Thursday, July 28, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“I’m going back to the border where my affairs … ain’t abused.”—Elton John and Bernie Taupin

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton yesterday blocked enforcement of most parts of Arizona’s new immigration law. In her ruling, Bolton said it was “not in the public interest” for a state to pre-empt federal enforcement of immigration laws. The statute Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College and Constitutional law scholar, says Bolton’s ruling “is largely based on concerns that the law (requiring police to arrest individuals when they have ‘reasonable suspicion’ that such individuals are subject to deportation) might lead to racial profiling. Citing the principle of ‘comity,’ or mutual respect, federal courts often allow states to enforce controversial laws and wait for state courts to make rulings rather than intervening, as Judge Bolton has done, at such an early stage.”

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

“People get ready/There’s a train a’comin.’”—Curtis Mayfield

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the June 22, 2009, accident on the Washington, D.C., subway concludes that a faulty track circuit caused the wreck that killed nine people and injured dozens. Dr. Phil Oliver, philosophy, recently read an account of the deadliest rail accident in American history, which occurred on July 9, 1918, in Nashville. Oliver says, “More than the gawkers’ insensitivity … I’m struck by the purple piety of the journalist who wrote of one poor victim, (heard repeatedly wailing ‘Oh, God! Oh, God!’) ‘cramped in that telescoped coach and wounded unto death could he cry out unto Him who had breathed the breath of life into his soul and was now taking that life away.’ More prosaically, the reporter also notes that ‘somebody blundered.’”

Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050.
poliver@mtsu.edu

“And the sons of Pullman porters/The sons of engineers/Ride their fathers’ magic carpets made of steel.”—Arlo Guthrie

MTSU alumnus Terry Coats will discuss his new book, Next Stop on Grandpa’s Road—History and Architecture of NC&St. L. Railway Depots and Terminals, at 8 a.m. this Sunday, Aug. 1, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). The book chronicles the history of the Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway. With more than 500 photographs, Coats shows how the architecture of the buildings varied and how they were turned into restaurants, offices, homes, museums, restaurants and storage throughout the four-state area served by the railroad following its demise.

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

TR EXTRA

THE GOOD NEIGHBOR--Dan Brooks, a longtime member of the insurance profession, will be inducted into the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame tomorrow, July 30. The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, 1200 Conference Center Dr., adjacent to Interstate 24 and Medical Center Parkway, in Murfreesboro. “There is no way for us to know all the times that Dan has gone out of his way to help and counsel agents in the beginning of their career,” says Dr. Ken Hollman, chairholder of the Martin Chair of Insurance at MTSU. Brooks spent his entire career—35 years of dedicated and loyal service—with State Farm. Twenty-seven of those years were spent in Tennessee and covered all regions of the states. He retired in 2009. Contact Randy Weiler in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5610 or jweiler@mtsu.edu.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. The cost is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Worship and women

While many critics of Islam denounce it as a religion that oppresses women, Dr. Rami Shapiro, adjunct professor of religious studies and an ordained rabbi, reminds us that sexism can be found among people of various faiths. “For example,” he writes, “the Catholic Church has just issued new rules that declare the ordination of women priests as a ‘grave crime,’ and the Episcopal Church is caught up in an internal battle over whether or not to have women bishops. … In Israel, the government has instituted a religious bus service that forces women to ride in the back of the bus so as to not entice Orthodox men to sexual thoughts (or worse) between stops. … Yes, you can argue that these are cultural problems not intrinsic to the religions themselves, but this is no less true of Islam.”

Read Shapiro’s blog at http://rabbirami.blogspot.com.

Fleeing fan syndrome

Minor league baseball, NCAA men’s basketball and NASCAR all realized increases in their scores in the 2010 Middle Tennessee Sports Affinity Survey conducted by the MTSU Office of Consumer Research. The PGA didn’t fare so well. Dr. Don Roy, Sports Business Studies Coordinator, writes, “The decline in the PGA’s Affinity Score (down six points) may be linked to a specific occurrence: the Tiger Woods scandal. The personal problems that dogged Woods over the winter and into early spring and his brief absence from the PGA Tour could have pushed away some people from the PGA.” Roy notes that other sports suffering a drop in fan appreciation include the LPGA (down one point), the NBA (down two points), and NCAA women’s basketball (down one point).

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

The good neighbor

Dan Brooks, a longtime member of the insurance profession, will be inducted into the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame on Friday, July 30. The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, 1200 Conference Center Dr., adjacent to Interstate 24 and Medical Center Parkway, in Murfreesboro. “There is no way for us to know all the times that Dan has gone out of his way to help and counsel agents in the beginning of their career,” says Dr. Ken Hollman, chairholder of the Martin Chair of Insurance at MTSU. Brooks spent his entire career—35 years of dedicated and loyal service—with State Farm. Twenty-seven of those years were spent in Tennessee and covered all regions of the states. He retired in 2009.

Contact Randy Weiler in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5610.
jweiler@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. The cost is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“The reason I talk to myself is that I’m the only one whose answers I accept.”—George Carlin

Some people say it’s okay to talk to yourself as long as you don’t answer yourself. But carrying on an internal conversation with oneself is not necessarily an indication of mental illness. Dr. Thomas Brinthaupt, psychology, along with Dr. Michael B. Hein and Tracey E. Kramer, developed a Self-Talk Scale (STS) to measure a person’s frequency of self-talk. In the Journal of Personality Development, they wrote, “In general, people who talk more to themselves are more inwardly self-focused, experience more frequent automatic self-statements, show greater obsessive-compulsive tendencies, have a higher need for cognition, and use more verbal compared to visual information processing. … An important clinical question is to what extent individuals can be taught to be more aware of their self-talk.”

Contact Brinthaupt at 615-898-2317.
tbrintha@mtsu.edu
Contact Hein at 615-898-2127.
mhein@mtsu.edu

A HELPing hand

Project HELP is a not-for-profit early intervention program on the MTSU campus that helps children with developmental delays or disabilities free of charge from six to 36 months of age. A one-time donation of $50 to Project HELP will provide baby wipes and paper towels for one week or 870 hours of direct services to approximately 65 children. A pledged donation of $3.75 per week for one year will provide one entire week’s worth of speech, occupational and physical therapies for a child on the autism spectrum. Studies in Tennessee and Colorado show that for every dollar spent on early intervention, a savings of four to seven dollars was realized within 36 months due to prevention or delay of special education placements and services.

Contact Project HELP at 615-898-2837.

Buyers’ remorse

We consumers are becoming much pickier as the economy continues to languish in the doldrums. A study from Deloitte shows consumers using words such as “remorse,” “embarrassment,” and “wasteful” to describe pre-recession expenditures. Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says, “These feelings should serve as a call to brand marketers for a renewed focus on how they add value for consumers. It may not be enough to be a prestigious brand, and the perceived quality advantage national brands have enjoyed over private labels has been erased to an extent. Experience and relationship may overshadow awareness and image as marketing priorities. The key for brand marketers is to remain competitive in an environment in which brand relevance will matter more than brand image.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. The cost is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Digital for the masses

The new Digital Media Studio on the second floor of the James E. Walker Library will provide MTSU students with access to cutting-edge technology for perfecting their class projects starting in the fall 2010 semester. With Technology Access Fees paid by the students themselves, the library purchased types of computer hardware and software specifically requested by the students. The hardware will include eight Dell PCs with 22” monitors and 12 iMacs with 27” monitors. Some PCs and iMacs will be equipped with flatbed scanners. In addition, pen tablets, headphones and multi-format card readers will be available for checkout. “”We want everyone to be able to access this,” says Emerging Technologies Librarian Heather Lambert. “The whole goal of this area is that it’s accessible to everyone—not just graduate students, not just film students, not just computer science students. This is for everyone.”

Contact Lambert at 615-494-7784.
hlambert@mtsu.edu

Loren Mulraine, take one

Dr. Loren Mulraine is anticipating a challenging new year as chair of the Department of Recording Industry. Mulraine took on the job this month, replacing the retiring Chris Haseleu. “Our consensus has been that we don’t want to solely be reactionary to the industry but to give thought to how we can lead the industry,” explains Mulraine, an entertainment law attorney. Some of Mulraine’s goals include expanding the department’s presence on Music Row, developing a greater online presence with more distance-learning courses and creating more industry partnerships to help maintain program quality in the wake of ongoing funding cuts. The department, which is the largest of its kind in the United States, boasts more than 1,200 majors and 28 full-time faculty members.

Contact Mulraine at 615-904-8364.
lmulrain@mtsu.edu

Doubting Thomas

When it comes to the First Amendment, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas doesn’t mind being the only one on the high court with his particular perspective. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, points out that Thomas issued lone dissents in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and Doe v. Reed in this past term. Hudson says, “Thomas describes himself as an originalist, following a constitutional philosophy that places primary emphasis on the original intent of the Founders. Thomas also does not believe as strongly in stare decisis—Latin for ‘let the decision stand’—as his colleagues, meaning he’s not afraid to overrule past court decisions with which he disagrees. This philosophy often puts him at odds with other justices.”

Contact Hudson at 615-727-1342.
dhudson@fac,org

TR EXTRA

NO ENRGY CRISIS HERE!--Although many physically disabled youth miss out on adaptive-recreation opportunities as part of their lifestyle, the local creators of Camp ENRGY are hoping their summer-camp template will soon catch on. Now in its second year, Camp ENRGY, which stands for Excellence ‘N’ Recreation and Games for Youth, is a weeklong camp for youth designed and implemented by Dr. Don Morgan, director of the Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth at MTSU, and two of his doctoral students, Sandy Stevens and Jenny Hutchens. Set for today, July 26, through Friday, July 30, on the MTSU campus, the camp’s registration roster filled quickly. Like last year, this year’s daytime camp will include yoga, swimming, nature trails, dance, indoor soccer, martial arts and GPS-based activities, as well as baseball, golf, strength/flexibility training and football. To request interviews with Morgan or Stevens, or to request a camp schedule, contact Lisa L. Rollins at 615-898-2919. Media are welcomed to attend, videotape and photograph camp activities for editorial purposes.

IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO THEM.--For the eighth consecutive summer, girls with a passion to rock the house will descend on MTSU for the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC) sponsored by Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), today, July 26, through Saturday, July 31. The day camp for girls ages 10-17 aims to create a positive atmosphere of collaboration and self-esteem. Campers will attend workshops and receive instruction in guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, electronic music, songwriting, drums, recording, screenprinting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts. On Saturday, July 31, the bands the girls have formed during the week will put what they’ve learned on display in a showcase performance at 7 p.m. in the Siegel High School auditorium, 3300 Siegel Road in Murfreesboro. Doors open at 6 p.m. All tickets are $10 general admission. Children age nine and under will be admitted free of charge. Contact the SGRRC at 615-849-8140 or sgrrc@yeahintheboro.org.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. The cost is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A passion for fashion

MTSU fashion merchandising major Shelby Crocker of Milan, Tenn., will describe her internship with Fashion News Live in the heart of the New York fashion industry at 8 a.m. this Sunday, July 18, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Crocker worked for the popular website (fashionnewslive.com) in February 2010 during Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek, the premier event of the year for designers, models and others concerned with the business of haute couture. Her duties included uploading videos to the site and sending newsletters to subscribers. Crocker says she aspires to be a fashion journalist. To listen to prior programs, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/news/podcast/podcast2010.shtml.

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

A veritable cornucopia

Lots of sweet corn will be available at the weekly student farmers’ market from 1-3 p.m. today, July 16, in the MTSU Horticulture Center. The corn is priced at $2 for six ears of $3.50 per dozen. In addition, there will be yellow squash, crookneck squash, onions, cabbage, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, Anaheim peppers, jalapeno peppers, Hungarian hot wax peppers, purple hull peas and snap beans. Landscape plants also will be for sale, including knockout roses, boxwoods, forsythia, daylilies, monkey grass and much more. Gallon-size plants are priced at $3 each. Proceeds from the sale will benefit students by helping maintain the MTSU Farm Laboratories and the students’ Plant and Soil Science Club.

Contact Dr. Nate Phillips at 615-494-8985.
nphillip@mtsu.edu

Now where did I leave that eight-track tape?

Are your child’s college professors technologically challenged? Do they beg the students for help when trying to play a DVD or display a PowerPoint presentation? Dr. Thomas Brinthaupt, psychology, Dr. Maria Clayton, English, and Barbara Draude, assistant vice president for information technology, have published their research into “Barriers to and Strategies for Faculty Integration of IT” in the Encyclopedia of Distance Learning. According to the abstract, “Depending on level of faculty expertise, asking them to increase the time and effort they put into their teaching might reduce the time and effort they can devote to research, service, and other institutional requirements and responsibilities. Why should they, especially if there is very little acknowledgment or tenure/promotion credit given for incorporating IT into their teaching?”

Contact Brinthaupt at 615-898-2317, Clayton at 615-898-2585, and Draude at 615-904-8383.

TR EXTRA

WELCOME TO THE MACHINE--Today is the final day of the MTSU Computer Science Camps starting at 10 a.m. in Room 252 of Kirksey Old Main and Room 201 of the Midgett Building. Nearly 50 Rutherford County high school students have been exploring the fun and challenging worlds of robotics, animation and multimedia. Brenda Parker, computer science and animation camp director, says, “I’m so proud of the way they’ve worked, and I think it’s because they just enjoy it.” Pedro Reyes, rising senior at Riverdale High School, says, “Robotics is what I’m here for. … I’ve been able to dive right into it, and I’ve been able to learn from the other people (in the camp).” Media welcomed. Contact Randy Weiler in MTSU News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu.

NO ENRGY CRISIS HERE!--Although many physically disabled youth miss out on adaptive-recreation opportunities as part of their lifestyle, the local creators of Camp ENRGY are hoping their summer-camp template will soon catch on. Now in its second year, Camp ENRGY, which stands for Excellence ‘N’ Recreation and Games for Youth, is a weeklong camp for youth designed and implemented by Dr. Don Morgan, director of the Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth at MTSU, and two of his doctoral students, Sandy Stevens and Jenny Hutchens. Set for July 26-30 on the MTSU campus, the camp’s registration roster filled quickly. Like last year, this year’s daytime camp will include yoga, swimming, nature trails, dance, indoor soccer, martial arts and GPS-based activities, as well as baseball, golf, strength/flexibility training and football. To request interviews with Morgan or Stevens, or to request a camp schedule, contact Lisa L. Rollins at 615-898-2919. Media are welcomed to attend, videotape and photograph camp activities for editorial purposes.

WOMEN OF THE ACADEMY--AAUW (formerly known as the American Association of University Women) of Tennessee will hold its Summer Leadership Conference at the MTSU Foundation House tomorrow, July 17. AAUW’s Murfreesboro branch maintains close ties with MTSU. The branch has faculty members, student participants in branch activities and joint projects with MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. A highlight of the agenda will be an address by Terri Johnson, director of the June Anderson Center, on “Women’s Issues in Higher Education” at 11 a.m. Johnson is the winner of the 2009-10 Ayne Cantrell Award for outstanding service to the MTSU Women’s Studies Program. In addition, Tennessee representatives at the National Conference of College Women Student Leaders, which was held June 3-5 at the University of Maryland, will share what they learned.
Contact Johnson at 615-898-5989 or trjohnso@mtsu.edu.

IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO THEM.--For the eighth consecutive summer, girls with a passion to rock the house will descend on MTSU for the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC) sponsored by Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), Monday, July 26, through Saturday, July 31. The day camp for girls ages 10-17 aims to create a positive atmosphere of collaboration and self-esteem. Campers will attend workshops and receive instruction in guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, electronic music, songwriting, drums, recording, screenprinting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts. On Saturday, July 31, the bands the girls have formed during the week will put what they’ve learned on display in a showcase performance at 7 p.m. in the Siegel High School auditorium, 3300 Siegel Road in Murfreesboro. Doors open at 6 p.m. All tickets are $10 general admission. Children age nine and under will be admitted free of charge. Contact the SGRRC at 615-849-8140 or sgrrc@yeahintheboro.org.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

No ENRGY crisis here!

Although many physically disabled youth miss out on adaptive-recreation opportunities as part of their lifestyle, the local creators of Camp ENRGY are hoping their summer-camp template will soon catch on. Now in its second year, Camp ENRGY, which stands for Excellence ‘N’ Recreation and Games for Youth, is a weeklong camp for youth designed and implemented by Dr. Don Morgan, director of the Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth at MTSU, and two of his doctoral students, Sandy Stevens and Jenny Hutchens. Set for July 26-30 on the MTSU campus, the camp’s registration roster filled quickly. Like last year, this year’s daytime camp will include yoga, swimming, nature trails, dance, indoor soccer, martial arts and GPS-based activities, as well as baseball, golf, strength/flexibility training and football.

To request interviews with Morgan or Stevens, or to request a camp schedule, contact Lisa L. Rollins at 615-898-2919. Media are welcomed to attend, videotape and photograph camp activities for editorial purposes.

Women of the Academy

AAUW (formerly known as the American Association of University Women) of Tennessee will hold its Summer Leadership Conference at the MTSU Foundation House on Saturday, July 17. AAUW’s Murfreesboro branch maintains close ties with MTSU. The branch has faculty members, student participants in branch activities and joint projects with MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. A highlight of the agenda will be an address by Terri Johnson, director of the June Anderson Center, on “Women’s Issues in Higher Education” at 11 a.m. Johnson is the winner of the 2009-10 Ayne Cantrell Award for outstanding service to the MTSU Women’s Studies Program. In addition, Tennessee representatives at the National Conference of College Women Student Leaders, which was held June 3-5 at the University of Maryland, will share what they learned.

Contact Johnson at 615-898-5989.
trjohnso@mtsu.edu

Enjoy the view

The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is serving as host for an exhibit of 32 winning photos of the 2008-2009 Scenic Tennessee Photo Contest. Co-sponsored by The Land Trust of Tennessee, the contest’s theme is “Lands Worth Preserving.” Organizers say the purposes of the contest are to celebrate Tennessee’s dwindling farmlands and other scenic landscapes, to highlight the role of land trusts in protecting such landscapes, and to showcase the photographers’ art in framing these views and capturing their meaning. The Heritage Center is a joint venture between the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Main Street Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Inc., the City of Murfreesboro and the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU. Additional support comes from Rutherford County government and State Farm Insurance.

For more information, visit www.scenictennessee.org.

TR EXTRA

IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO THEM.--For the eighth consecutive summer, girls with a passion to rock the house will descend on MTSU for the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC) sponsored by Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), Monday, July 26, through Saturday, July 31. The day camp for girls ages 10-17 aims to create a positive atmosphere of collaboration and self-esteem. Campers will attend workshops and receive instruction in guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, electronic music, songwriting, drums, recording, screenprinting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts. On Saturday, July 31, the bands the girls have formed during the week will put what they’ve learned on display in a showcase performance at 7 p.m. in the Siegel High School auditorium, 3300 Siegel Road in Murfreesboro. Doors open at 6 p.m. All tickets are $10 general admission. Children age nine and under will be admitted free of charge. Contact the SGRRC at 615-849-8140 or sgrrc@yeahintheboro.org.

THEIR TRUTH IS MARCHING ON.--This summer’s “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War” group will focus on The Good Men Who Won the War: Army of the Cumberland Veterans and Emancipation Memory, a new book by Dr. Robert Hunt, MTSU history professor. Beginning at 7 p.m. tonight, July 15, the group’s participants will embark on a discussion of the award-wining title, which touches on the region’s local history within a larger context, during the club’s meeting at Murfreesboro’s Heritage Center, 225 West College St. The following week, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, Hunt will join the group for a question-and-answer session at the same location. Both sessions are free and open to the public. “The Good Men Who Won the War is an excellent study of Union army veterans who had fought right here in Middle Tennessee, among other places,” says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Contact van Zelm at 615-217-8013 or avanzelm@mtsu.edu.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Put down the Kindle and pick up the Kafka.

In this increasingly digital world, there’s still something to be said, especially in the summertime, for a good hardcover book. Dr. Phil Oliver, philosophy, says, “Studies show, says David Brooks, that merely living in the presence of good old-fashioned bound printed matter feeds the soul and swells the test scores. We can confirm the first part of that right now. Safe and snug in the cool of home, surrounded by smart walls that come alive when you pluck those wonderfully portable and efficient retrieval devices down from their shelves, we feel pretty smart, too, in a humbling Socratic way. Close proximity to some of the best that’s been thought and written works like a wonder drug, by osmosis. As Montaigne scrawled on his own library ceiling, ‘Nothing’s certain but uncertainty, and nothing human is really foreign.’ That’s good to know.”

Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050.
poliver@mtsu.edu

Legal learning

One way a business protects its interests is by having employees sign noncompete agreements. These are legal documents designed to keep competitors from benefitting from an ex-employee’s inside knowledge of the company. Yet, Dr. Patrick Geho, state executive director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, and Dr. Stephen Lewis, chair of the MTSU Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship, find that the subject rarely comes up in entrepreneurship studies curricula at the college level. In an article published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Entrepreneurship, they write, “Students need to be exposed to this aspect of business development from an approach that does not overwhelm with too much legalese. The objective should be to impart an understanding of the critical importance noncompete agreements play in relation to the wellbeing of the enterprise.”

Contact Geho at 615-898-2745.
pgeho@mtsu.edu
Contact Lewis at 615-898-2902.
slewis@mtsu.edu


How not to put more fiber in your diet.

Sometimes folks underestimate how hard it is to care for an infirm, elderly parent in their home. They try because the costs of nursing homes and assisted living facilities are beyond their means. But eventually some aging parents, despite their adult children’s best efforts, must receive professional care. Dr. J. Brandon Wallace, Director of Aging Studies at MTSU, says, “For example, one elderly woman told me that she kept her husband at home with her as long as she could. But when she woke up one morning to find him eating potting soil out of a potted plant, she realized she could not monitor him 24 hours a day.”

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

TR EXTRA

IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO THEM.--For the eighth consecutive summer, girls with a passion to rock the house will descend on MTSU for the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC) sponsored by Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), Monday, July 26, through Saturday, July 31. The day camp for girls ages 10-17 aims to create a positive atmosphere of collaboration and self-esteem. Campers will attend workshops and receive instruction in guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, electronic music, songwriting, drums, recording, screenprinting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts. On Saturday, July 31, the bands the girls have formed during the week will put what they’ve learned on display in a showcase performance at 7 p.m. in the Siegel High School auditorium, 3300 Siegel Road in Murfreesboro. Doors open at 6 p.m. All tickets are $10 general admission. Children age nine and under will be admitted free of charge. Contact the SGRRC at 615-849-8140 or sgrrc@yeahintheboro.org.

THEIR TRUTH IS MARCHING ON.--This summer’s “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War” group will focus on The Good Men Who Won the War: Army of the Cumberland Veterans and Emancipation Memory, a new book by Dr. Robert Hunt, MTSU history professor. Beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow, July 15, the group’s participants will embark on a discussion of the award-wining title, which touches on the region’s local history within a larger context, during the club’s meeting at Murfreesboro’s Heritage Center, 225 West College St. The following week, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, Hunt will join the group for a question-and-answer session at the same location. Both sessions are free and open to the public. “The Good Men Who Won the War is an excellent study of Union army veterans who had fought right here in Middle Tennessee, among other places,” says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Contact van Zelm at 615-217-8013 or avanzelm@mtsu.edu.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

BATTER UP!--Sign up now for MTSU Alumni & Friends Days with the Nashville Sounds on Saturday, July 17. Come watch the Sounds take on the Omaha Royals at Greer Stadium (534 Chestnut Street) and meet alumni in the Nashville area. Game time is 6:35 p.m. The gates will open at 5:00 p.m. There will be fireworks after the game. The price is $20 per person, which includes the game ticket and an all-you-can eat buffet dinner. The meal will begin when the gates open and will run through 7:00 p.m. This event is pre-pay only. Please register and pre-pay by today, July 14. Call the Alumni Relations office at 800-533-6878, go online at www.mtalumni.com or send an e-mail to alumni@mtsu.edu.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The many shades of green

Dr. Sekou Franklin, political science, has received a $1,500 Faculty Research and Creative Activity Grant for his proposal titled “The Movement for Clean Energy and Green-Collar Jobs in Urban America.” The Green For All (GFA) movement is a series of social movement campaigns initiated by activists who give special attention to the intersection of pollution reduction strategies, green economic development, and poverty reduction. GFA activists argue that racial equity and an economic inclusive agenda should anchor employment opportunities in the clean energy trades. The main argument of the study is that the diffusion of GFA initiatives and the green jobs narrative have been used to educate low-income communities about low carbon initiatives that have been traditionally embraced by the (mainly white-led) environmental movement.

Contact Franklin at 615-904-8232.
franklin@mtsu.edu

“Change starts when someone sees the next step.”—William Drayton

Students entering college from foster care, independent status and homelessness have special needs in adjusting to the university environment. That’s why MTSU, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and the Tennessee Youth Advisory Council, has created the Next Step Program. “We have contacts all over campus to help the student through the admission process, financial aid, housing, advising and student support services,” writes Becca Seul, program coordinator. “These students face many unique challenges and often times get frustrated and give up. We aim to help them succeed in this transition. … We have great resources and a fabulous mentoring program.”

Contact Seul at 615-898-2339.
rseul@mtsu.edu

Gloom, if not doom

Lost jobs in nonfarm employment in Tennessee will not be recovered until September 2013 at the present rate of growth, which is 2.1 percent. That’s one of the conclusions of an economic outlook presented to the Tennessee Gas Association by Dr. David Penn, director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, on June 14. Additionally, Penn says deflation will be a much bigger worry than inflation going forward. Deflation prompts consumers to put off purchases in anticipation that prices will fall further. Borrowers must work harder to make their loan payments. Monetary policy becomes powerless. Also, lending and spending spiral lower and lower as unemployment rises.

Contact Penn at 615-898-2610.
dpenn@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO THEM.--For the eighth consecutive summer, girls with a passion to rock the house will descend on MTSU for the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC) sponsored by Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), Monday, July 26, through Saturday, July 31. The day camp for girls ages 10-17 aims to create a positive atmosphere of collaboration and self-esteem. Campers will attend workshops and receive instruction in guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, electronic music, songwriting, drums, recording, screenprinting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts. On Saturday, July 31, the bands the girls have formed during the week will put what they’ve learned on display in a showcase performance at 7 p.m. in the Siegel High School auditorium, 3300 Siegel Road in Murfreesboro. Doors open at 6 p.m. All tickets are $10 general admission. Children age nine and under will be admitted free of charge. Contact the SGRRC at 615-849-8140 or sgrrc@yeahintheboro.org.

MAKE A DATE WITH THE CANDIDATES--The public is invited to attend the Tennessee 6th Congressional District Candidate Forum from 6-8 p.m. tonight, July 13, in the Tennessee Livestock Center on the MTSU campus. Starting at 6 p.m., each of the candidates “will be allowed to talk about themselves and where they stand on the issues,” says Marvin Whitworth, president of the Rutherford County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. From 7-8 p.m., the candidates will field audience questions and questions prepared in advance. The MTSU School of Agribusiness and Agriscience and the Rutherford County Farm Bureau are co-sponsoring the event. Early voting will be July 16-31 for Rutherford County citizens. The primary will be held Thursday, Aug. 5. The general election is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 2. Media welcomed. Contact Whitworth at 615-898-3866 or 615-274-6847.

THEIR TRUTH IS MARCHING ON.--This summer’s “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War” group will focus on The Good Men Who Won the War: Army of the Cumberland Veterans and Emancipation Memory, a new book by Dr. Robert Hunt, MTSU history professor. Beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 15, the group’s participants will embark on a discussion of the award-wining title, which touches on the region’s local history within a larger context, during the club’s meeting at Murfreesboro’s Heritage Center, 225 West College St. The following week, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, Hunt will join the group for a question-and-answer session at the same location. Both sessions are free and open to the public. “The Good Men Who Won the War is an excellent study of Union army veterans who had fought right here in Middle Tennessee, among other places,” says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Contact van Zelm at 615-217-8013 or avanzelm@mtsu.edu.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

BATTER UP!--Sign up now for MTSU Alumni & Friends Days with the Nashville Sounds on Saturday, July 17. Come watch the Sounds take on the Omaha Royals at Greer Stadium (534 Chestnut Street) and meet alumni in the Nashville area. Game time is 6:35 p.m. The gates will open at 5:00 p.m. There will be fireworks after the game. The price is $20 per person, which includes the game ticket and an all-you-can eat buffet dinner. The meal will begin when the gates open and will run through 7:00 p.m. This event is pre-pay only. Please register and pre-pay by tomorrow, July 14. Call the Alumni Relations office at 800-533-6878, go online at www.mtalumni.com or send an e-mail to alumni@mtsu.edu.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

It’s still rock and roll to them.

For the eighth consecutive summer, girls with a passion to rock the house will descend on MTSU for the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC) sponsored by Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), Monday, July 26, through Saturday, July 31. The day camp for girls ages 10-17 aims to create a positive atmosphere of collaboration and self-esteem. Campers will attend workshops and receive instruction in guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, electronic music, songwriting, drums, recording, screenprinting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts. On Saturday, July 31, the bands the girls have formed during the week will put what they’ve learned on display in a showcase performance at 7 p.m. in the Siegel High School auditorium, 3300 Siegel Road in Murfreesboro. Doors open at 6 p.m. All tickets are $10 general admission. Children age nine and under will be admitted free of charge.

Contact the SGRRC at 615-849-8140.
sgrrc@yeahintheboro.org

Constructing a law

Deputy Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris referenced a study co-authored by an MTSU professor in testimony last month before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Harris mentioned a study by Dr. William Canak, sociology, and Dr. Randall Adams of Tennessee Tech that found that misclassification in the construction industry cost Tennessee between $4.9 million and $11.4 million in unemployment insurance payments and between $30 million and $70 million in workers’ compensation premiums in 2006. Harris cited the Canak-Adams study in his call for the passage of S.B. 3254, the “Employee Misclassification Prevention Act.” The pending legislation would make misclassification a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, giving employers incentive not to play games with the definition of the word “employee” for the purposes of avoiding paying their fair share.

Contact Canak at 615-898-5361.
wcanak@mtsu.edu

Make a date with the candidates

The public is invited to attend the Tennessee 6th Congressional District Candidate Forum from 6-8 p.m. tomorrow, July 13, in the Tennessee Livestock Center on the MTSU campus. Starting at 6 p.m., each of the candidates “will be allowed to talk about themselves and where they stand on the issues,” says Marvin Whitworth, president of the Rutherford County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. From 7-8 p.m., the candidates will field audience questions and questions prepared in advance. The MTSU School of Agribusiness and Agriscience and the Rutherford County Farm Bureau are co-sponsoring the event. Early voting will be July 16-31 for Rutherford County citizens. The primary will be held Thursday, Aug. 5. The general election is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Media welcomed. Contact Whitworth at 615-898-3866 or 615-274-6847.

TR EXTRA

THEIR TRUTH IS MARCHING ON.--This summer’s “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War” group will focus on The Good Men Who Won the War: Army of the Cumberland Veterans and Emancipation Memory, a new book by Dr. Robert Hunt, MTSU history professor. Beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 15, the group’s participants will embark on a discussion of the award-wining title, which touches on the region’s local history within a larger context, during the club’s meeting at Murfreesboro’s Heritage Center, 225 West College St. The following week, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, Hunt will join the group for a question-and-answer session at the same location. Both sessions are free and open to the public. “The Good Men Who Won the War is an excellent study of Union army veterans who had fought right here in Middle Tennessee, among other places,” says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Contact van Zelm at 615-217-8013 or avanzelm@mtsu.edu.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

BATTER UP!--Sign up now for MTSU Alumni & Friends Days with the Nashville Sounds on Saturday, July 17. Come watch the Sounds take on the Omaha Royals at Greer Stadium (534 Chestnut Street) and meet alumni in the Nashville area. Game time is 6:35 p.m. The gates will open at 5:00 p.m. There will be fireworks after the game. The price is $20 per person, which includes the game ticket and an all-you-can eat buffet dinner. The meal will begin when the gates open and will run through 7:00 p.m. This event is pre-pay only. Please register and pre-pay by Wednesday, July 14. Call the Alumni Relations office at 800-533-6878, go online at www.mtalumni.com or send an e-mail to alumni@mtsu.edu.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A wise Hibernian woman

Dr. Jan Hayes, MTSU professor emeritus of educational leadership, will chat about her second children’s book, Wise Oonagh, at 8 a.m. this Sunday, July 11, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Inspired by the William Butler Yeats version of a classic Irish folktale, Wise Oonagh is the story of a woman who uses her ingenuity to save her husband from a fight with Cuhullin, the largest and strongest giant in Ireland and Scotland. The book is filled with vivid illustrations by Bobby Dawson, who also illustrated Hayes’ first folklore book for children, a Japanese tale titled The Split Tongue Sparrow. To listen to last week’s program about how the death of his father transformed the music of Dr. Joseph Akins, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/news/podcast/podcast2010.shtml and click on “July 4, 2010.”

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

A word on the censorship of words

John Seigenthaler, chairman emeritus of The Tennessean, will interview Dr. Bob Pondillo, associate professor of electronic media communication, on “A Word on Words” at 10:30 a.m. this Sunday, July 11, on WNPT-TV (Channel 8 in the Nashville/Middle Tennessee viewing area). Pondillo will discuss his new book, America’s First Network TV Censor: The Work of NBC’s Stockton Helffrich, which tells the story of NBC’s first content czar. From 1946 to 1960, Helffrich established the tone for advertising, entertainment and even news programming on the Peacock Network, dictating terms of communication about race, sex, violence, hygiene products and even more hot button issues. Pondillo’s book puts Helffrich’s career into cultural perspective, examining it in the context of an America that was stifled by Cold War paranoia, racial and sexual oppression and sexual tension.

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465.
pondillo@mtsu.edu

Mother Nature’s bounty

The MTSU Plant and Soil Science Club’s weekly summer farmers’ market is slated for 1-3 p.m. today, July 9, at the MTSU Horticulture Center. Sweet corn will be available for $2 for six ears or $3.50 for a dozen ears. In addition, the market will offer yellow squash, crookneck squash, onions, cabbage, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, Anaheim peppers, jalapeno peppers, Hungarian hot wax peppers, purple hull peas and snap beans. Some of the first cantaloupes of the season grown by the students also will be available. Landscape plants will be for sale, including Knockout roses, boxwoods, forsythia, monkey grass and much more. Gallon-size plants are priced at $3 each. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the MTSU Farm Laboratories and the Plant and Soil Science Club.

Contact Dr. Nate Phillips at 615-494-8985.
nphillip@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THEIR TRUTH IS MARCHING ON.--This summer’s “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War” group will focus on The Good Men Who Won the War: Army of the Cumberland Veterans and Emancipation Memory, a new book by Dr. Robert Hunt, MTSU history professor. Beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 15, the group’s participants will embark on a discussion of the award-wining title, which touches on the region’s local history within a larger context, during the club’s meeting at Murfreesboro’s Heritage Center, 225 West College St. The following week, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, Hunt will join the group for a question-and-answer session at the same location. Both sessions are free and open to the public. “The Good Men Who Won the War is an excellent study of Union army veterans who had fought right here in Middle Tennessee, among other places,” says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Contact van Zelm at 615-217-8013 or avanzelm@mtsu.edu.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

BATTER UP!--Sign up now for MTSU Alumni & Friends Days with the Nashville Sounds on Saturday, July 17. Come watch the Sounds take on the Omaha Royals at Greer Stadium (534 Chestnut Street) and meet alumni in the Nashville area. Game time is 6:35 p.m. The gates will open at 5:00 p.m. There will be fireworks after the game. The price is $20 per person, which includes the game ticket and an all-you-can eat buffet dinner. The meal will begin when the gates open and will run through 7:00 p.m. This event is pre-pay only. Please register and pre-pay by Wednesday, July 14. Call the Alumni Relations office at 800-533-6878, go online at www.mtalumni.com or send an e-mail to alumni@mtsu.edu.

KEYBOARD CAMPERS--“Partners for Innovation in Information Technology” at MTSU will be conducting summer computer camps for local area high school students July 12-16. Starting with rising ninth-graders, students will be invited to attend one of the three week-long (full-time, 40-hour) summer camps: the Alice camp, the Robotics camp and the Multimedia camp. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of computer science through experiences that have proven successful in advancing learning of high school students. The week-long camps will be free to attend, but seating will be limited. For more information and camp applications, contact the PIIT website at http://www.mtsu.edu/~piit.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Health care—where the jobs are

The trend in health care employment in the Nashville area is toward more growth. A new study by MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center indicates that health care occupations are slated to increase 24.29 percent from 2006 to 2016 even though only three out of the 10 fastest growing occupations in Tennessee are in health care. According to the study, “Overall, health care occupations are projected to add 56,980 new jobs, accounting for one in every seven projected jobs between 2006 and 2016.” Home health aides and pharmacy technicians are among the top careers on the list. The expanding population of senior citizens is expected to increase the need for health care services. Again citing the study, “According to Census Bureau projections, the share of the population older than 65 years old in Tennessee is expected to increase from 13.30 percent in 2010 to 19.21 percent in 2030.”

Contact Dr. Murat Arik at 615-898-5424.
marik@mtsu.edu

Health care—Where the wages are

A new study by MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center shows that wages in the core health care industry in Nashville totaled $4.7 billion with hospitals and ambulatory services accounting for 92 percent of those wages. The study states, “Moreover, total wages across health care industry segments increased between 2004 and 2008: ambulatory services wages increased from $1.43 billion to $1.87 billion; hospital wages increased from $1.49 billion to $2.45 billion; and nursing care facilities wages rose from $0.34 billion to $0.39 billion. Of the three health care industry segments, hospitals experienced the greatest increase in total wages, 64 percent. Ambulatory services wages increased 31 percent and nursing care 15 percent.”

Contact Dr. Murat Arik at 615-898-5424.
marik@mtsu.edu

Health care—Where the industry is

Research suggests that the location of large corporate headquarters in a city brings high-paying jobs, increases that city’s competitive advantage, promotes innovative technologies and spurs growth in infrastructure industries. According to a new study by MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, “Nashville is truly the center of gravity for national health care industry company headquarters with 56 major public and private companies calling it home. … As of 2009, 494 out of 958 investor-owned hospitals in the U.S. were owned or operated by Nashville-area hospital management companies. In 2008, the 56 health care industry cluster companies headquartered in Nashville counted revenues of more than $62 billion and employed nearly 400,000 people worldwide.”

Contact Dr. Murat Arik at 615-898-5424.
marik@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THEIR TRUTH IS MARCHING ON.--This summer’s “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War” group will focus on The Good Men Who Won the War: Army of the Cumberland Veterans and Emancipation Memory, a new book by Dr. Robert Hunt, MTSU history professor. Beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 15, the group’s participants will embark on a discussion of the award-wining title, which touches on the region’s local history within a larger context, during the club’s meeting at Murfreesboro’s Heritage Center, 225 West College St. The following week, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, Hunt will join the group for a question-and-answer session at the same location. Both sessions are free and open to the public. “The Good Men Who Won the War is an excellent study of Union army veterans who had fought right here in Middle Tennessee, among other places,” says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Contact van Zelm at 615-217-8013 or avanzelm@mtsu.edu.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

BATTER UP!--Sign up now for MTSU Alumni & Friends Days with the Nashville Sounds on Saturday, July 17. Come watch the Sounds take on the Omaha Royals at Greer Stadium (534 Chestnut Street) and meet alumni in the Nashville area. Game time is 6:35 p.m. The gates will open at 5:00 p.m. There will be fireworks after the game. The price is $20 per person, which includes the game ticket and an all-you-can eat buffet dinner. The meal will begin when the gates open and will run through 7:00 p.m. This event is pre-pay only. Please register and pre-pay by Wednesday, July 14. Call the Alumni Relations office at 800-533-6878, go online at www.mtalumni.com or send an e-mail to alumni@mtsu.edu.

KEYBOARD CAMPERS--“Partners for Innovation in Information Technology” at MTSU will be conducting summer computer camps for local area high school students July 12-16. Starting with rising ninth-graders, students will be invited to attend one of the three week-long (full-time, 40-hour) summer camps: the Alice camp, the Robotics camp and the Multimedia camp. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of computer science through experiences that have proven successful in advancing learning of high school students. The week-long camps will be free to attend, but seating will be limited. For more information and camp applications, contact the PIIT website at http://www.mtsu.edu/~piit.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Open your pocketbook and say “Ah!”

The Nashville Health Care Council’s 2010 Economic Impact Study will be released at 10:30 a.m. today, July 7, at Loew’s Vanderbilt Hotel, 2100 West End Avenue in Nashville. The study will examine the impact of the healthcare industry on the local economy. It was conducted by Dr. Murat Arik, associate director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center. In addition, MTSU mass communication students interviewed many healthcare industry leaders and produced a video package featuring those interviews. The study will attract the attention of national media and policymakers and will affect hospitals, physicians and patients.

Contact Tom Tozer in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or Dr. Roy Moore, dean of the MTSU College of Mass Communication at 615-898-5872.

The puck and the pitch

Hockey aficionados became more avid in 2009, according to this year’s Middle Tennessee Sports Affinity Survey. The NHL’s score of 42 was an eight-point gain over last year’s score. Dr. Don Roy, Sports Business Studies Coordinator for MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research, says, “One explanation for the increase in affinity for the NHL could be a carryover effect from the ice hockey competition at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. NHL players were prominent in the Olympic tournament.” And even before the World Cup broadcasts on ABC and ESPN, soccer showed an increase, although the Affinity Survey measured responses to the MLS, not the World Cup. “Major League Soccer experienced an eight-point gain, too (20 in 2010 versus 12 in 2009), although it had experienced a 12-point drop in 2009,” says Roy.

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

The ire of the Tiger

At a pro-am tournament in Ireland yesterday, Tiger Woods made his first foreign appearance since his marital troubles were revealed last year. However, the atmosphere at Woods’ press conference turned chilly when reporters’ questions became too personal for him. When one journalist asked Woods if his escapades with other women had been “worth it” since it cost him his marriage and endorsements, Woods replied, “I think you’re looking too deep into this.” Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says, “He can forget about privacy. The 24-hour media will not allow this ‘news event’ to go away, so he may as well adapt to this intrusion into his life, handle it with dignity and honesty, and keep moving forward.”

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

TR EXTRA

THEIR TRUTH IS MARCHING ON.--This summer’s “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War” group will focus on The Good Men Who Won the War: Army of the Cumberland Veterans and Emancipation Memory, a new book by Dr. Robert Hunt, MTSU history professor. Beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 15, the group’s participants will embark on a discussion of the award-wining title, which touches on the region’s local history within a larger context, during the club’s meeting at Murfreesboro’s Heritage Center, 225 West College St. The following week, at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, Hunt will join the group for a question-and-answer session at the same location. Both sessions are free and open to the public. “The Good Men Who Won the War is an excellent study of Union army veterans who had fought right here in Middle Tennessee, among other places,” says Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Contact van Zelm at 615-217-8013 or avanzelm@mtsu.edu.

“A HEALTHY STATE ENCOURAGES MANY VOICES—AND LOTS OF LISTENING.”—HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS--Expressions of confidence, faith, defiance, togetherness, satire and sobriety characterize the second edition of Voices We Haven’t Heard, a publication of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. The latest Voices is larger than last year’s edition, and it includes feminist poetry and prose nestled between glossy, colorful covers. Center Director Terri Johnson says the magazine empowers students by providing them with a creative outlet for their observations on racism, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. Voices We Haven’t Heard is free and available from the June Anderson Center in its new home, Room 320 of the Keathley University Center. For more information, call 615-898-5989 or go to www.mtsu.edu/jac.

BATTER UP!--Sign up now for MTSU Alumni & Friends Days with the Nashville Sounds on Saturday, July 17. Come watch the Sounds take on the Omaha Royals at Greer Stadium (534 Chestnut Street) and meet alumni in the Nashville area. Game time is 6:35 p.m. The gates will open at 5:00 p.m. There will be fireworks after the game. The price is $20 per person, which includes the game ticket and an all-you-can eat buffet dinner. The meal will begin when the gates open and will run through 7:00 p.m. This event is pre-pay only. Please register and pre-pay by Wednesday, July 14. Call the Alumni Relations office at 800-533-6878, go online at www.mtalumni.com or send an e-mail to alumni@mtsu.edu.

KEYBOARD CAMPERS--“Partners for Innovation in Information Technology” at MTSU will be conducting summer computer camps for local area high school students July 12-16. Starting with rising ninth-graders, students will be invited to attend one of the three week-long (full-time, 40-hour) summer camps: the Alice camp, the Robotics camp and the Multimedia camp. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of computer science through experiences that have proven successful in advancing learning of high school students. The week-long camps will be free to attend, but seating will be limited. For more information and camp applications, contact the PIIT website at http://www.mtsu.edu/~piit.

I’M PLAYING WITH MY BOOKS, MOMMY.--“Books and Children in the 19th Century: A Small Portrait” is the theme of an exhibit on display now and throughout this summer in the fourth floor Special Collections area of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library. The purpose is to show the variety of ways children and the adults around them engaged with books in the 1800s and early 1900s. The works available for viewing are indicative of the children’s book as an object of moral and educational value. The idea behind the books is to teach values and build character. Entertainment techniques are employed strictly to attract the children and hold their interest. Highlights include several movable books, which are books that contain text or illustrations that the child can manipulate. Pop-up books are one such type of movable book. Many items in the display have never been exhibited previously. Call the James E. Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

ADOPT A VET--The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website. For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.