Friday, November 21, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The brain bone’s connected to the foot bone.

The big game in college football this weekend will take place tomorrow night (Saturday night) when second-ranked Texas Tech battles fifth-ranked Oklahoma in Norman. The game easily could come down to a field goal by the Red Raiders’ human feature story, Matt Williams, who walked onto the roster at midseason after kicking a 30-yard field goal in a publicity stunt. But what about the two kickers who made the team and subsequently were benched? Is the college game about winning or leading young men? Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says Tech should have used a sport psychologist to help the two original kickers. He says “the Texas Tech coaches have made a desperate and poor decision” in failing to use mental skills to improve performance. “I know their coaching staff, having taught there for two years, and met with their current head coach, Mike Leach—and they want nothing to do with sport psychology,” Anshel says.

Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

Get into the swim of things.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, American swimmer Rick Dumont was stripped of a gold medal because he had taken an over-the-counter cold medicine to relieve his asthma symptoms. How much has changed in 36 years? Dr. Michael G. Miller, Director of the Graduate Athletic Training Education and Associate Professor at Western Michigan University, will present “Asthma in Athletes” and “Aquatics as a Tool for Athletes” tomorrow, Nov. 22, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Opening remarks are slated for 9 a.m. with “Asthma and the Athlete” scheduled for 9:15 and “Aquatics as a Tool for the Athlete” at 10:45. Miller, who has over 35 presentations at the state, regional, national and international level, has researched aquatic exercise and training techniques. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Dr. Helen Binkley at 615-904-8192.
hbinkley@mtsu.edu

Just say the bleeping words!

How do you argue for or against a case about “dirty words” without saying those “dirty words”? That’s what happened when Fox Television went to the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to fine TV stations for what the FCC calls “fleeting expletives.” Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, says, “Some 30 years ago, in the so-called “Seven Dirty Words” case, the justices and attorneys avoided using the words in question, but the court opinion contains a transcript of the George Carlin monologue that caused the case. I wonder if in the current case we’ll be able to read all of those indecent words everyone so carefully avoided.”

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

TR EXTRA

FIRST THINGS FIRST--Village Voice jazz critic and free speech activist Nat Hentoff calls it “phenomenal.” Tennessean Publisher Emeritus John Seigenthaler says it “could not be more valuable. … In a real sense, it serves the public interest.” It’s the Encyclopedia of the First Amendment, a groundbreaking new reference work about the first 45 words in the U.S. Constitution. Two of the editors will be Gina Logue’s guests on the next edition of “MTSU on the Record” at 7 a.m. this Sunday, Nov. 23, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College at MTSU, and David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and scholar at the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, will talk about the two-volume encyclopedia. Nineteen members of the MTSU community contributed to the work. Contact Logue at 615-898-5081; contact WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

POST THE COLORS--A number of MTSU military science alumni who later became U.S. Army general officers will add spice to the 27th annual Salute to Armed Services/Veterans Day tomorrow, Nov. 22. In addition to a brunch at the home of MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, key activities for the officers and other attendees will include a 10 a.m. Army ROTC alumni meeting in Forrest Hall; an 11 a.m. Veterans Memorial service at the Tom H. Jackson Building; the Veterans/Service Members Picnic outside the Kennon Sports Hall of Fame Building from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; the 12:45 p.m. presentation of the Joe B. Nunley Award to Fayne Haynes, owner of Haynes Flag and Flag Pole Company; and the MTSU-North Texas game with a halftime ceremony honoring the veterans. Contact Lt. Col. Mike Walsh or Maj. Chuck Giles at 615-898-2470.

NOTHING TO MOCK--The MTSU mock trial teams will travel to Duke University today, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 23, fresh from capturing first place in the Mid-South Invitational Tournament on their home campus for the first time since 1994. This past weekend, Nov. 14-16, a team led by junior Daniel Vaughn of Mt. Juliet posted a perfect 8-0 record in its division, and, on the basis of its strength of opposition, won the tournament over another 8-0 team from Georgia Tech in a field of 50 teams. The Mid-South Invitational is one of the nation’s largest mock trial competitions. It began in 1989 at Rhodes College, subsequently moved to Bellarmine University, and has been at MTSU for the last 17 years. Teams attended from Alabama, California, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee. Contact Dr. John Vile at 615-898-2596 or jvile@mtsu.edu.

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY--The Society for International Affairs (SIA) will send its latest Model United Nations team to the Southeast Regional conference in Atlanta through tomorrow, Nov. 22, with the attendees representing United Arab Emirates. However, the organization is extending its mission and its methods. SIA will continue to learn about people in other parts of the world not only for portraying them, but also by assisting them. “The Society for International Affairs is unique in that our primary focus is on service and teaching students at this point in their lives to really value a service ethic,” says Dr. Karen Petersen, assistant professor of political science and faculty adviser to SIA. Many of the organization’s members learn about global poverty and inequality in class from Petersen and other MTSU professors and yearn to do something to help. Contact Petersen at 615-494-8662 or kpeterse@mtsu.edu.

GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66.--Noted photographer Tom Mallonee’s exhibit, “Evidence of Passing: Vanishing Points along an American Road,” will be displayed until Dec. 4 in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in MTSU’s McWherter Learning Resources Center. Tom Jimison, electronic media communication professor and gallery director, says Mallonee “has pursued large-format black-and-white work since 1979 and often has chosen subjects which stray from conventional notions of western landscape, yet still embrace decisive composition and meticulous printing techniques such as this 14-year project of bypassed sections of Route 66.” Exhibitions are free and open to the public. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. on Sundays. The gallery will be closed Nov. 27-29. For information, call 615-898-2085.

SIGN, SIGN, EVERYWHERE A SIGN--Don’t put those political yard signs in the trash! Donate them to the Albert Gore Research Center at MTSU. The center collects political signs for exhibits and educational purposes. If you have regular-sized signs (two-feet square) for a candidate or election issue from this or previous elections and would like to make contributions, please drop them off at the Gore Center in Room 128 of the Todd Building on the MTSU campus. Signs should be in good condition. The center does not need the support posts. Unfortunately, the center does not have the staff to retrieve signs from your home or office. The center also collects bumper stickers, buttons, fans and other political memorabilia. Samples are on display in the hall outside the center. For more information, contact Dr. Jim Williams, director of the Gore Center, at 615-898-2633 or jhwillia@mtsu.edu.

PASS THE PEPPER, PLEASE--The MTSU Police Department will offer a free pepper spray class for women. The class is part of the Rape Aggression Defense system and will teach basic self-defense techniques to supplement women’s ability to survive dangerous confrontations. The class will be available to MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as the general public and will take place Dec. 4 from 6-8 p.m. in the MTSU Police Department training room, 1412 East Main Street in Murfreesboro. Topics to be covered include product selection, psychological and physical effects of the “fight or flight” syndrome, legal issues and retention and deployment techniques. For more information or to enroll, contact Officer David Smith at 615-692-2424 or 615-494-8855.

DON’T LET YOUR SCHOLARSHIP SAIL AWAY--Prospective and returning students seeking merit scholarships and awards for the 2009-10 academic year must submit all their information by the priority deadline of Monday, Dec. 1. Each student should submit an admission application, official ACT or SAT test scores and an official transcript to the admissions office. Information mailed with a Dec. 1 postmark will meet the deadline. Students who apply between Dec. 2, 2008, and Feb. 15, 2009, may be considered if funding is available. Merit scholarships and awards include National Merit and National Achievement Finalist, Valedictorians and Salutatorians, and Chancellor, Presidential, Buchanan Fellowship, Academic Service, Provost and Raider scholarships. Transfer applicants must submit official college transcripts. The scholarship deadline for transfer applicants is Feb. 1. For more information, contact David Hutton at 615-898-2422 or dhutton@mtsu.edu.

THE MARC OF THE ARTIST--Every weekend before Thanksgiving, the Stones River Crafts Association sponsors its Annual Art Studio Tour. It allows one to take a leisurely tour of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County to view the works of talented local artists and artisans. One of them is MTSU’s own Marc Barr, electronic media communication, who creates award-winning pottery. “I’ve been working with combining technology and traditional art processes for 20 years,” says Barr. “The pieces that I will have incorporate traditional methods of making functional and decorative ceramics. The construction, decoration, firing, and their form and surfaces were designed with the aid of various computer hardware, software and peripherals.” Barr’s work will be on display at Ramsey Hall Studio, 2430 Kingwood Lane in Rockvale, during the studio tour, which is slated for tomorrow, Nov. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 23. Contact Barr at 615-898-5628 or mjbarr@mtsu.edu.