Friday, April 3, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

That really hits the spot!

A new study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, indicates that the Great Red Spot, one of the planet Jupiter’s most recognizable features, is shrinking. The spot is a storm that measures about three Earths across, but the researchers say it lost 15 percent of its diameter between 1996 and 2006. Tonight, April 3, beginning at 6:30 p.m., the MTSU Department of Physics and Astronomy will present its latest First Friday Star Party, “Saturn: The Ringed Wonder” by Dr. Eric Klumpe, professor of astronomy. Following the lecture, participants will be able to take guided tours of the Uranidrome, view the heavens with new 16-inch telescopes and see demonstrations of a radio telescope, weather permitting. This event is free and open to the public.

Contact Klumpe at 615-898-2483 or Dr. Charles Higgins at 615-898-5946.

Water cooler chatter

Can you lose your job for posting a message on a blog? David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says, “Private employees do not receive the protections of the First Amendment because there is no trigger of state action. The provisions in the bill of Rights, including the First Amendment, apply as limitations only against government actors such as public employers. Private employees would need to rely on contractual-based remedies or a state statute that might provide protection.” When it comes to public employees, the courts take a somewhat different approach. “If an employee’s speech touches on a matter of public concern—issues such as racial discrimination or governmental corruption—then the courts apply a balancing test,” Hudson says. “The employee’s interest in free expression is weighed against the employer’s efficiency interests.”

Contact Hudson at 615-727-1600.
dhudson@fac.org

“A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.”—Plato

Dr. John Lachs, professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University, will present “Education in a Time of Crisis” at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, in Dining Room C of MTSU’s James Union Building. This timely lecture will address issues such as what it means to become an educated person, the function of the University, and the role philosophy and the humanities play in the institution. This event is free and open to the public as part of the MTSU Department of Philosophy’s annual Applied Philosophy Lyceum. The purpose of the Lyceum is to provoke philosophical reflection by bringing distinguished scholars to the MTSU campus to address crucial contemporary issues. A discussion period and an informal reception will follow.

For more information, contact the MTSU Department of Philosophy at 615-898-2907.

TR EXTRA

T.J. STANDS FOR “TOUGH JOB”--Terrell “T.J.” Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Wake Up Youth Foundation, will be the keynote speaker at MTSU’s 18th annual Intercultural and Diversity Affairs Awards Banquet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Johnson, a former gang member and drug dealer, is the first former felon to be hired by the Memphis Police Department. After being appointed by Mayor Willie Herenton as Prevention and Intervention Coordinator for the city’s Juvenile Justice Abatement Project, Johnson launched an anti-violence initiative in the city school system. Tickets are $11 for students and $20 for adults. For more information, contact Valerie Avent at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

A STONE’S THROW AWAY FROM THE FIELDS--Dr. Warren Gill, chair of the MTSU Department of Agribusiness and Agriscience, and Dr. Justin Gardner, an assistant professor in that department, will discuss the future of farming on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, April 5, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Gill and Gardner talk about federal subsidies for agriculture, farm acreage, government regulation, food safety inspection, agriculture education and other issues affecting today’s farmers. To listen to last week’s program about recording music on Edison cylinders, go to www.mtsunews.com and click on “On the Record” on the right side of the page. For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

A REALLY BIG SHEW—The MTSU Student Government Association will sponsor “The Big Event” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, April 4 (postponed from Saturday, March 28 due to severe weather). MTSU students will show their appreciation to the surrounding community by completing service projects such as yard work, window washing, and painting for community members. Registration starts at 9 a.m. in the Murphy Center parking lot. For more information, contact the Student Government Association office at 615-898-2464 or sgaphil@mtsu.edu.

FOUR-FOOTED PHILANTHROPY—The See Spot Run 5K Run/Walk for dogs and their humans will take place starting at 8 a.m. this Sunday, April 5, in front of MTSU’s Peck Hall. The event is one in a series of campus fundraisers designed to generate the $50,000 necessary to sponsor a Habitat for Humanity “blitz build” on campus during Homecoming. The blitz build home will become a way that students can give back to the Murfreesboro community. Race day registration will be held outside of Peck Hall from 6:30 a.m. to 7:50 a.m. for a $25 fee. All proceeds, including entry fees, admissions and sponsorships, will go toward the MTSU Habitat for Humanity Building Fund. For more information, contact Quintina Burton at 615-898-5002.

SHOWING OFF SCHOLARSHIP--Scholars Week 2009, which continues through today, 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. today, 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.

“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.

PLEASE DON’T SQUEEZE THE CHARMIN.--MTSU Theatre will present “Urinetown the Musical” at 7:30 p.m. tonight through tomorrow, April 4, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, 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.

A LAFFER MATTER--Arthur Laffer, supply-side economist who served on President Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board and is best known for the “Laffer Curve,” will be guest speaker at this year’s MTSU Executives-in-Residence program, on Wednesday, April 8. Laffer will speak from 10:20 to 11:15 a.m. in Tucker Theater on “A Supply-Side View of the First 75 Days of the Obama Administration.” This executive briefing will be open to classes and to the public. There is no charge, but interested parties should reserve seating by calling 615-898-2764. The “Laffer Curve” theory asserts that in certain situations a decrease in tax rates can result in an increase in tax revenues. For more information, contact Tom Tozer in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or ttozer@mtsu.edu.