Friday, July 2, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Be her guest

The hospitality industry is becoming more and more important in the global economy. That’s why MTSU student Megan Erickson aspires to a career in the hospitality field in Asia. “I love serving people,” says Erickson, a global studies major from Thompson’s Station. “I love the atmosphere of hotels and resorts where people leave their hectic lives behind and go to relax.” With a $4,000 stipend from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, Erickson will study at Saitama University in Saitama, Japan, in the 2010-11 academic year. Erickson, whose minors are Japanese and business administration, says her yearning to learn more about other cultures prompted her to choose global studies as a major. “All throughout childhood, I was taught only about America,” she says. “I was so excited and grateful when I heard I got this scholarship.”

For a color jpeg and/or an interview, contact Gina Logue at 615-898-5081.
gklogue@mtsu.edu

Rave reviews

Can you always tell the difference between an ominous threat and a momentary rant? A U.S. district judge ruled June 24th that the e-mail sent by Ashton O’Dwyer to an employee of a federal bankruptcy court in Louisiana was merely hyperbole, not a true threat. The e-mail read, in part, “Maybe my creditors would benefit from my suicide, but suppose I become ‘homicidal’? David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says the judge “noted that O’Dwyer had a history of sending e-mails in which he would use coarse language but make no threats. He added that O’Dwyer’s statements in his e-mail did not compare to the ‘explicit threats’ made in other threat cases decided by the 5th Circuit, such as ‘I will kill’ and ‘keep f---ing with me and Judgment Day will come.”

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

Money talks.

The so-called “Disclose Act,” which is pending in Congress, would, if enacted into law, would require companies and individuals who donate to political campaigns to acknowledge their support. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, says, “The law does absolutely nothing to prevent donations to campaigns and candidates beyond limits that are already in place. What it does is simply tell us who is making the donations. If the law passes, here’s what we will be able to do: when a vote comes up in Congress, we will be able to compare campaign contributions with how Senators and Representatives vote. And, in many cases, I bet that will be a real eye-opener.”

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

LET THE SPIRIT MOVE YOU.--When he was a child, Joseph Akins was into rock and roll. As a college student, he studied electronic music composition and developed an appreciation for jazz. But when Akins’ father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and passed away within two years of that diagnosis, he turned toward using music for “healing the human spirit,” as he puts it. Dr. Joseph Akins, associate professor of recording industry, will discuss his career, his three albums, including his latest, “Spirit Touch,” and achieving a balance between the academic life and the life of a touring musician at 8 a.m. this Sunday, July 4, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

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.