Monday, December 1, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The disabled president

Any high school student of American history can tell you that FDR governed from a wheelchair, but his paralysis was concealed from the public. Now that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have dispelled myths about race and gender in politics, is the U.S. ready to elect a visibly disabled chief executive? John Harris, director of Disabled Student Services at MTSU, says, “I believe there will come a time when the country will indeed elect a person with a visible disability as President of the United States. The country looks for vision, problem-solving capabilities and good managerial skills. Individuals with visible disabilities have had to overcome many obstacles in their lives and in many instances to make it where they are.”

Contact Harris at 615-898-2783.
jlharris@mtsu.edu

I’ve got a secret

Information about nuclear weapons sites is available in books and on the Internet. However, Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, says this is not necessarily a reason to panic. “Almost anyone in Oak Ridge, for example, can tell you where the secret nuclear weapons plant is,” Burris says. “But I can pretty much guarantee that if you try to jump the fence you’ll be met by some folks with very big guns, and they won’t be amused. … All of the really important secret material is safely behind barbed wire, concrete bunkers and multiple layers of human, mechanical and electronic security. And no unauthorized person is going to get anywhere near close enough to tell us any of the details.”

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

Straight from the source

Dr. Stacey Graham, research professor with MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, will present “Engaged, Empowered and Excited: Teaching with Primary Sources,” a professional development program for teachers, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST (4:30-5:30 p.m. EST), on Thursday, Dec. 4, through the Satellite and Webcasting Center. This session will introduce the Library of Congress “Teaching with Primary Sources” program. The millions of digitized source items available from the library’s Web site can enrich students’ learning experiences across the curriculum. Special focus will be made on the Age of Jackson (1820s-1830s) with lesson planning ideas and primary source suggestions. This presentation targets K-12 librarians and teachers, especially teachers of American and Tennessee history.

For more information, call 615-898-2737 or send an e-mail to vmoxley@mtsu.edu.

TR EXTRA

A WORK OF ART--The works of MTSU art professors John Donovan and Erin Anfinson are on display at the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery in Nashville through Friday, Dec. 12. Anfinson’s encaustic paintings and Donovan’s ceramic sculpture have been on display since Nov. 6. Both artists view this exhibition as an opportunity to connect what they teach in the classroom with their own creative studio practices. Their students will have the opportunity to view and enjoy the work and to better understand the effort that goes into an active and successful creative career. The gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call Julie Roberts at 615-532-9798 or julie.roberts@state.tn.us.

THE BEST WET YET--Water is often called the most essential nutrient. Why is it so important? How much do we really need? Is bottled water really safer than tap? Why are chemicals like fluoride and ginseng added to some waters? Exactly how much water do athletes need? Find out answers to these questions and more in “Water, Water Everywhere … But Which Type is Best to Drink?”, an interactive program for students in grades 7-12 offered through MTSU’s Satellite and Webcasting Center tomorrow, Dec. 2, from 9-10 a.m. CST (10-11 a.m. EST). The discussion leaders will be Dr. Janet Colson, human sciences, Daniel Vaden and Mark Crowell. For more information, call 615-898-2737 or send an e-mail to vmoxley@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 Thursday, 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. For information, call 615-898-2085.

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 Thursday, 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 today, 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.