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.