Friday, December 14, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The Mitchell Report

Major League Baseball is dealing with the humiliation of the Mitchell Report, an examination of the use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in the sport. It was released yesterday by former Senator George Mitchell, who conducted the investigation. Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, calls the report “very powerful” and says he wouldn’t be surprised to see enough pressure applied to Bud Selig to force him to resign as commissioner. “The commissioner either knew about the steroid issue … and decided to ignore it or just wasn’t doing his job,” Anshel says, “and it would seem to me that there is enough information out there to strongly suggest this should have been much more strongly enforced a long, long time ago.”

Audio clips and radio-ready stories with Anshel’s comments are available at www.mtsunews.com.
manshel@mtsu.edu

Managing your meat

Topps Meat Co. has filed for bankruptcy two months after the second-largest meat recall in U.S. history. On Nov. 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it would double inspections of meat and poultry products from Canada because an Alberta-based company had supplied meat to Topps. Dr. Jessica Gentry Carter, agribusiness and agriscience, says the relative absence of market disruption since the recall “indicates that the general public continues to put trust in the USDA’s role to validate food safety. Consumers should always be aware that the most effective way to ensure food safety is by properly cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.” (USDA meat and poultry information is available at 1-888-MPHOTLINE or http:/www.fsis.usda.gov.)

Contact Carter at 615-898-2419.
jgcarter@mtsu.edu

This is the Army, Mr. Jones.

Three MTSU students from Tennessee will be commissioned into the United States Army at 10 a.m. today, Dec. 14, during swearing-in and pinning ceremonies in Keathley University Center Theater one day before graduating from the university. They include 2nd Lts. Caleb Daniel of Woodbury, Eric Flerchinger of Hixson and Tyler Garrett of White House. All are slated to report eventually to Fort Benning, Ga.—Garrett in January, Daniel in February, and Flerchinger in April. Lt. Col. Mike Walsh will preside over his third commissioning ceremony since becoming professor of military science in 2006.

Contact Walsh at 615-898-2470.
mwalsh@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

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 or jlynch@mtsu.edu.

A FIRST AT THE FRIST--The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, 919 Broadway in Nashville, will feature “Mid-State Art Majors,” an aptly titled exhibit that will include works by eight MTSU art students through Monday, 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.” 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.

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 or ntjohnso@mtsu.edu.

POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE--More than 1,400 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 96th fall commencement ceremonies, according to Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services. Tomorrow, Dec. 15, MTSU again will feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers starting at 9 a.m and 1 p.m. in Murphy Center. Gregg F. Morton, president of AT&T Tennessee, will be the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony. Dr. Viola Miller, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. ceremony. On Dec. 15, the doors to Murphy Center will open at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony. For the afternoon ceremony, the doors will open at noon. Contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.