Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Gimme shelter

What sorts of issues do nurses run into when caring for evacuees from a natural disaster such as Hurricane Gustav? Dr. M. Judy Campbell, R.N., M.S.N., and associate professor of nursing, says, “The unexpected has happened and the fear of what may happen while you are away from your home impacts both mental health and physical health. We all do better when we are in our ‘normal routine.’ The nurses, as well as the evacuees, are out of their normal patterns of living. The evacuee needs a listening ear but also someone to help them recall what is their normal health pattern. Helping to bring back some sense of normalcy is critical for us as humans and even more so with personal health deficits.”

Contact Campbell at 615-898-5729.
jcampbe@mtsu.edu

Purple prose about PBR and pina coladas

The Amethyst Initiative is an endeavor by some college presidents to encourage a public debate about lowering the drinking age to 18 nationwide in an effort to stem binge drinking among young adults. Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, opines, “While raising the drinking age [to 21] has probably resulted in fewer alcohol-related traffic fatalities among young adults, so has sharply raising the price of gas. My point is that there are many factors at play, and changing one can have unintended consequences on many. Unintended consequences, far greater than any frenzied madness unleashed by Dionysus [the Greek god of wine] were what led Congress to overwhelmingly approve the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution, repealing the Eighteenth and ending the so-called Prohibition era.”

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@mtsu.edu

Enrollment counts

Early fall 2008 semester numbers indicate MTSU once again is headed for a record enrollment. Totals collected from the Office of Records early on Aug. 26 showed 23,771 students registered for classes, says Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services. Compared to the same date in 2007 when 23,221 were registered, there are 550 more students signed up for classes—a 2.37 percent increase. Final enrollment totals will not be available until the 14-day census date—Sunday, Sept. 7—and they will not be submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents until sometime after that date. “What we’re seeing now is an increase in re-enrolling students, ones who have been out awhile and have returned to MTSU,” Huddleston says, adding that the increase is at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.”

Contact Huddleston at 615-898-2828.
shuddles@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL RUN--MTSU track and field coach Dean Hayes will be inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the USTFCCA convention in Phoenix, Ariz. Hayes, who has been at MTSU since 1965, has led the Blue Raiders to 29 Ohio Valley Conference titles, 14 Sun Belt championships, and 18 NCAA Top 25 finishes. He has been named OVC Coach of the Year 15 times and Sun Belt Coach of the Year 12 times, including a run of 10 straight titles from 1977 to 1986. His fellow coaches voted him NCAA Outdoor Coach of the Year in 1981. In addition to coaching at the World University Games and other international events, Hayes worked as an assistant at the Summer Olympics in Seoul in 1988 and a referee at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Contact MTSU Athletic Communications at 615-898-2968.

CLAP FOR THE WOLFEMAN--The late Dr. Charles K. Wolfe, professor emeritus of English at MTSU and cultural historian, will be inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame at an Oct. 2 ceremony at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Wolfe, who passed away in 2006, was a respected scholar of both country music and bluegrass and the author of more than a dozen books, including The Music of Bill Monroe, co-authored with Neil Rosenberg and published in 2007. Wolfe also was one of the faculty members who came up with the idea for a Center for Popular Music at MTSU. Paul Wells, director of the center, says of Wolfe’s induction, “It’s a well-deserved honor. Charles really made some great contributions to the history and literature of bluegrass music. … He wrote about what he loved, and he loved what he wrote about.” Contact Wells at 615-898-2449 or pwells@mtsu.edu.

A RAD-ICAL IDEA--A series of six Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes will be offered at no charge from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. every Thursday beginning Sept. 4 through Oct. 9 in the MTSU Public Safety training room, 1412 East Main Street in Murfreesboro. 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. RAD is a comprehensive course for women that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance and progresses to the basics of hands-on defense training. RAD is the largest women’s self-defense system in the United States. Enrollment is limited. Contact Officer David Smith at 615-898-2424.

“I’LL BE THE ROUNDABOUT/THE WORDS WILL MAKE YOU OUT AND OUT”—JON ANDERSON AND STEVE HOWE--A new traffic roundabout at the intersection of MTSU Boulevard and Blue Raider Drive allows motorists from each direction to loop around to continue on their desired route after yielding to any vehicles already in the loop. The change is part of the four-phase $80 million traffic master-plan construction project designed to improve traffic flow, safety and access around campus. MTSU’s roundabout is the first of its kind at a Tennessee public university, and it is accentuated by pieces of limestone columns that originated at the old Tennessee State Capitol. Contact Ron Malone, assistant vice president for events and transportation services, at 615-898-5002 or rrmalone@mtsu.edu.

LISTENING IN--MTSU Audio Clips is a service for radio stations to supplement their news and information programs with sound and radio-ready stories that broadcasters can access on the Internet and download at their convenience. The latest collection of audio stories includes perspectives on the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing from Dr. Andrew Owusu, associate professor of health and human performance and a three-time Olympian; two MTSU students who helped found a new chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, the political activist group best known for its opposition to the Vietnam War in the 1960s; and a commentary by Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, on the expansion of governmental secrecy. You can access MTSU Audio Clips by going to www.mtsunews.com, your online location for MTSU information, and clicking on “MTSU Audio Clips” on the right side of the page. Contact Gina Logue at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu with questions or comments.

DEATH ON THE NILE--Dr. Gillian Pyke will lecture on “Life on the Fringe: The Christian Church and Settlement at the North Tombs of Amarna (Egypt)” from 12:40 to 1:35 p.m. today, Sept. 3, in Room 220 of MTSU’s Peck Hall. “This will be a rare chance for us to learn more about current archaeological research concerning Coptic Egypt in Late Antiquity,” says Dr. Allen Hibbard, director of the Middle East Center at MTSU. Pyke will visit the university at the invitation of Dr. Dawn McCormick, assistant professor of ancient and classical history. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact McCormack at 615-494-8603 or mccormac@mtsu.edu.

WELCOME TO THE HALL, Y’ALL!--Five former MTSU greats in their respective sports will be inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 6. The ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the Kennon Sports Hall of Fame prior to MTSU’s football game against Maryland. Jerry Beck (basketball), Joe Campbell (football), John DoDoo (track and field), Paul Goebel (tennis) and Kelly Holcomb (football) will be enshrined. Previous Hall of fame classes have been limited to three inductees, but this year’s class was expanded to five due to the number of nominees and votes received by the Hall of Fame committee. Contact Athletic Communications at 615-898-2450.