Thursday, May 15, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Take me out to what ball game?

It probably will come as no surprise to most Tennesseans that the National Football League tops the latest MTSU Sports Affinity Survey from the Office of Consumer Research at MTSU. The NFL had the highest score among professional leagues with 69. Major League Baseball was a distant second with 46, followed by the National Hockey League, the Professional Golfers’ Association, NASCAR, the National Basketball Association, Minor League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the Indy Racing League and the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association. Dr. Don Roy, Sports Business Studies Coordinator for the Office of Consumer Research, says, “The rise in affinity for MSL may be attributed to the increased media exposure the league has received since British star David Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy.”

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

Take 20 jumping jacks and call me in the morning.

Thanks to the efforts of an MTSU graduate student, the month of May officially has been declared “National Exercise is Medicine Month” in Tennessee. The Volunteer State now joins several other states and cities that have pledged to encourage citizens to lead healthier, more active lifestyles and to create more open dialogues with their health-care providers. Elizabeth A. Holbrook, a graduate teaching assistant and doctoral candidate in the Department of Health and Human Performance, sent a proclamation request to Governor Phil Bredesen requesting that the month of May be so designated. Holbrook is Tennessee’s representative to the American College of Sports Medicine, a co-sponsor of the initiative along with the American Medical Association.

Contact Holbrook at 615-904-8338.
eia2a@mtsu.edu
or contact Tom Tozer at 615-898-2919.
ttozer@mtsu.edu

Linkin’ logs

The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area will present the second lecture in their series of public programs at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29, at the center. MTSU’s Michael T. Gavin, a preservation specialist, will discuss the history and architecture of log buildings in a lecture titled “Log Houses of Rutherford County.” Gavin says, “Log buildings are familiar symbols of our pioneer past, and a dwindling number still remain on the landscape.” Dr. Stacey Graham of MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation says those who cannot attend the May 29 lecture are encouraged to bring a sack lunch to a June 4 encore presentation beginning at noon. Both events are free and open to the public.

Contact the Heritage Center at 615-217-8013 or send an e-mail to Graham at sgraham@mtsu.edu.

TR EXTRA

BRINGING IT UP TO PAR--The National Advisory Board for the Scholars Academy at MTSU presents the first annual Diversity and Multicultural Golf Outing on Wednesday, May 28, at Gaylord Springs Golf Course in Nashville. Founded in 2005, the Scholars Academy was developed to support bright and talented college students who may be underachieving. The Academy generally serves minority and other underserved students who benefit from a culturally rich learning environment. Throughout their collegiate careers, students are mentored and their development enhanced in the following areas: academics, psychological, social, bio-physical, and careers. All students remain in the program until college graduation. For sponsorship, golfer packages, or more information, contact Jerry M. Whitmore, Jr., in the Office of Institutional Diversity at 615-898-5975 or whitmore@mtsu.edu.

“LANGUAGE IS THE DRESS OF THOUGHT.”—SAMUEL JOHNSON--MTSU’s annual Summer Language Institute will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 16-20, June 23-27 and July 28-August 1 at the University School of Nashville. Languages to be taught will include Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Scottish Gaelic, Arabic and Spanish Levels 1 and 2. The innovative teaching methods used at the institute, are designed to teach students a second language the same way they learned their first—by relating vocabulary to movement and learning grammar through storytelling. Students are completely immersed in the language from the first day of instruction in a fun environment. “I can now tell people who regret never having studied a language or who had a bad experience that it is not too late,” says Dr. Shelley Thomas, MTSU associate professor and institute founder. Contact Thomas at 615-898-5757 or
shthomas@mtsu.edu.

“ENGLAND SWINGS LIKE A PENDULUM DO.”—ROGER MILLER--The Fab Four, miniskirts and go-go boots, the “mods” versus the “rockers”—If you’re looking for a fun and informative course to take this summer, MTSU is offering British Popular Culture from 10:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday July 7-August 7. This English course, taught by Dr. Jill Hague, will look at the development of popular culture in the United Kingdom after World War II, focusing on innovations in music, film and drama. Students will examine the cultural, historical and political contexts of the 1950s, the phenomenon of “Swinging London” and the Beatles in the 1960s and the rise of punk culture in the 1970s. Contact Hague at 615-904-8123 or ahague@mtsu.edu.

“THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART.”—TOM PETTY--With antiwar sentiment stronger than ever in this presidential election year, MTSU’s independent filmmakers await word from some 40 film festivals on how critics (and viewers of YouTube) will receive their latest effort. In fact, the movie is titled “Wait…,” an emotionally powerful examination of an American’s reaction to the news that his son has died in Iraq. Dr. Bob Pondillo, professor of electronic media communication, wrote the screenplay and directed the 9:25 short subject in November 2007 in Murfreesboro with a crew of students and alumni. Pondillo says he suspects the anti-war sentiment expressed in the film might have had a role in its rejection by at least one film festival, The Cinema Society of San Diego, a city with an economy heavily dependent upon seven military bases in the area. To view the film and for more information on “Wait…,” go to http://www.waitfilm.com. Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 or pondillo@mtsu.edu.

THEY WERE JUST SO PROUD TO BE THERE.--In the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s, barn dance radio spread country-and-western music nationwide. Its comforting, authentic sounds soothed the soul of a nation first down on its luck and later fighting overseas. The origins of the country music industry can be traced to the barn dance radio shows on WLS (Chicago), WSM (Nashville) and other stations, and women played a major role in both the style and substance of those programs. Dr. Kris McCusker, associate professor of history at MTSU, tells the stories of some of these women, including the legendary Minnie Pearl, in her book Lonesome Cowgirls and Honky Tonk Angels: The Women of Barn Dance Radio. In addition to Minnie Pearl, McCusker profiles Linda Parker, Lily May Ledford, Rose Lee Maphis, and Milly and Dolly Good (The Girls of the Golden West). Contact McCusker at 615-898-2544 or mccusker@mtsu.edu.