affairs. During its first year, an institutional diversity committee assembled by Shaw-McEwen will be available to provide guidance to university units.

Contact Shaw-McEwen at 615-898-5975.
sshaw@mtsu.edu

Tony Brown and his career of renown

Famed music industry executive Tony Brown, producer of more than 100 No. 1 hit singles and winner of more than a dozen Grammies, Country Music Association (CMA) awards, Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards, and American Music Awards, will share his expertise and his experiences with the MTSU community Tuesday, April 3, as part of the 2007 SunTrust Lecture Series. Brown’s visit is set for 7 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Brown’s 2007 ACM nominations, announced earlier this month, include Album of the Year for Brooks & Dunn’s “Hillbilly Deluxe” and for George Strait’s “It Just Comes Natural,” Single of the Year for Strait’s “Give It Away” and Vocal Event of the Year for “Building Bridges” with Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow.

Contact Dr. Bob Wood, coordinator of production and technology for the Department of Recording Industry, at 615-898-2532.
bwood@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

“WE MUST NOT DEMEAN LIFE BY STANDING IN AWE OF DEATH.”—DAVID SARNOFF--Dr. William M. Bass, an internationally recognized expert in the field of forensic anthropology who has gained prominence through his research facility, the UT Body Farm, will deliver a free and open guest lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business Aerospace Building. The upcoming visit by Bass will mark the formal kickoff for the Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE), which is led by Dr. Hugh Berryman, sociology and anthropology, and serve as the inaugural talk in the university’s newly established William M. Bass Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship. For more information, contact Connie Huddleston in the College of Liberal Arts at 615-494-7628.

THE COMPETITION--Talented young pianists from throughout the region and even from as far away as Japan will gather for the 11th annual Clavierfest competition TOMORROW NIGHT in MTSU’s Wright Music Building. The daylong event will culminate with a 7:30 p.m. finalists’ competition/concert, which is free and open to the public, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall. The 7:30 concert will feature the competition’s 12 top finalists. Three finalists will be selected from each of four categories, including K-3rd grade, 4th-6th grades, 7th-9th grades, and 10th-12th grades. “The concert of finalists has always been very inspiring and impressive and represents some of the best young talent in the area,” says Dr. Jerry Perkins, coordinator of keyboard studies at MTSU. For more information, contact the McLean School of Music at 615-898-2493.

TO PROTECT AND SERVE--The Department of Public Safety at MTSU will set up a field-sobriety check point on campus THIS EVENING and repeat it on a quarterly basis throughout the year. This will be the second time such a check point has been implemented this academic year. The first one occurred last December. A grant awarded to the department, financed with funds administered through the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, helped to provide the necessary personnel and time to make this effort possible. Associate Police Chief Roy Brewer says, “We have been fortunate that, with the university’s growth, we have not had a fatality crash on campus as of yet. We are aware of more numerous fatality crashes off campus involving MTSU students.” Contact Brewer or Police Chief Buddy Peaster at 615-898-2424.

WOMEN ON THE STAGE--The annual Miss Southern Tennessee Pageant and Miss Southern Tennessee Teen Pageant will be held at 6:30 o’clock TOMORROW NIGHT at Keathley University Center Theater. The producer will be Miss USA 2000 Lynette Cole, a native of Columbia, Tenn. Wesley Stiles and Mary Grace Williams from Generation for Creation will provide the entertainment. The event will be hosted by Miss Tennessee America Blair Pancake. Contestants ranging in age from 15 to 26 will compete in their respective age categories for titles, crowns, prizes, and much more. The admission fee is $5 at the door. For more information, go to http://www.MissSouthernTennessee.com.
For advance tickets, contact Mary Glass at 615-898-5145 or mglass@mtsu.edu.

WOMEN AND ENGINEERING--Find out about the careers available in the engineering field at the MTSU Women in Engineering Panel at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in Room 100 of the Davis Science Building. A reception will follow the panel discussion. The speakers will be Susan D. Ferrell, Nuclear Assurance Project Manager at TVA’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant; Fiona King, E.I., Infrastructure Marketing Specialist for Gresham, Smith and Partners; and Brenda Sanford, Conservation Engineer, Prince George’s County (Maryland) Soil Conservation District. Students are invited to join the panelists for dinner in the James Union Building at 5:30 p.m. (Students must purchase their own dinners.) For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu.

WOMEN AND THE MEDIA--Lynn Sherr, correspondent for the ABC News program “20/20,” will be the keynote speaker at “Women and Media: Are Women’s Voices Heard in Mainstream Journalism?,” a National Women’s History Month event sponsored by the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. The event will take place MONDAY in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building beginning at 2:20 p.m. with a panel discussion that addresses the main topic. The moderator will be Beverly Keel, director of the Seigenthaler Chair. Sherr will deliver her speech, “Women, Politics and the Media,” at 6 p.m. All talks are free and open to the public. Media welcomed. Contact Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG--Openings remain for the MTSU Spring Preview Day, which is scheduled for this SATURDAY. J. Christopher Fleming, associate director of admissions, says students and parents or guardians interested in attending the first of two Spring Preview Days are being directed to the Office of Admissions’ new registration system, Book-it-Now. Prospective students can schedule a visit at http://www.mtsu.edu/~admissn/tour by clicking on the “Schedule Campus Tours” hotlink. The second preview day will be Saturday, April 21. For more information, call 615-898-5670.

READY FOR DENNYBALL?--Denny McLain, whose pitching brilliance propelled the Detroit Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, will deliver the luncheon address at MTSU’s second annual Conference on Baseball in Literature and Culture Friday, March 30, in the James Union Building. McLain, the last Major League pitcher to win more than 30 games in a season, chalked up 31 victories in 1968, capturing the league’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. His life took a tragic turn with federal convictions on racketeering and extortion charges in the 1980s and money laundering, conspiracy and theft charges in the 1990s. His forthcoming book is titled I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect.Contact Warren Tormey, assistant professor of English, at 615-494-7878 or tormey@mtsu.edu.

THAT’S CHOW, NOT CIAO!--An array of mouthwatering delights from all around the world is on the menu for this year’s International Banquet Saturday, March 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Attendees will have the opportunity to dine on Irish stew, vegetable stir-fried rice, shrimp coconut curry, tandori chicken (marinated in Indian spices and roasted), German pork schnitzel with brown sauce, beef fajitas, Asian cole slaw, spring mix salad with dressing, sushi, and assorted pastries. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children age 12 and under, $14 for students from other colleges or schools, and $10 for MTSU students. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for viewing of cultural exhibits. The meal will begin promptly at 5 p.m. For further information, call 615-898-2238, or go to Room 124 of MTSU’s Keathley University Center.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

GET INTO THE SWIM OF THINGS--The works of Kenda North are on display through April 19 in a photography exhibit titled “Urban Pools” at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of color Iris prints ranging in sizes up to 33” x 47”. The images were photographed underwater with a Nikonos 35mm camera. The original color negatives have been scanned and worked through Photoshop. North will give a slide show/lecture on her work at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the center. The gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Women’s History Month Committee. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

To protect and serve

The Department of Public Safety at MTSU will set up a field-sobriety check point on campus on FRIDAY evening and repeat it on a quarterly basis throughout the year. This will be the second time such a check point has been implemented this academic year. The first one occurred last December. A grant awarded to the department, financed with funds administered through the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, helped to provide the necessary personnel and time to make this effort possible. Associate Police Chief Roy Brewer says, “We have been fortunate that, with the university’s growth, we have not had a fatality crash on campus as of yet. We are aware of more numerous fatality crashes off campus involving MTSU students.”

Contact Brewer or Police Chief Buddy Peaster at 615-898-2424.

The competition

Talented young pianists from throughout the region and even from as far away as Japan will gather for the 11th annual Clavierfest competition SATURDAY in MTSU’s Wright Music Building. The daylong event will culminate with a 7:30 p.m. finalists’ competition/concert, which is free and open to the public, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall. The 7:30 concert will feature the competition’s 12 top finalists. Three finalists will be selected from each of four categories, including K-3rd grade, 4th-6th grades, 7th-9th grades, and 10th-12th grades. “The concert of finalists has always been very inspiring and impressive and represents some of the best young talent in the area,” says Dr. Jerry Perkins, coordinator of keyboard studies at MTSU.

For more information, contact the McLean School of Music at 615-898-2493.

“We must not demean life by standing in awe of death.”—David Sarnoff

Dr. William M. Bass, an internationally recognized expert in the field of forensic anthropology who has gained prominence through his research facility, the UT Body Farm, will deliver a free and open guest lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business Aerospace Building. The upcoming visit by Bass will mark the formal kickoff for the Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE), which is led by Dr. Hugh Berryman, sociology and anthropology, and serve as the inaugural talk in the university’s newly established William M. Bass Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship.

For more information, contact Connie Huddleston in the College of Liberal Arts at 615-494-7628.

TR EXTRA

WOMEN ON THE STAGE--The annual Miss Southern Tennessee Pageant and Miss Southern Tennessee Teen Pageant will be held at 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY at Keathley University Center Theater. The producer will be Miss USA 2000 Lynette Cole, a native of Columbia, Tenn. Wesley Stiles and Mary Grace Williams from Generation for Creation will provide the entertainment. The event will be hosted by Miss Tennessee America Blair Pancake. Contestants ranging in age from 15 to 26 will compete in their respective age categories for titles, crowns, prizes, and much more. The admission fee is $5 at the door. For more information, go to http://www.MissSouthernTennessee.com.
For advance tickets, contact Mary Glass at 615-898-5145 or mglass@mtsu.edu.

WOMEN AND ENGINEERING--Find out about the careers available in the engineering field at the MTSU Women in Engineering Panel at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in Room 100 of the Davis Science Building. A reception will follow the panel discussion. The speakers will be Susan D. Ferrell, Nuclear Assurance Project Manager at TVA’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant; Fiona King, E.I., Infrastructure Marketing Specialist for Gresham, Smith and Partners; and Brenda Sanford, Conservation Engineer, Prince George’s County (Maryland) Soil Conservation District. Students are invited to join the panelists for dinner in the James Union Building at 5:30 p.m. (Students must purchase their own dinners.) For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu.

WOMEN AND THE MEDIA--Lynn Sherr, correspondent for the ABC News program “20/20,” will be the keynote speaker at “Women and Media: Are Women’s Voices Heard in Mainstream Journalism?,” a National Women’s History Month event sponsored by the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. The event will take place Monday, March 26, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building beginning at 2:20 p.m. with a panel discussion that addresses the main topic. The moderator will be Beverly Keel, director of the Seigenthaler Chair. Sherr will deliver her speech, “Women, Politics and the Media,” at 6 p.m. All talks are free and open to the public. Media welcomed. Contact Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.

THE DAVIS DIG--A group of MTSU students has won an Award of Excellence from the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM). Dr. Brenden Martin, history, says graduate students in his Museum Management Seminar class spent last semester planning and constructing the award-winning exhibit titled “Recovering Their Story: African Americans on the Davis Plantation, 1850-1925.” The project now is a permanent exhibit at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna. “Interpreting artifacts uncovered in a 2004 archeological dig, the exhibit tells the story of free and enslaved African Americans who lived on the plantation,” says Martin. The professor and his students will receive their award during the 2007 TAM Annual Conference, which will be held THROUGH FRIDAY at the Double Tree Hotel in Murfreesboro. For more information, contact Martin at 615-898-2643 or cbmartin@mtsu.edu

SPRING HAS SPRUNG--Openings remain for the MTSU Spring Preview Day, which is scheduled for this SATURDAY. J. Christopher Fleming, associate director of admissions, says students and parents or guardians interested in attending the first of two Spring Preview Days are being directed to the Office of Admissions’ new registration system, Book-it-Now. Prospective students can schedule a visit at http://www.mtsu.edu/~admissn/tour by clicking on the “Schedule Campus Tours” hotlink. The second preview day will be Saturday, April 21.For more information, call 615-898-5670.

READY FOR DENNYBALL?--Denny McLain, whose pitching brilliance propelled the Detroit Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, will deliver the luncheon address at MTSU’s second annual Conference on Baseball in Literature and Culture Friday, March 30, in the James Union Building. McLain, the last Major League pitcher to win more than 30 games in a season, chalked up 31 victories in 1968, capturing the league’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. His life took a tragic turn with federal convictions on racketeering and extortion charges in the 1980s and money laundering, conspiracy and theft charges in the 1990s. His forthcoming book is titled I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect.Contact Warren Tormey, assistant professor of English, at 615-494-7878 or tormey@mtsu.edu.

THAT’S CHOW, NOT CIAO!--An array of mouthwatering delights from all around the world is on the menu for this year’s International Banquet Saturday, March 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Attendees will have the opportunity to dine on Irish stew, vegetable stir-fried rice, shrimp coconut curry, tandori chicken (marinated in Indian spices and roasted), German pork schnitzel with brown sauce, beef fajitas, Asian cole slaw, spring mix salad with dressing, sushi, and assorted pastries. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children age 12 and under, $14 for students from other colleges or schools, and $10 for MTSU students. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for viewing of cultural exhibits. The meal will begin promptly at 5 p.m. For further information, call 615-898-2238, or go to Room 124 of MTSU’s Keathley University Center.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

GET INTO THE SWIM OF THINGS--The works of Kenda North are on display through April 19 in a photography exhibit titled “Urban Pools” at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of color Iris prints ranging in sizes up to 33” x 47”. The images were photographed underwater with a Nikonos 35mm camera. The original color negatives have been scanned and worked through Photoshop. North will give a slide show/lecture on her work at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the center. The gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Women’s History Month Committee. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Women and the media

Lynn Sherr, correspondent for the ABC News program “20/20,” will be the keynote speaker at “Women and Media: Are Women’s Voices Heard in Mainstream Journalism?,” a National Women’s History Month event sponsored by the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. The event will take place Monday, March 26, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building beginning at 2:20 p.m. with a panel discussion that addresses the main topic. The moderator will be Beverly Keel, director of the Seigenthaler Chair. Sherr will deliver her speech, “Women, Politics and the Media,” at 6 p.m. All talks are free and open to the public. Media welcomed.

Contact Keel at 615-898-5150.
bkeel@mtsu.edu

Women and engineering

Find out about the careers available in the engineering field at the MTSU Women in Engineering Panel at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in Room 100 of the Davis Science Building. A reception will follow the panel discussion. The speakers will be Susan D. Ferrell, Nuclear Assurance Project Manager at TVA’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant; Fiona King, E.I., Infrastructure Marketing Specialist for Gresham, Smith and Partners; and Brenda Sanford, Conservation Engineer, Prince George’s County (Maryland) Soil Conservation District. Students are invited to join the panelists for dinner in the James Union Building at 5:30 p.m. (Students must purchase their own dinners.)

For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253.
jiriarte@mtsu.edu

Women on the stage

The annual Miss Southern Tennessee Pageant and Miss Southern Tennessee Teen Pageant will be held at 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY at Keathley University Center Theater. The producer will be Miss USA 2000 Lynette Cole, a native of Columbia, Tenn. Wesley Stiles and Mary Grace Williams from Generation for Creation will provide the entertainment. The event will be hosted by Miss Tennessee America Blair Pancake. Contestants ranging in age from 15 to 26 will compete in their respective age categories for titles, crowns, prizes, and much more. The admission fee is $5 at the door.

For more information, go to http://www.MissSouthernTennessee.com.
For advance tickets, contact Mary Glass at 615-898-5145.
mglass@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE SLAVERY INDUSTRY--Activists who have dedicated themselves to combating human trafficking and the sex slave trade will participate in a free and open panel discussion at 6 o’clock TONIGHT in Room 108 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building. Featured speakers will include Amber Beckham, Network of Emergency Trafficking Services (NETS) coordinator for World Relief; Elena Dering, an independent activist against human trafficking; and Colette Bercu, founder and president of Free for Life Ministries, a Nashville-based nonprofit organization. The U.S. Department of State estimates that between 18,000 and 20,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S. every year, usually from Asia, Central and South America, and eastern Europe. Contact Dr. Andrei Korobkov, political science, at 615-898-2945 or
Candi Nunley of GLOBAL at
or Americans for an Informed Democracy President Angie Feeney at

THE DAVIS DIG--A group of MTSU students has won an Award of Excellence from the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM). Dr. Brenden Martin, history, says graduate students in his Museum Management Seminar class spent last semester planning and constructing the award-winning exhibit titled “Recovering Their Story: African Americans on the Davis Plantation, 1850-1925.” The project now is a permanent exhibit at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna. “Interpreting artifacts uncovered in a 2004 archeological dig, the exhibit tells the story of free and enslaved African Americans who lived on the plantation,” says Martin. The professor and his students will receive their award during the 2007 TAM Annual Conference, which will be held TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY at the Double Tree Hotel in Murfreesboro. For more information, contact Martin at 615-898-2643 or

SPRING HAS SPRUNG--Openings remain for the MTSU Spring Preview Day, which is scheduled for this SATURDAY. J. Christopher Fleming, associate director of admissions, says students and parents or guardians interested in attending the first of two Spring Preview Days are being directed to the Office of Admissions’ new registration system, Book-it-Now. Prospective students can schedule a visit at http://www.mtsu.edu/~admissn/tour by clicking on the “Schedule Campus Tours” hotlink. The second preview day will be Saturday, April 21.For more information, call 615-898-5670.

READY FOR DENNYBALL?--Denny McLain, whose pitching brilliance propelled the Detroit Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, will deliver the luncheon address at MTSU’s second annual Conference on Baseball in Literature and Culture Friday, March 30, in the James Union Building. McLain, the last Major League pitcher to win more than 30 games in a season, chalked up 31 victories in 1968, capturing the league’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. His life took a tragic turn with federal convictions on racketeering and extortion charges in the 1980s and money laundering, conspiracy and theft charges in the 1990s. His forthcoming book is titled I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect.Contact Warren Tormey, assistant professor of English, at 615-494-7878 or tormey@mtsu.edu.

THAT’S CHOW, NOT CIAO!--An array of mouthwatering delights from all around the world is on the menu for this year’s International Banquet Saturday, March 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Attendees will have the opportunity to dine on Irish stew, vegetable stir-fried rice, shrimp coconut curry, tandori chicken (marinated in Indian spices and roasted), German pork schnitzel with brown sauce, beef fajitas, Asian cole slaw, spring mix salad with dressing, sushi, and assorted pastries. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children age 12 and under, $14 for students from other colleges or schools, and $10 for MTSU students. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for viewing of cultural exhibits. The meal will begin promptly at 5 p.m. For further information, call 615-898-2238, or go to Room 124 of MTSU’s Keathley University Center.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

GET INTO THE SWIM OF THINGS--The works of Kenda North are on display through April 19 in a photography exhibit titled “Urban Pools” at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of color Iris prints ranging in sizes up to 33” x 47”. The images were photographed underwater with a Nikonos 35mm camera. The original color negatives have been scanned and worked through Photoshop. North will give a slide show/lecture on her work at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the center. The gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Women’s History Month Committee. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Spring has sprung

Openings remain for the MTSU Spring Preview Day, which is scheduled for this SATURDAY. J. Christopher Fleming, associate director of admissions, says students and parents or guardians interested in attending the first of two Spring Preview Days are being directed to the Office of Admissions’ new registration system, Book-it-Now. Prospective students can schedule a visit at http://www.mtsu.edu/~admissn/tour by clicking on the “Schedule Campus Tours” hotlink. The second preview day will be Saturday, April 21.

For more information, call 615-898-5670.

“I’m king of the world!”—James Cameron

James Cameron, director of the movie “Titanic,” stirred up a lot of fuss with his Discovery Channel documentary titled “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.” The film purports to reveal that Jesus Christ, Mary, and Mary Magdalene were laid to rest in a first-century Jewish burial cave, which would dispute the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says controversy over religion in the media is nothing new. “In the 1980s, author Salmon Rushdie had to go into hiding after Islamic leaders threatened him with death because of his book The Satanic Verses,” Burriss says. “The 1988 film ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ was banned around the world. In 2004, Mel Gibson found himself both praised and condemned, often by members of the same dominations, for his film ‘The Passion of the Christ.’”

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

Science-savvy?

According to a Michigan State University study, 28 percent of Americans knew enough about science to understand reports in major newspapers in 2005. That’s up over the 1988 figure of 10 percent. But Dr. Saeed Foroudastan, associate dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, finds little cause for celebration. “Advances in the science and technology industries are so detailed that trying to explain them in simple terms is extremely difficult,” Foroudastan says. “To abridge these ideas for the lay audience is a great goal; however, most Americans have probably either forgotten or never understood the basics in the first place. Therefore, I believe the people who understood the concepts in 1988 are probably the same ones who understood them in 2005 with little variance in the amounts of people who now understand.”

Contact Foroudastan at 615-494-8786.
sforouda@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE SLAVERY INDUSTRY--Activists who have dedicated themselves to combating human trafficking and the sex slave trade will participate in a free and open panel discussion at 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY in Room 108 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building. Featured speakers will include Amber Beckham, Network of Emergency Trafficking Services (NETS) coordinator for World Relief; Elena Dering, an independent activist against human trafficking; and Colette Bercu, founder and president of Free for Life Ministries, a Nashville-based nonprofit organization. The U.S. Department of State estimates that between 18,000 and 20,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S. every year, usually from Asia, Central and South America, and eastern Europe. Contact Dr. Andrei Korobkov, political science, at 615-898-2945 or
Candi Nunley of GLOBAL at
or Americans for an Informed Democracy President Angie Feeney at

THE DAVIS DIG--A group of MTSU students has won an Award of Excellence from the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM). Dr. Brenden Martin, history, says graduate students in his Museum Management Seminar class spent last semester planning and constructing the award-winning exhibit titled “Recovering Their Story: African Americans on the Davis Plantation, 1850-1925.” The project now is a permanent exhibit at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna. “Interpreting artifacts uncovered in a 2004 archeological dig, the exhibit tells the story of free and enslaved African Americans who lived on the plantation,” says Martin. The professor and his students will receive their award during the 2007 TAM Annual Conference, which will be held WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY at the Double Tree Hotel in Murfreesboro. For more information, contact Martin at 615-898-2643 or

READY FOR DENNYBALL?--Denny McLain, whose pitching brilliance propelled the Detroit Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, will deliver the keynote address at MTSU’s second annual Conference on Baseball in Literature and Culture Friday, March 30, in the James Union Building. McLain, the last Major League pitcher to win more than 30 games in a season, chalked up 31 victories in 1968, capturing the league’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. His life took a tragic turn with federal convictions on racketeering and extortion charges in the 1980s and money laundering, conspiracy and theft charges in the 1990s. His forthcoming book is titled I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect.Contact Warren Tormey, assistant professor of English, at 615-494-7878 or tormey@mtsu.edu.

THAT’S CHOW, NOT CIAO!--An array of mouthwatering delights from all around the world is on the menu for this year’s International Banquet Saturday, March 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Attendees will have the opportunity to dine on Irish stew, vegetable stir-fried rice, shrimp coconut curry, tandori chicken (marinated in Indian spices and roasted), German pork schnitzel with brown sauce, beef fajitas, Asian cole slaw, spring mix salad with dressing, sushi, and assorted pastries. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children age 12 and under, $14 for students from other colleges or schools, and $10 for MTSU students. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for viewing of cultural exhibits. The meal will begin promptly at 5 p.m. For further information, call 615-898-2238, or go to Room 124 of MTSU’s Keathley University Center.

WOMEN GET THE JOB DONE.--The President’s Commission on the Status of Women’s Student Issues Subcommittee will sponsor the “Women Make the Difference” Organization Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. TODAY in Tom Jackson Hall (formerly Alumni Center). The purposes of the fair are to celebrate how women are making positive changes in our community, to explore the different service projects in our community, to learn about various student organizations and how they are making a difference, to promote organizations and help them recruit new members, and to network with others who share similar interests. Refreshments will be provided. The commission thanks the National Women’s History Month Committee for its generous contribution. Contact Michelle McDaniel at mmcdanie@mtsu.edu.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

GET INTO THE SWIM OF THINGS--The works of Kenda North are on display through April 19 in a photography exhibit titled “Urban Pools” at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of color Iris prints ranging in sizes up to 33” x 47”. The images were photographed underwater with a Nikonos 35mm camera. The original color negatives have been scanned and worked through Photoshop. North will give a slide show/lecture on her work at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the center. The gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Women’s History Month Committee. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The slavery industry

Activists who have dedicated themselves to combating human trafficking and the sex slave trade will participate in a free and open panel discussion at 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY in Room 108 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building. Featured speakers will include Amber Beckham, Network of Emergency Trafficking Services (NETS) coordinator for World Relief; Elena Dering, an independent activist against human trafficking; and Colette Bercu, founder and president of Free for Life Ministries, a Nashville-based nonprofit organization. The U.S. Department of State estimates that between 18,000 and 20,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S. every year, usually from Asia, Central and South America, and eastern Europe.

Contact Dr. Andrei Korobkov, political science, at 615-898-2945.
korobkov@mtsu.edu
Candi Nunley of GLOBAL at global@mtsu.edu
or Americans for an Informed Democracy President Angie Feeney at amf3g@mtsu.edu

The naked truth

The Naked Eye Observatory at MTSU has earned an Honor Award for Engineering Excellence for Nashville engineering firm Hart Freeland Roberts Inc. The honor was presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee March 6. The client was the Tennessee Board of Regents. The $1.2 million facility is located in the open common area southwest of Wiser-Patten Science Hall alongside Walnut Grove and the Cope Administration Building. At the time the observatory was in the initial construction stages, Dr. Chuck Higgins, physics and astronomy, said, “ [The observatory] will allow for observations that will tell you what day of the year it is, what the earth’s rotation period is, the length of a year, determine the time of day, determine time of local noon and the first day of the four seasons.”

For photos of the Naked Eye Observatory, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

The Davis dig

A group of MTSU students has won an Award of Excellence from the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM). Dr. Brenden Martin, history, says graduate students in his Museum Management Seminar class spent last semester planning and constructing the award-winning exhibit titled “Recovering Their Story: African Americans on the Davis Plantation, 1850-1925.” The project now is a permanent exhibit at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna. “Interpreting artifacts uncovered in a 2004 archeological dig, the exhibit tells the story of free and enslaved African Americans who lived on the plantation,” says Martin. The professor and his students will receive their award during the 2007 TAM Annual Conference, which will be held WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY at the Double Tree Hotel in Murfreesboro.

For more information, contact Martin at 615-898-2643.
cbmartin@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

READY FOR DENNYBALL?--Denny McLain, whose pitching brilliance propelled the Detroit Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, will deliver the keynote address at MTSU’s second annual Conference on Baseball in Literature and Culture Friday, March 30, in the James Union Building. McLain, the last Major League pitcher to win more than 30 games in a season, chalked up 31 victories in 1968, capturing the league’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. His life took a tragic turn with federal convictions on racketeering and extortion charges in the 1980s and money laundering, conspiracy and theft charges in the 1990s. His forthcoming book is titled I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect.Contact Warren Tormey, assistant professor of English, at 615-494-7878 or tormey@mtsu.edu.

THAT’S CHOW, NOT CIAO!--An array of mouthwatering delights from all around the world is on the menu for this year’s International Banquet Saturday, March 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Attendees will have the opportunity to dine on Irish stew, vegetable stir-fried rice, shrimp coconut curry, tandori chicken (marinated in Indian spices and roasted), German pork schnitzel with brown sauce, beef fajitas, Asian cole slaw, spring mix salad with dressing, sushi, and assorted pastries. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children age 12 and under, $14 for students from other colleges or schools, and $10 for MTSU students. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for viewing of cultural exhibits. The meal will begin promptly at 5 p.m. For further information, call 615-898-2238, or go to Room 124 of MTSU’s Keathley University Center.

WOMEN GET THE JOB DONE.--The President’s Commission on the Status of Women’s Student Issues Subcommittee will sponsor the “Women Make the Difference” Organization Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. TOMORROW in Tom Jackson Hall (formerly Alumni Center). The purposes of the fair are to celebrate how women are making positive changes in our community, to explore the different service projects in our community, to learn about various student organizations and how they are making a difference, to promote organizations and help them recruit new members, and to network with others who share similar interests. Refreshments will be provided. The commission thanks the National Women’s History Month Committee for its generous contribution. Contact Michelle McDaniel at mmcdanie@mtsu.edu.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

GET INTO THE SWIM OF THINGS--The works of Kenda North are on display through April 19 in a photography exhibit titled “Urban Pools” at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of color Iris prints ranging in sizes up to 33” x 47”. The images were photographed underwater with a Nikonos 35mm camera. The original color negatives have been scanned and worked through Photoshop. North will give a slide show/lecture on her work at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the center. The gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Women’s History Month Committee. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Ready for Dennyball?

Denny McLain, whose pitching brilliance propelled the Detroit Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship, will deliver the keynote address at MTSU’s second annual Conference on Baseball in Literature and Culture Friday, March 30, in the James Union Building. McLain, the last Major League pitcher to win more than 30 games in a season, chalked up 31 victories in 1968, capturing the league’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. His life took a tragic turn with federal convictions on racketeering and extortion charges in the 1980s and money laundering, conspiracy and theft charges in the 1990s. His forthcoming book is titled I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect.

Contact Warren Tormey, assistant professor of English, at 615-494-7878.
tormey@mtsu.edu

That’s chow, not ciao!

An array of mouthwatering delights from all around the world is on the menu for this year’s International Banquet Saturday, March 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Attendees will have the opportunity to dine on Irish stew, vegetable stir-fried rice, shrimp coconut curry, tandori chicken (marinated in Indian spices and roasted), German pork schnitzel with brown sauce, beef fajitas, Asian cole slaw, spring mix salad with dressing, sushi, and assorted pastries. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children age 12 and under, $14 for students from other colleges or schools, and $10 for MTSU students. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for viewing of cultural exhibits. The meal will begin promptly at 5 p.m.

For further information, call 615-898-2238, or go to Room 124 of MTSU’s Keathley University Center.

Women get the job done.

The President’s Commission on the Status of Women’s Student Issues Subcommittee will sponsor the “Women Make the Difference” Organization Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, in Tom Jackson Hall (formerly Alumni Center). The purposes of the fair are to celebrate how women are making positive changes in our community, to explore the different service projects in our community, to learn about various student organizations and how they are making a difference, to promote organizations and help them recruit new members, and to network with others who share similar interests. Refreshments will be provided. The commission thanks the National Women’s History Month Committee for its generous contribution.

Contact Michelle McDaniel at mmcdanie@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE BEST GUITAR BY FAR--The 2007 Tennessee Guitar Festival, which consists of five consecutive nights of guitar concerts by top-notch guitar virtuosos, will be held at 8 o’clock each evening beginning TONIGHT in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music building. In addition to the nightly concerts, the festival—which is the largest of its kind in the state—will feature three master classes that will conclude March 21. All concerts and master classes are free and open to the public in Hinton Music Hall. Opening night will feature Dr. William Yelverton, professor of music, who will perform on both lute and guitar, along with duos with flutist Deanna Hahn, assistant professor of music. Professor Roger Hudson will round out the program, performing on both guitar and Middle Eastern oud with percussionist David Pruett. For more information, call 615-898-2493 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~yelverto/guitfest.html.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

GET INTO THE SWIM OF THINGS--The works of Kenda North are on display through April 19 in a photography exhibit titled “Urban Pools” at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of color Iris prints ranging in sizes up to 33” x 47”. The images were photographed underwater with a Nikonos 35mm camera. The original color negatives have been scanned and worked through Photoshop. North will give a slide show/lecture on her work at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the center. The gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Women’s History Month Committee. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The best guitar by far

The 2007 Tennessee Guitar Festival, which consists of five consecutive nights of guitar concerts by top-notch guitar virtuosos, will be held at 8 o’clock each evening beginning TOMORROW NIGHT in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music building. In addition to the nightly concerts, the festival—which is the largest of its kind in the state—will feature three master classes that will conclude March 21. All concerts and master classes are free and open to the public in Hinton Music Hall. Opening night will feature Dr. William Yelverton, professor of music, who will perform on both lute and guitar, along with duos with flutist Deanna Hahn, assistant professor of music. Professor Roger Hudson will round out the program, performing on both guitar and Middle Eastern oud with percussionist David Pruett.

For more information, call 615-898-2493 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~yelverto/guitfest.html.

Flora and fauna from the Feds

On your next trip to our nation’s capital, check out the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory. Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, found it to be especially impressive. One of the areas he enjoyed was the “Nature’s Barcodes” exhibit. “I learned that biochemists and botanists have teamed up in a project that will eventually produce a hand-held device that can ‘read’ the genetic fingerprint of any plant from a tropic island nest—no phones, no lights, no motor cars—and instantly identify the exact species,” MacDougall says. “First, however, they must catalogue all of the genetic information for this botanical library. Knowing how tedious such tasks are, they’ll be here for a long, long time.”

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

Get into the swim of things

The works of Kenda North are on display through April 19 in a photography exhibit titled “Urban Pools” at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of color Iris prints ranging in sizes up to 33” x 47”. The images were photographed underwater with a Nikonos 35mm camera. The original color negatives have been scanned and worked through Photoshop. North will give a slide show/lecture on her work at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the center. The gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Women’s History Month Committee.

Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085.
tjimison@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Stairway to the stars

Newspapers all across the country print horoscopes in each and every edition. But Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says, “The horoscope isn’t just harmless fun. It actually cheapens the human experience. I hate to think that we can put every person in the world into one of 12 categories based on the way the stars and planets were aligned a thousand years ago.” Burriss recalls an incident years ago in which an editor told a newspaper reporter to make up the daily horoscope. For one sign, the reporter wrote, “All the sorrows of yesteryear are nothing compared to what will befall you today.” The switchboard was jammed with frantic readers worried about their horrible horoscope. “Now, the proponents will tell you that we just need to be more open-minded,” Burriss says. “Well, this is a case where you can be so open-minded your brains drop out.”

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

Gutsy Gluck

Dr. Rochelle G. Saidel will lecture on her forthcoming book on Gemma LaGuardia Gluck at 4:30 p.m. TODAY in Room 109 of Peck Hall. Gluck, sister of the late New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, was held as a political prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp for women at Ravensbruck during World War II. Saidel’s lecture not only will address Gluck’s incarceration but also Mayor LaGuardia’s efforts to free his sister. Saidel is president of the Remember the Women Institute, a New York-based not-for-profit corporation that “conducts and encourages research and cultural activities that contribute to including women in history,” states its Web site. This National Women’s History Month event is free and open to the public.

Contact Dr. Elvira Casal, chair of the National Women’s History Month Committee, at 615-898-2668.
ecasal@mtsu.edu

Tenor and piano

Guest artist Randal Umstead (tenor) will be joined by MTSU faculty member Caleb Harris (piano) in a recital at 8 o’clock TONIGHT in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building. The musicians will perform The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Op. 35 by Benjamin Britten. “This set of nine songs will be the centerpiece of the program and include highly virtuosic writing for both tenor and piano,” Harris says. Also part of the program are Three Petrarch Sonnets by Franz Liszt. “These wonderful songs, which have become standards of the tenor repertoire, are beautiful examples of some of the most lyrical and passionate writing for voice and piano,” Harris says. The concert is free and open to the public.

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

TR EXTRA

IRAQ AROUND THE CLOCK--One of the nation’s foremost experts on U.S.-Arab Gulf relations, Dr. F. Gregory Gause III, will speak on “The Iraq War: Causes and Consequences” at 7 p.m. TODAY in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Gause is an associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont and director of its Middle East Studies Program. He is the author of Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States and Saudi-Yemeni Relations: Domestic Structures and Foreign Influence. Gause has testified before the Committee on International Relations of the U.S. House of Representatives and his articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Middle East Journal, Security Studies, and other publications. This event, which is sponsored by MTSU’s Middle East Center, is free and open to the public. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Allen Hibbard, director of the center, at 615-494-8809 or ahibbard@mtsu.edu, or Chantal Rich at 615-494-7906 or cfrich@mtsu.edu.

THE PATIENTS’ PERSPECTIVE--Sita Diehl, executive director of NAMI Tennessee, the state affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will speak from 12:35 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. TODAY in Room 316 of the Keathley University Center. Diehl’s address, which is free and open to the public, is titled “A Closer Look at the Consumer and Ex-patient Movement for the Mentally Ill.” The recipient of master’s degrees in community psychology from Antioch University and social work from the University of Tennessee, Diehl has conducted research on public-managed behavioral health career and consumer-operated services, as well as a multi-year study of mental health services in Tennessee county jails. She also has developed curricula to cross-train mental health and criminal justice personnel. This event is sponsored by the Department of Political Science. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Sekou Franklin at 615-904-8232 or franklin@mtsu.edu.

MONEY FOR SCHOOL--Applications for scholarships from the June S. Anderson Foundation are due TOMORROW. The foundation awards yearly tuition scholarships to full-time MTSU undergraduate women who are 23 years of age or older and who are preparing for careers in nontraditional fields for women. The scholarship award for enrollment is a minimum of $1,750 per semester. Each applicant must have a 2.0 GPA from the school most recently attended, must be pursuing an undergraduate degree, must be a full-time student, must not require out-of-state tuition, and must demonstrate financial need. Applications are available in the June Anderson Women’s Center in Room 206 of the James Union Building. Contact Stephanie Compton, student assistant for the June Anderson Women’s Center, at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Law and Order: Political Intent

Is former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson’s announcement that he might be interested in the GOP presidential nomination a publicity stunt, or is he serious? Dr. John Vile, chair of the political science department, says, “In the past, Thompson has not evidenced the ‘fire in his belly’ that candidates typically need. The image could be deceiving, but it is not unlike that which Ronald Reagan used to give. Thompson has portrayed a fictional president in the movies and has played the part of Andrew Jackson at the Hermitage. (He also portrays Manhattan D.A. Arthur Branch on the TV series “Law and Order.”) He has gained support among conservatives for guiding John Roberts through the confirmation process as Chief Justice (of the U.S. Supreme Court). In short, Thompson could well be in a viable position to mount a serious challenge for the nomination.”

Contact Vile at 615-898-2596.
jvile@mtsu.edu

Fuel for thought

Dr. Cliff Ricketts, agribusiness and agriscience, has been involved with alternative fuel research since 1978. He and his students have designed and built engines powered from a variety of sources, including ethanol, methane, soybean oil, hydrogen, solar/electric, and hydrogen/electric hybrid. At 9 a.m. Central time TODAY, Ricketts will discuss some of these alternative fuel sources in “Fueling the Future: Building Engines with Alternative Fuel Sources,” an enrichment program presented by the Satellite and Webcasting Center. This program is for students in grades 7-12, particularly agricultural education and science students.

For more information, call 615-898-2737 or send an e-mail to itsc@mtsu.edu

Money for school

Applications for scholarships from the June S. Anderson Foundation are due TOMORROW. The foundation awards yearly tuition scholarships to full-time MTSU undergraduate women who are 23 years of age or older and who are preparing for careers in nontraditional fields for women. The scholarship award for enrollment is a minimum of $1,750 per semester. Each applicant must have a 2.0 GPA from the school most recently attended, must be pursuing an undergraduate degree, must be a full-time student, must not require out-of-state tuition, and must demonstrate financial need. Applications are available in the June Anderson Women’s Center in Room 206 of the James Union Building.

Contact Stephanie Compton, student assistant for the June Anderson Women’s Center, at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

DIVERSITY SPEAKS--Novelist, poet and essayist Judith Ortiz Cofer will be the keynote speaker for this year’s National Women’s History Month activities at 1:30 p.m. TODAY in the Keathley University Center Theater. Ortiz Cofer’s address, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a reception and book signing. “A strong advocate for freedom of expression and the need to disseminate the literature and art of the many people contributing to the culture of the United States, Ortiz Cofer speaks to the issue of whether there is an expectation that minority artists create sociological text rather than art,” Dr. Elvira Casal, chair of the National Women’s History Month Committee and associate professor of English, writes in the Spring 2007 Women’s Studies Newsletter. The theme for this year’s National Women’s History Month is “The Challenges of Diversity.” For more information about National Women’s History Month events, contact Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elyce Helford, associate committee chair, at 615-898-5961 or ehelford@mtsu.edu.

IRAQ AROUND THE CLOCK--One of the nation’s foremost experts on U.S.-Arab Gulf relations, Dr. F. Gregory Gause III, will speak on “The Iraq War: Causes and Consequences” at 7 p.m. TOMORROW in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Gause is an associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont and director of its Middle East Studies Program. He is the author of Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States and Saudi-Yemeni Relations: Domestic Structures and Foreign Influence. Gause has testified before the Committee on International Relations of the U.S. House of Representatives and his articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Middle East Journal, Security Studies, and other publications. This event, which is sponsored by MTSU’s Middle East Center, is free and open to the public. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Allen Hibbard, director of the center, at 615-494-8809 or ahibbard@mtsu.edu, or Chantal Rich at 615-494-7906 or cfrich@mtsu.edu.

THE PATIENTS’ PERSPECTIVE--Sita Diehl, executive director of NAMI Tennessee, the state affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will speak from 12:35 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. TOMORROW in Room 316 of the Keathley University Center. Diehl’s address, which is free and open to the public, is titled “A Closer Look at the Consumer and Ex-patient Movement for the Mentally Ill.” The recipient of master’s degrees in community psychology from Antioch University and social work from the University of Tennessee, Diehl has conducted research on public-managed behavioral health career and consumer-operated services, as well as a multi-year study of mental health services in Tennessee county jails. She also has developed curricula to cross-train mental health and criminal justice personnel. This event is sponsored by the Department of Political Science. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Sekou Franklin at 615-904-8232 or franklin@mtsu.edu.

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

LET'S MAKE TRACKS!--Don't wait until the last minute to sign up your youngsters for the next recording workshop in the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. MTSU student Ryan York, who teaches guitar, bass and drums at Chambers Guitars and Musical Instruments in Murfreesboro. The deadline for the next four-week series of lessons is March 9. For a fee of $125 per student, kids ages 12-17 will be introduced to cassette four-track recording, computer recording, electronic music, and digital eight-track recording on portable equipment in two classes each week. The recording workshops, which will take place on Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon each week, are sponsored by the Youth Culture and Arts Center. For more information about the workshops, contact York at bororecording@gmail.com. To learn more about the Youth Culture and Arts Center, go to http://www.youthculturecenter.org. A workshop syllabus may be accessed there by clicking on “Workshops” at the bottom of the page.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Diversity speaks

Novelist, poet and essayist Judith Ortiz Cofer will be the keynote speaker for this year’s National Women’s History Month activities at 1:30 p.m. TOMORROW in the Keathley University Center Theater. Ortiz Cofer’s address, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a reception and book signing. “A strong advocate for freedom of expression and the need to disseminate the literature and art of the many people contributing to the culture of the United States, Ortiz Cofer speaks to the issue of whether there is an expectation that minority artists create sociological text rather than art,” Dr. Elvira Casal, chair of the National Women’s History Month Committee and associate professor of English, writes in the Spring 2007 Women’s Studies Newsletter. The theme for this year’s National Women’s History Month is “The Challenges of Diversity.”

For more information about National Women’s History Month events, contact Casal at 615-898-2668 or ecasal@mtsu.edu or Dr. Elyce Helford, associate committee chair, at 615-898-5961 or ehelford@mtsu.edu.

Iraq around the clock

One of the nation’s foremost experts on U.S.-Arab Gulf relations, Dr. F. Gregory Gause III, will speak on “The Iraq War: Causes and Consequences” at 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Gause is an associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont and director of its Middle East Studies Program. He is the author of Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States and Saudi-Yemeni Relations: Domestic Structures and Foreign Influence. Gause has testified before the Committee on International Relations of the U.S. House of Representatives and his articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Middle East Journal, Security Studies, and other publications. This event, which is sponsored by MTSU’s Middle East Center, is free and open to the public. Media welcomed.

Contact Dr. Allen Hibbard, director of the center, at 615-494-8809 or ahibbard@mtsu.edu, or Chantal Rich at 615-494-7906 or cfrich@mtsu.edu.

The patients’ perspective

Sita Diehl, executive director of NAMI Tennessee, the state affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will speak from 12:35 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. WEDNESDAY in Room 316 of the Keathley University Center. Diehl’s address, which is free and open to the public, is titled “A Closer Look at the Consumer and Ex-patient Movement for the Mentally Ill.” The recipient of master’s degrees in community psychology from Antioch University and social work from the University of Tennessee, Diehl has conducted research on public-managed behavioral health career and consumer-operated services, as well as a multi-year study of mental health services in Tennessee county jails. She also has developed curricula to cross-train mental health and criminal justice personnel. This event is sponsored by the Department of Political Science. Media welcomed.

Contact Dr. Sekou Franklin at 615-904-8232 or franklin@mtsu.edu.

TR EXTRA

FREEDOM ON DISPLAY--"Free at Last! Emancipation and Reconstruction in Tennessee," an exhibit created by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA), will travel throughout middle Tennessee this spring and summer. The two-panel exhibit, which is on display now through March 30 at the Roy Bailey African-American History Center in Lebanon, emphasizes the significance of emancipation as a result of the Civil War, says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the TCWNHA. "Freedom for former slaves was a key outcome of the Civil War, and it was the slaves themselves who made it happen," van Zelm said. "They took advantage of the presence of the occupying Union army to break down the bonds of slavery." For a complete list of tour stops, contact Laura Holder, manager of the TCWNHA, at 615-898-2947 or via e-mail at lholder@mtsu.edu.

LET'S MAKE TRACKS!--Don't wait until the last minute to sign up your youngsters for the next recording workshop in the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. MTSU student Ryan York, who teaches guitar, bass and drums at Chambers Guitars and Musical Instruments in Murfreesboro. The deadline for the next four-week series of lessons is March 9. For a fee of $125 per student, kids ages 12-17 will be introduced to cassette four-track recording, computer recording, electronic music, and digital eight-track recording on portable equipment in two classes each week. The recording workshops, which will take place on Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon each week, are sponsored by the Youth Culture and Arts Center. For more information about the workshops, contact York at bororecording@gmail.com. To learn more about the Youth Culture and Arts Center, go to http://www.youthculturecenter.org/. A workshop syllabus may be accessed there by clicking on “Workshops” at the bottom of the page.

“THE EMPIRES OF THE FUTURE ARE THE EMPIRES OF THE MIND.”—WINSTON CHURCHILL--The cigar-chomping bulldog of Britain during World War II, Winston Churchill’s wartime leadership is legendary. But what about the other Churchills—prisoner of war, disgraced politician, painter, and Nobel Prize-winning author? MTSU is offering a July 2007 study-abroad history course which will take students to the Cabinet War Rooms underneath London, as well as Parliament, Churchill’s birthplace, his country estate, and other sites related to the life of this great statesman. The instructor will be Dr. Jim Williams, a Churchill Fellow of Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., site of Churchill’s famous “Iron Curtain” speech in 1946. Contact Williams at 615-898-2633 or jhwillia@mtsu.edu or Jennifer Campbell, MTSU Study Abroad Office, at 615-898-5179 or jjcampbe@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.