Friday, March 27, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

John Hope Franklin (1915-2009)

The historian Dr. John Hope Franklin, who earned his bachelor’s degree at Fisk University in Nashville, died Wednesday at the age of 94. His 1947 book From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans is considered a seminal work in reshaping the racial dialogue in America. Dr. Tommy Bynum, assistant professor of history, says, “Beset by the strictures of Jim Crow segregation, Dr. John Franklin persevered and became one of America's foremost and preeminent historians. His work and scholarship, which spanned nearly six decades, serve as a model for both old and young scholars and continue to influence a generation of young black academics who will follow in his footsteps. He will be greatly missed by family, friends, students and members of the historical profession.”

Contact Bynum at 615-898-2760.
tbynum@mtsu.edu

Showing off scholarship

Scholars Week 2009, slated for Monday, March 30 through Friday, April 3, has become an anticipated campus event each spring as MTSU scholars eagerly share their research findings as well as their enthusiasm for doing research. Dr. Kris McCusker, associate professor of history and organizing committee member, says that selected MTSU students are inviting others to visit the universitywide poster and multimedia event at 12:40 p.m. on Friday, April 3, in the Murphy Center track area and will act as hosts during the event. Presentation titles range from “Hurricane Ike vs. an Atomic Bomb;” “How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Sanitation Issues in the Food Industry;” and “Knock It Off!: Consumers’ Perceptions Toward Purchasing Counterfeit Products.”

A schedule and a link to poster abstracts are at www.mtsu.edu/~research. For more information, contact McCusker at 615-898-2544 or Dr. Andrienne Friedli at 615-898-2071.

Sign on the dotted line.

Some marriages are real business agreements complete with contractual terms. Dr. Marilyn Wells, professor emeritus of sociology and anthropology, says there are three different rights that are essential to the contract. They are domestic service, right to sexual access and reproductive services. The latter is considered the most important right because it determines to which kin group the children will belong. “Bride price is the ritual gifts that are given by the groom’s family to the bride’s family,” says Wells. She says the gifts can include such things as a pouch of salt, spiced cocoa powder, coffee beans, copper shields, pouches of tobacco and finely woven mats. The progeny price can be included in the bride price and can be paid off in installments.

Contact Wells at 615-895-4385.

TR EXTRA

“HELL, THERE ARE NO RULES HERE. WE’RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING.”—THOMAS EDISON--The sounds of history come alive as Martin Fisher, manager of recorded media collections for the Center for Popular Music, discusses recording formats from the Edison cylinder to the digital download on the next edition of “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, March 29, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Fisher talks about his contemporary recordings of folk music on a 1906-era Edison cylinder phonograph at the 2007 Reelfoot Lake Arts and Crafts Festival and the 2009 Memphis Folk Alliance. Logue will play sound from the demonstrations, which illustrates the quality of the new mechanical acoustic recordings when reproduced with modern electric pickups. For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

PROJECT RUNWAY--The MTSU Fashion Promotion class will conduct a fashion show at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. Admission is $5 per person at the door. All proceeds will be donated to Pennies for Peace. For more information, contact Dr. Jasmin Hyunju Kwon, assistant professor of textiles, merchandising and design, at 615-904-8340.

IT’S A PRIVILEGE--Dr. Peggy McIntosh, associate director of the Wellesley Centers for Women, will guide a workshop for MTSU students titled “Coming to See Privilege Systems: The Surprising Journey” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. For more information, contact the Women’s Studies Program at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.

“ARE YOU REALLY JUST A SHADOW OF THE MAN THAT I ONCE KNEW?”—FROM “DOCTOR WU” BY STEELY DAN--How do you teach students the art of filmmaking? By letting them make a film. But how do you pay for it? With a national economic recession and the threat of budget cuts hitting close to home, Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, is going viral and asking for donations to pay for it online. Pondillo is the writer and director of “The New, True Charlie Wu,” a movie made with an all-MTSU student crew. The film is now in post-production. It’s “the story of a young man caught in a job he hates,” says Pondillo. He compensates for his malaise through conspicuous consumption, thinking that things can “fill the hole in his heart,” as Pondillo puts it. To contribute, go to www.youandcharliewu.com. For each dollar contributed, the donor gets a point. The more points the donor gets, the more prestigious the mention in the credits. Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 and pondillo@mtsu.edu.

THE NITTY GRITTY--The Girls Raised in Tennessee Science (GRITS) Collaborative, a statewide initiative to encourage girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is inviting you to register your program in the National Girls Collaborative Project Program Directory. Teachers, community groups and other organizations committed to collaborating with, informing and motivating girls are encouraged to register. The online program directory lists programs and resources that encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM. The purpose of the directory is to help organizations and individuals network, share resources, and work together on STEM-related projects for girls. With the online program directory, you can enter a program for inclusion in the directory, sign up for the e-newsletter listserv and search for programs using various criteria. For more information, contact Cacy DeSheles, assistant director of GRITS, at 615-494-7763 or cdd3b@mtsu.edu.

BRIGHT AND BRASSY--“Pistons and Pipes,” a free concert featuring the MTSU Faculty Brass Quintet, the MTSU Symphonic Brass Ensemble and First United Methodist Church organist and MTSU faculty member Sandra Arndt, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 30, at the church at 265 W. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro. Festival music selections include J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, multiple brass choir works of Giovanni Gabrieli, David Sampson’s Fanfare for Canterbury Cathedral, Ingolf Dahl’s Music for Brass, and Craig Phillips’ energetic and lyric Suite for Organ, Brass, and Percussion. The concert will conclude with Ottorino Respighi’s brilliant Ancient Aires and Dances. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 615-898-2493 or go to www.mtsumusic.com.

PLEASE DON’T SQUEEZE THE CHARMIN.--MTSU Theatre will present “Urinetown the Musical” at 7:30 p.m. April 1-4 and at 2 p.m. April 5 in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building’s Tucker Theatre. The three-time Tony Award-winning musical provides a satirical and comedic look at a future in which water supplies have dried up and the public must use pay-to-pee toilets regulated by the Urine Good Company. When Bobby, a custodian at the filthiest toilet in town, decides enough is enough, he leads a rebellion to free the citizens. Deborah Anderson, a member of MTSU’s speech and theatre faculty and the play’s director, says, “We’re all going to experience this (environmental) ruin that is rocketing toward us at such a speed that we will probably not be able to turn it away no matter how much recycling we do. But at least we should try, and this show provides a humorous look at what could happen.” Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for MTSU staff and K-12 students. MTSU students are admitted free of charge with a valid ID. For more information, call 615-494-8810.

RECYCLED KNOWLEDGE--The American Association of University Women will hold its annual Book Sale to benefit the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship for MTSU students from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, March 30, and Tuesday, March 31, in front of Phillips Bookstore in the Keathley University Center. Books, CDs, DVDs, tapes and records will be available. For more information, contact Ann Funkhouser at 615-898-2538 or afunkhou@mtsu.edu.