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.