Monday, April 20, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

With a little help from my friends

MTSU’s Off-Campus Student Services has negotiated free online tutoring for students who need a little end-of-the-semester help with their classes. This tutoring is available through http://www.smarthinking.com/ in the following subjects: Mathematics (basic skills through Calculus II); General Chemistry; Organic Chemistry; Physics; Biology; Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology; Accounting; Economics; Introductory Finance; Spanish; and Statistics. To take advantage of this offer, fill out the form to request an account at www.mtsu.edu/smarthinking. Carol Langley, assistant coordinator in MTSU’s Distance Learning Student Services, will set up the account. Once the account is activated, Langley will send a confirmation e-mail with instructions on how to log in and a few tips on how to use this online tutoring service.

For more information, contact Off-Campus Student Services at 615-898-5989.

Piracy on the high CDs

A bill that would mandate that police ask people who have bootleg CDs to surrender the illegal copies voluntarily has been introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly. Ken Sanney, an adjunct recording industry professor and licensed attorney, says, “The law fails, however, to provide local law enforcement with the resources necessary to meet a mandate such as that found in the Tennessee bill and does not add any protection to legitimate vendors. It simply protects pirates. If your local police force does not have the proper resources, this bill will simply tip the balance in favor of the pirates. That possible unintended consequence should be seriously considered before such a bill is made law.”

Contact Sanney at 615-456-6502.
ksanney@mtsu.edu

It doesn’t stand for National Bigotry Company.

Forty-one years ago this month, NBC aired a special by singer Petula Clark in which she performed an anti-war duet with Harry Belafonte. During the taping, Clark touched Belafonte’s arm. A sponsor insisted that the network delete the scene for fear that the contact between a white woman and a black man would offend Southern viewers. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, says, “NBC, to its credit, destroyed all alternate takes of the scene, and Clark, who owned the show, told NBC it would run intact or she would not allow it (the program) to be aired. … Over the years, any number of media events has offended this or that group. Sometimes the offense is warranted; other times it is the result of being narrow-minded. Regardless, media personalities of all descriptions have, for good or ill, had an influence far beyond what they might have imagined.”

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

TR EXTRA

TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE--The late feminist author Audre Lorde said about sexual assault, “Your silence will not protect you.” That’s why MTSU students, faculty and staff will speak out today, April 20, through Wednesday, April 22, during the June Anderson Women’s Center’s annual Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night activities. The Clothesline Project uses T-shirts with messages that protest violence against women. These shirts will be displayed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20-22 on the Keathley University Center knoll. At 4 p.m. today, April 20, the JAWC will show “I Never Thought It Was Rape” in the KUC Theater. And instructors from Progressive Martial Arts will offer free self-defense training from 5-7 p.m. today, April 20, in Dining Room C of MTSU’s James Union Building. For more information, contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2913.

THE DISABILITY DEBATE--Courtney Jenkins-Atnip, public policy specialist for the Tennessee Disability Coalition, will speak on “Disability Rights, Advocacy and Lobbying in Tennessee” from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. today, April 20, in Room 211 of MTSU’s Peck Hall. For more information, contact Dr. Sekou Franklin at 615-904-8232 or franklin@mtsu.edu.

PEDAL PUSHERS--The 3rd annual Tour de Boro, a Century Cycling Event sponsored by the MTSU Department of Recreation and Leisure Services, is slated for Saturday, April 25. There are three routes—16.5 miles, 31 miles, and 57.5 miles. All routes are along scenic, low traffic back roads winding through southern Rutherford County. Onsite registration on the day of the event is $35 beginning at 6 a.m. For more information, contact Crystal Barnett at 615-491-4398.

GET A CLUE!--MTSU is expanding its popular CSI: MTSU four-day program for students entering the 10th, 11th and 12th grades in Rutherford and surrounding counties. This year’s event is slated for June 16-19. The goals of CSI: MTSU are: to allow students to explore many unique career possibilities in forensic science; to provide a “real life” reasons to tackle higher level math and science courses; and to develop skills in teamwork, seeing and understanding details, critical thinking and presentation skills. The student investigators will be presented with a re-creation of an actual crime scene. Each student is trained in the fundamental processes of collecting evidence, including DNA, fingerprints, hair and fibers, simulated blood spatter, and shoe prints. For more information or to register, call 615-898-2462 or send an e-mail to eshockle@mtsu.edu.