Friday, April 27, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Last night’s Demofest

There seemed to be a determination on the part of the Democratic Party candidates for president not to turn their town hall meeting (aired on MSNBC) into a circular firing squad last night. “I don’t think any of the candidates made major missteps,” Dr. John Vile, chair of political science, says, “I think Governor (Bill) Richardson did well by focusing on his experience as a governor and diplomat. (Sen.) Barack Obama was probably the most personable with references to ordinary citizens and his family. … I personally found (Sen.) Hillary Clinton’s voice to be somewhat grating, but I was impressed that she managed to get positive references to both Arkansas and New York (in). … I thought (former Sen. John) Edwards came across as a bit ‘slick,’ although he did get some details of his proposed war on poverty out.”

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

Safety first

While universities take a fresh look at their security procedures in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings, college officials remind students that there are certain common sense steps they can take to enhance their own safety. Sarah Sudak, executive director of Housing Administration, says, “We consistently tell students to keep their keys with them at all times, keep their room doors locked even when they’re in their room, and use the peephole or adjacent window to view the visitor before allowing access. If they have an adjoining bathroom, we recommend they keep this door locked at all times. We recommend that they close and lock their windows when they leave the room or when they go to bed.”

Contact Sudak at 615-898-2860.
ssudak@mtsu.edu

We aren’t buying it.

It appears the tax-free weekend in Tennessee couldn’t come at a better time. Consumer confidence among consumers in Middle Tennessee declined in April 2007. The Middle Tennessee Consumer Confidence Index, compiled by MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research (OCR), is a poll of 437 randomly selected adult residents of Davidson, Rutherford and Williamson counties conducted the evenings of April 19 and April 24. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the OCR, says, “It appears that negative feelings about the recent increases in gas prices have cast a pessimistic cloud over the mindset of local consumers. In fact, 53 percent of consumers say they expect to reduce their overall level of consumer spending due to the recent increases in gas prices. However, it is not clear if the higher gas prices will significantly stifle the growth of the local economy.”

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

SHOW THEM THAT SOMEBODY CAIRS.--Community Assistance for International and Refugee Students (CAIRS) will conduct a yard sale from 8 a.m. until noon Saturday, April 28, at the St. Rose of Lima School gymnasium, 1601 N. Tennessee Blvd. in Murfreesboro. CAIRS is a not-for-profit organization that helps international students who are at MTSU on student visas or who have come to the U.S. permanently as refugees. Frequently, these students have no family support and work at minimum wage jobs to cover tuition with no money left over for health insurance or groceries. In the two short years CAIRS has been in existence, the fund has assisted MTSU students from India, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Turkey with small grants and loans. Donations will be accepted from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, April 27, at the gym. Volunteers are also welcome to pitch in and help. For more information, contact Karen Case at 615-427-9411 or kcase@mtsu.edu.

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT--Your musically talented youngster could produce his or her own CD before he graduates high school. Ryan York, a 21-year-old MTSU student and teacher of guitar, bass and drums lessons, continues his recording workshops for kids ages 12-17. For a fee of $125 per student, the kids will be introduced to cassette four-track recording, digital eight-track, computer recording, and electronic music. All proceeds will help pay for the equipment. The next workshop classes are slated for May 10 through June 17 on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons in the John Bragg Mass Communication Building at MTSU. Registration for these classes is in progress and will continue through April 30. The recording workshops are sponsored by the Youth Culture and Arts Center, a function of Youth Empowerment Through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), a nonprofit Murfreesboro-based organization. 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.

“DIVERSE TALES FOR DIVERSE TOTS”--The Diversity Subcommittee of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women is requesting donations of children’s books about any aspect of diversity now through April 27. The books could be old or new and for any age group. Gift certificates from your favorite bookstore also are welcome. These donations will be presented to MTSU’s Project HELP Program to help build up its new Dede Rucker Memorial Library collection. You can drop off your donations at several on-campus locations, including the Sociology and Anthropology mailroom (Room 335 in the Todd Building), the Upper Division English office (Room 323 in Peck Hall), the June Anderson Women’s Center (Room 206 of the James Union Building), and the Study Abroad office (Room 103A of Peck Hall. For more information, contact Dr. Ida Fadzillah at 615-904-8275 or ifadzill@mtsu.edu.

WE PAWS FOR THIS MESSAGE OF INTEREST.--MTSU’s Office of Student Organizations & Community Service will present the second annual See Spot Run at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 12, on campus. The 5K run/walk will give humans and their canine companions a chance to exercise at the same time. All proceeds, including entry fees, admissions, and sponsorships, will go to Habitat for Humanity. The goal is to raise the $50,000 necessary to sponsor a “blitz build,” an intensified construction effort, on campus. The entry fee is $15 before May 1 and $20 thereafter. Entry fees include T-shirts to the first 250 participants. Registration will begin at 6:30 a.m. on race day at Peck Hall. Also, registration is available at http://www.mtalumni.com or 615-898-5812.

ALL THAT JAZZ--MTSU faculty and student ensembles are slated to perform at JazzFest 2007 May 4 and 5 on the public square in Murfreesboro. More than 20,000 people attended last year’s event, which is free and open to the public. Seven high school jazz bands from Rutherford County will entertain in the Friday evening segment. Middle and high school bands from Murfreesboro and Nashville also will play Saturday on the second stage along with rising saxophone sensation Chris West, an MTSU jazz studies graduate, and the Music City Swing Band. Louis Hayes will cap the festival Saturday with his Cannonball Legacy Band, reviving the great sound of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet, with whom Hayes performed fro 1959-65. For more information, call 615-8995-1887 or go to http://www.mainstreetjazzfest.com.

PULL!--As part of the Blue Raider Athletic Association’s ongoing renewal phase for current members, the BRAA will sponsor the Shooting for Scholarships clay target event at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 28, at Big Springs Clay Targets south of Murfreesboro just off U.S. 41. Director Alan Farley says he is encouraging existing members to “renew and participate in the 110 percent club, giving 10 percent more than they did last year.” Farley says the BRAA, the Department of Athletics, and the Office of Alumni Relations are working to build chapters in surrounding areas, particularly Bedford, Cannon, Williamson, Davidson and Sumner counties. For more information about Shooting for Scholarships, call 615-898-2210 or go to http://www.goblueraiders.com.