Monday, October 5, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Speaking truth to power

Following a court ruling in New York, school employees who complain about their supervisors outside the line of authority might have a better chance in lawsuits if the supervisor or school system retaliates. A federal district judge recently sided with high school social worker Colleen McAvey after she reported a teacher’s alleged sexual harassment of a student and commented to a local newspaper reporter who had read the police report of the incident. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says, “The judge did agree that when McAvey made her initial complaints …, she spoke as an employee as part of her official job duties. However, [the judge] reasoned that her subsequent communications, such as speaking with the newspaper reporter and follow-up conversations with the police, were not official job-duty speech …”

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

Taking it to the streets

Terrell “TJ” Johnson, the first ex-felon ever hired by the Memphis Police Department, will speak at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 6, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. His address is free and open to the public. Incarcerated at the age of 19 for drug trafficking, Johnson was appointed upon his release by then-Mayor Willie Herenton of Memphis to be prevention and intervention coordinator for the city’s Juvenile Violence Abatement Project. Johnson is President/CEO of the Wake-Up youth Foundation and pastor of Wake-Up Ministries in Memphis, as well as pastor of Temple of Faith Deliverance Full Gospel Church in Bolivar. His address is presented as part of the MTSU Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs (IDA) Leadership Series.

For more information, contact the IDA office at 615-898-5812.

When safety means more than two points

MTSU’s Student Government Association will host a Blood Bowl in competition with Troy University from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 6, in Room 322 of the Keathley University Center. The Blood Bowl is a contest to see which university can get the most blood donated. To make an appointment in advance, visit www.givelife.org and enter the key word “mtsu19,” or walk in on Tuesday. The winner will be announced during halftime of the MTSU vs. Troy football game in Troy, Ala.

For more information, contact Rebecca Cathey at 615-898-2464.
sgaphil@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

“VIOLENCE IS THE LAST REFUGE OF THE INCOMPETENT.”—SALVOR HARDIN IN ISAACD ASIMOV’S “FOUNDATION” SERIES--October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The June Anderson Women’s Center is making purple ribbons available across the MTSU campus for people to wear. On Monday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Women’s Center will sponsor the Silent Witness Project in the second floor lobby of the Keathley University Center. This exhibit will feature blood red T-shirts displaying true local stories of women, men and children who have been victims of domestic violence. The stories are printed across the busts of the T-shirts. This powerful exhibit promotes peace, healing, education and awareness. The Silent Witness Project is free and open to the public. Contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

ORDER IN THE COURTYARD--Randy O’Brien, director of News and Public Affairs for WMOT-FM, will discuss his first published novel, Judge Fogg, at the 2009 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. O’Brien will speak from 3-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11, in Room 29 of the Legislative Plaza building in downtown Nashville along with fellow authors Scott Pratt and Peggy Ehrhart. Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Othello,” Judge Fogg tells the fictional story of the first African-American criminal court judge in Nashville, his rise to power as a youthful corruption fighter and his downfall. O’Brien will sign copies of his book in the courtyard following the panel discussion. Free and open to the public. Contact O’Brien at 615-898-2800 orrobrien@mtsu.edu.

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.” Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.