Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“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.

The Tour de Raider

Prospective MTSU students and their families and friends now have a way to take a tour of campus on weekends and other times when offices and departments are closed. The Admission Tour Podcast has been uploaded to the MTSU iTunes store. “It’s all audio files and a map of the tour podcast,” says Admissions Counselor Travis Tipton. “It takes a student around campus. It highlights buildings in a certain order. There are 13 tracks so students can pause as they go to their next building.” By April 1, admissions will have a procedure in place for prospective students to check out mp3 players from Tour Coordinator Betty Pedigo at the information booth in the main lobby of the Cope Administration Building.

Contact Tipton at 615-494-7956.
ttipton@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.
cdd3b@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

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 present “Recognizing and Lessening Systems of Privilege with Regard to Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation,” a workshop for administrators, faculty and staff, as part of the Women’s Studies Conference at 1 p.m. tomorrow, March 26, in the Tom H. Jackson Building. McIntosh also 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.

ORDER IN THE COURT--Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will lecture on “Judicial Independence in Jeopardy: The First Amendment and the Culture Wars” at 1 p.m. tomorrow, March 26, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public and cosponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Fund and by the Women’s Studies Program. For more information, contact Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College, at 615-898-2152.

“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 tomorrow 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.

FARM FAIR--The first-ever MTSU School of Agribusiness and Agriscience Career Fair will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. today, March 25 on the first floor of the Stark Agriculture Building. The ag program has nearly 400 students in three majors: animal science, including horse science; plant science; and agribusiness. The Student Agriculture Council, agribusiness and agriscience faculty and staff and the Career Development Center are serving as hosts of the ABAS Career Fair. The fair is for MTSU students only. Participants should bring updated copies of their resumes and professional attire is strongly encouraged. For more information, contact Nicole Green, career coordinator for the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, at 615-494-8797.

“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.