Thursday, September 17, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

OMG! Texting while testing!

A recent survey by Common Sense Media reveals that 35 percent of teens use their cell phones to cheat. Twenty-six percent store info on their phones and look at it while taking a test. Twenty-five percent send text messages to friends, asking for answers. Seventeen percent take pictures of a test and send it to their friends. Laura Sosh-Lightsy, assistant dean of student life, says, “I think there are a couple of things instructors can do to try to combat the problem. For example, I do not allow cell phone use in my classroom. If a cell phone goes off or is discovered, the student is required to leave class and they are counted as absent. I take my cell phone to class in the event that we are contacted via MTSU Alert about serious weather or a situation on campus.”

Contact Sosh-Lightsy at 615-898-2750.
llightsy@mtsu.edu

To fight the unbeatable foe

The range of ways in which to fight for fun and profit is growing exponentially in creativity and diversity. Some combine elements of traditional sports like boxing and wrestling with martial arts and just plain free-for-all, knock-down, drag-out pounding. Are the adventuresome men and women who take part in these sports true athletes? Are they destined to become as popular as the jocks in the NBA or the NFL? David Hudson, adjunct professor of political science and prolific writer about all kinds of sports, talks about the newest forms of fighting sports at 7 a.m. this Sunday, Sept. 20, on “MTSU On the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Hudson is the author of Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting and Mixed Martial Arts.

Contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

Happy Constitution Day!

Join MTSU’s continuing celebration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution 222 years ago today, Sept. 17. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., personal copies of the Constitution will be distributed, and a large copy of the document can be signed on the Keathley University Center knoll. From 10 a.m. to noon on the knoll, speak your mind—with civility—at an open mike. Beginning at 12 noon after the chiming of the noon bells at the Honors College, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee will kick off the reading of the Constitution with President James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” and First Lady Dolley Madison in attendance. Lecture and panel topics throughout the day and night at various campus locations include “The Internet and the First Amendment;” “First Amendment Freedoms;” “Torture, Democracy and the American Press;” “Civil Liberties: Surveillance and Terrorism;” and “Living Democracy.”

For a detailed schedule, visit www.mtsu.edu/masscom/events.shtml and click on the Seigenthaler Chair “scheduled events’ link. Visit www.mtsu.edu/~amerdem for the American Democracy Project info.

TR EXTRA

GET THE PICTURE?--“Relics,” an exhibit by Brad Temkin, is on display at the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in MTSU’s Learning Resources Center (LRC) through Oct. 22. Temkin says of his work, “My approach builds on the sculptural foundation that integrates the object and the landscape. Remnants of humanity are abandoned amidst vast, empty and anonymous landscapes. These forms exude an energy that transcends originating intention, becoming beautiful and monumental ‘earth works’ in their own right.” Temkin will lecture on his work at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, in Room 221 of the LRC with a reception to follow in the gallery. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

CROP ROTATION--Officials in the MTSU School of Agribusiness and Agriscience today postponed their second Field Day until Thursday, Sept. 24, because of rain forecast for today and the rain that has covered the Middle Tennessee region all week. Ag school director Dr. Warren Gill says the event will move to 4 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Agricultural Laboratory Farm, 3301 Guy James Rd. More than 80 people had registered to attend as of Sept. 16, Gill says, adding that others can register to attend by calling Dr. Jessica Carter at 615-898-2419, the University of Tennessee Extension office at 615-898-7710 or Gill at 615-898-2404.

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 Sunday, 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.

ART FROM THE HEART--The Todd Art Gallery at MTSU will present the art department’s 2009 biennial Faculty Art Exhibition through today, Sept. 17. “This exhibit will feature works of art by faculty members as a way to introduce their work to art majors, the broader campus population and the community,” says Eric Snyder, gallery curator, who adds that the artworks represented will vary in media and styles—from representational, abstract and non-objective to traditional media in a straightforward manner and mixed media with a “twist.” The gallery, which is located in the Todd Building on the MTSU campus, is open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each Monday-Friday and is closed on state and university holidays. Admission is always free. Contact Snyder at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.