Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

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. on Tuesday, 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.
jawu@mtsu.edu

This I believe

“Creation and Liberation: The Ontology of American Indian Origins” is the title and focus of this year’s Applied Philosophy Lyceum event at MTSU on Friday, April 16. This free and open talk will be delivered by guest scholar Scott L. Pratt, chairman of the philosophy program at the University of Oregon, beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Room 304 of MTSU’s James Union Building with an informal question-and-answer session and reception afterward. “Professor Pratt has done substantial work on the ways in which the ideas and practices of peoples indigenous to North America have influenced American philosophy,” says Dr. Michael Principe, MTSU philosophy professor. “His presentation at MTSU will focus on the significance of various creation stories as understood by American Indians.”

Contact the Department of Philosophy at 615-898-2907.

Control, alt, defeat

A federal appeals court ruled on April 6 that the Federal Communications Commission does not have the authority to enforce “net neutrality,” the belief that Internet content providers such as Yahoo and Google should not be restricted by service providers. Companies such as Comcast, Verizon and AT&T argued successfully that they should be able to control what subscribers should be able to send through their systems. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, says, “Absent criminal activity, we don’t allow the phone company to determine what we can talk about over their systems. Well, information works the same way. Computers and the Internet have become almost a necessity in today’s society, much like the landline telephone used to be. We, as a society, must be careful how much control those providers have over how we use those connections.”

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

TR EXTRA

THREE TO GET READY--The women of the Epsilon Tau Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi sorority at MTSU will sponsor the second annual “Alpha Delta Pi-athlon: A Unique Triathlon Challenge” on Sunday, April 18. This triathlon challenge will include a 300-meter swim, a 10-mile bike ride and a 5K run (3.14 miles). The swimming portion of the event will take place at the Campus Recreation Center. The bike ride will start and end on campus, but the majority of the ride will take place off-campus. The 5K run will be on campus. Awards will be given to the top male and female participants, as well as the top three in each age group. Door prizes also will be awarded. Proceeds from the triathlon will benefit the Ronald McDonald House and scholarship funding for MTSU students through Alpha Delta Pi’s scholarship program. Contact Shelby Smith at adpiathlon@gmail.com.

SPILL IT OUT!--Dr. Barbara A. Carr, Region 5 Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Enforcement Officer and Coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will speak at MTSU on “Oil, Pollution and Prevention” tomorrow, April 15, to Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross’ class in Room 115 of the Alumni Memorial Gym. Carr will explain why oil is toxic to aquatic life/environments, provide a general history of oil pollution prevention regulation, and explain how the regulatory process is influenced by industries and green groups. Today, April 14, from 6-7 p.m., Carr will talk about “Moon: Cheese or Not?” in the Monohan Residence Hall classroom. This is a short chronicle of her not-so-direct path to a satisfying career in environmental protection and careers for other women in science. Contact Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu.

THE ONE THAT I WANT--The Wesley Players will present “Grease” from April 14-18 at the Wesley Foundation at MTSU, 218 College Heights Ave. in Murfreesboro. Performances on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will start at 8 p.m., and a dinner theatre performance is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 17. A special matinee performance will be presented at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 18. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. Dinner theatre tickets are $20 each. The Wesley Foundation is the United Methodist student center for MTSU. Contact the Wesley Foundation office at 615-893-0469 or wesleyfoundation@comcast.net.

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. on April 15-16, 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.

“IS THIS HEAVEN?” “IT’S IOWA.”—DWIER BROWN AND KEVIN COSTNER IN “FIELD OF DREAMS”--Dr. Greg Heath, chairman of the Department of Health and Human Performance at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, will present “Physical Activity and the Built Environment: If You Build It, Will They Come … And Use It?” at 7 p.m. tonight, April 14, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. “Dr. Heath’s talk will address how the physical design of our communities can play an important role in reducing childhood obesity and providing children and families with greater opportunities to lead an active lifestyle,” says Dr. Don Morgan, professor of health and human performance and director of MTSU’s Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth. This event is free and open to the public. Contact Morgan at 615-898-5549 or dmorgan@mtsu.edu.

DIGGIN’ UP BONES--Dr. Kathy Reichs, producer of the Fox television series “Bones” based on her work and related novels, will visit MTSU as the featured speaker of the Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship at 7 p.m., tonight, April 14, in Murphy Center. The lecture, titled “From Crime Lab to Crime Fiction,” is free and open to the public. Reichs, known as “Dr. Bones,” has career experience ranging from teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains to separating and identifying commingled body parts. Her novels include Deja Dead, Monday Mourning and 260 Bones. Reichs will sign books following her lecture, and copies of her titles will be available for sale in Phillips Bookstore, located in Keathley University Center, prior to her talk. For more information, contact the Forensic Institute for Research and Education at 615-494-7713.

MTSU MOVIEMAKERS--The initial public viewing of “The New, True Charlie Wu,” the fourth independent film from Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, and a crew of MTSU students and alumni will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, at Premier 6 Theater, 810 N.W. Broad St. in Murfreesboro. In addition, there will be multiple special nighttime showings from 7-10 p.m. that evening on the first floor of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. The short movie follows the title character, a young accountant who is disenchanted with his job, on a trip into his subconscious mind, where his overbearing boss and a gospel choir compete for his soul and his future. “Charlie Wu” already has received the Remi Award out of more than 2,400 entries at the 43rd annual Worldfest, the oldest independent film festival in the country, in Houston, as well as “Best Comedy Short” awards from the Smogdance International Film Festival in Pomona, Calif., and the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Film Festival in Palm Bay, Fla. Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 or pondillo@mtsu.edu.

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.