Friday, December 11, 2009

EDITORS: TODAY’S RESPONSE IS GOING ON HOLIDAY HIATUS. WE WILL RETURN ON JANUARY 18, 2010. WE WISH YOU A MERRY REST OF DECEMBER AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Angels we have heard on high

Due to an advanced case of laryngitis, Dr. Robb McDaniel, associate professor of political science, will not be the guest this Sunday, Dec. 13, on “MTSU On the Record” on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org) as originally planned and announced. Instead, McDaniel will analyze President Barack Obama’s first year in office at 8 a.m. on the Sunday, Dec. 20, program, health permitting. At 8 a.m. this Sunday, Dec. 13, host Gina Logue will welcome Dr. Rami Shapiro, adjunct professor of religious studies and an ordained rabbi, to discuss his new book The Angelic Way: Angels through the Ages and Their Meaning for Us (BlueBridge). Shapiro’s book examines the role of angel-like beings in the Abrahamic faiths and eastern religions and their roles as metaphors to help humans transcend their ego-driven agendas to embrace a more holistic consciousness.

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

Pumping it up

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm says she supports an increase in that state’s diesel fuel tax from 15 cents a gallon to 19 cents a gallon. Whatever happened to the glowing reports that biodiesel was going to be a promising alternative fuel that would help America wean itself off of foreign oil? Dr. Cliff Ricketts, agribusiness and agriscience, says, “With the price of fuel as cheat as it is now, people are just playing it safe and using regular diesel. In my opinion, as soon as all the alternative fuel plants go out of business, the price of oil will rise again. … Anyone using pure biodiesel better have two sets of filters on hand ready for the replacement. The problem is that … clogged filters can and will happen at an inopportune time.”

Contact Ricketts at 615-898-2430.
srickett@mtsu.edu

Even a Founding Father needs a second opinion.

December 15 is designated as “Bill of Rights Day” because it marks the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution by Virginia, the 11th state. This step was necessary to secure the amendments’ ratification. Dr. John Vile, political scientist and dean of the University Honors College, says, “Virginia’s ratification is especially appropriate given the role of James Madison of Virginia as ‘father’ of the Bill of Rights. Initially tepid about the need for such a list of rights, letters from his friend Thomas Jefferson, as well as the sentiments of his own Virginia constituents, convinced him that a Bill of Rights could do no harm and might serve both to educate the people and to give power to courts to protect individual liberties.” (Vile dons wig and period dress on occasion to pose as Madison for special events.)

Contact Vile at 615-898-2596.
jvile@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE OTHER WAR---Dr. Sean Foley, assistant professor of history, will discuss the international ramifications of the Obama administration's Afghanistan policy on "Inside Politics" on NewsChannel5+ at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, Dec. 11. The program, hosted by Pat Nolan, will reair at 5 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 12, and 5 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, as well as 5 a.m. on NewsChannel5 proper.

THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. 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 or gfedak@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 today, 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 Tuesday, Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.