Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A new hit record!

A preliminary total headcount of 23,264 students taking classes this fall at MTSU is a record number submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents, says Dr. Sherian Huddleston, assistant vice provost for enrollment services. It marks the first time MTSU has surpassed 23,000 in a semester, say university officials. It is a 1.75 percent increase from fall 2006 and means 401 more students are taking classes this fall compared to a year ago. “We are pleased that we still are able to maintain our growth at a manageable level,” says Dr. Bob Glenn, vice provost for enrollment and academic services and vice president for student affairs. “We are not growing too quickly to outstrip our resources, and it demonstrates that students in Tennessee are voting with their feet and voting Middle Tennessee No. 1 (school of choice).”

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

We the people

Exercise your rights—speak your mind! Monday, September 17, is Constitution Day at MTSU. An open mike will be available on the Keathley University Center knoll from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students who speak their minds will receive an American Democracy Project t-shirt. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the KUC area, students will distribute pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution to passersby. Five thousand copies will be on hand as needed. The ADP will plant signs across the campus with the text of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. Five other sets of five signs will be placed in sequence so that passersby will be able to read the full text of the First Amendment.

Contact Dr. Jim Williams, ADP Coordinator, at 615-898-2633.
jhwillia@mtsu.edu

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Recent data suggest that the widely touted statistic that one in two marriages end in divorce is leaning more in favor of marital success than it once did. Although exactly why the numbers are shifting in favor of marriage is not something most researchers can pin down precisely, most seem to agree that after more than 100 years of rising divorce rates in the United States, that number dramatically decreased around 1980. Dr. Janet Belsky, psychology, says one thing to consider is the overall age of the population. “People tend to get divorced when they are younger, so naturally you would have less divorce happening if a higher percentage of people are in their older years,” she says.

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

TR EXTRA

BONJOUR!--Any student whose summer was no more exciting than spending endless hours lying by the pool frying to a crisp can prepare now for an unforgettable summer 2008. There’s no time like the present to register for the annual general education study abroad program in Cherbourg, France, which will run from June 2 to June 27. At this beautiful port town in the Normandy region of northwest France, students will experience the history, art and culture of the area. “With the general education program, a student can spend four weeks in Cherbourg and in Normandy, and they can begin studying French while they’re there if they choose to, but they don’t have to already know any French,” Dr. Anne Sloan, Assistant to the Provost for International Education, says. Contact Sloan at 615-898-5091 or asloan@mtsu.edu or Jennifer Campbell, Director of International Education and Exchange, at 615-898-5179 or jjcampbe@mtsu.edu.

IN THE DRAWING ROOM--Youngsters who want professional instruction in drawing can experience a first-class introduction to the art at a Youth Culture & Arts Center (YCAC) workshop for ages 12-17. The workshop will take place from 1-4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15, in Room 117 of the Todd Building on the MTSU campus. The instructor will be Erin Anfinson, assistant professor of art at MTSU. “During this workshop, students will explore the media of charcoal, gesture drawing and working from a still life,” says Anfinson. She recommends that participants wear clothes they won’t mind getting dirty because “charcoal is a little messy.” Space for this workshop could fill quickly. The fee is $20 per person. To register, go to http://www.youthculturecenter.org. For more information, contact the instructor at anfinson@mtsu.edu.

WOMEN IN DEPTH--From prisoners to poetry and from Hitler to Hillary, the 2007-2008 Women’s Studies Research Series at MTSU will offer presentations on a diversity of provocative and thought-provoking topics this academic year. Each of the seven lectures is slated to take place at 3 p.m. one Thursday a month in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. All lectures are free and open to the public. “The MTSU women’s Studies Research Series has something for everyone interested in women’s experience,” says Dr. Jane Marcellus, professor of mass communication. “By bringing together scholars from across campus, we touch on a wide variety of feminist viewpoints in an informal monthly gathering.” The first presentation will be “Daughters in the Fatherland: Behavioral Socialization of German Girls in Nazi Germany,” by Dr. Nancy Rupprecht, professor of history, Sept. 20. Contact Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu.

GIVE BLOOD, GIVE LIFE--The first of the fall 2007 blood drives at MTSU is set for today, Sept. 11. Sponsored by the campus chapter of the Association of Secretarial and Clerical Employees, it’s scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 322 of the Keathley University Center. A record-setting hot, dry summer helped to dry up the local Red Cross’ supplies of blood, leaving it once again at crisis levels and forcing delays in elective surgeries across the community. Blood donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and feeling well and healthy enough for normal activities. Donors also must not have donated blood in the previous 56 days. Contact 615-898-2590 for more information.