Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Gentlemen, start your rhetoric.

The official timekeeper and line producer for all of the 2008 presidential and vice presidential debates, Paul H. Byers, will be the next guest speaker in the continuing fall lecture series, “Politics and the Press: The Relationship Between Government and the Fourth Estate,” presented by the University Honors College at MTSU. Byers will talk at 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. Byers is director of the Center for Ethical Concerns at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., where he has taught in the Communications Department since 1988. His journalism experience includes nine years with Post-Newsweek Stations, 11 years with CBS News and two years at NBC News. He also has worked for Congressional Quarterly, WAMU-FM in Washington, D.C., and The Eastern Educational Radio Network, the forerunner of National Public Radio.

For more information, contact the University Honors College at 615-898-2152.

…and Mr. and Mrs. Darwin begat Charles Darwin and …

Dr. Gary Wulfsberg, chemistry professor, and Dr. Rami Shapiro, adjunct professor of religious studies, will facilitate a discussion of Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World by Rev. Michael Dowd at a brown bag luncheon at 11:30 a.m., today, Oct. 1, in the fourth floor conference room of the James E. Walker Library at MTSU. The event is free and open to the public. It is the latest in the continuing series of Science and Spirituality brown bag discussions, which began in spring 2008. The purpose of these exchanges is to help us appreciate how both areas of thought can enrich the human experience without regarding them as mutually exclusive of one another. Dowd, who will not be at the discussion, calls himself an “evolutionary evangelist” who believes that the story of creation “manifests synergistic coherence between science, religion and the needs of today’s world.”

For more information, contact Wulfsberg at 615-898-2070 or Bill Black at the Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

All around the world

Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, president of MTSU, states that the institution should strive to have more than 1,000 international students enrolled over the next five years, about four times the number enrolled now from more than 50 nations. Speaking yesterday to educational advisors who were invited to MTSU from various countries, McPhee said, “You can’t be a great university without reflecting the diversity of the world.” One step toward that goal would be the establishment of an English Language Training Center to help international students improve their English-speaking and writing skills. McPhee said that center is in the planning stages, and he said he would like to see it begin functioning by the start of next year. If such a goal is achieved, MTSU would be the largest university in the state with that kind of facility.

Contact Dr. Mike Boyle, Dean of the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, at
615-898-2177.
mboyle@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE HORRORS AT HOME--The June Anderson Women’s Center (JAWC) at MTSU will augment its constant concern for the health and safety of women and girls in October with observances of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Janine Latus, author of If I Am Missing or Dead—A Sister’s Story of Love, Murder and Liberation, will be the keynote speaker for Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities. Latus will deliver her address at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in Tom H. Jackson Hall with a reception and book signing to follow. If I Am Missing or Dead chronicles Latus’ courage in breaking out of a repressive marriage only to learn that her younger sister, Amy, had been murdered by her boyfriend. Contact the JAWC at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu. Additionally, Jennifer Rawls, executive director of the Tennessee Economic Council for Women, will discuss “The Economics of Domestic Violence” today, Oct. 1, at 12 p.m. in the Hazlewood Dining Room of the James Union Building. Both events are free and open to the public.

WHAT’S MY MOTIVATION?--Motivating unmotivated learners to become engaged in tasks across the curriculum is a challenge for many teachers. Dr. Zaf Khan, elementary and special education, will address this issue in “Motivation is an INSIDE JOB: Reaching and Teaching the Unmotivated Student,” a professional development program for educators offered via MTSU’s Satellite and Webcasting Center, at 3:30 p.m. CST (4:30 p.m. EST) tomorrow, Oct. 2. Khan will discuss the profile of an unmotivated learner—typically a low achiever who feels disenfranchised from his or her learning potential—and then focus on practical and theoretically based strategies that will rekindle the desire to learn in unmotivated students. For more information, call 615-898-2737 or send an e-mail to vmoxley@mtsu.edu.

AND NOW, THE STAR OF OUR SHOW…--Dr. Charles Higgins, physics and astronomy, will preside over the next First Friday Star Party at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, in Room 102 of the Wiser-Patten Science Building. Higgins will deliver a lecture on “Binary Stars” followed by outdoor telescope observation if the weather permits. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Higgins at 615-898-5946.

HABLAMOS ESPANOL--MTSU’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is in full swing through Oct. 15 with numerous cultural and informational events on tap. On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Dr. Sidney McPhee, MTSU President, will attend a reception for Hispanic students from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 316 of the Keathley University Center (KUC). On Monday, Oct. 6, Sidelines, the student newspaper, will feature a crossword puzzle with a Hispanic history theme. Prizes will be awarded in KUC Room 326 for the first five correct submittals. Also, ongoing Hispanic Poetry Periods and Latin music experiences will be conducted near the KUC Knoll, and special programming will be shown in dormitory lobbies. WMOT-FM (89.5) will air Latin jazz every Sunday. All events are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-5812.

NO NEED FOR THE TIM RUSSERT MEMORIAL DRY ERASE BOARD (FLORIDA! FLORIDA! FLORIDA!)—MTSU students will prepare and broadcast their own election night roundup live on MTTV, Channel 10, from 8 p.m. to 11 or possibly later, on Election Night, Tuesday, Nov. 4, depending on how close the tallies are. “It becomes more than just an organizational exercise, which is important,” says Dr. Bob Pondillo, who teaches “Electronic Media Production: Election Night News Coverage.” “However, it’s one thing to know how to make great television, but it’s quite another to know how to engage the community.” Although arrangements are subject to revision at a moment’s notice depending on the circumstances, the class is planning on three bases for live shots. The percentages in each race will be displayed at the bottom of the television screen through a black box Associated Press interface device. Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 or pondillo@mtsu.edu.

CAREER WITHOUT FEAR--More than 125 organizations and professional/graduate schools are registered to attend the MTSU Fall Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, Oct. 1, on the track level at Murphy Center. Students are advised to research the companies, be prepared and dress professionally. The goal at the Career Fair is to demonstrate that one is the best candidate and deserves a follow-up interview. For a complete list of the participating companies and to watch a video with tips on how to make the best impression possible, go to http://career.web.mtsu.edu/. For more information, contact the Career Development Center at 615-898-2500 or career@mtsu.edu.