Thursday, August 30, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

It’s in the jeans.

There’s a new Levi’s 501 jeans TV commercial in which a guy opens up a box and takes out a new pair of jeans. As he pulls the pants on, the whole street rises up to meet him, including an attractive stranger. In one version of the ad, the stranger is a woman; in another version, the stranger is a handsome guy. The two walk off down the street together in both ads while exchanging knowing glances. The ad with the two guys is running only on Logo, the gay and lesbian channel, but Levi’s plans to air it on other channels with gay and straight audiences. Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, says he thinks we’ll see more overtly gay ads in the future. “The key is using the channel that delivers a very specific demo. … the same ads will find favor on Comedy Central, Cartoon Network’s ‘Adult Swim’ and even certain dayparts on Lifetime.”

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465.
pondillo@mtsu.edu

Diversity in the gallery

A variety of faculty-created works—from mixed-media installations, printmaking and sculptures to paintings and graphic-design imagery—is on display now through Sept. 4 in the Todd Gallery as part of the annual fall faculty art exhibition. Each year, one-half of the university’s art faculty members are invited to present new work to the MTSU campus and community at large. “This year’s faculty exhibit contains from 24 to 30 pieces,” says Dr. Lon Nuell, gallery curator. The gallery, which is located on the first floor of MTSU’s Todd Building, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Admission is free, and the exhibit is open to the public. The gallery will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3.

For more information, call 615-898-5653.

The past is prologue?

The Washington-based Center on Education Policy reports that only 47 percent of 12th graders tested know basic-level history, even though that’s up from 43 percent in 2001. Fourteen percent of high school seniors performed at or above the “proficient” level on National Assessment of Educational Progress Tests. Are college history professors seeing this reflected in the students they teach? Dr. Brenden Martin, history, says, “History professors have taken notice of the appalling lack of basic knowledge of U.S. and world history. While recent changes in curriculum standards and accountability promote ‘fact-based’ memorization of names, dates, and events, many students entering college still have difficulties understanding the relevance of history to their lives.”

Contact Martin at 615-898-2643.
cbmartin@mtsu.edu

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AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Is this guy related to George Blanda?

At the age of 59, Mike Flynt has tried out for and has made the roster of the football team at Sul Ross State, a Division III team in Alpine, Tex. Even though he’s a former strength and conditioning coach and knows the rigors of the game, how well can a 59-year-old body perform in intercollegiate football? Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says, “Given today’s scientific knowledge in nutrition and exercise science, it is not surprising that a person who maintains a very healthy lifestyle and engages in intensive physical training can compete in sport at an age we never thought possible a few years ago.”

Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

Pacific Gas & Electric offers a service in which customers get phone calls from the utility warning them in advance when electric prices are likely to rise. This enables consumers to vary their usage accordingly in order to save money. Dr. Chris Klein, management and marketing, says, “Lower prices, on average, will benefit consumers, BUT this is not all there is to it. Time-of-day pricing could result in very high prices during the peak demand hours. If consumers can adjust their use of electricity to avoid the peak, they will likely benefit. Consumers, for whatever reason, who are unable to adjust their use of electricity during the high-price periods could suffer. Plus, there is the general inconvenience for consumers of having them monitor the price continuously in order to adjust their electricity usage when prices are high.”

Contact Klein at 615-904-8570.
cklein@mtsu.edu

The mortgage mess

The housing market and the stock market have been affected adversely by a lot of subprime mortgages. Dr. Doug Timmons, economics and finance, says, “Subprime lending refers to the practice of making loans to borrowers who do not qualify for the best market rates because of their deficient credit history. Subprime lending is risky for both lenders and borrowers due to the combination of high interest rates, poor credit history, and murky financial situations often associated with subprime applicants. Subprime lending is highly controversial. Opponents have alleged that the subprime lending companies engage in predatory lending practices such as deliberately lending to borrowers who could never meet the terms of their loans.”

Contact Timmons at 615-898-5750.
jtimmons@mtsu.edu

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AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

You bet!

The Michael Vick dogfighting case and the Tim Donaghy scandal in the NBA have resulted in a new focus on sports gambling and its impact on the games. Justin Wolfers, a professor at Wharton School of Business, suggests that sports gambling should be prohibited on point spreads and over/under bets but should be legalized when it comes to betting on who wins and who loses. Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says, “Legalized sports betting may deter point shaving scandals that have occurred over the years, but it would do nothing to protect the integrity of sports. The NBA is reeling from its recent betting scandal involving one of its referees. Public trust in those associated with professional and collegiate sports is fragile as a result, so any type of sports betting could create distrust and damage the brand reputation of sports leagues.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

A bridge to nowhere?

The infrastructure issue that cost 13 people their lives in a bridge collapse in Minneapolis has come home to roost in Tennessee. Access to the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn., was shut down yesterday for nine hours because an inspector detected a slight shift in a pier in an approach to the main span. Dr. Heather Brown, director of MTSU’s Concrete Industry Management program, says, “The technology does exist to bring these bridges back to their intended design or, in many cases, an increase in design due to a higher volume of traffic. The federal government will have to make it a priority since most of the bridges are maintained by state and ultimately federal DOT (Department of Transportation).”

Contact Brown at 615-904-8060.
hjbrown@mtsu.edu

Wielkommen, bienvenue, welcome!

The MTSU Week of Welcome continues with Meet Murfreesboro from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Keathley University Center courtyard today and tomorrow. At 8 o’clock tomorrow night in Murphy Center, comedian Finesse Mitchell will entertain. On Thursday, Aug. 30, the Blue Raider Bash and the Big Fat Raider Bake-Off will take place at 5:30 p.m. beside Cummings Hall. On Saturday, Sept. 1, at 3 p.m. CDT, the MTSU Blue Raiders will take on the Florida Atlantic Owls in Boca Raton, Fla. Media welcomed.

Contact Rob Patterson, Coordinator of New Student and Family Programs, at 615-898-2454.
rpatters@mtsu.edu

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AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

That stupid jacka .. — Oh, good morning, boss!

A new book titled Speechless: The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace details the stifling of employees’ First Amendment rights at work and how employers use the likelihood of reprisal to create a chilling effect. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment scholar, who helped author Bruce Barry with one chapter, says, “Even public employees have limited free-speech rights in the workplace under the First Amendment after the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006). Under that decision, public employees generally do not have First Amendment protection for ‘job-related’ speech. The decision has led to many public employees losing their free-speech cases in federal courts across the country.”

Contact Hudson at 615-727-1600.
dhudson@freedomforum.org

The marriage of sulfur and mercury

Cinnabar is more than just a great place to get delicious sticky buns. It’s also the name of a mineral “that results from a one-to-one marriage of mercury and sulfur atoms,” says Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry. “However, while less unstable than a lovers’ triangle, even the most rock solid marriage may not be able to resist all possible stresses and strains. For instance, when scarlet-red crystals of cinnabar are crushed and heated in gigantic ‘roasters,’ they decompose into mercury and sulfur. The sulfur will burn in the air, giving off the same sharp odor that you smell after lighting a match—sulfur dioxide—resulting in acidic depositions downwind of the mine.”

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

Book smart

According to a May 2007 study released by The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, a federal committee chartered by Congress, the “first-time, full-time students spent a total of $898 at four-year public colleges and $886 at two-year public colleges on book and supplies in 2003-04.” Dr. Janet Belsky, professor of psychology and textbook author, says the suggestion from some that texts be “farmed out to writing committees to get rid of those so-called greedy publishers and authors” is unfathomable, as is the idea that a professor would instruct his or her students to merely “look this stuff up on the Internet; don’t bother buying the book.” Such suggestions make sense, Belsky reasons, “only if we want to lose the essence of what education is all about—enticing students to love to learn!”

Contact Belsky at 615-898-5935.
jbelsky@mtsu.edu

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AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The future of preserving the past

How do you keep up with the latest technological advancements in storing data, audio and pictures? If you’re an individual, you might only have to spend a few dollars. But local, state and federal governments face a much more massive task. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says, “Both the National Archives and the Library of Congress have specialshops that maintain obsolete equipment that can even read the wax cylinders such as Thomas Edison first used more than a century ago. Since then, the pace of obsolescence has increased and digital records are being lost every day. And without access to that information, numerous files such as medical benefits, veterans’ files and property records could be lost.”

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

Sa-a-a-a-a-a-a-lute!

MTSU’s Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) will have a brief swearing-in ceremony for its new cadets beginning at 9:30 a.m. today, Friday, Aug. 24. The ceremony will take place outside Forrest Hall. This will be an opportunity to interview and photograph students who plan to become future military leaders and personnel.

For more information, contact Lt. Col. Mike Walsh or Maj. Chuck Giles at 615-898-2470 or Randy Weiler in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

Welcome to the Hotel Rwanda.

Paul Rusesabagina (Roo-SESS-eh-bah-GEE-nah), the hero of the movie “Hotel Rwanda” and author of An Ordinary Man, will be the speaker at this year’s University Convocation at 2 p.m. Sunday, August 26, at Murphy Center. Rusesabagina, a native of Rwanda, saved 1,268 of his countrymen and women during a 100-day siege of genocidal madness in 1994 that left nearly one million people dead. The hotel manager turned the luxurious Hotel Milles Collines into a refuge for Tutsi and moderate Hutus while fending off their would-be killers with a combination of diplomacy and deception. The University Convocation is free and open to the public. First-year students are expected to attend; their families and members of the MTSU and Murfreesboro communities are welcome to attend.

Call 615-898-2454 for more information, or visit http://www.mtsunews.com/.

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AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

FOOTBALL FEST--This year, the MTSU Rutherford County Alumni Chapter’s annual Pigskin Pregame will be held Saturday, Aug. 25, to kick off the football season. The event will be held at the home of Terry and Lisa Haynes, who live at 1707 Riverview Dr. in Murfreesboro. Tickets for the event, which will run from 7 until 11 p.m., will be $25 if purchased by Aug. 22 (TODAY) or $30 at the door. The ticket price includes an exclusive preview of one of Murfreesboro’s newest restaurants, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, wine, beer truck, soft drinks, music, door prizes and more. All proceeds will benefit the Rutherford County Alumni Chapter Scholarship Fund. The Blue Raiders will open the season Saturday, Sept. 1, at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton. Call 1-800-533-6878 or visit http://www.mtalumni.com/ for information or tickets. To interview Paul Wydra, assistant director, Office of Alumni Relations, or Ginger Freeman, director of the office, call 615-898-2922.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Hip-hop history

For the third time at MTSU, Dr. Felicia Miyakawa, assistant professor of music, will teach her unique course titled “Hip-hop Music and Culture” this fall semester. According to her syllabus, students will be expected to “be able to trace the development of hip-hop culture from the early years (the early 1970s) to the present and be able to identify major moments and figures within this chronology, be able to discuss how hip-hop culture took shape not only in New York, but also in other parts of the United States (and elsewhere), understand and be able to articulate major themes and issues of hip-hop culture, be able to recognize core songs from rap history upon hearing short musical excerpts, and be able to discuss the broader cultural context for hip-hop music and culture at specific moments in American history.”

Contact Miyakawa at 615-904-8043.
miyakawa@mtsu.edu

Dedicated

The dedication of the Sam H. Ingram Building at MTSU will be held today at 3 p.m. in the refurbished facility at 2269 Middle Tennessee Boulevard, formerly the home of the Middle Tennessee Baptist Church. The event is open to the community. Dr. Ingram was the sixth president of MTSU, serving from 1979 to 1989. Earlier in his career, he served as education dean at MTSU, then left to become the first president of Motlow State Community College in Tullahoma. Prior to his return to MTSU, Ingram served a four-year term as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education. Media welcomed.

For more information, contact Tom Tozer in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5131.

Do the digital

Wal-Mart has started selling some digital songs online for 94 cents each, which is less than the iTunes price. There are no copy restrictions on the Wal-Mart music, so consumers can burn the songs onto CDs, download them to their devices, and send themon the Internet. Also, RealNetworks says it will sell songs over the Verizon Wireless network. Ken Sanney, recording industry, says he thinks this bodes well for the business.
“With the closing of Tower Records in the U.S. market on December 22, 2006, the brick-and-mortar business model of retail music took its last breath,” Sanney says. “To survive the digital revolution, the established record labels need to harness the vast revenues available in the digital marketplace. Failure to do so will mean certain death.”

Contact Sanney at 615-456-6502.
ksanney@mtsu.edu

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AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

EIGHT DAYS A WEEK—ER, MAKE THAT TWELVE--Where does a week equal 12 days? At MTSU, where the 2007 Week of Welcome will begin this Friday, Aug. 24, with the all-day We-Haul (moving into the dorms), dinner and music at the Quad, a performance by Floyd the Barber at 6 p.m., and a free movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” at 8 p.m. We-Haul continues Saturday, Aug. 25, when there will be information booths set up from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., a dinner and a street fair starting at 6 p.m. behind Corlew Hall. The culmination of the Week of Welcome will be the Blue Raiders’ second football game of the season. They’ll take on the University of Louisville Cardinals in Louisville, Ky. Thursday, Sept. 6. Contact Rob Patterson, Coordinator of New Student and Family Programs, at 615-898-2454 or rpatters@mtsu.edu.

FOOTBALL FEST--This year, the MTSU Rutherford County Alumni Chapter’s annual Pigskin Pregame will be held Saturday, Aug. 25, to kick off the football season. The event will be held at the home of Terry and Lisa Haynes, who live at 1707 Riverview Dr. in Murfreesboro. Tickets for the event, which will run from 7 until 11 p.m., will be $25 if purchased by Aug. 22 (TODAY) or $30 at the door. The ticket price includes an exclusive preview of one of Murfreesboro’s newest restaurants, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, wine, beer truck, soft drinks, music, door prizes and more. All proceeds will benefit the Rutherford County Alumni Chapter Scholarship Fund. The Blue Raiders will open the season Saturday, Sept. 1, at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton. Call 1-800-533-6878 or visit http://www.mtalumni.com for information or tickets. To interview Paul Wydra, assistant director, Office of Alumni Relations, or Ginger Freeman, director of the office, call 615-898-2922.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Football fest

This year, the MTSU Rutherford County Alumni Chapter’s annual Pigskin Pregame will be held Saturday, Aug. 25, to kick off the football season. The event will be held at the home of Terry and Lisa Haynes, who live at 1707 Riverview Dr. in Murfreesboro. Tickets for the event, which will run from 7 until 11 p.m., will be $25 if purchased by Aug. 22 (TODAY) or $30 at the door. The ticket price includes an exclusive preview of one of Murfreesboro’s newest restaurants, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, wine, beer truck, soft drinks, music, door prizes and more. All proceeds will benefit the Rutherford County Alumni Chapter Scholarship Fund. The Blue Raiders will open the season Saturday, Sept. 1, at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton.

Call 1-800-533-6878 or visit http://www.mtalumni.com for information or tickets.
To interview Paul Wydra, assistant director, Office of Alumni Relations, or Ginger Freeman, director of the office, call 615-898-2922.

An historic moment

MTSU’s Department of History has its first permanent female chair ever. Dr. Amy Staples has been named to lead the department of 64 faculty members following a national search. Her specialties are post-1945 U.S. history and U.S. diplomatic history. Staples says one of her goals for the department is to see the first student graduate with a Ph.D. in public history in December 2007. Beyond this, “Some of my longer-term department goals are to develop stronger ties with our alumni and to develop a stronger extracurricular support network for our history majors … (such as) workshops on career and graduate school opportunities, resources for our majors doing their student teaching and an annual conference for students to present their research,” Staples says.

To arrange an interview with Staples, contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu.

Not as a stranger

One of today’s most widely used gases was named for the Greek word for “stranger” because originally it was thought that the gas could not bond with other elements. British chemist Neil Bartlett dispelled this notion about xenon in 1962. “The brightness of discharges from electrically excited xenon gas makes it useful in strobe lights and bactericidal lamps, not to mention safer night driving in a Mercedes-Benz,” says Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry. “In 1971, Russian scientists discovered a new kind of laser that emitted intense beams of ultraviolet light. They called it an excimer laser because the light originated from excited dimers of xenon atoms.” Argon fluoride excimer lasers are used to etch and sketch microscopic transistors and circuits on silicon computer chips.

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


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AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

EIGHT DAYS A WEEK—ER, MAKE THAT TWELVE--Where does a week equal 12 days? At MTSU, where the 2007 Week of Welcome will begin this Friday, Aug. 24, with the all-day We-Haul (moving into the dorms), dinner and music at the Quad, a performance by Floyd the Barber at 6 p.m., and a free movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” at 8 p.m. We-Haul continues Saturday, Aug. 25, when there will be information booths set up from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., a dinner and a street fair starting at 6 p.m. behind Corlew Hall. The culmination of the Week of Welcome will be the Blue Raiders’ second football game of the season. They’ll take on the University of Louisville Cardinals in Louisville, Ky. Thursday, Sept. 6. Contact Rob Patterson, Coordinator of New Student and Family Programs, at 615-898-2454 or rpatters@mtsu.edu.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Eight days a week—er, make that twelve

Where does a week equal 12 days? At MTSU, where the 2007 Week of Welcome will begin this Friday, Aug. 24, with the all-day We-Haul (moving into the dorms), dinner and music at the Quad, a performance by Floyd the Barber at 6 p.m., and a free movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” at 8 p.m. We-Haul continues Saturday, Aug. 25, when there will be information booths set up from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., a dinner and a street fair starting at 6 p.m. behind Corlew Hall. The culmination of the Week of Welcome will be the Blue Raiders’ second football game of the season. They’ll take on the University of Louisville Cardinals in Louisville, Ky. Thursday, Sept. 6.

Contact Rob Patterson, Coordinator of New Student and Family Programs, at 615-898-2454.
rpatters@mtsu.edu

Take care.

Along with a word of welcome comes a word of warning to students moving into dormitory rooms this week. Sarah Sudak, Executive Director of Housing Administration, says, “We advise (students) to lock their cars and not keep valuables out in the open in their cars (i.e., don’t lead CDs, cell phones, change on the front seat). We encourage them to meet their Adopt-a-Cop so they have a point of contact to report suspicious activity, and we encourage them to call the hall staff or the police when they see anything out of the ordinary on their floor or their building.”

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

Grumpy Old Party?

None of the Republican candidates for president appears to have captured the imagination of the party faithful, says Dr. John Vile, chair of the Department of Political Science. “(Rudolph) Giuliani … does not seem to have captured the hearts of the party activists,” Vile says. “John McCain is perceived as a maverick, and is older than the typical candidate. (Fred) Thompson could be very well positioned in this situation. In contrast to (Al) Gore, I believe he would easily carry Tennessee. He would likely have wider appeal throughout the South. He does not give the impression of being as ambitious as Hillary Clinton (His decision to step down from the Senate after eight years could be a real plus here.), which could provide a good contrast in a head-to-head competition. He is older and arguably more mature than Barack Obama, allowing voters who wanted to ‘pass’ on Obama until he had more experience to do so.”

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

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FROM RUSSIA WITH MUSIC--MTSU’s budding relationships with Russian institutions of higher learning will come into full flower Aug. 21 with the arrival of five graduate students from State University of Management in Moscow. The Russian students will enhance their pursuit of master’s degrees in music management under the auspices of the Department of Recording Industry. Next summer, several MTSU students will reciprocate by going to Moscow and St. Petersburg to study. “We hope it is just the beginning of large-scale cooperation with Russian schools,” says Dr. Andrei Korobkov, associate professor of political science and a member of the MTSU delegation that visited Russia last summer. Some 12 agreements have been signed with institutions in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad. Contact Korobkov at 615-898-2945 or korobkov@mtsu.edu.

AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

From Russia with music

MTSU’s budding relationships with Russian institutions of higher learning will come into full flower Aug. 21 with the arrival of five graduate students from State University of Management in Moscow. The Russian students will enhance their pursuit of master’s degrees in music management under the auspices of the Department of Recording Industry. Next summer, several MTSU students will reciprocate by going to Moscow and St. Petersburg to study. “We hope it is just the beginning of large-scale cooperation with Russian schools,” says Dr. Andrei Korobkov, associate professor of political science and a member of the MTSU delegation that visited Russia last summer. Some 12 agreements have been signed with institutions in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad.

Contact Korobkov at 615-898-2945.
korobkov@mtsu.edu

Stairway to the stars

Second-phase construction on MTSU’s Uranidrome will be completed around December 2007, but could extend until summer or fall 2008, says Dr. Eric Klumpe, physics and astronomy. The astronomical observatory is 90 feet in diameter with 12 columns, each precisely aligned with the Earth and the heavens. The columns are inscribed with information about the sun, the moon, Earth and other planets, as well as Pluto. The observatory also features a color-coded system for finding the North Star, while columns to the east and west are aligned with the spring and autumn equinox. Earlier this year, the Uranidrome earned an Honor Award for Engineering Excellence for Hart Freeland Roberts Inc., a Nashville-based engineering firm.

Contact Klumpe at 615-898-2483.
eklumpe@mtsu.edu

Playing it by the book

With students preparing to return to MTSU for the fall semester, they’re lining up to buy their textbooks now. For years, textbook authors have been pinned with a considerable share of the blame for ever-increasing textbook prices, observes Dr. Janet Belsky, professor of psychology and textbook author. But she says, “You can’t make money from writing textbooks. Hour by hour, (writing a text pays the author) less than minimum wage, even for a potentially blockbuster, huge-market book.” Specifically, she adds, for her latest title, Experiencing the Lifespan (Bedford, Freeman & Worth), which garnered a five-star reviewer rating on Amazon.com, writing a text is a labor of love, not one undertaken for money.

Contact Belsky at 615-898-5935.
jbelsky@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the “Summer of Love,” the culmination of the hippie counterculture, which will be celebrated with a free concert in San Francisco this Sunday. Dr. Paul Fischer, recording industry, was only 10 at the time, but his parents made the trek to San Francisco along with thousands of others. “In short, California’s newly psychedelic subculture was forced into the mainstream by the media that summer,” Fischer says. “October saw a solemn procession into Golden Gate Park proclaiming ‘The Death of Hippie,’ lamenting the commodification and commercialization of the Free Love ethos. 1967’s ‘Summer of Love’ is when America became aware of the rising youth culture of the Baby Boomers and succeeded in blunting its impact with overattention.”

Contact Fischer at 615-898-5470.
pfischer@mtsu.edu

Happy birthday, India!

India is embarking on her 61st year of independence from British rule. Dr. Anantha Babbili, dean of the College of Mass Communication, says his native country has managed to thrive as a democracy, despite numerous ups and downs. “Turbulent years of finding its identity as a modern nation have [thrust] India to its rightful seat at the table of world's powerful countries,” Babbili says. “India is now a rising economic power positioned to be a major player in high-tech innovations, low-cost medicines and best of health care. Managing a growing population, that shot past 1.2 billion, will remain her top priority. But, politically she remains stable and continues to address the challenges of poverty and disparities between the rich and the poor.”

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

Pound for pound

By the year 2015, 75 percent of U.S. adults will be overweight and 41 percent will be obese if they continue gaining weight at the current rate, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Lisa Sheehan-Smith, human sciences, says program initiatives to reverse this trend should be family- and community-based. “One particular program that is a collaborative effort among several area community agencies (including MTSU faculty) and sponsored by the Discovery Center is ‘Discovering Healthy Families.’ It is an education program designed for families to teach the entire family how to live a healthier life. We emphasize becoming more physically active and preparing tasty, nutritious meals as a family. The pilot program indicated promising initial results.”

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

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AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Made in China

The Chinese trade surplus expanded to $112 billion in the first half of this year. That’s about 85 percent larger than for the same period in 2006. Even as questions about defective products continue to swirl, the economy continues to boom. Dr. Jinfeng Yue, management and marketing, says, “China’s economy highly depends on its exports and global demand for “made-in-China” manufacturing products. … Since it is expected that China’s currency will further appreciate against other major currencies (especially the U.S. dollar) in the near future, many international companies like to order now instead of order later to pay more. The short-term effect will still cause fast economic growth, just like what we have observed.”

Contact Yue at 615-898-5126.
jyue@mtsu.edu

The war on the wall

For local artist Erin Anfinson, the Civil War has become palpable via paint. Anfinson, an assistant professor of art at MTSU, has been commissioned to create a history-themed mural at The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. “This experience makes the Civil War much more tangible than I’ve experienced before,” Anfinson says. The work, which is funded by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, will be on display at the center’s main exhibit gallery as part of a permanent Civil War exhibit for the City of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. While the mural has not yet been named, the exhibit is slated to be titled “The Time That Changed Everything: Murfreesboro’s Civil War Era.”

To request an interview with Anfinson, contact Lisa L. Rollins at 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu
For more information on the center, call 615-217-8013.

Murdoch madness

Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of the Wall Street Journal is an example of “cross ownership” at its worst, says Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication. “Haven’t we already seen that media conglomeration has been a bone-headed notion these past 14 years?” Pondillo asks. “This outrageous and dangerous deal should send a clear message to the U.S. Congress and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission)—it’s time to stop American media consolidation and pass new laws dismantling or at least highly circumscribing ‘cross ownership’ of media. A corporation should not be permitted to own a national news network and a national newspaper. Why? Concentrated power.”

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465.
pondillo@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The fog of studying war

A study by the Dr. Patricia Sullivan of the University of Georgia says that the world’s most powerful nations failed to achieve their objectives in 39 percent of their military operations since World War II, despite their military superiority. But Dr. Derek Frisby, assistant professor of history and Desert Storm veteran, questions the study’s conclusions. He says, “Dr. Sullivan’s reduction of warfare to a few quantitative variables and a formula to predict the outcomes of military operations appears to misinterpret or fail to appreciate the nature of warfare … Sullivan’s hypotheses, while engaging and thought-provoking, reduce the human factor in warfare whenever possible, except for determining ‘target compliance,’ or the willingness of the enemy to accept the major actor’s objectives and aims.”

Contact Frisby at 615-494-8856.
dfrisby@mtsu.edu

Don’t drop out—drop in!

As youngsters across the state return to school for a new academic year, their teachers are concerned about statistics that show about three out of 10 American ninth-graders don’t graduate with their class. Dr. Ellen Slicker, psychology, says, “More individualized counseling assistance for students and parenting education for their parents can help these students to fulfill their outside needs that are distracting them from benefiting from their educations. … In addition, emphasizing to parents the importance of their children remaining in school and helping the parents to locate other sources of social and financial support can be the role of the school, as well.”

Contact Slicker at 615-898-5966.
eslicker@mtsu.edu

Five-yard penalty—too many rules on the field

After a study by the University of North Carolina concluded that NFL players who suffer at least three concussions triple their risk for neurological disorders, the league embarked on its own study. But since it could be two to three years before those results will be available, why not adopt the position of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA)? Dr. Helen Binkley, health and human performance, says, “This statement provides recommendations on defining and recognizing concussions, evaluation and making return-to-play decisions, concussion assessment tools, when to refer an athlete to a physician after a concussion, when to disqualify an athlete, home care and equipment issues.”

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

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WORKING IT OUT--Labor and management are celebrating “20 years of listening, learning and leading in collaboration” this year at the Tennessee Labor-Management Conference Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 15-17. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, 777 McGavock Pike in Nashville, and is expected to draw more than 500 attendees. “Labor-Management participants at the August conference will have the opportunity to discuss possible solutions to problems in the health care, pension, and other workplace areas,” says Dr. Barbara Haskew, director of the MTSU-headquartered Tennessee Center for Labor-Management Relations and professor of economics. Contact Catherine Sutton at 615-895-4166.

AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Audio augmentation

Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 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 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

Over the counter and onto the streets

Should access to a legitimate over-the-counter drug be limited because it is used to make an illegal drug? That’s what some stores in Texas are doing with Tylenol PM because it is crushed and mixed with heroin to create a street drug called “cheese.” Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, says, “Limiting access to Tylenol PM is not a solution to this problem. Users will simply turn to another product or steal Tylenol PM in order to acquire it. Once again, the use of cheese is not the problem but the symptom of some other problem. It also may be one of the many drug phenomena in which a drug trend emerges, hangs around awhile and then goes away … depending on how much publicity it received through the media.”

Contact Winborn at 615-898-5110.
jwinborn@mtsu.edu

Whither the Web?

The National Association of Broadcasters says SoundExchange, the organization that collects royalties from Webcasters, is not acting in good faith to settle a dispute about royalty rates. Ken Sanney, adjunct recording industry professor, says proposed new rates, including retroactive royalties, would have resulted in a flurry of bankruptcies. “Even though the Recording Industry Association of America and SoundExchange were the clear victors of the Copyright Royalty Board’s new rate, in the end, however, collecting on this victory would have been akin to fratricide,” Sanney says. “The uncertainty of when … a solution will be reached and the actual details of such a deal are going to dampen any investment in this industry.”

Contact Sanney at 615-456-6502.
ksanney@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

WORKING IT OUT--Labor and management are celebrating “20 years of listening, learning and leading in collaboration” this year at the Tennessee Labor-Management Conference Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 15-17. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, 777 McGavock Pike in Nashville, and is expected to draw more than 500 attendees. “Labor-Management participants at the August conference will have the opportunity to discuss possible solutions to problems in the health care, pension, and other workplace areas,” says Dr. Barbara Haskew, director of the MTSU-headquartered Tennessee Center for Labor-Management Relations and professor of economics. Contact Catherine Sutton at 615-895-4166.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A bridge too far

With the flurry of bridge inspections at the state and federal level following the tragedy in Minneapolis, increases in demand for cement and steel are expected. Dr. Heather Brown, director of MTSU’s Concrete Industry Management program, says, “There are a lot of material shortage issues—cement and steel, in particular, but also aggregate. This is compounded with the rate of construction internationally already. Maintenance can sometimes take a back seat to new construction and, in times of material shortages, that is detrimental. Many of the country’s bridges have or will reach their design life, and a massive overhaul has been on everyone’s radar screen since 2000.”

Contact Brown at 615-904-8060.
hjbrown@mtsu.edu

Working it out

Labor and management are celebrating “20 years of listening, learning and leading in collaboration” this year at the Tennessee Labor-Management Conference Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 15-17. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, 777 McGavock Pike in Nashville, and is expected to draw more than 500 attendees. “Labor-Management participants at the August conference will have the opportunity to discuss possible solutions to problems in the health care, pension, and other workplace areas,” says Dr. Barbara Haskew, director of the MTSU-headquartered Tennessee Center for Labor-Management Relations and professor of economics.

Contact Catherine Sutton at 615-895-4166.

YouTube or YutzTube?

Purdue University researchers have created a simulation of the 9-11 attack and have posted it on YouTube. They hope it will help in the design of safer buildings in the future. When Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, checked it out, more than 4,000 responses had been posted. “Two of those refer to ‘idiots’ who posted other comments,” Burriss says of some of the responses he read. “One of the other comments talks about how fire can’t burn wood; a couple of others purport to have this or that proof of one of the multiple conspiracy theories about the attack.” He was struck by the vitriol, the lack of reasoning and the poor writing. “I thought we had become educated enough so that when we had something to say, we made sure it was logical, was spelled correctly and made grammatical sense. And I thought we had moved away from name-calling. I guess I was wrong.”

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

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BLUE RAIDER BLASTS--MTSU is offering a chance for all alumni, friends and fans to preview the 2007-08 athletic season at Blue Raider Blasts. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MT head coaches Rick Stockstill (football), Kermit Davis (men’s basketball), Rick Insell (women’s basketball), Steve Peterson (baseball) and MTSU student-athletes will be on hand to meet and greet Blue Raider fans Thursday, Aug. 9, on the Cannon County Courthouse Square in Woodbury; and Thursday, Aug. 23, on the historic Rutherford County Courthouse Square in Murfreesboro. Admission is free to all blasts, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will feature inflatables, face painting, giveaways, and food. Call 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or visit www.mtalumni.com for details.

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.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Yo QB wat up?

The NCAA has approved a new rule prohibiting college coaches in all sports from sending text messages to recruits. However, recruits may send as many text messages to coaches as they wish. The regulations pertaining to phone calls, letters, faxes, and e-mails will not change. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and scholar at the First Amendment Center in Nashville, says, “The NCAA rule proceeds from the laudable interest in protecting young persons from harassment, but banning a particular medium of expression raises important First Amendment concerns. Of course, the threshold question is whether the NCAA is a state actor, triggering the protections of the Bill of Rights.”

Contact Hudson at 615-727-1600.
dhudson@freedomforum.org

From the Middle East to the Midstate

In one short year, MTSU’s fledgling Middle East Center has accomplished the approval of an interdisciplinary minor in Middle East studies, an introductory course in the subject, classes in first-year Arabic and Hebrew and a community outreach program aimed at middle school and high school teachers. In addition, several accomplished scholars were brought to campus. Plans are underway to bring Dr. Abdul Aziz Said, founder of American University’s Center for Global Peace, and Dr. Robert Satloff, Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, to MTSU this fall in conjunction with conferences on diversity and the Holocaust, respectively. In addition, MTSU will co-sponsor an international conference in Tangier next May.

Contact Dr. Allen Hibbard, English professor and center director, at 615-898-2665.
ahibbard@mtsu.edu

Summer by the numbers

An MTSU Enrollment Services official says the university’s Information Technology Division has submitted a headcount of 8,845 students attending classes this summer to the Tennessee Board of Regents. Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services, says the submitted total is a 2.7 percent decrease from the summer of 2006 when 9,080 students were enrolled. “Historically, summer enrollment increases one year and decreases the next,” she says. The 97 first-time freshmen attending summer classes represent 22 more than the 75 who attended in 2006. “Some students want to begin taking classes in summer to get started on their academic career,” Huddleston says.

Contact Huddleston at 615-898-2828.
shuddles@mtsu.edu

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BLUE RAIDER BLASTS--MTSU is offering a chance for all alumni, friends and fans to preview the 2007-08 athletic season at Blue Raider Blasts. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MT head coaches Rick Stockstill (football), Kermit Davis (men’s basketball), Rick Insell (women’s basketball), Steve Peterson (baseball) and MTSU student-athletes will be on hand to meet and greet Blue Raider fans Thursday, Aug. 9, on the Cannon County Courthouse Square in Woodbury; and Thursday, Aug. 23, on the historic Rutherford County Courthouse Square in Murfreesboro. Admission is free to all blasts, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will feature inflatables, face painting, giveaways, and food. Call 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or visit www.mtalumni.com for details.

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.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The Volunteer-to-be-on-the-ticket State

While avoiding a Shermanesque statement of denial, Al Gore continues to shy away from talk of running for president again, even though “Draft Gore” Web sites are on the Internet. On the other hand, the man who filled his Senate seat, Fred Thompson, is more popular in the polls than some announced contenders for the GOP presidential nomination. Dr. John Vile, chair of the political science department, says, “There were three Tennesseans (all born in North Carolina) who became president in the 19th century, but none has done so since. In recent years, however, Tennessee has had a fair number of ‘bridesmaids’ who have been suggested for the presidential or vice presidential spot, including Estes Kefauver, Frank Clement, Howard Baker, Lamar Alexander, Al Gore (who, of course got the Democratic nomination and a majority of popular votes), and Bill Frist.”

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

Alum chums

The MTSU National Alumni Association recently inducted 15 new members to the Board of Directors. Members are selected via written nominations. “We are very excited about our new members,” said Devin McClendon, 2007-08 president of the National Alumni Association. “Each person brings a diverse background and different experiences from their time at MTSU.” The new members hail from Murfreesboro, Estill Springs, Chattanooga, Lascassas, Brentwood, Woodbury, and Clarksville. Each member is asked to serve a three-year term. The mission of the National Alumni Association Board of Directors is to develop and foster sound relationships between MTSU and its alumni and to provide a strong force for the advancement and support of the university.

Contact Ginger Freeman at 615-898-2922 or visit http://www.mtalumni.com.

Calling Ready Kilowatt

A recent USAToday article says so-called “smart meters” offered by Pacific Gas & Electric allow customers to pay different prices at different times of the day. Some consumers have cut their monthly bills by 10 percent or more. Dr. Chris Klein, economics and finance, says, “My take on it is that there are benefits to the electric company through ‘load management’ that can lower its costs. This could reduce the overall or average price of electricity—or keep it from rising too quickly—in the long run.” But Klein warns that consumers must adjust their use of electricity during peak demand hours in order to benefit from this innovation.

Contact Klein at 615-904-8570.
cklein@mtsu.edu


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BLUE RAIDER BLASTS--MTSU is offering a chance for all alumni, friends and fans to preview the 2007-08 athletic season at Blue Raider Blasts. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MT head coaches Rick Stockstill (football), Kermit Davis (men’s basketball), Rick Insell (women’s basketball), Steve Peterson (baseball) and MTSU student-athletes will be on hand to meet and greet Blue Raider fans Thursday, Aug. 9, on the Cannon County Courthouse Square in Woodbury; and Thursday, Aug. 23, on the historic Rutherford County Courthouse Square in Murfreesboro. Admission is free to all blasts, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will feature inflatables, face painting, giveaways, and food. Call 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or visit www.mtalumni.com for details.

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.

Monday, Aug. 6. 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Financial exposure

Do Tennessee voters have the right to know what sort of pay the governor might get from outside employment or what’s in his investment portfolio? The Center for Public Integrity thinks so. That’s why the nonprofit interest group gave Tennessee an “F” in its recent report card, which judged the states on how transparent they are in this area. Currently, Tennessee department heads, constitutional officers and lawmakers are required to fill out a four-page disclosure form. Dr. Mark Byrnes is assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts, a political science professor and a member of the Rutherford County School Board. He says, “We should not make disclosure requirements so onerous that they discourage people from seeking public office. It may take some time to strike an appropriate balance.” However, he admits there probably is room for improvement.

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

Khat spat

Some interest groups assert that crack cocaine users and sellers are targeted more vigorously by law enforcement than users and sellers of powdered cocaine because more crack users tend to be black and more powder users tend to be white. Currently, the DEA is targeting users and sellers of khat, a plant grown in the horn of Africa and used in this country mostly by African immigrants. Its proponents insist it is no more harmful that a cup of strong coffee. Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, says, “The active stimulant ingredients in these substances are relatively harmless …” He adds, “The legality of a drug is often influenced more by who tends to use it than the dangers the drug poses.”

Contact Winborn at 615-898-5110.
jwinborn@mtsu.edu

Get the lead out!

Why is it so hard to remove lead from the components of electronic devices? Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says, “Tin-lead alloys are used to secure, or solder, the connections that profusely decorate electronic circuit boards … Without the lead, pure tin films sprout whiskers that grow very irregularly … Even if they grow a fraction of a millimeter a year, that can be catastrophic because electronic components in microchips are very close together. And, since tin is a metal, if the growing ends of whiskers that are sprouting from different components, touch each other, the entire device can short-circuit.”

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

TR EXTRA

BLUE RAIDER BLASTS--MTSU is offering a chance for all alumni, friends and fans to preview the 2007-08 athletic season at Blue Raider Blasts. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MT head coaches Rick Stockstill (football), Kermit Davis (men’s basketball), Rick Insell (women’s basketball), Steve Peterson (baseball) and MTSU student-athletes will be on hand to meet and greet Blue Raider fans Thursday, Aug. 9, on the Cannon County Courthouse Square in Woodbury; and Thursday, Aug. 23, on the historic Rutherford County Courthouse Square in Murfreesboro. Admission is free to all blasts, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will feature inflatables, face painting, giveaways, and food. Call 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or visit www.mtalumni.com for details.

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.

Friday, Aug. 3, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

They distort, you decide?

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, the owner of the parent company of Fox News Channel, has purchased the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for a reported $5.6 billion. Will the venerable economic newspaper of record be subject to the sensationalism of Murdoch’s other properties? Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, says, “Murdoch is not shy about using his media outlets to push his own narrowly constructed ideologies, despite his protests to the contrary regarding the WSJ. He owns it; he’ll do whatever he wants with it … especially after this media glare subsides.” (Incidentally, The Guardian reports that a member of the panel established to protect the Journal’s editorial integrity runs a foundation that received a $2.5 million donation from Murdoch’s News Corporation.)

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465.
pondillo@mtsu.edu

Back to school

It’s an exciting way to kick off a new school year! It’s the Back to School Celebration at MTSU’s Murphy Center from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. The mission of the celebration is to bring together Pre-K-through-12 students “together with the broader community in a broader understanding of the honor of an education,” according to http://www.newschoolyear.com. Special guests include Bruce Degen, author/illustrator of the “Magic School Bus” series, Miss Tennessee 2007 Grace Gore, and Melissa Penry of WKRN-TV.

To download a ticket or for more information, go to the Web site cited above, or call 615-904-9664.

Shhh! It’s confidential!

The increased emphasis on privacy rights in recent years has resulted in legislation to protect those rights. The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), which went into effect in 2003, is an example. But what happens when a court requires knowledge of those medical records that HIPPA was passed to protect? Ken Sanney, adjunct professor of recording industry and an attorney who deals with such issues, says, “Having a closed session to review medical records is a common practice in the judicial system that is known as an ‘in camera’ review. Such closed sessions are intended to protect the privacy of the individual while at the same time allowing the government access to records necessary to carry out their judicial or administrative functions.”

Contact Sanney at 615-456-6502.
ksanney@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

BLUE RAIDER BLASTS--MTSU is offering a chance for all alumni, friends and fans to preview the 2007-08 athletic season at Blue Raider Blasts. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MT head coaches Rick Stockstill (football), Kermit Davis (men’s basketball), Rick Insell (women’s basketball), Steve Peterson (baseball) and MTSU student-athletes will be on hand to meet and greet Blue Raider fans Thursday, Aug. 9, on the Cannon County Courthouse Square in Woodbury; and Thursday, Aug. 23, on the historic Rutherford County Courthouse Square in Murfreesboro. Admission is free to all blasts, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will feature inflatables, face painting, giveaways, and food. Call 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or visit www.mtalumni.com for details.

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.

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

What do you yuan to do?

The Chinese are a major player in the global economy. When it was announced on July 19 that the country experienced economic growth of 11.9 percent in the second quarter, eyebrows were raised. Dr. Jinfeng Yue, management and marketing, cites two major reasons. “First, China’s government announced it would reduce the export tax reimbursement, which started in July 2007. To take the export tax reimbursement advantage, many international companies ordered products from China before July 2007, which boosted the demand and stimulated the fast economic growth … Second, China is lifting its currency value. The long-term effect will be a reduction in international demand, a reduction in China’s trade surplus, and a slowdown in economic growth.”

Contact Yue at 615-898-5126.
jyue@mtsu.edu

Blue Raider Blasts

MTSU is offering a chance for all alumni, friends and fans to preview the 2007-08 athletic season at Blue Raider Blasts. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MT head coaches Rick Stockstill (football), Kermit Davis (men’s basketball), Rick Insell (women’s basketball), Steve Peterson (baseball) and MTSU student-athletes will be on hand to meet and greet Blue Raider fans in Smyrna today, Aug. 2, at the home of Britt and Mary Esther Reed, 135 Sugar Creek Lane; Thursday, Aug. 9, on the Cannon County Courthouse Square in Woodbury; and Thursday, Aug. 23, on the historic Rutherford County Courthouse Square in Murfreesboro. Admission is free to all blasts, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will feature inflatables, face painting, giveaways, and food.

Call 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or visit www.mtalumni.com for details.

“Surrender, surrender, but don’t give yourself away”—Cheap Trick, Vol. 2

“Fugitive Safe Surrender” continues through Aug. 4 in Nashville. Persons with outstanding warrants for non-violent criminal offenses will have an opportunity for a second chance, depending on the circumstances, by showing up at the Galilee Baptist Church. In the four cities where police and clergy have worked together on the program, some 3,800 people have surrendered. Dr. Bill Shulman, criminal justice administration associate professor and attorney, says, “I will … assume that the underlying misdemeanor charges will then be handled at the makeshift court, and some of those people with lengthy records and more serious misdemeanors may, in fact, still face jail time. This should be a decision a court makes at a sentencing hearing where the defendant is represented by legal counsel.”

Contact Shulman at 615-898-2630.
wshulman@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

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.