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

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.