Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“Mom always liked you best.”—Tom Smothers to Dick Smothers

Did you ever think you were treated differently from your siblings because you were older or younger? Certain clichés about how birth order affects parent-child relationships have arisen over the years, but it’s not as easy to sort out as you might think. Dr. Dennis Papini, chair of the Department of Psychology, co-wrote a paper with two colleagues that states, in part, “Issues concerning the role of stepsiblings, half-siblings, adopted siblings, divorced parents and spacing between siblings’ births all complicate measurement. Because of these issues, the measurement of birth order varies across studies.” The paper also notes that parental age and level of education are factors. Papini and his co-authors ultimately recommended that future research should take into account development as well as individual differences.

Contact Papini at 615-898-2706.
dpapini@mtsu.edu

The taxman cometh

What sorts of purchases have resulted in the greatest amounts of growth in sales tax collections in Tennessee over the past fiscal year? Collections from auto dealers and service stations went up more than 10 percent. Furniture and home furnishings purchases resulted in an increase of more than eight percent in collections. There was a four percent growth in collections on building materials sales. All other categories are in a slump. There was a little more than two percent increase in collections on general merchandise sales. Tax collections from eating and drinking places rose at about two percent. Collections from food stores actually decreased. Dr. David Penn, director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, presented these findings to Independent Trust in Franklin on Oct. 18.

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

Prosperity Port on Recovery River?

The work of Dr. Murat Arik, assistant director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, will provide a much-needed boost to the economy of Lake, Dyer and Obion counties. Based on Arik’s study, the federal government has awarded a $13 million grant to the Northwest Tennessee Port Authority and industrial park in Lake County for the completion of the Port of Cates Landing on the Mississippi River. Arik wrote, “Constructing an intermodal port in Cates Landing will change the business dynamics in the study region. It will not only retain existing manufacturing companies in the region but also attract new companies to the region. Marine-related businesses themselves will employ a sizable number of people.”

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

TR EXTRA

EXPLORE THE WAR--After two excursions to the South Pacific to expose students to some of the critical sites of World War II, an MTSU historian prepares to embark on a tour of some of the pivotal sites of the European Theater of Operations for his “Warfare and Public Memory in Western Europe” class (HIST 3070). Dr. Derek Frisby, associate professor of history, will escort students across the continent May 19-June 3, 2011, in tracing the war’s “Great Crusade.” The 16-day tour will include an examination of Normandy; Bastogne; Dachau; Operation Market Garden, a campaign fought in Germany and the Netherlands; and the “Eagle’s Nest,” Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s retreat in the mountains above Berchtesgarden. Students also will follow the route of the 101st Airborne Division’s “Band of Brothers.” Tours of Omaha and Utah beaches, Arnhem and the “Battle of the Bulge” site are on the itinerary, as well as the Bayeaux Tapestry, Paris, Verdun and Waterloo. For more information, contact Frisby at 615-904-8097 or dfrisby@mtsu.edu. Financial aid is available. Apply as soon as possible. Contact the Office of Education Abroad and Student Exchange (MT Abroad) at 615-898-5179 or mtabroad@mtsu.edu.

IT WAS THE BUST OF TIMES—The Textiles, Merchandising and Design Program at MTSU will hold a celebration party for the “Bras for a Cause” campaign from 6-8 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 28, in the Georgetown Park Shopping Center, across the parking lot from Penny’s Closet, 1602 West Northfield Blvd. in Murfreesboro. Students in Dr. Teresa Robinson’s introductory fashion courses have lent their creative efforts to this activity during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The bras are on display at Penny’s Closet, where customers are invited to vote for their favorites with donations of $1 each. The top 13 bras will be published in a 2011 calendar, which will be available for purchase next month. At the celebration party, voting will continue and winners will be announced. In addition, there will be a silent auction consisting of items and services donated by local businesses. All proceeds will benefit cancer research. For more information, contact Robinson at 615-898- 2156 or trobinson@mtsu.edu or Penny Bolton at 615-890-0415 or pennybolton@comcast.net.

WHERE TO BECOME AWARE--“Project AWAREness,” a Domestic Violence Awareness Month event, will start at 7 p.m. tonight, Oct. 27, in Cantrell Hall in MTSU’s Tom H. Jackson Building. Information about various causes, including sexual assault and HIV/AIDS prevention, will be available amid displays and distribution of educational resources. Statistics quoted by the Domestic Violence Resource Center (www.drvc-or.org) indicate one in four women has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime and nearly three out of four Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. Purple ribbons, signifying the cause of domestic violence awareness, are available at the June Anderson Center, the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership and the information desk on the second floor of Keathley University Center. “Project AWAREness” is free and open to the public. For more information, call 615-898-5989.

I ONCE WAS LOST, BUT NOW AM FOUND--Dr. David Lavery, professor of English at MTSU, will discuss “What Was ‘Lost?’ Where Television’s Most Extraordinary Series Came From and Where It Took Us” at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 28, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Lavery is the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of more than 20 books about television, two of which are about “Lost.” A 2006 winner of MTSU’s Distinguished Research Award, he has organized conferences on “The Sopranos” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and is a founding co-editor of the journals Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies and Critical Studies in Television. This event is presented by the James E. Walker Library and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@mtsu.edu.

A WEIGHTY MATTER--Dr. David Bassett, professor in the Department of Exercise, Sport and Leisure Studies and Director of the Center for Physical Activity at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Bassett will speak about “Packing on the Pounds: Time Trends in Physical Activity and Diet in American Children.” This address is free and open to the public and is presented by the MTSU Center for Physical Activity and Health. For more information, contact Dr. Don Morgan at 615-898-5549 or dmorgan@mtsu.edu.

KEEPING IT COOL--Journalist, activist and political analyst Bakari Kitwana will lead a town hall meeting on the intersection of Islam, hip-hop and identity among a new generation of American youth with a panel discussion and viewing of the documentary film “The New Muslim Cool” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, in Room 221 of MTSU’s Learning Resources Center. The 2009 film follows Puerto Rican rapper Hamza Perez as he steers away from his former life as a drug dealer and embraces Islam. Following the screening, Kitwana will moderate an interactive panel discussion about the film with Perez and Nura Maznavi, staff attorney with Muslim Advocates, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization. Kitwana is Senior Media Fellow at The Jamestown Project, a think tank based at Harvard University Law School. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Felicia Miyakawa at 615-904-8043 or miyakawa@mtsu.edu.

A RADICAL IDEA--A series of six Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes will be offered at no charge from 6-8 p.m. each Thursday through Dec. 2 at MTSU police headquarters, 1412 East Main St. in Murfreesboro. The class will be open to all female MTSU students, faculty and staff, as well as to the general public. A workbook/training manual will be provided to each student. Enrollment is limited. For more information or to enroll, contact MTSU RAD instructor Sgt. David Smith at 615-692-2424 or 615-494-7858.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS--It’s time again for “Operation Christmas Care,” the project that sends holiday cheer to wounded warriors. The service, which was started in 2006 by Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for the Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center, has sent more than 20,000 Christmas cards to hospitalized military personnel. “Unfortunately, our soldiers’ individual support systems often dwindle after the life-threatening danger has passed,” says Norton, “and yet their painful daily regiment toward recovery continues. E-mails are nice, and they’re appreciated, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from the walls of their hospital rooms until they leave.” Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.