January 26, 2011

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The State of Obama’s Union—Year Two

The post-Tucson shooting atmosphere of last night’s State of the Union Address resulted in fewer catcalls and less open partisanship. Will it last? Dr. John Vile, dean of the MTSU University Honors College and former chair of the Department of Political Science, says the speech “reminded me (not that I remember personally) of Thomas Jefferson’s inaugural address, in which he intoned that ‘We are all Republicans; we are all Federalists.’ The bipartisan atmosphere was, of course, heightened by the ‘date-night’ seating arrangement. Moreover, the President offered a number of proposals (reduction of the corporate tax, spending freezes, welcoming ROTC to campuses, and the like) that would appeal across the now-dissolved aisle.”

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

Are you Felix or Oscar?

Does your workspace provide clues to your living space and vice versa? Dr. Jackie Gilbert, management and marketing, writes, “Some individuals experience a disconnect between how they maintain their home and their office, despite the fact that perceptions are quickly created. It is at home when people ‘let their hair down’ and when you may see snippets of their true selves on display. A slovenly approach to personal décor works at cross-purposes in crating the image you wish to project. I once heard of an executive who asked prospective recruits to drive him to lunch under the ruse that his car was in the shop. He uses this excursion to inspect the potential recruit’s car’s general condition, its cleanliness and its appearance. A dirty, unkempt vehicle may speak volumes about a host of seemingly unrelated things.”

Read Gilbert’s blog at http://organizedforefficiency.com.

What are they checking out—“Lolita”?

David Yarde, a state representative in Indiana, has introduced legislation to ban sex offenders from public libraries in that state. Yarde’s measure would create the crime of “sex offender felony trespass.” Is it constitutional to bar someone from merely walking through the door of a public library? David Hudson, adjunct professor of political science and First Amendment Center scholar, says, “In Doe v. Albuquerque, a federal district judge in New Mexico ruled in May 2010 that (New Mexico’s similar) ban infringed on … First Amendment right(s) to receive information and ideas from public libraries … However, in a case involving public parks, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the city of Lafayette, Ind., did not violate the First Amendment when it excluded a known sex offender from city parks.

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

TR EXTRA

LEARNING ABOUT COLLEGE -- “How to Win at the Game of College,” a three-part seminar series to equip students with the tools and strategies to ensure college success, will begin at 6 p.m. tonight, Jan. 26, in the State Farm Lecture Hall (Room S102) of the Business and Aerospace Building at MTSU. A dynamic, interactive and audio-visual presentation by Dr. Ryan Otter, assistant professor of biology, and based on his book How to Win at the Game of College: Practical Advice from a College Professor, the opening installment of the series is titled “The Benefits of the ‘Be Weird’ Strategy.” It will focus on how college is different from high school and how being “weird” will lead to success. For more information, contact Otter at 615-898-2063 or rrotter@mtsu.edu or Gina Logue of the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

YES, THEY CAN! -- The Center for Health and Human Services at MTSU will administer the “Yes I Can! Diabetes Self-Management Program” from February through June in Rutherford County. It will consist of six weeks’ worth of two-and-a-half-hour sessions that will be completely free to participants. The community-based protocol is derived from a model created by Stanford University and used nationwide for the past 20 years. Diabetics, their supporters and people who might have indications of a pre-diabetic condition are encouraged to participate. There will be a cap of 20 people per class, so sign up now. Doctor’s referrals are not required. Participants must be 18 years of age or older. Children will not be allowed to attend. For specific times and locations or to register online, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/achcs/YesICan.shtml.

“NOTHING HAPPENS UNLESS FIRST A DREAM.”—CARL SANDBURG--Dr. Jhon (spelling is correct) C. Akers will interpret the works of poet Carl Sandburg on classical guitar in “Carl Sandburg and the Spanish Guitar,” a lecture slated for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Akers was twice the featured lecturer for the Sandburg Days Festival in Galesburg, Ill. He is an associate professor of modern languages at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Sandburg, a poet, historian and winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, also collected folk songs and wrote children’s literature and had a lifelong love for the Spanish guitar. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. William Yelverton at 615-898-2004 or 615-898-5623.

MAKE IT A HAPPY HUNDREDTH!--Join MTSU in celebrating its 100th birthday! Go to http://www.mtsu.edu/centennial/ and check out a full array of photos of Blue Raider athletics, scenes around campus, military pictures, aerial photos of the campus over the years and snapshots from the 1920 handbook. Learn more about the MTSU Centennial Scholars Program, which was created to help attract even more elite high-school students to the university. Reserve a table for the Blue Tie Centennial Gala, slated for Sept. 9, 2011 at the Embassy Suites Murfreesboro Hotel and Conference Center. Select from a wide variety of Centennial merchandise, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, polo shirts, caps, lapel pins, shot glasses and much more. For more information, contact the Centennial Committee at centennial@mtsu.edu.

THE NOT-SO-DISMAL SCIENCE--John Siegfried, professor of economics at Vanderbilt University and Secretary-Treasurer of the American Economic Association, will present “Better Living through Economics” in a seminar from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, in Room S128 of the MTSU Business and Aerospace Building. The lecture will be based on the book of the same name, a collection of 12 case studies demonstrating how economic research has improved social and economic conditions over the past half-century by influencing public policy decisions. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the MTSU Department of Economics and Finance at 615-898-2520.