Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Show me the money.

The Center for Public Integrity gives Tennessee an “F” for its lack of laws requiring the release of more of the governor’s personal financial information. Dr. Mark Byrnes, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, political science professor, and member of the Rutherford County School Board, says, “Tennessee has beefed up its disclosure requirements for office holders in recent years, but, as the report indicates, there probably is still room for improvement. Yet, the public’s desire for disclosure must be balanced with politicians’ desire for some level of privacy.” According to a report in the July 19 Tennessean, neither the governor nor other officials are required to reveal job titles for work done outside the Capitol; a description of investments and amounts invested; a description of outside employers; pay from outside employment; and spouses’ names.

Contact Byrnes at 615-898-2351.
mbyrnes@mtsu.edu

Unnecessary roughness

The National Football League will require neurological baseline testing for all players beginning this season in response to a University of North Carolina study of the lingering impact of concussions on former players. Repeat testing will be performed on players who sustain concussions. If these steps are not sufficient to bring about change, what should the players do? “The players should do their own investigation by talking with different athletic trainers and physicians, as well as performing their own research review or scientific literature search on the effects of repetitive trauma to the brain,” Dr. Helen Binkley, health and human performance, says. “The players may want to seek legal counsel to assist them in determining whether or not the protocols that their agency is following are meeting the current standards of care and recommendations from the professional medical specialists.”

Contact Binkley at 615-904-8192.
hbinkley@mtsu.edu

Stand and deliver

The MTSU McNair Program invites you to attend the 8th annual MTSU McNair Symposium Tuesday, July 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Tom H. Jackson Building. The McNair Program is designed to give low-income/first generation and underrepresented undergraduate students the support they need to prepare for and successfully complete a doctoral degree in their chosen fields. McNair scholars will make oral presentations of their 2007 summer research. Their research posters also will be on display.

For more information, contact the McNair office at 615-904-8462.
mcnair@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN--More than 300 cowpokes will be dusting off their finest Western duds to “Saddle Up for Project HELP” at the 2007 fundraiser, set for Thursday, July 26, at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum, 304-B W. Thompson Lane. The fun will get underway at 6:30 p.m. with event registration. A barbecue dinner will be served at 7 p.m., followed by live music and dancing. Silent auction bidding will close at 8:15 p.m., and auction checkout will be at 8:30 p.m. Items up for bid at the auction will include a $200 travel voucher from Southwest Airlines and a cosmetic laser facial package valued at $1,350 from Rejuvenate Cosmetic Laser Center. Founded in 1983, the nonprofit Project HELP provides early intervention and family support services to high-risk children, children with disabilities and children with developmental delays up to age 3. For ticket information, call 615-898-2458. For more on Project HELP, visit the Web site at http://www.mtsu.edu/~projhelp/.

RECORDING REDUX--It’s not too late to enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) recording workshops at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Aug. 10 for the upcoming Aug.16-Sept. 9 workshop in MTSU’s John Bragg Mass Communication Building. The workshop is for youngsters ages 12-17, and the fee is $125 per student. Classes are taught by Ryan York, a 21-year-old MTSU student and teacher of guitar, bass, and drums lessons at Chambers Guitars and Musical Instruments in Murfreesboro. Ryan will provide instruction in cassette four-track instruction, digital eight-track, computer recording and electronic music. All proceeds will benefit YCAC, a program of Youth Empowerment Through Arts and Humanities (YEAH), a nonprofit organization. Call 615-849-7140 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

CREATIVE KIDS--Generation for Creation (GFC), a nonprofit visual and performing arts program founded in 2001, is based in Murfreesboro and housed in the local Boys and Girls Club facility. GFC’s founder, Monica Johnson, is a 1996 MTSU graduate with a B.S. in psychology and minors in speech and theatre and biology. Johnson says she created GFC to help talented children reach their artistic dreams with encouragement and positive motivation. GFC’s annual Children’s Benefit Talent Show, featuring children in the categories of art, dance, drama, music and modeling, will get underway at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre. Miss USA 2000, Columbia native Lynette Cole, will host the event. Tickets are $10 each with discounts available for groups. For more information, call GFC at 615-890-7116. To request interviews with Johnson or with child participants, contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

GRISSOM AND WILLOWS, CALL YOUR OFFICE--For the first time, MTSU is introducing the CSI experience on campus. “CSI: MTSU” is a three-day program designed for eighth-grade students in Rutherford County and its surrounding area July 25-27. The goals of “CSI: MTSU” are to allow students to explore the many unique career possibilities in forensic science, to provide a “real life reason to tackle higher level math and science courses, and to develop skills in team work, seeing and understanding details, critical thinking, and presentations. The camp is co-sponsored by the Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE) and MTSU’s College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning. Due to space considerations, we are limited to 30 student investigators. The cost is $195 per student. Meals are included. Camp hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Students are to report to Room 313 in the Keathley University Center. To register or for more information, contact Eve Shockley at 615-898-2462 or eshockle@mtsu.edu.

UNCLE DAVE’S DAYS--With a focus on paying tribute to the beloved old-time music festival known as Uncle Dave Macon Days, the staff of The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County recently unveiled an exhibit titled “Uncle Dave Macon Days: Celebrating Old Time Music in Rutherford County.” Melissa A. Zimmerman, heritage programming specialist with MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, said the two-panel display offers viewers a bit of history, photographs and quotes from the earliest years of the festival to the present day. Located at 225 W. College St., the history-laden center also features photographs of Uncle Dave and his home as part of its newly opened display, “Entering the Modern Era: Murfreesboro’s Jazz Age.” Open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. each Monday through Friday, admission to the center is always free. For more information, call the center at 615-217-8013. Please direct any inquiries for jpegs for editorial use to the center’s staff or by e-mailing mzimmerm@mtsu.edu.