Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Running like a cheetah

As expected, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled yesterday that amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius can not compete in the Olympics because the curved "Cheetah" blades he uses as prosthetic legs give him a competitive advantage. Of course, the company that makes the blades disagrees. Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says, “This is a dilemma because it penalizes the person who is disabled and is not being given the same opportunity to compete with his or her peers. On the other hand, the IAAF ruling is correct, in my view. ‘Cheetah’ blades do give the runner a competitive advantage, according to published reports.” (Pistorius plans to appeal the ruling, possibly to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.)

Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

Freedom of expression

“Freed Voices: A Dance Concert Featuring Choreography and Performance by African-American Guest Artists,” a concert to explore and celebrate diversity in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, in Tucker Theatre on the MTSU campus. More than 30 members of MTSU Dance Theatre, as well as four internationally and nationally known guest artists, will be featured in the upcoming performance. The guest artists were individually commissioned to create works for the student performers, as well as perform solos during the upcoming concert event. Tickets to the Jan. 19-20 performance are $10 per person with group rates available. MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid university ID.

For more information about the upcoming dance performances, contact Kim Neal Nofsinger at 615-494-7904.
nofsinge@mtsu.edu

Where history comes alive

You can contribute to the living legacy of MTSU by allowing officials at the James E. Walker Library to make digital images of your university memorabilia. The MTSU Memory Project is looking for photographs and documents from both the campus community and the community at large. Eventually, these images will be posted on a user-friendly, searchable Web site suitable for both research and reminiscing. If it’s in your attic, in a piano bench, or on a living room bookshelf, the Memory Project wants to make a digital image of it and preserve it for all time to come as part of the institution’s history.

For more information, contact Ken Middleton at 615-898-8524 or Mayo Taylor at 615-898-5605.
middlet@mtsu.edu
mtaylor@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

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.