Thursday, April 29, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

At cross purposes

The upshot of yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Salazar v. Buono is that a cross placed in the Mojave National Preserve as a memorial by the Veterans of Foreign Wars can stay where it is for now. At issue was whether the government’s transfer of land under the cross was an attempt to evade an earlier lower court decision that the cross was an unconstitutional “endorsement” of religion. Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College and Constitutional law expert, says although Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion “sends the case back to the lower court for resolution, he shows his respect for Congress’ attempt to be neutral. He observes that while some will regard a cross on government property as such an endorsement, others would see tearing it down or covering it over as an expression of ‘hostility’ toward religion.”

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

Can Tiger get out of the trap?

Tiger Woods will play in his second PGA tournament this week since returning to golf following his apology for extramarital affairs and, by his own reckoning, a lack of appreciation for the fans. He’ll tee off today at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. Woods was greeted cordially by spectators at yesterday’s Pro-Am, where he continued to try to ingratiate himself with the gallery by smiling, tipping his cap and signing a golf ball for a child. Will Tiger’s strategy work? Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says, “Individuals who feel betrayed by their ‘worship’ of this man or have an inherent mistrust of men or have experienced their own betrayals and adulterous affairs in their personal lives will most likely be angry and perhaps not trust his apologies. Others, particularly persons who feel compassion and empathy for a man who has fallen so far from grace and has publicly compromised his integrity will be more forgiving.”

Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

Memories matter

Dr. Martha Norkunas, professor of history at MTSU, talks about her career as an oral historian at 8 a.m. this Sunday, May 2, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). In 1999, Norkunas began the Project in Interpreting the Texas Past (ITP) to research, interpret and present the histories of women and minority communities. She has worked with museums, historic sites and nonprofits across the country on issues of memory, identity, gender and the representation of minority voices. Norkunas also has been involved in a number of oral history projects on industrial and labor history, immigration, racial identity and gender. To hear last week’s interview with Dr. Sean Foley on the Arab Gulf states, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2010.html and click on “April 25, 2010.”

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

TR EXTRA

BABY, YOU CAN LOOK AT MY CAR--MTSU majors in engineering technology will showcase experimental vehicles and projects at 1:45 p.m. today, April 29, adjacent to the Tom H. Jackson Building and inside Cantrell Hall. Projects like the Baja, Moon Buggy, Solar Boat and more will be on display as part of the department’s spring open house, which is slated for 3-5 p.m. For more information, contact Dr. Walter Boles at 615-898-5009 or wwboles@mtsu.edu.

WHEN JOHNNY COMES TRUMPETING HOME--Musicians from MTSU and other area schools will participate in the fourth annual Battle of the Bands event at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 1, at Stones River National Battlefield on Old Nashville Highway north of Murfreesboro. The bands will play selected songs from the Civil War era while a ranger tells the story of a unique musical event that occurred prior to the Battle of Stones River. On May 1-2, a series of living history programs to help visitors learn how soldiers and civilians lived between the battles will be presented. During the months between major military campaigns, days were filled with activities that had as much or more impact on the war’s outcome as the fighting. Call 615-893-9501 for more information or go to www.nps.gov/stri.

THE WAR AT HOME--The Spring 2010 Community Heritage Lecture Series will end its current season with the grand opening of its “Sowing the Seeds of Change: World War II Home Front in Rutherford County” exhibit today, April 29. Photographs, memorabilia and information gathered through oral interviews of Rutherford County residents who fought in World War II or lived through what is known as the “Tennessee Maneuvers” is the theme of the display. Research for the exhibit was conducted by MTSU public history students enrolled in “Essentials in Museum Management,” a course taught by Dr. Brenden Martin, director of the MTSU Public History Program. An opening reception for the exhibit will take place from 3-5 p.m. today, April 29, at The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, 225 West College St. Call 615-217-8013 for more information or send an e-mail to heritage@mtsu.edu.

A FOREIGN AFFAIR--MTSU junior Aaron Shew will depart for Turkey around May 14 for study experiences that will enhance not only his education but his prestige and his portfolio. Shew, a double major in plant and soil science and international relations from Murfreesboro, will join students from other institutions in a conflict resolution course in Cyprus and Turkey at his own expense. Through June 9, Shew will question government diplomats on best practices for negotiating solutions to thorny issues between countries. From there, Shew will head back to Lucknow, India, where he studied in the summer of 2009 under a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) from the U.S. Department of State, for extensive instruction in the Urdu language. His summer studies will be funded with another CLS. The 2010-2011 academic year is covered under a fully endowed fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies. For an interview with Shew, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

ARE YOU FORUM OR AGAINST ‘EM?--MTSU, in cooperation with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, will play host to a gubernatorial forum today, April 29. The program, moderated by John Seigenthaler, will begin promptly at 7 p.m. in Murphy Center. The free public event is being underwritten, in part, by Farmers Insurance Group. Doors will open at 6 p.m. MTSU students, faculty and staff may pick up tickets at the MTSU Ticket Office at Floyd Stadium Gate 1A and the Student Life Office in Room 326S of Keathley University Center. Off-campus locations for tickets include the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, the Rutherford County Election Commission office at 1 South Side Square, all MidSouth Bank office and all Farmers Insurance locations throughout the midstate. For ticket information, call 1-888-YES-MTSU (1-888-937-6878).

SHEAR GENIUS--The 2010 Tennessee Sheep Shearing School, which will be held tomorrow, April 30, and Saturday, May 1, at the Tennessee Livestock Center, 1720 Greenland Dr., in Murfreesboro, is still taking applications for participants. Headline instructor for the school is Bill O’Conner, who will offer his refined technique to any student with some sheep-handling experience. Assisting O’Conner will be Mark Powell of the Wilson Farmers’ Co-op and Dr. Warren Gill, chair of the MTSU Department of Agribusiness and Agriscience. The sheep-shearing school is limited to the first 20 applicants who pay the $50 registration fee. The Tennessee Sheep Producers Association encourages participation by senior 4-H (high school) members, and scholarship assistance is available. Contact Gill at 615-898-2523 or wgill@mtsu.edu.

ON THE GROW--MTSU students who take the ABAS 3600 course (“Horticulture in Our Lives”) will conduct their annual plant sale at the Horticulture Center located on Blue Raider Drive across from the Tennessee Livestock Center. The schedule is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, April 29, and tomorrow, April 30. The students raised the plants themselves. Funds are used for scholarships. The plants available for purchase include bedding plants, tomatoes, peppers, okra, squash, cucumbers, petunias, salvia, snapdragons, wax leaf begonias, dragon wing begonias, zinnias, geraniums, impatiens, double impatiens, million bells, million golds, periwinkle, Dusty Miller, celosia, coleus, and much, much more. Geraniums are $3 for each six-inch pot. All hanging baskets and flats are $12. Contact the College of Agribusiness and Agriscience at 615-898-2523.

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 today, 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.