Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“Expanding Your Horizons”

The 11th annual Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science gathering will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, across the MTSU campus. About 300 middle school and 50 high-school girls will participate in workshops in science, technology, engineering and math. The girls will come from Rutherford, Williamson, Wilson, Putnam, Davidson, Warren, Sumner, Maury, Cheatham and Coffee counties and other areas. “It lets girls know they are capable of doing things in math and science,” says MTSU senior Sharese Richardson, an EYH volunteer. Freshman Ashley Martin says she learned a lot from EYH when she attended as a middle-schooler. “I attended workshops that ranged from aerospace to Web design to chemistry and nutrition,” Martin says.

Contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, director, at 615-904-8253, or Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra, co-director, at 615-898-5776.

“Women and War”

Dr. Divya Saksena, associate professor of English at MTSU, will present “Women and War—Active and Passive Engagements,” the latest lecture in the Fall 2007 Women’s Studies Research Series, at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. The lecture is free and open to the public. Saksena will examine why and how women have been excluded from combat, how World War I provided new opportunities for women, and why the role of women was so critical by World War II. “Although women now operate in an increasingly wide range of military ranks, including jet fighter pilots in the (British) Royal Navy, RAF (Royal Air Force), and U.S. Air Force, and transport pilots in the Indian Air Force, they still struggle to overcome gender biases, prejudices and stereotypes,” Saksena says.

For more information, contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu, or contact the Women’s Studies office at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.

“Check in—Connect—Check Out”

Participants will learn how to apply the “Check in—Connect—Check Out” system at both the micro level (in just one classroom) and the macro level (school-wide and/or system-wide) in a professional development program for K-8 teachers offered by MTSU’s Satellite and Webcasting Center from 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST (4:30-5:30 p.m. EST), Thursday, Oct. 25. Dr. Zaf Khan, elementary and special education, will provide step-by-step guidance on incorporating this evidence-based positive behavior strategy into a school setting. Research using this strategy indicates a significant decrease in office discipline referrals within the first few months of implementation.

For more information, call 615-898-2737 or send an e-mail to vmoxley@mtsu.edu.

TR EXTRA

“THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.”--DOROTHY IN “THE WIZARD OF OZ”--MTSU students will sponsor a Habitat for Humanity home with 300 student volunteers beginning construction this week on a new house that will be completed within two weeks and dedicated at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1. The construction site is located at 446 State St. in Murfreesboro, where teams working in two shifts will labor to build a Habitat home for the Bautista family. The five-member Bautista clan has lived with family, in a basement and in public housing over the years, but never truly had a place to call home. Jacqueline I. Victory, director of MTSU’s Office of Leadership & Service, says the MTSU Student Government Association has spent two years working to raise the $50,000 needed to build the Habitat home for the Bautistas. Contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu.

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.

PINK AND PURPLE POWER--The June Anderson Women’s Center at MTSU is distributing purple ribbons suitable for wearing in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “The numbers are alarming and the violence continues to spread across the United States,” says Terri Johnson, director of the Women’s Center. Since October also is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the center is making available pink ribbons to promote the need for early detection and more research. “Being a woman is the major risk factor for breast cancer,” Johnson says. “It is crucial to have early detection and screening to lower your risks.” For more information, contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

SCALE THE TOWER AND FEEL THE POWER OF PAINTBALL--Two physically and mentally challenging competitions open to the public as well as the MTSU community are slated for early next month to raise money for the MTSU Veterans Memorial. The Alpine Tower Challenge is scheduled for 1-5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, and Friday, Nov. 2 behind the Campus Recreation Center. The National Guard Paintball Tournament is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Middle Tennessee Paintball in Spring Hill. There is no entrance fee for either event, but donations are encouraged. In the tower challenge, teams of two persons each will attempt to scale a 55-foot-high wooden structure by using climbing holds, four dangling poles, a wooden “corporate ladder” with several feet of space between the rungs and a cargo net ladder. To learn more about the Alpine Tower Challenge, contact Josh Stone at the recreation center at 615-898-2104 or jrstone@mtsu.edu. To learn more about the National Guard Paintball Tournament, call Staff Sgt. Julius Santini, Tennessee National Guard representative at MTSU, at 615-494-7682 or julius.santini@us.army.mil.

THEIR BODY OF WORK--The Todd Gallery at MTSU will present “Of the Body,” an exhibition of contemporary figurative ceramic works from five artists of national recognition through Friday, Nov. 2. Dr. Lon Nuell, MTSU art professor and gallery curator, says, “The works to be seen in ‘Of the Body’ represent five unique perspectives that derive from the artists’ personal experiences and interpretations of the human presence in the contemporary world. Within these interpretations five manifestations occur.” The artists whose work will be showcased will include John Donovan, foundations instructor at MTSU. Admission is free and open to the public. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery assistant, at 615-898-5653.

THE ROLES OF A LIFETIME--Lane Davies, MTSU alum and star of stage and screen, will be featured in an open forum at 4:30 p.m. today, Oct. 23, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building to discuss his career and life in theatre, TV and film. Lane is best known for his roles in daytime television as Mason Capwell on “Santa Barbara” and as Dr. Cameron Lewis on “General Hospital.” He has been a featured actor in such series as “Scrubs,” “Married with Children” and “Seinfeld.” His stage credits include lead roles in Hamlet, Macbeth, and The Taming of the Shrew, as well as founding two theatre companies in Southern California. Lane will be featured in the role of Capulet in the MTSU Theatre & Dance production of Romeo & Juliet, which will run Nov. 2-10 at Tucker Theatre. To learn more about Lane Davies, visit http://www.lane-davies.com. For more on MTSU Speech & Theatre, call the department at 615-898-2640.

Y’ALL COME TO SEE US WHEN YOU CAN--Officials in the MTSU Office of Admissions say that the Fall Visit Day, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, is full. Nearly 500 prospective students and their family members have registered. Admissions representatives request that prospective students and their families take one of the daily tours offered through Wednesday, Dec. 5. Please note that no tours will be offered Nov. 14-16 (Admission staff will be attending a conference that day.) and Nov. 21-23 (Thanksgiving holiday). The Nov. 3 Fall Visit Day will start at 9 a.m. CDT in the Cope Administration Building. Contact the Office of Admissions at 615-898-2111.