Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Something to talk about

Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, wonders why some people say that further discussion on the topic of a proposed Bible theme park in Rutherford County should be cut off. “Why the county officials and the consultants, people who are supposed to know what they are doing, can't even agree on what the park is really all about. And if they're confused, imagine what is going on in the public's mind. Now, I’ve got to give credit to some of the opponents of the park. They’re organizing rallies and protests. And that’s a good thing; they’re getting involved. But it’s also important to listen to what everyone is saying. No, debate and discussion on public policy issues is never a bad thing. Being willing to debate and discuss is how we resolve public concerns.”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

“People don’t want to be ‘marketed TO’: they want to be ‘communicated WITH’.”—Flint McGlaughlin

Consumer confidence fell even farther in March, according to the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index. The board’s Expectations Index is at a 35-year low, “levels not seen since the oil embargo and Watergate,” says Lynn Franco, director of the board’s Consumer Research Center. But Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says that’s no reason to stop viewing marketing as an investment instead of an expense. “Look at the recent performance announced by General Mills,” he says. “It announced a 61% increase in earnings for the most recent quarter despite negative trends in the economy. The secret? One is increased spending on marketing (up 13%). The other is product innovation. Making products that consumers value often command price premiums, which is key to driving profits.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

Size matters (sort of)

There are certain complications for scientists who attempt to compare male and female human brains. Dr. Amy Jetton, biology, says, “First, all the brains have to be collected after someone has died. This means that brains sometimes shrink or decay a little before the tissue is preserved. A second problem in comparing male and female human brains is the size difference. Men, on average, are larger than women, and, as might be expected, men’s brains, on average, are larger than women’s. Mathematical compensation indicates no real difference in brain size relative to body size. A third problem is that brains change throughout our lifetimes; this has led to difficulty in comparisons if scientists are not careful to match subjects for age and other variables when making comparisons.”

Contact Jetton at 615-898-5952.
ajetton@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

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.

SPEAK UP!--“Speaking with Confidence” will be the presentation at the latest Career and Professional Development Brown Bag Lunch sponsored by the June Anderson Women’s Center at noon today, April 1, in the Hazlewood Room of the James Union Building. The speaker will be Gilda Mayes. The series is available to anyone on campus. For more information, contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

REBEL YELL--Representatives from the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area will kick off a series of public programs at 5:30 p.m. today, April 1, beginning with a free guided tour of the new exhibit, The Time that Changed Everything: Murfreesboro’s Civil War Era. Dr. Antoinette van Zelm, Heritage Area historian, will share highlights from the exhibit, with a special focus on the themes of emancipation and Reconstruction. For more information, contact Melissa A. Zimmerman at 615-217-8013 or mzimmerm@mtsu.edu.

ALL THE POET’S MEN (AND WOMEN)--Ernest Suarez, chairman of the Catholic University of America’s Department of English, will lecture on the poetry of Robert Penn Warren at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in Dining Room C of the James Union Building. The title of Suarez’s presentation is “Robert Penn Warren’s Conversion Narrative.” Sponsored by the Dr. Virginia Peck Trust, this event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Dr. Kevin Donovan at 615-898-5898 or kdonovan@mtsu.edu.

PEANUTS ON PARADE—The Wesley Foundation at MTSU will present “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” April 3-6 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 continues through Friday, 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.