Thursday, July 23, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Two plus two equals a four-year degree.

Michelle Blackwell, director of Transfer Student Services, will talk about the new agreement between MTSU and Nashville State Community College at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 26, on “MTSU On the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). The dual-admission pact, which is slated to be signed on Wednesday, July 29, at MTSU, is designed to make it easier for transfer students from NSCC to obtain admission to a four-year institution. After meeting certain requirements, NSCC students will be guaranteed acceptance to MTSU, and at the outset, they will be able to map out their college career paths. Students will save money by being able to enroll in a community college their first two years at lower tuition and fees.

For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

The naked truth

If you’re in the adult entertainment business, you can’t challenge the assertion that your enterprise causes adverse effects in the neighborhood after a new zoning law is passed—even if your business was in the neighborhood before the law’s passage. That was the ruling of a panel of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Independence News v. City of Charlotte. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says, “According to the Fourth Circuit, all city officials must do with respect to secondary effects is show that they reasonably believed secondary effects to be a problem when they passed the ordinance.” The businesses had claimed that their First Amendment rights were violated because they were not allowed to introduce evidence proving their presence in the neighborhood had no adverse impact.

Contact Hudson at 615-727-1342.
dhudson@fac.org

Booze you can lose

You know exports are in trouble when even whiskey sales are down to a trickle. Dr. Steven Livingston, editor of Global Commerce, writes, “Even Tennessee whiskey, normally impervious to slowdowns, saw its exports reduced by 11 percent” in the first quarter. Livingston also writes, “April exports were down another 16 percent indicating that we are still far from seeing the bottom of this crash in exports. It is unreasonable to expect to see better numbers while the recession continues. Given the cyclical nature of several of the state’s largest industries (transportation and electronics), we can only hope that the turnaround will be quick and decisive when it finally arrives. Until then, expect to see continued difficulties for Tennessee’s exporters.”

Contact Livingston at 615-898-2720.
slivings@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU--Hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls will don their finest Western duds to “Saddle Up for Project Help” at the 2009 fundraiser set for Thursday, July 30, at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium on the MTSU campus. The fun will get underway at 6:30 p.m. with event registration. A barbecue dinner will be served at 7 p.m., followed by live music and dancing. Silent and live-auction bidding will close at 8:15 p.m., and auction checkout will be at 8:30 p.m. Founded in 1983, the nonprofit Project Help provides early intervention and family support services with disabilities and developmental delays up to age 3. Project Help currently serves 48 children with special needs. The staff includes more than 150 student volunteers each semester. For more information, call 615-898-2458 or go to www.mtsu.edu/projecthelp.

INTELLIGENCE ON DISPLAY--The MTSU McNair Program will present its 10th annual symposium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, and from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Thursday, July 30 in the Tom H. Jackson Building. The McNair Program is designed to give low-income/first-generation and underrepresented undergraduate students the support they need to prepare for and successfully complete a doctorate degree in their chosen fields. McNair scholars will make oral presentations of their 2009 summer research. Their research posters also will be on display. Topics include “Blowing Up the Ballot Box: The Political Violence of the Election Cycle;” “How World War I Affected Poor Tennessean Citizens and Their Experiences;” “Playing Doctor: Assessing Future Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Child Sexual Behavior;” and “Prevention and Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain: Physical Therapy and Other Non-Surgical Methods.” Contact the McNair Program at 615-904-8462.

R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.--Scores of girls ages 10 to 17 will convene July 27 through July 31 at MTSU for the seventh annual Murfreesboro edition of the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC), a week-long gathering that nurtures musical talent and self-esteem in a positive, supportive atmosphere. The day camp, which will operate from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. each day, will feature instruction in drums, vocals, keyboards, guitar and bass, as well as workshops in recording, screenprinting, songwriting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts. On Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m., the girls will display the skills they honed in bands throughout the week by performing in a showcase concert in Tucker Theater. Admission is $8 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m. Contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or Nicole Tekulve, SGRRC Director, at 615-849-8140.

THE I-24 CONNECTION--The newly formed Dual Admission Program between MTSU and Nashville State Community College (NSCC) is designed to make it easier to earn a four-year degree. To apply for dual admission, a student must plan on pursuing a bachelor’s degree, meet the admission criteria for NSCC, have 29 or fewer college-level semester hours and, if a transfer or current student at NSCC, have a GPA of 2.0. A student must also complete all required high school courses to qualify for transfer to MTSU. Once enrolled in the dual-admission program, a student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA and must have earned an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Science in Teaching degree. A formal signing of the agreement between the two schools is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, at MTSU. Contact Tom Tozer at MTSU 615-898-2919 or Brent Young at Nashville State Community College at brent.young@nscc.edu.

SOLID AS A ROCK BLOK—Registration is open now for this fall’s Rock Blok workshop at MTSU. Young musicians ages 10-17 can learn music, make friends and form a band at the workshop, which is slated to begin September 5th. “When a student signs up, he or she is assigned to a band with other students,” says Ryan York, executive leader of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!) and workshop leader. “Each band has two professional musicians as volunteer teachers. The students then spend two hours each Saturday learning music, working up a set list, making merchandise for their band, recording an album and writing music.” At the conclusion of the workshop, the bands will perform in concert. The fee is $40 a month ($120 total). For more information, go to www.YEAHintheBoro.org, send an e-mail to info@YEAHintheBoro.org, or call 615-849-8140.

PRESSING ON--The legacy of MTSU’s working replica of an 18th century printing press will be explained through photos and prints as part of an exhibit at the main branch of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St., through Sept. 27. The exhibit is titled “Telling the Story: Letterpress Printing and Community.” The university’s segment will include the story of letterpress printing at MTSU. The works of current MTSU art students; alumni; visiting artists; faculty; elementary, middle- and high-school teachers and students who printed on the James E. Walker Library’s unique device will be highlighted. A reproduction of the English common press used by Benjamin Franklin in the early 1700s, the printing press was handcrafted in 2004 and 2005 out of chestnut and white oak wood from a 100-year-old house in Virginia. Contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@mtsu.edu.