Thursday, March 18, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience.”—Mary Wollstonecraft

The Women’s Studies Program will observe MTSU Scholars Week, March 22-26, with presentations around the theme of “Celebrating Women as Scholars.” Dr. Newtona “Tina” Johnson, director of the Women’s Studies Program and English professor, says, “Women often have a higher visibility for their service in the Academy than they do for their scholarship. This is the first time women scholars will be highlighted during Scholars Week.” To start the week, the Women’s Studies Program and the President’s Commission on the Status of Women will sponsor a roundtable discussion titled “Integrating Women into the Curriculum” from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Monday, March 22, in Room 100 of the James Union Building (JUB). All “Celebrating Women as Scholars” events are free and open to the public.

Contact Johnson at 615-898-5910.
womenstu@mtsu.edu

Building a better business picture

Single-family home construction continued to grow in the fourth quarter, according to Midstate Economic Indicators, a publication of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center (BERC). Dr. David Penn, BERC director, writes, “Permits issued for construction hit bottom in the first quarter and have increased in subsequent quarters. Activity in the fourth quarter is 25.9 percent higher over the year but remains much lower than pre-recession levels. Construction of multifamily units, including apartments and townhouses, has not fared as well. Multifamily construction is 27.3 percent lower over the year but experienced a very large spurt of activity during the fourth quarter. Multifamily housing is experiencing credit availability problems more severe than for single-family housing.”

Contact Penn at 615-898-2610.
dpenn@mtsu.edu

On maneuvers in cyberspace

Social media present users and consumers with new challenges as well as new opportunities. After an Israeli Defense Forces soldier leaked details, including time and place, of an upcoming operation on Facebook, the operation had to be cancelled. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and served on active duty in Somalia, Bosnia, Central America, Europe and the Pentagon. He says, “Government agencies at all levels are trying to figure out how to cope with e-mail, cell phones and social networking sites. In some instances, commanders and supervisors are authorized to completely ban cell phones and to limit access by government computers. In addition, intelligence officials have reported that members of terrorist groups, as well as agents of nation-states, will often join social networks to try to influence government members or gain access to classified information.”

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

TR EXTRA

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BOOK--Books, tapes, compact discs and more will be available at terrific prices at the annual American Association of University Women Book Sale from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, March 29-30, on the first floor of MTSU’s Keathley University Center. All proceeds benefit the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship Fund for MTSU students. Curbside pickup of items for the campus community is slated for tomorrow, March 19. On-campus donors may contact Ann Funkhouser at 615-898-2538 or afunkhou@mtsu.edu for curbside pickup. Donations can still be made at the James E. Walker Library on campus by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 24th so they can be priced and categorized in time for the sale. For more information, contact Dr. Carol Anne Baily at 615-898-5989 or cabaily@mtsu.edu.

MIDDLE EAST MEETS MIDDLE TENNESSEE--Scholars from a 12-state region will engage in academic discourse on a variety of topics at the spring meeting of the Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Seminar (SERMEISS) at the MTSU Foundation House, 324 W. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro, tomorrow through Sunday, March 19-21. “This will be a marvelous opportunity for us to showcase our new Middle East Studies program and a number of the very fine faculty members who teach in our program,” says Dr. Allan Hibbard, director of MTSU’s Middle East Center and English professor. Dr. Ron Messier, history professor emeritus and former director of the University Honors Program, is president of SERMEISS. Messier says, “The meeting will bring many of the leading scholars in the region to our campus to discuss issues of paramount relevance to what is going on in the world today.” Contact Hibbard at 615-494-8809 or ahibbard@mtsu.edu.

VOICES ON VIDEO--Students in an MTSU Women’s Studies class are putting what they learn into action with “Multicultural Women’s Voices,” a video of women in the campus community voicing their views about gender, race, ethnicity and other cultural issues, which will be shown from 11:20 a.m.-12:45 p.m. today, March 18, in Room 307 of Peck Hall. The thematic frames for the discussion include gender socialization, ethnic/racial minority experiences, diverse family structures and empowerment strategies for women, says Dr. Newtona “Tina” Johnson, director of the Women’s Studies Program and instructor of the Multicultural Women’s Voices class. The students taped interviews with several MTSU women students, faculty and staffers from a variety of racial, ethnic, national, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. Contact the Women’s Studies Program at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.

A STITCH IN TIME IS QUITE SUBLIME.--Stand back from the framed work on the wall and you’re looking at a tiger, an elephant or a goddess. Move closer and you’re looking at thousands and thousands of intricately woven stitches, grouped distinctively, yet blending into each other through meticulous selection of colors. This is the magic of cross stitching. Jaye Kiblinger’s exhibition, “Cross Stitch as an Art Form,” is on display through Monday, April 5, in the rotunda of Murfreesboro City Hall, 111 W. Vine St. A reception to celebrate her craft is slated for 4:30-6:00 p.m. today, March 18, in the rotunda. The exhibition of nearly 50 items and the reception are free and open to the public. Kiblinger, an executive aide in the MTSU Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship at MTSU, says, “Most of my creations now take well over a year to complete, which is just fine with me. … Cross stitch is now part of my DNA—who I am.” For more information, go to http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/ and click on “Art in the Rotunda” under “Events.”

WAIT UNTIL WINNIE THE POOH HEARS ABOUT THIS!--The MTSU Farm Labs and Dairy Science Club are sponsoring an eight-week beginning course in beekeeping starting tomorrow, March 19. Classes will meet Friday evenings from 6-8 p.m. in Room 106 of the MTSU Horticulture Center. Two early meetings will be required to install bees during daylight hours. You’ll learn the essentials to understand and practice successful beekeeping and honey marketing from instructors Ed Holcomb and Joe Dement. Class size is limited to 25, so early registration is advised. The registration fee is $350, which covers books and materials to construct your own hive, the bees to start your colony and all equipment to practice beekeeping safely. To register, provide your name, address, phone number, e-mail and registration fee (cash or check) to MTSU Dairy Science Club, Attn: Tim Redd, MTSU Box 5, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132. Contact Redd at 615-898-2431 or tredd@mtsu.edu.

BOUND BY BOOKS--What better place to display new and innovative books than the James E. Walker Library? The MTSU facility is providing a showcase for student-created books sure to spark conversation and ignite the imagination now through Thursday, April 1, in the Special Collections area on the fourth floor. This is the second annual juried show featuring the work of MTSU’s Book Arts students. The Department of Art’s Book Arts Program offers classes in which students learn bookbinding techniques using both traditional and nontraditional forms and materials. Student works on display in Special Collections reflect individual creativity in expressing tributes to family or personal or humorous stories. Materials used include graphite, ribbon, rice paper, string, linen, cardstock, acetate, canvas, India ink, lithographs and leaves. The Special Collections area is open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call 615-904-8501. For photos of the student art, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

HOME IS WHERE THE VOLUNTEERS ARE.--MTSU students are building a second Habitat for Humanity home for a Rutherford County resident. Building dates will include Wednesdays, Fridays and some Saturdays. There will be two shifts per day—in the morning from 8:30 a.m. to noon and in the afternoon from noon until 4 p.m. The home dedication is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 25. The Office of Leadership and Service is rounding up volunteers from student organizations for this humanitarian effort. The future resident’s family also will be helping to build their home, and Central Middle School and Jason’s Deli are pitching in. Media welcomed. Good photo opportunities throughout the construction process. For more information, contact Jackie Victory at 615-898-5812 or mtleader@mtsu.edu.