Friday, October 23, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Don’t read my shirt! I’ll get in trouble!

School administrators and teachers are waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court takes up a Texas case that could resolve dress code controversies across the country. It started in 2007 when sophomore Pete Palmer of Waxahachie was sent home for wearing T-shirts that said “San Diego” and “John Edwards for President 08.” The school dress code prohibited apparel that bore printed messages. Palmer challenged the dress code in court. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the strict standard of United States v. O’Brien (1968) must be used to judge this free speech issue. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says, “Under the O’Brien test, a regulation is constitutional if it furthers a substantial government interest, the government’s interest is unrelated to the suppression of free expression and the incidental restrictions on free speech are no more than are necessary to further the government’s interest.”

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

The music, the message and Messiaen

The Stones River Chamber Players, an ensemble-in-residence at MTSU, will open its 2009-2010 season with Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in the Hinton Music Hall of MTSU’s Wright Music Building. Faculty performers will include Andrea Dawson (violin), Todd Waldecker (clarinet), Xiao-Fan Zhang (cello) and Leopoldo Erice (piano). Michael Linton, music theory and composition professor, will serve as commentator for the concert. Linton says Messiaen wrote Quartet for the End of Time when he was in a POW camp and was performed first by the composer and fellow inmates before an audience of prisoners and guards. “It is a piece that carries with it none of the smoke of war but in every measure is lighted by the joy of transcendence,” says Linton. This event is free and open to the public.

Contact the School of Music at 615-898-2493 or go to www.mtsumusic.com.

Give me a shot with a latte chaser.

State and local governments are being pressured to crack down on energy drinks that combine caffeine and alcohol. What could be the adverse health consequences of mixing booze and caffeine? Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, says, “Alcohol is a depressant; caffeine, a stimulant. So the pharmacological effect is something of a confusion. Alcohol is consumed for one effect and caffeine produces the opposite effect. Result: a wide awake drunk! …This is nothing new since there are people who consume alcohol along with cocaine and other illicit stimulants. The ’safety’ is found in the legal status of caffeine - less likelihood of arrest for possession of a scheduled narcotic.”

Contact Winborn at 615-898-5110.
jwinborn@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

YOU ALWAYS HURT THE ONE YOU LOVE— The Department of Health and Human Performance and Student Health Services will co-host the 8th Annual Tunnel of Terror from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, October 26, in MTSU’s James Union Building. The tunnel is a sexually transmitted infection education event for all students, faculty, and staff. Since two-thirds of all STIs occur in 16-24 year olds, this is a great opportunity to educate students on how to protect themselves from becoming infected. Classes are welcome. It is a self-guided event so participants can move through as slowly or as quickly as they like. For more information, contact Casie Higginbotham at 615-904-8274 or chigginb@mtsu.edu.

DYNASTY AMONG THE DUNES--The Almoravids emerged from a nomadic life in the Sahara to establish a dynasty that encompassed almost all of the territory from the Senegal River in West Africa to the Ebro River in Spain. Their story is full of colorful characters, cultural development, military conquests, and historical import. Looming over it all is Abd Allah Ibn Yasin, the dynamic preacher who instilled in the Almoravids an appreciation for Islam on cultural, moral and political levels. Dr. Ron Messier, professor emeritus of history and former director of the MTSU Honors Program, will talk about his forthcoming book on the Almoravids at 7 a.m. this Sunday, Oct. 25, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

I WANT TO PLAY, TOO!--Dr. Dan Gould, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Michigan State University (MSU) and Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at MSU, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Gould’s topic will be “The Professionalization of Youth Sports: Implications for Involvement and Youth Development.” Gould has served as a consultant to the U.S. Ski Team, NASCAR pit crews and drivers, professional tennis players, and numerous Olympic athletes. This event, which is free and open to the public, is presented by the MTSU-based Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth. Contact Dr. Don Morgan at 615-898-5549 or dmorgan@mtsu.edu.

HEAR IT NOW.--New MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready news stories are on the Web at www.mtsunews.com. Click on “Audio Clips” on the right side of the page. In this edition, Linda Hooper, principal of Whitwell Middle School in Whitwell, Tenn., talks about the Paper Clip Project. Hooper will explain this unique educational endeavor at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 24, at the 2009 MTSU International Holocaust Studies Conference. On Audio Clips, Hooper also discusses Holocaust education and how to express the gravity and the depth of this calamitous episode of history to children. Additionally, Dr. Sean Foley, MTSU history professor and Middle East expert, talks about U.S. and international efforts to deal with Iran in light of its uranium enrichment efforts and the potential threat they pose to the world. Contact Audio Clips Producer Gina Logue at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

I ONCE WAS LOST, BUT NOW I’M FOUND.--In conjunction with the 2009 MTSU International Holocaust Studies Conference, MTSU Theatre and Dance presents “Dear Finder” through tomorrow, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. at Tucker Theatre in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building. This performance unearths many truths about the past and the present. Featuring a series of monologues from the letters and journals of actual Holocaust survivors, “Dear Finder” shows a new perspective of this tragic period while also illustrating a connection between their experiences and contemporary incidents of racial genocide. Lobby doors open and ticket sales begin one hour prior to the performance. Seating begins 30 minutes prior to the performance. Visa, MasterCard, and cash are accepted. Ticket prices are $10 for general admission, $5 for MTSU faculty and staff and K-12 students, and free for MTSU students with a valid ID. Limit one per student. Call 615-494-8810 for more information.

FASCINATING RHYTHM—Pinpoint synchronization, dynamic themes and entertaining costumes will be in evidence when the Office of Greek Affairs, the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and the National Pan-Hellenic Council present their Step Show at 7 p.m. tonight, Oct. 23, in Murphy Center. Teams from MTSU fraternities and sororities will compete for prizes of $1,000 for first place and $500 for second place with an additional $500 awarded for the best overall performance. “I like it because it represents our African-American heritage,” says organizing co-chair Ashlee Gray. “I take pride in telling our story through step dancing.” Admission is $10 in advance at the Murphy Center ticket office or $15 on the day of the show. Only cash will be accepted. For more information, contact Angela King at 615-898-5812 or Valerie Avent at 615-898-2718.

IT’S FALL, YOU ALL--The October edition of “Middle Tennessee Record” is on the air and on the Web. Featured this month: the MTSU virtual tour, which allows anyone with access to a computer to wander around the campus without actually being there; Camp ENRGY, an innovative way to help children with physical disabilities participate more confidently in home- school- and community-based physical activities; interviews with Dr. Gerhard L. Weinberg, professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Whitwell Middle School Principal Linda Hooper, initiator of the Paper Clip Project, two attendees at MTSU’s Holocaust Studies Conference later this month; and a look at True Blue TV through the eyes of host and creator Steven Mizell. To find out where “Middle Tennessee Record” airs in your area, or to watch it online, go to www.mtsunews.com. Contact producer John Lynch at 615-898-2919 or jlynch@mtsu.edu.