Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

When did you stop beating your gums?

Do we really want the news media to ask the tough questions we say we want them to ask of our elected officials? Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, doubts it. “More and more, I suspect, we want reporters to be lap dogs and just take what the government gives out,” Burriss says. “We see that particularly when it comes to terms like ‘patriotism’ and ‘support of the president.’ Patriotism does not mean simply sitting by and letting the government do what it wants without question. As (Edward R.) Murrow said, asking questions and engaging in debate is not disloyal. That’s what the founding fathers intended, and that’s certainly what the media are supposed to be doing. A strong, fearless news media is essential to the proper functioning of a democracy.”

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

I’m no one special and I approved this message.

Business leaders and professional athletes have the greatest impact among all celebrity endorsers of products. A recent Adweek Media/Harris Poll finds that 37 percent of consumers consider business leaders the most persuasive and credible. Twenty-one percent said athletes were the most persuasive group. But Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says endorsement advertising affects only a small part of the overall audience. “The Adweek/Harris study found that 80 percent of persons surveyed are not swayed by the presence of celebrities in ads,” Roy says. “The implication of this finding is that marketers must understand celebrity endorsements are not the answer for every brand. We return to a basic tenet of marketing: know thy customer.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

Me and my arrows

Most of the arrows point downward in the latest MTSU Middle Tennessee Consumer Confidence Index. Agreement with the statement “Six months from now, business conditions in Middle Tennessee will be better” declined 17 percent from September 2009. The statement “Six months from now, business conditions in the U.S. will be better saw a nine percent drop, as did the statement “Six months from now, there will be more job openings in Middle Tennessee.” Eight percent fewer respondents agreed with the statement “Twelve months from now, I will be better off financially than I am today.” The survey by the MTSU Office of Consumer Research is based on phone interviews with 410 randomly selected adult residents of Davidson, Rutherford and Williamson counties on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Contact Dr. Tim Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

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.

IMPULSE ART--The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through Thursday, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

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.

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 tomorrow, 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 Tuesday, Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.