Friday, April 4, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The race in cyberspace

Presidential candidates are embracing the new media as never before. The power of the Internet in political campaigning can’t be denied, says Patrick Chinnery, political science. Chinnery says U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the 2004 Democratic nominee, realized this after competitor Howard Dean paved the way. Chinnery says, in 2003, “Kerry had raised only $1 million from online contributions compared to more than $50 million for Howard Dean. However, after his win on Super Tuesday in March, Kerry, in his victory speech that night, made mention of his Web site. In one night, 24 hours, he received $2.6 million in online contributions, and, by the end of March, after actively promoting the Web site for a month, he received $26 million.” Of course, the 2008 candidates jumped on the cyberspace bandwagon even earlier than their predecessors.

Contact Chinnery at 615-494-7891.
chinnery@mtsu.edu

Free to be you and me

This might be hard to grasp, but people didn’t always see themselves as unique individuals outside the rubric of some external authority like the church, the state or a profession. Dr. Fred Beemon, history, says the concept of individuality didn’t really blossom until the Renaissance. Until this cultural movement, artworks were mostly of the saints. During the Renaissance, artists painted portraits of individuals. Beemon says of the Renaissance concept of the Dignity of Man, “Human dignity comes because God came to Earth and took the form of a human being as Jesus Christ and died for humanity.” Beginning with the Renaissance, Beemon says, people came to believe “the dignity humans have is our freedom. The freedom of the individual—that’s what gives people value and dignity.”

Contact Beemon at 615-898-2627.
fbeemon@mtsu.edu

Granny behind bars

Dr. Ron Aday, sociology and anthropology, and some of his former graduate students have conducted some fascinating research on older females in prisons. They studied 327 female inmates in the states of Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and Arkansas. Aday and his team found that 33% of the women they studied never receive visits from family members; only 5.8% describe their health as “excellent.” One woman incarcerated for killing her husband wrote of her life with him, “I have been beaten with a baseball bat. I have had two black eyes and a broke (sic) nose numerous times. I have had a broke (sic) arm. I have been arrested because I ran out of my house from him.” To hear Aday talk about his research chronicling the experiences of older women behind bars and the unique challenges they face, tune in for “MTSU On the Record” with Gina Logue this Sunday, April 6 at 7 a.m. on WMOT-FM (89.5). The program also will be available in real time on the Web at http://www.wmot.org.

For more information on “MTSU On the Record,” contact Gina Logue at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
To contact Aday, call 615-898-2509 or send an e-mail to raday@mtsu.edu.

TR EXTRA

ASSALAM ALAIKUM—The Muslim Students Association (MSA) at MTSU is turning part of its celebration of Islamic Awareness Week (April 7-10) into a tribute to a cherished friend whose lfie’s work embodied the group’s philosophy of interfaith cooperation and understanding. On Monday, April 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the MSA will staff an information table for Islamic Awareness Week and conduct a bake sale on the Keathley University Center knoll to raise money for the MTSU Art Department Scholarship Fund in honor of Dr. Lon Nuell. The 68-year-old art professor and faculty adviser to the Jewish student organization, Hillel, died March 12 of a massive stroke. To learn more and to find out about the rest of the week’s activities, contact Dr. Saleh Sbenaty at 615-494-7667 or ssbenaty@mtsu.edu or MSA President Nida Shirazi at nfs2c@mtsu.edu.

WHITHER WYNNEWOOD--MTSU anthropology students will sponsor a yard sale from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. tomorrow, April 5, at 2433 Laurel Hill Court in Murfreesboro to help benefit and repair the historic Wynnewood home in Sumner County. Wynnewood was devastated by a tornado in February. The home has been the site of ongoing field work by MTSU students for a number of years. Those who would like to donate items to the sale’s organizers today, April 4, are asked to contact Lynn Funkhouser at 615-785-2169. Many items may be picked up from campus today for inclusion in the sale if the donors can bring them to campus today.

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE--The MTSU Center for Popular Music will present “Farther Along,” the first academic conference devoted to the Southern Gospel Convention-Singing tradition, today and tomorrow, April 4 and 5, in the Tom H. Jackson Building at MTSU. Topics to be discussed include publishing, singing, studies of gospel classics, research resources for the study of gospel music, and community and family traditions. For more information, contact the Center for Popular Music at 615-898-2449 or visit http://popmusic.mtsu.edu/gospel.html.

MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC--Talented young pianists from throughout the region and from as far away as Ohio will gather for the 12th annual Clavierfest competition tomorrow, April 5, in the Wright Music Building (WMB). The daylong event will culminate with a free and open finalist concert at 7 p.m. in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the WMB. For more information, call 615-898-2493 or visit http://www.mtsumusic.com.

COUNTRIES’ COOKIN’--An array of delectable foods and fascinating entertainment from many nations will make for a festive evening at MTSU’s annual International Banquet tomorrow, April 5, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for the viewing of cultural exhibits in the lobby. The buffet-style meal will begin promptly at 5 p.m. Among the tasty treats available will be classic choucroute, spicy Thai curry chicken with wide noodles and basil, coq qu vin, blanquette de veau, and a variety of international desserts. The evening’s entertainment will be provided by Steal de Boro, the Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville and MTSU alumna Amber Turner from Canada. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children age 12 and under and $10 for MTSU students. For more information, contact the MTSU Office of International Programs and Services at 615-898-2238.

RAD-ICAL!--A series of six Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes will be offered at no charge every Thursday through May 1 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the MTSU police training room located at 1412 East Main Street. The class will be open to all female MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as to the general public. A workbook/training manual will be provided to each student. Enrollment is limited. For more information or to enroll, call MTSU RAD Instructor David Smith at 615-692-2424.

AROUND THE WORLD--In order to enhance MTSU’s burgeoning integration of international education into its academic life, Dr. Ron Messier, senior lecturer in history at Vanderbilt University and former history professor at MTSU, will return to the Murfreesboro campus in his new role as Director of International Outreach starting July 1. Messier will report to Dr. Kaylene Gebert, Executive Vice President and Provost. “Ron’s expertise and contacts in the Middle East and North Africa are wide-ranging and extensive,” says Dr. Allen Hibbard, director of MTSU’s Middle East Center. “I saw this firsthand when he visited me while I was teaching in Damascus and when the two of us recently traveled together in Morocco. He was a key moving force behind plans to create a Middle East Center on campus and has remained a strong, steadfast supporter of our work and activities.” For interviews with Messier or other MTSU officials concerned with promoting international education, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

PEANUTS ON PARADE—The Wesley Foundation at MTSU will present “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” through April 6 at the foundation house at 216 College Heights Ave. The Thursday and Friday performances start at 8 p.m. There will be a dinner theater performance on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and a special matinee performance for children and youth groups on Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $3 for children and students and $6 for adults. Dinner theater tickets are $15. For more information, contact the Wesley Foundation at 615-893-0469 or wesleyfoundation@comcast.net.

THE SEAT OF LEARNING--MTSU Scholars Week 2008 concludes today, April 4, with faculty and student poster presentations in Murphy Center. Other performance and presentations throughout the week, sponsored by MTSU’s colleges and academic centers, will showcase work being done in these units. Each event will recognize the range and variety of scholarly research and creative activity taking place on the MTSU campus. “Scholars Week is a great celebration and demonstration of the various roles that research and creative activities play at MTSU,” says Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost and Scholars Week committee chair. Contact Dr. Andrienne Friedli at 615-898-2071. The schedule of events for Scholars Week 2008 is available on the Web at http://www.mtsu.edu/~research/scholarsweek.html.