Thursday, December 13, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Are you in good hands?

Are consumer-driven health plans the way of the future? In a paper titled “Comments About the Future of Consumer-Driven Health Care Plans,” co-author Dr. Ken Hollman, holder of MTSU’s Martin Chair of Insurance, writes with his colleagues that “CDHCs are the most sweeping health insurance initiative in our country since the introduction of managed care three decades ago.” A CDHC is a mechanism similar to an individual retirement account (IRA) for medical expenses. “Its proponents contend that it can help lower or at least stabilize health care rates … They also believe it can meaningfully involve individual consumers in the management of their health and induce them to make prudent and cost-effective health care choices.”

Contact Hollman at 615-898-5596.
khollman@mtsu.edu

Let the sunshine in.

Americans should not refrain from participating in their own governance just because they are proscribed from voting on each individual issue. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment scholar, says he has a way to check elected officials who think it is all right to limit the amount of information available to the public. “Pass a law that says no secret meetings, no secret discussions, no secret decisions. Period. We get to know how much money each representative receives from which lobbyist. We get to know each and every time a city council member, county commissioner or state representative or senator meets with any group, lobbyist or concerned citizen—and that also goes for agency and department heads. Period.”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983 or the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

Some like it hot.

Would you believe that the same chemical agent that burns your mouth when you eat spicy food can actually help alleviate pain? Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says this is true of capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers. “This may sound counterintuitive, especially if you’ve ever taken a bite of a habanero, but medical researchers have discovered that topical application of capsaicin—far from the eyes or mouth—is a very effective pain reliever,” he says. “A high concentration of capsaicin molecules has its numbing effect by overwhelming what are called the vanilloid receptors of sensor neurons. These are responsible for telling us that something is hot or sharp. This ‘shut down,’ or pain strike, is only temporary. After the capsaicin dissipates, the nerves are back in business, and one is again able to feel the pain of grabbing a hot test tube—or sitting through a new episode of ‘Hannah Montana.’”

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@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. On Saturday, 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.

REDUCE, REFLECT, AND RECYCLE--Three MTSU art students have transformed waste into wonder with a project that turns a trip to the James E. Walker Library into a consciousness-raising experience. Hannah Green of Knoxville, Christine Peterson of Lyles and Erin Piper of Murfreesboro, members of the Student Art Alliance, will leave their artwork, titled “Reduce,” in place through the last day of final exams today, Dec. 13. It consists of a pile of bags of paper from copiers and recycle bins and strings of crumpled paper stretched across the library atrium. Posters made of recycled cardboard and located beside the pile on the main floor in front of the staircase alert library users to the wisdom of printing double-sided and previewing before they print to avoid waste. Contact Kristen Keene at the Walker Library at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@mtsu.edu.