Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“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. Walls will begin to go up tomorrow, Oct. 18, at the construction site located at 446 State St. in Murfreesboro as teams working in two shifts 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.
lrollins@mtsu.edu

“Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world.”—The Beach Boys in “Catch a Wave”

MTSU Blue Raider football fans will gather on the Murfreesboro public square the morning of Saturday, Oct. 20, and march en masse to campus, creating the first ever Blue Raider Wave. At the event, a committee will declare a Blue King and Blue Queen based on the wildest, most creative blue outfits and body paint. Each winner will receive a $250 cash grand prize. All in attendance will receive free Blue Raider Wave T-shirts. At noon, the crowd will march the mile down Main Street to the pre-game festivities on the MTSU campus. Prior to the Blue Wave, shuttles will run from the campus to the square from 10-11 a.m., allowing people to park near campus, ride the shuttle downtown and then walk back to campus. The Blue Raiders will take on Arkansas State at 2:30 p.m. at Floyd Stadium.

Contact Bracken Mayo at 615-944-2778 or Rob Fortney at 615-456-6464.
blueraiderwave@yahoo.com

“Always do the right thing.”—Da Mayor in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”

In a book titled The Happiness Hypothesis, psychologist Jonathan Haidt of the University of Virginia posits that there is an intuitive morality in people—that the tendency to want to do the right thing is in our genetic makeup, not just a result of our upbringing or environment. Corey Teague, psychology, says he has not read Haidt’s book, but Teague describes his own thoughts as tending to “focus on a holistic view of human development. That is, there are nature and nurture factors/forces that influence decision making. ‘Doing the right thing’ is a decision. This decision, I evaluate, would be related to moral development, beliefs and values. However, moral development, beliefs and values can be affected by genetics and vice versa. Therefore, I guess it is safe to say that it is not just genetics or upbringing.”

Contact Teague at 615-898-5231.
cteague@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.

IT DON’T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN’T GOT THAT SWING--WMOT-FM’s annual membership appeal and on-air fundraising drive continues through Oct. 18. It will benefit MTSU’s nonprofit public broadcasting radio station. This year also marks the station’s 39th anniversary and its 25th year as an all-jazz formatted station. “Those who listen to and enjoy WMOT must support it financially,” says Keith Palmer, the station’s director of development. “Pledge so that radio in Middle Tennessee keeps swinging.” WMOT-FM is located on the radio dial at 89.5 and online at http://www.wmot.org. Contact Palmer at 615-898-2800 or kpalmer@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.

CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS--The October 2007 edition of “MT Record” offers many interesting stories about the people and events that make MTSU special. Stories include features on an art faculty member’s work on a Civil War mural, a student whose groundbreaking research in forensic anthropology earned her a fellowship with the Smithsonian Institution, the MTSU Wind Ensemble’s trip to China, inside tips on getting ready to go to college and the latest edition of “Centennial Countdown.” “MT Record” is produced by John Lynch and Seth Alder from the Office of News and Public Affairs. Go to http://www.mtsunews.com and click on “Middle Tennessee Record—TV Program” for the days and times “MT Record” airs in your area.

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 BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUMMER--Lalo Davila, a professor of music at MTSU, will be one of the guest percussionists performing in “Cuban Fire,” a night of salsa and jazz with the Nashville Jazz Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at the Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville. Both concerts will feature the Latin jazz of Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Arturo Sandoval and others. Davila, a Pearl recording artist, also is co-leader and vocalist of the Latin jazz band Orkesta Eme Pe. He is Director of Percussion Studies at MTSU and leader of the MTSU Salsa Band and Percussion Ensemble. Admission to either concert is $20 general admission, $15 for seniors. Contact Davila at 615-898-2803 or gdavila@mtsu.edu.