Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Say it to the secretary

“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled to air live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion.

Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740.
gfedak@mtsu.edu

Berry interesting

The acai (a-sigh-EE) berry is being hailed as a wonder fruit for its antioxidants. It is being marketed in the United States in everything from dietary supplements to fruit juices. This past summer, Dr. Richard Pace, sociology and anthropology, took MTSU students to the Amazon rainforest to conduct research on the ecology, production and consumption of acai. The students examined the claims of weight loss and nutritional health as well as claims that production of the berry can contribute to rainforest preservation and sustainable development. They recorded how acai is grown, consumed and exported and how it is understood in environmental, economic, medical and symbolic terms by the native community, which has used the palm fruit for centuries. The students presented their findings at MTSU’s Undergraduate Social Science Symposium Nov. 10-11 and will make another presentation at the American Anthropological Association’s national meetings in Philadelphia Dec. 2-6.

Contact Pace at 615-904-8058.
rpace@mtsu.edu

“I’m in the reporting part of journalism.”—Jim Lehrer

What’s wrong with President Obama and Fox News being at odds with each other? Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, says it’s a good thing. After all, the relationship is somewhat adversarial by definition. “The next time you read or see a news story and it has the phrase ‘government official’ (in it), ask yourself why the person isn’t named,” says Burriss. “Reporters will tell you it’s because the source wouldn’t give them what little information they have unless they are protected. Of course, then the public has no way to test the validity of those statements. And, you need to remember that if the reporter used the source’s name, he or she wouldn’t be invited to those fancy parties or back onto Air Force One.”

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

TR EXTRA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIBRARY!--To celebrate the James E. Walker Library’s 10 years of service to MTSU, students may enter a drawing for an iPod and other prizes by explaining their favorite thing about the library. Entry cards are available at desks located throughout the building, or students can e-mail their answers to favorites@ulibnet.mtsu.edu. The deadline is Monday, Nov. 30. The drawing is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 1. The James E. Walker Library, named for the university’s eighth president, opened in 1999 with nearly 645,000 volumes, 3,500 journals and a budget of $269 per student. Today, the library has almost a million books and e-books, nearly 20,000 journals and databases and 350 desktop and laptop computers. The budget is $332 per student. For more information, contact the library at 615-898-2817 or go to http://library.mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through Wednesday, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

I’LL GRANT YOU THAT.--The MTSU President’s Commission on the Status of Women is offering three grants of $1,800 each to faculty members who want to integrate the experiences and perspectives of women into the curriculum. The grants are intended for use in the summer of 2010. The 2009 winners include Dr. Gretchen Webber, sociology, for her new undergraduate course “Gender, Work and Family in the 21st Century; Dr. Meredith Huey Dye, sociology, for her special topics course “Women in Prison;” and Dr. Tricia Farwell, journalism, for her “Advertising and Social Media” course. The deadline for faculty to submit applications for the 2010 grants is Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.

PICTURES OF YOU, PICTURES OF ME--A different take on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is on display in Stan Strembicki’s exhibit “Memory Loss/Lost Library” in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in the Learning Resources Center at MTSU. Strembicki has been photographing the streets, people and events of New Orleans since 1984. Returning after Katrina, he was drawn to photograph not the ubiquitous crushed homes or overturned cars, but the subtler tragedy of washed-away personal ephemera in the debris of the Lower Ninth Ward. “Memory Loss/Lost Library” will be on display until Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

MICKEY MAKES A SCHEDULE CHANGE--The date of the Disney Keys to Excellence Conference hosted by MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville has been changed to Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is a rare opportunity to take an exclusive look at the "business behind the magic" from Walt Disney World© insiders, who will share the successful business practices and unique philosophies that have made the Disney name synonymous with creativity, quality, and innovation the world over. To learn more and to register, go to www.keysnashville.com or call 877-544-2384.