Monday, April 27, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Still working on it

When the federal Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963, a woman in the United States earned only 59 cents for each dollar a man earned. Today, according to 2007 statistics from the National Committee on Pay Equity, a U.S. woman earns only 78 cents for each dollar a man earns. To draw attention to this imbalance, several groups are co-sponsoring Pay Equity Day activities tomorrow, April 28, at MTSU. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will disseminate information on the Keathley University Center knoll. At 2 p.m., Dr. Jackie Gilbert, management and marketing professor, will present “Equal pay, the Individual and the Institution” in Room 100 of the James Union Building. Supporters are encouraged to wear red to dramatize women’s ongoing struggle of being “in the red.”

For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2913.
jawc@mtsu.edu

Running out of gas?

The NFL still outpaces all professional leagues in the latest Middle Tennessee Sports Affinity Survey from the MTSU Office of Consumer Research. The NFL scored 72 points, up three points from 2008. Major League Baseball was a distant second with 49. The PGA, NBA, and LPGA all gained points, but the Indy Racing League and NASCAR declined for the second and third years in a row, respectively. Dr. Don Roy, sports business studies coordinator, says, “The drop in Indy Racing’s affinity score could be due to the loss of the IRL race that had been held at Nashville Superspeedway from 2000 to 2008. NASCAR’s decline locally could be due to a lack of Sprint Cup Series races in this market. Also, NASCAR’s affinity score trend mirrors national trends to a certain extent as TV ratings have stagnated and ticket sales at some tracks have decreased.”

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

“A scientist can discover a new star, but he cannot make one. He would have to ask an engineer to do that.”—Gordon L. Glegg

Congratulations to Dr. Saeed Foroudastan, associate dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, who was honored last week during the Society of Automotive Engineers’ 2008 World Congress in Detroit. The global organization of engineers and other experts in the automotive, aerospace and commercial-vehicle industries selected Foroudastan as one of 10 recipients of its Faculty Advisor Award. The honor acknowledges faculty members who put forth outstanding commitment as advisors of SAE collegiate branches and Collegiate Design Series teams. Foroudastan is known at MTSU for his guidance of the university’s entries in such national competitions as the Solarbike Rayce, the Great Moonbuggy Race, the SAE Formula Collegiate Competition, Mini Baja and Solar Boat.

Contact Randy Weiler in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.
jweiler@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS--“People are shouting too many philosophies of health and happiness at us,” notes a commentator on the recent explosion of interest in a topic of vital interest to us all—our own perceived well-being. But long before the shouting began, philosophers like Aristotle, Epicurus, Montaigne, Spinoza, Mill, Hume and James were carefully considering the question of how to get happy and stay that way. Dr. James Oliver will lead students through an examination of this subject in “The Philosophy of Happiness,” a class slated for Tuesdays and Thursdays this fall at MTSU. “In this course, we’ll survey older philosophical ideas about happiness, the new approach in psychology, and some of the best fictional literature,” says Oliver. ”Our approach will be calm, reasonable and interdisciplinary, with no gratuitous shouting.” Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050 or poliver@mtsu.edu.

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.

ART FOR OUR SAKE--The Department of Art at MTSU will serve as host for the third of three spring 2009 art exhibits by seniors who are candidates for the department’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree beginning today, April 27. “Port Folio” is the title of the final spring ’09 show, and it will be on display in the Art Gallery at Todd Hall through May 1. The exhibit will showcase student projects that utilize their skills in print, Web, motion, book arts and more. A reception is slated for 6:30-8:30 p.m. tonight in Room 224 of the Todd Building. The show and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Eric Snyder at 615-898-5653.