Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Her scholar ship is see-worthy.

MTSU student Calie Sneed of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., recently was awarded a $500 scholarship from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). Sneed is among 80 students in the nation to receive The Induction Recognition Award for active participation in her NSCS chapter. “We are pleased to recognize Calie’s outstanding contribution to the NSCS chapter at MTSU,” says Stephen E. Loflin, NSCS’ Executive Director. “At NSCS, we recognize the amazing potential of freshmen and sophomores. That’s why our members have access to more undergraduate scholarship dollars from us than they would get from any other honor society nationwide.” In addition to the Induction Recognition Awards, NSCS awards scholarships for textbooks, study abroad and graduate school.

For more information about the National Society of Collegiate Scholars at MTSU, go to http://nscs.org/chapters and type “Middle Tennessee State University” in the blank space.

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.”—Heywood Hale Broun

The aficionados of March Madness are getting ready to fill in their brackets and open their wallets. Unfortunately, too many of those fans expect all local sports reporters to be “homers”—toadies who refuse to criticize the home teams, even when they cheat, display unsportsmanlike conduct, or just plain stink. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says, “Believe it or not, sports reporters are supposed to cover the team the same way the police reporter covers crime, the same way the city hall reporter covers government and the same way the education reporter covers the school board. The sports reporter is supposed to cover the news, report the facts, and give us the story, good or bad.”

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

Anyone remember Adelphia Coliseum?

If you’re puzzled by the timing of Citigroup’s $400 million deal with the New York Mets for the naming rights to their new stadium even as Citi accepts bailout money from the federal government, you’re not alone. Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says a survey by Performance Research indicates that 62 percent believe companies that are on economic hard times should be spending less on sponsorships. Roy says, “It seems that consumers believe the cost-cutting measures they have taken with their household spending should be mirrored by corporations. … If companies’ support of a property via sponsorship is perceived as integral to the property’s success (which would more likely be the case for a non-profit or cause), the more positive consumer acceptance of that association will be.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

“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.

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.

THE KING OF POP--Best-selling author Chuck Klosterman, who is widely regarded as the nation’s premier pop journalist, will speak at 1 p.m. today, March 17, in Room 221 of MTSU’s Learning Resources Center. He will deliver the lecture “Life Through the Prism of Pop Culture.” The event, which is sponsored by the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies and the College of Mass Communication, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Beverly Keel at 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu.

GOING INTO OVERTIME--The deadline for applying for the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship has been extended to Friday, 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.

WORLDWIDE WOMEN--In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Association of Faculty and Administrative Women (AFAW) will host an International Women’s Day Luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. tomorrow, March 18, in the Hazlewood Dining Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. This year’s program will be based on the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Areas of discussion include the development of schools for girls; supporting higher educational opportunities and training for these girls as they become women; the importance of Women’s Vocation Centers; and the societal benefits realized from educating women. The cost is $16 for AFAW members and $20 for non-members. In collaboration with the Office of Community Engagement and Support, AFAW also will be collecting spare change for the Pennies for Peace campaign. For more information, contact Kippy Todd at ktodd@mtsu.edu or go to www.mtsu.edu/~afaw.

WRITE YOUR WAY TO THE RIGHT WAY--The University Writing Center will present “Writing Strategies for Career Advancement” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, in Room 325 of MTSU’s Peck Hall. Bring your resume, curriculum vitae, admissions/scholarship essays or applications, and tutors at the UWC will give you writing advice. Additional information from Financial Aid, Undergraduate Admissions, and Graduate Admissions also will be available. Included in the day’s activities is “Keeping Your Resume Out of the Trash and Your Name in the Loop,” a workshop by Karen Austin, associate director of the Career Development Center, at 11 a.m. This event is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, send questions to uwc.career@gmail.com.