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.