Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Write you are!

Beginning in the fall 2010 semester, students who want assistance with their term papers, essays or short stories will be able to get help only steps away from the research materials they might need. The Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center at MTSU is moving this summer from its two locations in Peck Hall 325 and Ezell Hall 119 to one location in Room 362 of the James E. Walker Library. The new facility will provide five computers for student use and one large space for tutoring with eight to 10 tutoring tables, enabling more hands-on, on-site guidance. In addition, the interactive SMART board that had been at Ezell will be housed in a larger space and will be available by appointment to help students who are slated to “stand and deliver” in class. “I think the Writing Center will finally be seen as a University Writing Center rather than an English department writing center,” says Dr. Stacia Watkins, assistant coordinator.

Contact Watkins at 615-904-8237.
uwcenter@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.
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 Thursday, 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).

TR EXTRA

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 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. 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.