Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A shaky foundation

The outlook for housing seems cloudy at best. In the latest edition of Tennessee Housing Market from MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, Dr. David Penn, the center’s director, writes, “Although mortgage rates are extremely low, a decline in household confidence along with falling housing prices will likely keep many home buyers on the sidelines. The inventory of foreclosures will continue to rise, as indicated by the rising number of new foreclosures. Home sales continue to fall, putting downward pressure on prices. Since supply is falling faster than demand, the inventory of homes on the market is declining. The scarce good news is the increase in multi-family permits.”

Contact the Business and Economic Research Center at 615-898-2610.

A presidential address

President Obama is getting good marks from the mainstream media for his first joint address to Congress last night. Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College and former chair of the Department of Political Science, says Obama’s speech showed some of the same spark he had on the campaign trail. “It blended a description of his economic program with concerns over energy, health care and education,” Vile says. “In contrast to his first press conference, which was fairly stiff, Obama demonstrated good humor at a number of points in his speech, which can be an effective way of muting partisanship. Obama’s general ‘can do’ attitude should be a balm to the nation at a time of continuing economic turmoil and unrest in the stock market. Another speech later in the week might further flesh out Obama’s plans for foreign policy.”

Contact Vile at 615-898-2596.
jvile@mtsu.edu

A media merger?

Samsung is releasing a television with the Internet built in later this year. This coincides with the growing numbers of people who are willing to get their news online. “It won’t be long before television and the Internet are interchangeable,” says Dr. Robert Spires, electronic media communication. “There won’t be much way for you to distinguish between them, but we’re still a few election cycles away from that.” He points to the reaction to the “Yes We Can” video put together by will.i.am of the Black-Eyed Peas in support of Barack Obama last year. The artist made the video in only three days. Within two days of its release on the Internet, eight million people had viewed it.

Contact Spires at 615-898-2217.
rwspires@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC--Augustana, whose singles “Boston” and “Sweet and Low” propelled them onto the national stage, will perform in concert at 7 p.m. tonight, Feb. 25, at MTSU’s Tucker Theater in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts building. The five-man band that originated in Greenville, Ill., and is now based in San Diego has made appearances on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and “The Today Show,” among other television appearances. Lastfm.com describes Augustana’s sound as “at once contemplative and slow, but also captivating.” The concert is presented by the MTSU Concerts Committee. Tickets are $5 each for students and $10 each for the public. To reserve tickets online, go to www.mtsu.edu/~events/augustana.html. For more information, contact MTSU Student Programming at 615-898-5608.

PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS--MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee will be on hand to celebrate the grand opening of the university’s on-campus pharmacy with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. and a Health Fair from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. today, Feb. 25, at the Campus Health, Wellness and Recreation Center. At the Health Fair, information will be provided on various programs and services, including intramural athletics, hearing screenings and nutrition counseling. Free refreshments will be available. The pharmacy began serving the campus community on Jan. 15 with full prescription services as well as a complete line of over-the-counter pharmaceutical products, including cough and cold remedies, foot care products, vitamins, antacids, first aid items and more. For more information, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/pharmacy/index.shtml or phone 615-494-8888.

CHEMISTRY CHATTER--Dr. Amber Hinkle, quality lead in plastics manufacturing for Bayer’s Material Science facility in Baytown, Texas, will be the MTSU National Women’s History Month “Women in Science” invited lecturer. Hinkle will speak from 7-8:30 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 26, in Room 102 of Wiser-Patten Science Hall and again during a 2-6 p.m. workshop Friday, Feb. 27, in Room 219 of Monohan Hall. Her Feb. 26 talk will be on “Women in Chemistry: Successful Leaders.” Her workshop presentation will be on “Leading without Authority.” The Feb. 26 lecture is open to the MTSU community and general public. The Feb. 27 workshop requires registration at http://acs.learn.com/custom/customloginpage.asp.

THERE’S NO “I” IN “TEAM”--The MTSU Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth will present “Social and Moral Education of Youth: Can Sport Really Build Character?,” a lecture by Dr. Don R. Hellison, at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 26, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Hellison is a professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Much of Hellison’s work over the past three decades has focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation of alternative physical activity program models and structures that teach life skills and values, especially for underserved youth. Hellison has conducted his work where it counts—in the gymnasium, on the playground, and in tough, inner city neighborhoods. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Don Morgan at 615898-5549 or dmorgan@mtsu.edu.

MIGHT MAKES RIGHT—The MTSU Campus Recreation Fitness Department will present the Strongman Competition at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, in the indoor arena of the Campus Recreation Center. There will be three weight classes: lightweight (under 190 pounds), middleweight (191-220 lbs.), and heavyweight (over 221 lbs.) Events include tire flip, shuttle carry, standing medicine ball toss, loading event and a truck push/pull. The competition is open to faculty, staff and students. The entry fee is $10 and the registration deadline is 4:30 p.m. today, Feb. 25. For more information, call 615-898-2104.

RAD STREET CRED--A series of six Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes will be offered at no charge every Thursday through Mar. 26 from 6-8 p.m. in the MTSU police training room located at 1412 East Main Street. The class will be open to all female MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as to the general public. For more information or to enroll, call RAD instructor David Smith at 615-692-2424.