Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Home sweet home

Caring for physically and/or mentally infirm parents is one of their adult children’s most taxing burdens. But do exasperated people really try to stash Grandma and Grandpa into nursing homes even though they still have some measure of independence left? Dr. Brandon Wallace, sociology, says, “This question is based on a widely held belief that adult children do not want or are unable to care for their aging parents, sometimes called the ‘myth of abandonment.’ The truth is most families go to great lengths to keep aging family members out of nursing and assisted living facilities. Institutional placement is usually a last resort.”

Contact Wallace at 615-898-5976.
jbwallae@mtsu.edu

Shear genius

The 2010 Tennessee Sheep Shearing School, which will be held April 30 and 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.
wgill@mtsu.edu

"The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form."—Stanley J. Randall

Members of the University Writing Center staff will offer a one-day, writing-focused event, including a free resume workshop, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 24, in Room 325 of MTSU’s Peck Hall. Organizers of the free and open event say the tutorial will be especially beneficial to those in the local community who may have been affected by the poor economy and are in need of one-on-one assistance with resumes, cover letters or curriculum-vita development, as well as help with college and scholarship applications or assistance completing materials related to job hunting or returning to schools. In addition, the event will feature an hourlong workshop, “Keeping Your Resume Out of the Trash and Your Name in the Loop,” by Nancy Stubblefield, a coordinator with MTSU’s Career Development Center, beginning at 10 a.m.

Call the center at 615-904-8237.
uwc.career@gmail.com

TR EXTRA

HUAN YING! (WELCOME!)--MTSU will celebrate the grand opening of the Confucius Institute (CIMTSU) on campus by welcoming a delegation from the People’s Republic of China and a performance by traditional Chinese entertainers tomorrow, April 21. At 7:30 p.m., faculty and students from Hangzhou Normal will perform “An Oriental Monsoon” in MTSU’s Wright Music Hall. This event is free and open to the public, but early attendance is advised due to limited seating. MTSU cemented a relationship with Hangzhou Normal University on Dec. 1, 2009, when President Sidney A. McPhee and Hangzhou’s president, Dr. Ye Gaoxiang, signed a partnership agreement. The pact covers the development of Chinese language classes, student and faculty exchanges, cultural exchanges, outreach programs to area K-12 schools, the training of educators to teach Chinese as a foreign language and research about contemporary China, among other mutual interests. Contact Dr. Guanping Zheng at 615-904-8365 or Yvonne Elliott in the Confucius Institute at 615-494-8696.

PAY UP!--Red will be the color of the day at MTSU today, April 20, as the June Anderson Women’s Center, the American Association of University Women, the Women’s Studies Program and the President’s Commission on the Status of Women observe Equity Pay Day. From 11 a.m.-2 p.m., volunteers on the Keathley University Center knoll will pass out Payday candy bars and informational literature to enlighten the public about the pay equity issue. Members of the campus community are encouraged to wear red to symbolize how far women and minorities are “in the red.” In 2008, the median annual earnings of year-round full-time male workers in the United States were $46,367, compared with $35,745 for women, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That means each woman earned only 77 cents for every dollar a man earned. Contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

REBOUNDING FROM ADVERSITY--Businesswoman and motivational speaker Deloris E. Jordan will deliver the keynote address for MTSU’s annual observance of “Take Back the Night” at 5 p.m. today, April 20, in the Keathley University Center (KUC) Theatre with a reception and book signing to follow. The sister of Basketball Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan, Ms. Jordan is the author of In My Family’s Shadow (2003), her story of how she was sexually molested from ages 8 to 16. Her new book, From Pain to Purpose, is slated for release this summer. Deloris Jordan also will address the “Take Back the Night” rally, which is slated for 6-9 p.m. that same evening on the KUC knoll. The purpose of the rally, as well as the candlelight vigil and march to follow, is to raise awareness about violence against women. An open microphone will be available for anyone to express views on sexual assault. Contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawu@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. April 22-23 and April 29-30. 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 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.