Friday, April 2, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Teenage terrorists

Nine teens in Massachusetts face criminal charges in connection with what prosecutors say is a three-months-long campaign of bullying that led 15-year-old Phoebe Prince to commit suicide. While the alleged perpetrators apparently relied on time-tested physical and verbal techniques, students say Phoebe was called “Irish slut” and “whore” on Twitter, Craigslist, Facebook and Formspring and posted vicious comments on her memorial Facebook page after her death. How does this kind of mobbing manifest itself? Dr. Gloria Hamilton, psychology, says, “Research indicates that all children need education about cyberbullying and the importance of informing a trustworthy adult when bullying occurs. Since cyberbullying often takes place off school campuses, it is important that parents monitor their children’s Internet use and engage in ongoing conversations about Internet safety concerns.”

Contact Hamilton at 615-898-5745.
ghamilto@mtsu.edu

To your health

Dr. Scott Corlew, chief medical officer of Interplast, will have an open presentation on global health issues from 12:40 to 1:30 p.m. on World Health Day, Wednesday, April 7, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Interplast volunteers visit developing countries to provide free reconstructive surgery for adults and children with cleft palates, disabling burns and hand injuries. The presentation will be of special interest to students majoring in nursing, health and human performance, communication disorders, global studies and pre-health professions. This event is sponsored by the Adams Chair of Excellence in Health Care Services/Center for Health and Human Services and is free and open to the public.

Contact Cindy Rhea at 615-904-8342.
crhea@mtsu.edu

You could make a case for it.

Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College, will discuss a new casebook for undergraduate law students on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 8 a.m. this Sunday, April 4, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Vile, an expert on constitutional law and former chair of the Department of Political Science, co-edited Constitutional Law in Contemporary America with Michelle D. Deardorff of Jackson State University and David Schultz of Hamline University. Volume I, titled “Institutions, Politics and Process,” is available for classroom adoption now. Volume II, which will cover civil rights and liberties, will be out in June. The text is available in paperback to help students save some money.

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

TR EXTRA

PRICELESS PRINTS--Printer, graphic designer and fine artist Brad Vetter will conduct two workshops from 4-5 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 5, in Room 462 of the James E. Walker Library. Participants will have the opportunity to talk with the artist and work with the library’s 18th century reproduction printing press. The press is based on the English Common Press used by Benjamin Franklin during his days as a journeyman printer in London. It was constructed in 2004 of hand-hewn chestnut and white oak. The morning discussion and afternoon workshops are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the library at 615-898-2772.

THE MEAT OF THE MATTER--MTSU Raiders Against Animal Cruelty will host a screening of the documentary “Meat the Truth” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building as part of the MTSU Earth Month program. The student organization describes the film as exploring “the environmental impacts of animal agriculture.” According to the American Dietetic Association, meat protein production requires 26 times more water than vegetable protein. A discussion session will follow the film. This event is free and open to the public. To find out more, send an e-mail to mtsu-roar@googlegroups.com.

LULLABY AND GOOD NIGHT--In March 2006, Jaz’s Jammies was created to collect new pajamas for sick children in hospitals to help them feel appreciated and loved while staying extended periods of time. Jaz’s Jammies has collected nearly 3,000 pairs of pajamas. Originally, it was the Girl Scout project of MTSU student Jasmine Gray, a young woman who had experienced dozens of surgeries for a facial disorder and had spent up to three months in the hospital at a time. You can help Jaz’s Jammies spread love by donating during the 2010 Pajama Drive through April 29. Drop off your children’s PJs at the University Honors College, the John Bragg Mass Communication Building, the Business and Aerospace Building or the second floor of the Keathley University Center. If you’re off-campus, you can set up a drive for your community organization, business or school. For more information, send an e-mail to jazsjammies@yahoo.com.

EAT, DRINK, BUT WATCH THE MOVIE, TOO.--“Eat Drink Man Woman,” which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1995, will be the next presentation in the Chinese Film Festival at MTSU at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 4, in Room 103 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. This movie has English subtitles and is free and open to the public. Distracted by their complicated love lives and secret ambitions, three adult sisters reluctantly humor their widower father by enduring the elaborate, traditional Taiwanese dinners he insists on having every Sunday. Ang Lee (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Brokeback Mountain”) directs this charming tale that humorously examines the clash between modernity and tradition within the contemporary Taiwanese family. Liu Xiao, a master’s degree candidate in mass communication, will guide a discussion following the screening. Contact the Confucius Institute at 615-494-8696 or Dr. Bob Spires at 615-898-2217.

PLAY SMART!--The Center for Physical Activity & Health in Youth at MTSU will present “Play Symposium III: Diversity, Children’s Physical Activity and Play” from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 10, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. This workshop, which is free and open to the public, is designed for student teachers, homeschool educators, public school educators and parents who want to enhance their children’s learning through physical activity and play. Dr. Kathy Burriss, elementary and special education, says, “The value of play and physical activity, no matter a child’s physical limitations, is invaluable, but one that is often overlooked. Our symposium will help participants connect physical activity with learning that is fun but also intellectually beneficial in ways that most don’t think about.” Contact Burriss at 615-898-2323 or kburriss@mtsu.edu.

NOAH’S ARK--Rebecca Carter, dissertation fellow and instructor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, will present “The Blessed Placemakers: Urban Violence, Religious Transformation, and Human Security in Post-Katrina New Orleans” at 12:45 p.m. today, April 2, in the Glassroom of Andrew L. Todd Hall. This event, sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Anthropology Society, is free and open to the public. Carter will deliver an informal talk on the grassroots formation of diverse religious movements in Orleans Parish and their influence in post-disaster urban redevelopment and reform. Case studies of religious communities include a Catholic “peace prayer” group; an Episcopal social justice ministry for victims of violence; an inner city Baptist church leading anti-violence and grief recovery ministries; and practitioners of Haitian Vodou conducting “crime ceremonies” for community healing. Contact the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at 615-898-2508.

GOING TO SEE THE CANDIDATES ORATE--MTSU, in cooperation with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, will play host to a gubernatorial forum at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in Murphy Center. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Free tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, starting with MTSU students, followed by faculty, staff and the general public. MTSU students with valid IDs may pick up tickets now. All other university personnel and the general public may pick up tickets beginning Monday, April 5. Tickets should be picked up in advance at the MTSU Ticket Office, located at Gate 1A at Floyd Stadium on Faulkinberry Drive. For all ticket and general information, call the MTSU Ticket Office at 1-888-YES-MTSU (1-888-937-6878).

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. 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.”