Thursday, March 19, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Hardly working

Two economic sectors led the way in January’s employment decline in the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro metro statistical area. Statistics show a 10.67 percent decline in construction and mining and a 10.60 decline in manufacturing. Those percentages represent job losses of 4,300 and 8,100, respectively, from January 2007 to January 2008. The region’s unemployment rate nearly doubled from 4.3 percent to 8.0 percent over that 12-month period. Total nonfarm employment went down 3.10 percent.

Contact the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center at 615-898-2616.

“Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.”—Sam Rayburn

Barns of Tennessee, a just-completed book that illustrates the indelible connection between generations of the state’s residents and their farms, has been published in a partnership among Donning Company Publishers, the staff of The Tennessee Magazine and co-authors Caneta S. Hankins and Michael T. Gavin, both of MTSU. The 160-page, hardbound title features 375 photographs of Tennessee barns—made from stone, log, brick, and metal—along with information about each one. Most of the photographs are in color, though several are vintage black-and-white images. “The barns that are spread across the landscape have played a pivotal role in the changes and continuity of Tennessee’s farming traditions for more than 200 years,” notes Hankins.

To request interviews with the book’s authors or a jpeg of the book, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-494-8857 or lrollins@mtsu.edu.

The music and the message

Dr. Stacey Graham, research professor at MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, and Dr. Mark Jackson, assistant professor of English, will present “Teaching with American Folk Music: Library of Congress Song Recordings as Primary Sources in the Classroom” at 3:30 p.m. CST (4:30 p.m. EST) today, March 19. This professional development program for teachers and librarians in grades K-12 will be transmitted via the Satellite and Webcasting Center. The session highlights the folk music recordings available through the Library of Congress Web site and ways to use these songs as primary sources for teaching history, literature, music, culture and folklore. Lesson ideas and tips for finding recordings on the Library of Congress Web site will be provided.

Contact the Video-Conferencing Technical Clerk at 615-898-2737 or vmoxley@mtsu.edu.

TR EXTRA

NO HAVEN FOR THE HAITIANS--Two documentarians discuss their film “Poto Mitan,” which was screened at MTSU last month, on the next edition of “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, March 22, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Renee Bergan and Mark Schuller turned their cameras on the soul-crushing poverty of Haiti by following the lives of five women. Solange, Frisline, Therese, Marie-Jeanne and Helene belong to The Committee to Defend Working Women’s Rights to combat discrimination, sexual harassment and oppressive working conditions in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The film shows how these women endure and stand up for justice in a country where the minimum wage is the equivalent of $1.80 per day. For more information about “MTSU on the Record,” contact Gina Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

LIBERTY BELL—The author of numerous critically acclaimed and influential books on the politics of race, gender, class and culture, bell hooks (lower case is correct) will speak at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at MTSU’s Keathley University Center Theater. This event is free and open to the public. “Feminism Forever: Continuing the Struggle” is the title of hooks’ talk. A reception and booksigning will follow. For more information about this National Women’s History Month event, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

PREGNANCY AND PARTICIPATING--Should the law put limits on the extent to which pregnant women can participate in research? In the next Women’s Studies Research Series lecture at MTSU, Tara Prairie, research compliance officer, will speak about “Pregnancy and Research: A Critique of Subpart B” at 3 p.m., today, March 19, in the SunTrust Room (BAS127) of the Business and Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu.

“MY SEXUALITY HAS NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM TO ME, BUT I THINK IT HAS BEEN FOR OTHER PEOPLE.”—DUSTY SPRINGFIELD--“Sexuality” is the theme of the 2009 Interdisciplinary Conference in Women’s Studies at MTSU, which is slated for Thursday and Friday, March 26-27, in Cantrell Hall in MTSU’s Tom H. Jackson Building. Learned scholars from across the country, as well as the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, will present research on topics representing the vast panoply of perspectives on sexuality, including biology, culture, and sexuality; sex trafficking; feminism and sexuality; and gender construction and sexuality. “At MTSU, we have an inclusive definition of diversity,” says Dr. Kaylene Gebert, Executive Vice President and Provost. “The Women’s Studies Program and this conference give the campus and the community and opportunity to hear national speakers and scholars who focus on contemporary issues.” For more information, go to www.mtsu.edu/womenstu, or contact the Women’s Studies Program at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.

GOING INTO OVERTIME--The deadline for applying for the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship has been extended to tomorrow, March 20. The Murfreesboro Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will award a $1,000 scholarship each semester—Fall 2009 and Spring 2010—to the MTSU undergraduate student who best demonstrates academic promise and financial need. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must have successfully completed their freshman year at MTSU. Returning adult students, in particular, are encouraged to apply. The scholarship is renewable each semester as long as full-time status and a 2.5 GPA are maintained. AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. Send completed applications to Dr. Tanya M. Peres, chair of the Ruth Houston Scholarship Committee, at MTSU, Box 10, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Address your questions about scholarship criteria to Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.