Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Building blues

Housing construction in Tennessee went down again in the first quarter of 2009. Total permits were down 13.7 percent from the fourth quarter and 45 percent over the year. The South and the United States as a whole were in the same slump. Dr. David Penn, director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, writes in Tennessee Housing Market, “All of the decline for Tennessee can be attributed to multifamily construction, including apartments and condominiums. In fact, multifamily permits are down 49.1 percent from the previous quarter and 51.2 percent over the year. By contrast, single-family permits posted a rare gain, one of the few signs of improvement for the Tennessee economy. The number of permits issued for single-family homes rose 6.1 percent in the first quarter, the first gain in nine quarters.”

Contact Penn at 615-898-2610.
dpenn@mtsu.edu

Information proclamation

A Massachusetts resident whose recent request to see some state records was denied because he is not a Tennessee resident is taking a new approach. Since the state Attorney General, Robert Cooper Jr., has opined that an out-of-state resident can get records if he establishes a Tennessee connection, the Massachusetts resident has procured the services of a Tennessee lawyer. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor, says, “… although a reporter might not want to divulge what he is working on, all an out-of-state resident would have to do is find someone in the state to make the request for him. And for a journalist, all that would require is contacting one of the major newspapers or broadcast outlets in the state, and have them make the request. And for a journalist, all that would require is contacting … the major newspapers or broadcast outlets in the state and have them make a request.”

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

Education in shackles

Dr. Spencer Crew, MTSU’s 2009 Distinguished Public Historian, will lead a panel discussion on “American Slavery and Its Impact on Universities, Past and Present” at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 29, in the main courtroom on the second floor of the Rutherford County Courthouse. Additionally, a reception for Crew and the other participating historians will be held just prior to the panel from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at The Heritage Center, 225 W. College St. in downtown Murfreesboro. Widely recognized as one of the top public historians in the nation, Crew graduated with a Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University. His resume includes executive directorships of the National Museum of American History and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. He currently is on the faculty at George Mason University.

Contact the MTSU Department of History at 615-898-2536.

TR EXTRA

GOING THROUGH CUSTOMS--Running through late July, incoming MTSU students and their families will start familiarizing themselves with their new academic home through the CUSTOMS orientation process. “So many parents and students comment on how friendly folks are and how comfortable they feel about their choice of coming to MTSU,” says Gina Poff, director of New Student and Family Programs. “Although CUSTOMS is a lot of work for the staff and the new students, it really pays off in the end. It is a great way to start off the new journey into MTSU, and the freshmen really get a sense of what it is like to be part of the MTSU community.” Poff says officials expect 50 to 75 more students at each session this summer than in previous years. Contact Poff at 615-898-2454 or gpoff@mtsu.edu.

PUTTING IT ON THE PAGE--Suzanne Fisher Staples will be the visiting author at this summer’s Youth Writer’s Camp at MTSU. Staples, a former correspondent for United Press International in Asia who now writes young adult novels, is the winner of the prestigious Newberry Award for her novel Shabanu. The Youth Writer’s Camp is a two-week intensive writing camp for 4th through 12th graders Monday through Thursday June 8-18. Youngsters can expect community building with fellow writers, realistic feedback from peers and mentors, supportive writing groups, guided writing experiences, and exploration of new writing styles and topics. Each camper will get a writer’s camp T-shirt, a writer’s notebook, and an anthology of writing. Drs. Bobbie Solley and Ellen Donovan of the MTSU Department of Elementary and Special Education are camp directors. For more information, go to www.middletnwritingproject.org or send an e-mail to dianne.hall@comcast.net

THE TOUR DU JOUR--MTSU’s Office of Admissions will offer student-led campus tours at 10 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding holidays) through July 31. The tours are by reservation only. The tour slated for May 27 is full. Plenty of openings remain for all of June and July. No tours will be given July 3 because the university will be closed for that holiday. To make a reservation, call 615-898-5670 or visit mtsu.edu/admissn/tour_admissn.shtml and click on “Schedule Campus Tours.” For more information, contact Michelle Arnold at 615-898-5280 or maarnold@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