Thursday, November 15, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

I’ll grant you that!

The President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) at MTSU is accepting applications from faculty for its 2008 Curriculum Integration Grants. The 2007 grants, which have been awarded to three professors in allocations of $1,800 each, are being used to infuse courses at MTSU with an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of women. Dr. Jane Marcellus, journalism, will teach a course in the spring semester titled “Women in Journalism History.” Dr. Karen Petersen, political science, used her grant to create a version of her “Foundations of Government” general education class that would be applicable in a study-abroad context in Cherbourg, France. And Jeremy Rich, history, fashioned a course on “Women in Africa.”

For more information on how to apply for this year’s grants, contact Dr. Tina Johnson, PCSW chair and associate professor of English at 615-898-2705.
ntjohnson@mtsu.edu

A first at the Frist

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts will feature “Mid-State Art Majors,” an aptly titled exhibit that will include works by eight MTSU art students beginning tomorrow through Dec. 31. “I’ve been here four years and there’s never been a show put together like this,” says Erin Anfinson, assistant professor of art and liaison for the exhibit. “They came to us with the opportunity, and we were thrilled.” The show’s opening, which is a free event, will be from 7-9 p.m. tomorrow night at the Frist, 919 Broadway in Nashville. Art professors nominated MTSU students to be featured in the exhibit. Then a panel of faculty chose students to represent each of the concentrations of the art department—printmaking, ceramics, paintings, sculpture and graphic design.

For more information about the exhibit, including driving directions, please visit the center’s online site at http://www.fristcenter.org.

Tune in next time.

The December edition of the television program “Middle Tennessee Record” will present MTSU homecoming highlights; the groundbreaking at the site where a veterans memorial will be erected on campus; the dedication of a new home built by MTSU students volunteering for Habitat for Humanity; the annual Expanding Your Horizons conference to encourage girls who are interested in math and science; a new television program from the Department of Recording Industry that offers professional advise on songwriting; and other features that highlight MTSU faculty, students and events. To find out when “Middle Tennessee Record” airs in your area, go to http://www.mtsunews.com and click on “Middle Tennessee Record” on the right side of the page.

For more information, contact John Lynch, Director of Marketing Technologies, at 615-898-5591.
jlynch@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

DEPENDING ON THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS--The Center Players will perform their inaugural presentation, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, today through Saturday Nov. 15-17 at the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Center for the Arts, 110 West College Street in Murfreesboro. Blanche DuBois will be portrayed by Dr. Elyce Helford, director of Women’s Studies and professor of English at MTSU. Dr. Robert Bray, an MTSU English professor and Tennessee Williams scholar, will deliver a talk titled “Laying the Tracks for His Streetcar: The Evolution of a Great American Play” at 7 p.m. on the night of the Nov. 8 performance. A video of Bray’s talk will be played at future performances. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinee. Contact the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Center for the Arts at 615-904-ARTS (2787) or http://www.boroarts.org.

IT’S ALL RIGHT, MA, I’M ONLY BLEEDING--Cindy Rehm, assistant professor of art at MTSU, will present “Spontaneous Bleeding: The Performative Video Works of Cindy Rehm,” the latest lecture in the Fall 2007 Women’s Studies Research Series, at 3 p.m. today, Nov. 15, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. The lecture is free and open to the public. Rehm will present and discuss a selection of her video works, which explore female identity, eroticism and hysteria. “The works express visceral manifestations of female desire through private acts of ritual,” Rehm says. “The images oscillate between the beautiful and the grotesque and aim to diversify the erotic possibilities of the female body.” For more information, contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu or the Women’s Studies office at 615-898-5910 or
womenstu@mtsu.edu.

MIGRATIONS--“Migrations” is the theme of the 16th annual Tennessee Undergraduate Social Science Symposium at MTSU today and Friday Nov. 15-16. The gathering is expected to attract 800-1,000 undergraduates and educators from the local campus as well as from across the state. “Papers presented by students will include a variety of topics (such as) immigration, social problems, social and cultural theory, hate crimes, race and ethnicity, Appalachian studies, health, family and work, sociology of emotions, and experiential learning in archeological studies and study abroad,” says Dr. Vicky MacLean, associate professor of sociology at MTSU and the event’s co-director. Contact Connie Huddleston at 615-494-7628 or chudd@mtsu.edu.

SAX APPEAL--The 2007-2008 MTSU Jazz Artist Series will get the first of two 2007 concerts underway at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Nov. 15, with world-class saxophonist Greg Osby, who will perform in the T. Earl Hinton hall of the Wright Music Building. Don Aliquo, coordinator of jazz studies at MTSU, says Osby is working with student ensembles in workshops. “(Osby) is truly one of the most original and cutting-edge voices in jazz today,” Aliquo says. During the Nov. 15 concert, Osby will perform his original compositions alongside members of the MTSU jazz faculty. In addition, Osby will perform in a free and open second concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, with various student ensembles, including the MTSU Graduate Studies Combo. For more information, contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493 or tmusselm@mtsu.edu.

CHAOS IN THE CLASSROOM--Teachers often have to take time away from instruction to deal with students’ noncompliant behaviors. Unfortunately, these compliance issues can impact achievement. What starts out as a “won’t do” problem (performance deficit) soon becomes a “can’t do” problem (skill deficit). Dr. Zaf Khan, elementary and special education, will discuss several behavior management strategies in a workshop titled “Positive Behavior Supports: Behavior Management Strategies That Work” from 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST (4:30-5:30 est) today, Nov. 15. This professional development program for teachers and administrators, grades K-8, will be presented through MTSU’s Satellite and Webcasting Center. For more information, call 615-898-2737 or send an e-mail to vmoxley@mtsu.edu.