forensic scientist to lecture on human rights · music city bowl champion kentucky on sept. 13 for...

PROTECT YOURSELF WITH RAD

A series of six Rape Aggression

Defense, or RAD, classes will be

offered free every Thursday begin-

ning March 27 through May 1 from

6 to 8 p.m. in the MTSU Police

training room, located at 1412 E.

Main St. The RAD class is open to

all female MTSU students, faculty

and staff and the general public,

and a workbook will be provided.

For more information or to enroll,

call MTSU RAD Instructor David

Smith at 615-898-2424.

Dr. Phil Mathis’s title was

incorrect in “Science prodigy Barnes

reaps USA Today honor” on page 8

of the March 10 issue of The Record.

Mathis is dean of the University

Honors College.

One of the world’s preeminent forensic sci-entists will visit MTSU when renownedanthropologist Dr. Clyde Snow delivers a

lecture on human rights on Wednesday, March 26.The free public lecture, sponsored by the

Forensic Institute for Research and Education, orFIRE, will be held in the State Farm Room of theBusiness and Aerospace Building at 6 p.m.

Snow will speak about his experiences workingwith the Kurdish people of northern Iraq and histestimony in the trial of former Iraqi dictatorSaddam Hussein. Snow’s field work has taken himaround the world to work on mass gravesite exca-vations in nations like Argentina, Ethiopia, Croatia,the Philippines, Guatemala and Yugoslavia.

“Dr. Snow is one the highest-profile forensicanthropologists in the world,” said Dr. HughBerryman, anthropology professor and director ofFIRE.

The lecture is the third in an ongoing series,“Legends of Forensic Science,” facilitated by FIRE.

The organization, which was founded in March2007, previously brought two other luminaries tocampus as part of the lectureship. Last March, Dr.William “Bill” Bass, founder of the famous “BodyFarm” at the University of Tennessee, lectured on

“Interesting Forensic Cases fromthe Past.” And last October, Dr.Douglas Owsley, head of physicalanthropology at the SmithsonianInstitution, spoke on forensiccases involving the Chesapeakeregion of the 17th century.

The latest addition to the lec-tureship series, Snow has animpressive resume of his own. Hewas responsible for the skeletalconfirmations of the remains of

John F. Kennedy, Gen. George Custer and KingTutankhamen, among others.

Along with the lectureship, Berryman and FIREplay an instrumental role in furthering forensic sci-ence at MTSU. The organization provides practicaleducation and training for students and faculty in

several scientific specialties and fosters researchcollaboration among faculty. Not to be forgotten, ofcourse, are the students.

“I try to incorporate students whenever I can,”Berryman said.

Once such vehicle of student involvement isthe relatively new Forensic Anthropology Searchand Rescue Team, or FASR. As a volunteer group,FASR students assist law enforcement with recov-ery and documentation of remains from crimescenes. Only 10 students each year are selected tobe a part of the group via an application process.

Berryman said he hopes that groups such asFIRE and FASR will continue to attract more atten-tion. One way to gain notoriety on campus and inthe community, he said, is to host speakers asnotable and influential as Snow.

“Internationally, he is as well-known and well-respected as anyone,” Berryman said. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].

www.mtsunews.com

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE PAID

MURFREESBORO TNPERMIT NO. 169

IN BRIEF

Inside this edition:Spring ‘08 brings special guests, page 3Scheduling software workshops set, page 5Combining science and spirituality, page 7 TTelling stories, page 8elling stories, page 8

a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community March 24, 2008 • Vol. 16/No. 18

Random kindnessStranded mom thanks

Good Samaritan studentsee page 2

Forensic scientist to lecture on human rightsby Casey Brown

Related story, page 3

Nobel Peace Prize Winner AlGore will be joined by speak-ers such as Wikipedia’s

Jimmy Wales, author Cass Sunstein,First Amendment advocate JohnSeigenthaler and The New York Times’Jonathan Landman at a Thursday,

March 27, event atMTSU that exploresthe First Amendmentand the Internet.

“Accuracy,Privacy and theWorld Wide Web:The First Amend-ment and theInternet” is free andopen to the public.The event, sponsored

by MTSU’s John Seigenthaler Chair ofExcellence in First AmendmentStudies, will be held in the KeathleyUniversity Center Theater.

“I am thrilled that Al Gore will beable to join us in this very important

Gore, Wikipediafounder joiningInternet eventfrom Staff Reports

Gore

Snow

See ‘Internet’ page 5

Scholars Week 2008 begins Monday, March 31, with an11:30 a.m. kickoff in the James E. Walker LibraryQuad and ends Friday, April 4, with faculty and stu-

dent poster presentations from 12:40 to 3:30 p.m. inMurphy Center.

Other performances and presentations throughout theweek, sponsored by MTSU’s colleges and academic centers,will showcase work being done in these units. Each eventwill recognize the range and variety of scholarly researchand creative activity taking place on the MTSU campus.

“These activities are basic to the work of the universi-ty,” says Dr. Bob Petersen, professor of English and mem-ber of the Scholars Week planning committee. “But a lot ofwhat our colleagues and students do in these areas is invis-ible to the rest of us.”

In addition to both faculty and graduate and under-graduate student presenters, other members of the campuscommunity can participate by attending both the April 4poster session and the various college-sponsored events.

A link to poster abstracts can be found atwww.mtsu.edu/~research/approvedabstracts.pdf.

Additional information, especially about how facultycan incorporate Scholars Week events into course activities,can be found on the Web site for the UndergraduateResearch Center.

The schedule of events for Scholars Week 2008 is avail-able on the Web at www.mtsu.edu/~research/scholarsweek.htmland is as follows:

See ‘Scholars’ page 5

SCHOLARLY CHAT—MTSU junior Kristy Stanislav dis-cusses her poster on “Overload of the Solid Support Regent”with sophomore Alexis Schaible at the 2007 Scholars Weekposter exhibit in the James Union Building. Scholars Week2008 events are scheduled March 31-April 3.

file photo by J. Intintoli

Scholars Week ’08showcases busy year

CORRECTION

The Record March 24, 2008

The first prime-time national broadcast byESPN from Floyd Stadium highlights the2008 Middle Tennessee football schedule as

announced March 10 by Director of Athletics ChrisMassaro.

The Blue Raiders will host defending confer-ence champion Florida Atlantic on ESPN2 onTuesday, Sept. 30, in what will be promoted as“Black-Out” night. Fans will be encouraged to pur-chase official “Black-Out” T-shirts, which are sched-uled to be available in late spring when the finaldesign has been approved. It will mark the sixthnational broadcast for the Blue Raiders under RickStockstill and the first by ESPN or ESPN2 fromFloyd Stadium.

“We have had several games on national televi-sion, but there is something different about playingthat type of game at home,” Massaro said. “Thisprovides an opportunity for Middle Tennessee toshowcase our fans, facilities, football program andthe Sun Belt Conference to the potential (studentand student-athlete) prospects who may be watch-ing.”

An impressive home schedule will see the BlueRaiders take on conference foe Troy on Thursdaynight to begin the 2008 slate, followed by back-to-back contests against bowl teams Maryland andFlorida Atlantic. The Blue Raiders will also enter-tain Louisiana-Monroe, who upset Alabama lastyear, and North Texas, which had the nation’s 18th-ranked passing offense a year ago.

“When I was hired at Middle Tennessee, one ofthe important topics for me was to upgrade ourhome schedule,” Massaro said. “I believe we havesteadily worked toward this goal. This season’shome schedule is one I believe our fans will enjoy.”

Middle Tennessee’s nonconference schedulehas a Southeastern Conference flair but also will seethe Blue Raiders taking on the Atlantic Coast andBig East conferences. Along with the ACC’sMaryland, the Blue Raiders will travel to 2007Music City Bowl champion Kentucky on Sept. 13for the second meeting in school history.

The Blue Raiders will stay in Kentucky for theirnext out-of-conference contest when they head toLouisville Oct. 18 to face the Cardinals at Papa

John’s Stadium. It will mark the third straight yearthe two teams have faced each other and the firsttime on a Saturday. The very next week, MiddleTennessee will battle 2007 Liberty Bowl championMississippi State in Starkville—the third meetingoverall between the Blue Raiders and Bulldogs andthe first since 2000.

Middle Tennessee will conclude its nonconfer-ence schedule and tour through neighboringKentucky when it takes on rival Western KentuckyNov. 15. The game will mark the Blue Raiders’ firsttrip to Bowling Green since the 1991 season.

Along with conference road dates againstArkansas State Sept. 20 and Florida InternationalOct. 11, the Blue Raiders will complete the regularseason Dec. 3 at Louisiana-Lafayette. That

Wednesday-night special will airon ESPN Regional.

“One of the things I like aboutour schedule is that we play ourfirst two games at home, and thathas not happened here since1972,” head Coach Rick Stockstillsaid. “I also think it is great forour fans that we play 10 of our 12games within an easy driving dis-tance, so we will be able to get alot of support on the road.

“It is a challenging schedule that presents uswith a lot of opportunities, and we look forward togetting things started in August.”

Schedule notes include:• Middle Tennessee will face four bowl teams

from a year ago, including three bowl champs(Kentucky, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic).

• The Blue Raiders will play games on Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday in 2008.

• The Troy game will mark the fourthThursday-night home game for the Blue Raiderssince Massaro became athletic director.

• The Dec. 3 contest at Louisiana-Lafayette willmatch the latest date for a regular season game(Dec. 3 at Florida International in 2005);

• The Blue Raiders’ a fan-friendly scheduleincludes just two games that are more than 241miles from Murfreesboro (Florida International andLouisiana-Lafayette).

For updates, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

If you remember, March 7 was the night that Murfreesboro received themost snow it had seen in five years. The evening began with everyonerushing to get to the grocery store, video store or their homes before the

sleet and snow started to fall. It was around 5:15 in the evening, and I had just picked up my son from

preschool. I started to turn onto Northfield Boulevard (right by the HollywoodVideo store) when my SUV spun around and slammed into the median of theroad. Thankfully, my son and I were okay. However, one ofthe tires on the truck hit the median so hard that it knockedthe tire off the rim, and I was stranded. I was able to drive thevehicle a few feet into the parking lot of the video store sothat I would be safely out of harm’s way.

I still needed to pick up my other son from his elementaryschool, and it was obvious I wasn’t going to make it. It wasraining and freezing cold outside. It was the worst possibleconditions to have to change a flat tire.

I immediately called my parents, who live inMurfreesboro, and my dad went to pick up my son and thencame over to where I was stranded. My father is in his 60sand was not going to be able to change the tire for me. In themeantime, I called my husband, and he left work and was going to swing bythe house to change clothes and then head over to help.

While my dad and I sat there with my two kids, waiting on my husbandto show up, an MTSU student came over to ask if he could help us. We toldhim that my husband was on the way. He said, “Well, there is no use in youjust sitting here,” and he insisted on helping. I asked him, “Don’t you havesomething to do tonight?” and he politely said, “Not really.” This studentstayed and helped get the tire changed, even after my husband showed up. Idon’t have to remind you how cold it feels when it’s raining and the tempera-

ture is in the 30s and dropping. Quite honestly,I didn’t want to be out in that weather, andit was my truck and my problem.

While we were standing out in thecold, I noticed that this kind strangerhad someone waiting in the car for him.I mentioned this, but he still insistedthat it was okay and that he was happyto help.

When the tire was changed and wewere ready to be on our way, I offered theyoung man some money for his time andassistance. After all, why else would he havetaken time out of his life to help? He was a collegestudent, and he could use some extra cash, right? Well, Iwas wrong. This college student was simply doing a kind deed.

In a time where we are hearing about numerous murders in RutherfordCounty and when we are suspicious of everyone we encounter, isn’t it refresh-ing to know that there are still kind people out there that truly want to helpout a neighbor in need?

My family and I would like to thank the MTSU student who came to ouraid. We appreciate you taking time out of your busy life to help us change ourtire on a cold and rainy night. You set a great example for my children, and Ihope they grow up to be as selfless as you have.

Good luck in your future endeavors, and may God bless you.

Sincerely,

An MTSU alumna and mother of two

Kimberly Davis Harper is a 1993 alumna of MTSU who resides in Murfreesborowith her husband, Rusty, and their two boys.

FFOORR TTHHEE RREECCOORRDD

Acts of kindness from an MTSU stranger by Kimberly Davis Harper

Harper

Blue Raiders announce 2008 football schedule

The Blue Raiders’ 2008 footballschedule is ready to roll! Clip and savethis handy listing; home games are inBOLD and Sun Belt Conference gamesare starred.

2008 MT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 28 TROY (ESPN Regional)

Sept. 6 MARYLAND

Sept. 13 at KentuckySept. 20 at Arkansas State*Sept. 30 FLORIDA ATLANTIC*

(ESPN2; “Black-Out” night)

Oct. 4 Open DateOct. 11 at Florida International*Oct. 18 at LouisvilleOct. 25 at Mississippi State

Nov. 1 Open DateNov. 8 LOUISIANA-MONROE*

Nov. 15 at Western KentuckyNov. 22 NORTH TEXAS*

Dec. 3 at Louisiana-Lafayette*(ESPN Regional)

Dec. 19 New Orleans Bowl (ESPN2)

For ticket information, visitwww.goblueraiders.com.

Stockstill

from MT Media Relations

The Record March 24, 2008 page 3

In a world where a citizen’s right to privacy andthe government’s demand for informationoften clash head-on, law-enforcement officials

need to know just how far they can and should gowithout infringing on a person’s freedoms.

The Forensic Institute for Research andEducation, or FIRE, recently held an all-day course,co-sponsored by the College of ContinuingEducation and Distance Learning, teaching law-enforcement officials how to properly seize andsecure digital evidence. The workshop took place inthe Voorhies Industrial Studies Complex.

“This eight-hour course was designed to teachthe participant[s] the proper methods for seizingand securing digital evidence, computer compo-nents, and related equipment in computer-relatedinvestigations,” said Dr. Saleh M. Sbenaty, an engi-neering technology professor at MTSU and coordi-nator of the FIRE conference.

According to Sbenaty, after completing thecourse, participants should be able to demonstrateand describe a fundamental understanding of com-puter forensics, the types of cases in which digitalevidence can be used, recognition of computer

hardware digital media, knowledge of com-puter seizures and documentation, and howto properly package, label and protect com-puter-related evidence.

Stan Mitchell, who is the forensic labmanager at LogicForce Consulting LLC, alegal technology consulting firm in Nashville,conducted the session. Mitchell served morethan 20 years in law enforcement, working asparole officer, detective and instructor. Inaddition, he started and operated theMetropolitan Nashville Police Department’sComputer Forensic Lab. Mitchell is a certifiedexpert in computer forensics and has con-ducted more than 200 forensic analyses rang-ing from intellectual property theft to homi-cide investigations.

The course was not mandatory for law-enforcement officials, but organizers said itwas beneficial for the 24 who attended. GwenCribbs, a detective for the East Ridge, Tenn.,Police Department, attended the conferenceto gain more knowledge about seizing andsecuring digital evidence.

“Computer files are more retrievable than mostthink, but criminals can cover, clear or clean thefiles,” Cribbs said.

According to Cribbs, the acquisition of digitalevidence can be helpful in investigating cases likechild pornography.

Learning techniques of digital evidenceby Brittany Witt

Distinguished author Dr.Phillip Furia, chair of theDepartment of Creative

Writing at the University of NorthCarolina at Wilmington, will be theguest speaker on Thursday, April 10,at 5 p.m. in the T.Earl Hinton Hall inMTSU’s WrightMusic Building forthe 2008 WindhamLecture Series.

Skylark: The Lifeand Times of JohnnyMercer is the title ofFuria’s book andthe topic of the lec-ture. According toFuria, it will be“more of a mini-show than a lec-ture.”

Becky Windham, daughter of Dr.William and the late WestyWindham, for whom the lectureseries is named, will sing chosensongs of Mercer accompanied on thepiano by Dr. Geoffrey Haydon ofGeorgia State University.

“One of the things I want to talkabout is that Johnny Mercer was theonly songwriter of that era to comefrom the South,” said Furia, notingthat two other popular songwritersof the mid-1930s to the mid-‘50s,George Gershwin and OscarHammerstein, were both from NewYork and of Jewish backgrounds.

“As a Southerner, he (Mercer)brought a difference to the lyrics hewrote,” Furia continued. “He wasmore influenced by nature and thelandscape. Mercer loved to sit out-side the black churches and listen tothe choirs sing.”

The renowned songwriter, who

recorded self-penned hits as well assinging others’ tunes, also listened toLouis Armstrong and Ma Rainey.

“Mercer was more influenced asa kid growing up in Savannah,”Furia said, adding that Gershwinand Hammerstein were more affect-ed by the city life that surroundedthem.

Furia explained that Mercer wasprimarily a lyricist and couldn’teven read music. The music wasusually written first for Mercer,Furia said, adding that the process ofwriting lyrics for music is like work-ing a crossword puzzle. “The musicis there. You just have to fit a sylla-

ble to a note.”Mercer, who

went on to co-found CapitolRecords, was theco-writer of classicslike “Come Rain orCome Shine,”“Hooray forHollywood,”“Jeepers Creepers,”

“Blues in the Night,” “Moon River,”“Glowworm” and “Skylark.”

Furia’s writings on Americanpopular song have been praised inThe New York Times, The London Timesand The New Yorker. He also hasmade appearances on ”Larry KingLive,” A&E’s “Biography” and thePBS series “Broadway: TheAmerican Musical.”

Currently in its 17th year, theWindham Lecture Series in LiberalArts was established in 1990 throughthe MTSU Foundation. Dr. WilliamWindham was a member of theMTSU history department’s facultyfrom 1955 to 1989 and served aschairman of the Department ofHistory the last 11 years. WestyWindham (1927-1991) earned a mas-ter’s degree in sociology at MTSUand was the founder of the GreatAmerican Singalong.

The Windham Lecture Series issponsored by the College of LiberalArts. For more information, contact615-494-7628.

Spring ’08 brings special speakers to campus

by Danielle Harrell

Does the thought of Sen.Hillary Clinton being elect-ed president inspire or

frighten you? There’s a good chancethat whatever you feel, you feelstrongly about it.

Monday, March 31, at MTSU,nationally knowneditor SusanMorrison willexplore thesestrong and variedreactions toClinton, especiallyby women and themedia, in “Who’sYour Hillary?Why CandidateClinton Pushes SoMany Women’sButtons.”

The 12:40 p.m. free public lec-ture will be held at the KeathleyUniversity Center Theater. Theevent is sponsored by the Seigen-thaler Chair of Excellence in FirstAmendment Studies in honor ofNational Women’s History Month.

Morrison is the editor of thebook Thirty Ways of Looking atHillary: Reflections by Women Writers.She has been the articles editor ofThe New Yorker for 11 years. She alsowas editor-in-chief of The New YorkObserver, a founding editor of Spymagazine and features director atVogue.

“I’m interested in the way vot-ers, women in particular, takeHillary Clinton so personally,”Morrison said. “When her namecomes up, the mood changes: peo-ple raise their voices, their faces getred. She inspires more passionatereactions (pro and con) than mostother politicians do.”

In the book she edited,Morrison asked 30 female literarywriters to examine their emotionalreactions to Clinton, setting asidepolicy issues.

“I think that, here in 2008, weall tend to consider ourselves soevolved and sophisticated that weassume we are gender-blind (andrace-blind),” she said. “But many of

the visceral reac-tions that people,and the media,have to Clintonsuggest that hergender plays abig, perhaps unac-knowledged, role.

“Do weexpect differentqualities from awoman leader

than we do from a male leader? Dowe expect her to be softer, tougher,not as tough? By extension, I thinkit’s fascinating to watch how themedia reacts to her, and to (Sen.Barack) Obama, the first black con-tender with a real chance.

“If you watch the coverage ofthe campaign closely, all kinds ofgender glitches surface: for exam-ple, when Clinton’s opponents wereextremely combative with her in adebate, some commentatorsclaimed that they ‘ganged up onher’ in an ungentlemanly way, andothers have pointed to some ofObama’s debate behavior as‘unchivalrous.’ It’s clear that thereis much more than policy and expe-rience at work in the way we reactto the candidates.”

Morrison will sign copies of herbook at the conclusion of her talk.For more information, contact 615-898-5150 or [email protected].

from Staff Reports

‘New Yorker’ editor to analyzereaction to Clinton candidacy

Furia Morrison

Windham seriesguest will focuson Mercer music

BACK TO CLASS—MTSU police officers Walter Spain, fore-ground, and Jason Wofford, over Spain’s right shoulder, listenintently during the recent digital evidence workshop co-spon-sored by MTSU’S Forensic Institute for Research and Educationand the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning.

photo submitted


“Middle Tennessee Record”

Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday—7 a.m. and 5 p.m.NewsChannel 5+: Sundays—1:30 p.m.Visit www.mtsunews.com forother cable outlet airtimes.

Jaz’s Jammies Pajama Drive

New PJs needed for children inhospitals and homeless shelters For information, e-mail [email protected] contact: 615-898-5812.

Monday, March 24

Honors Lecture Series:

Dr. Ed Beemon, “The Mind of

the Renaissance Individual”

3-3:50 p.m., HONR 106For information, contact: 615-898-2152.

Our Friends, Our Selves

Bookclub

featured book: Black, White andJewish by Rebecca Walker3:30-4:30 p.m., JUB 206For information, contact: 615-898-2193.

Black History Month:

Capt. Vernice G. Armour

first African-American womancombat pilot in U.S. history 6 p.m., JUB Tennessee RoomFor information, contact: 615-898-2987.

MTSU Flute Studio Recital

6 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, contact: 615-898-2493.

Guest Bassoon Recital:

Christin Schillinger


Tuesday, March 25

Tri-Beta Sponsored Seminar:

Lee Dugatkin,“Mate choice:

the interface between genetic

and cultural evolution”

4:30 p.m., DSB 100For information, contact: 615-898-2059.

Tuesday, March 25

MT Baseball

vs. Tennessee Tech

6 p.m., Reese Smith FieldFor information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Wednesday, March 26

Red Cross Blood Drive

10 a.m.-4 p.m., KUC 322For information, contact: 615-898-2590.

National Women’s History

Month: 16th Annual Women’s

International Poetry Readings

3:30 p.m., Tom Jackson Building

For information, contact: 615-898-5778.

MT Softball vs. Austin Peay

4 and 6 p.m., Blue Raider FieldFor information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Legends in Forensic Science

Lectureships: Dr. Clyde Snow,

“Human Rights”

6 p.m., BAS State Farm RoomFor information, contact: 615-494-7896.

World Percussion Ensemble

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, contact: 615-898-2493.

Thursday, March 27

MTSU Bassoon Studio recital


Free Legal Clinic

7-9 p.m., JUB 206appointments requiredFor information, contact: 615-898-2193.

March 28-29 and April 2-5

MTSU Theater and Dance:

“Rhythm in You”

by MTSU junior Ian Hunt7:30 p.m., Tucker TheatreFor information, contact: 615-898-2640.

March 28-30

MT Baseball

vs. Arkansas-Little Rock

March 28: 6 p.m.; March 29: 4 p.m.; March 30: 1 p.m.Reese Smith Field

For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Friday, March 28

Friday Star Party: Cosmologist

Joel Primack, “View from the

Center of the Universe”

6:30-8:30 p.m., WPS Room 102For information, contact: 615-898-2483.

March 29-30

MT Softball

vs. Louisiana-Monroe

March 29: 1 and 3 p.m.; March30: noon, Blue Raider FieldFor information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Saturday, March 29

Spring Preview Day


High School Clarinet Choir

Clinic

8:30 a.m., Wright Music Building


Women’s Tennis vs. UT Martin

Noon, Bouldin Tennis CenterFor information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Sunday, March 30

“MTSU On the Record—

Issues in K-12 Education”

Guest: Dr. Mark Byrnes7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FMPodcast available atwww.mtsunews.com.

Women’s Tennis vs. Louisville

TBA, Bouldin Tennis CenterFor information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Monday, March 31

Honors Lecture Series:

Dr. Ben Austin, “Social

Conformity, Group Think and

Violence: Social Activism in

the 1960s”

3-3:50 p.m., HONR 106For information, contact: 615-898-2152.

Stones River Chamber Players

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, contact: 615-898-2493.

Tuesday, April 1

JAWC Career/Professional

Development Brown Bag

Series: Gilda Mayes,

“Speaking with Confidence”

noon, Hazlewood Dining RoomFor information, contact: 615-898-2193.

Studio Smith April Fools

Vocal Concert


Wednesday, April 2

National Women’s History

Month: Health and Safety Fair

11 a.m.-2 p.m., KUC Knoll(rain date: April 3)For information, contact: 615-898-2193.

MT Baseball vs. Vanderbilt

6 p.m., Reese Smith FieldFor information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Thursday, April 3

Faculty Piano Recital:

Leopoldo Erice


April 4-5

“Farther Along”: A Conference

on the Southern Gospel

Convention-Singing Tradition

Tom H. Jackson BuildingFor information, visit http://popmusic.mtsu.edu/gospel.html or contact: 615-898-5829.

April 4-6

MT Baseball

vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

April 4: 6 p.m.; April 5: 4 p.m.;April 6: 1 p.m; Smith FieldFor information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Friday, April 4

Student Chamber Music

Recital


Campus CalendarMarch 24-April 6

TV Schedule

March 24

March 28

March 29

April 1

Through April 11

March 26

March 25

March 27

March 30

March 31

April 2

April 3

April 4


Scholars from page 1Monday, March 31

Scholars Week Kickoff: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., LibraryQuadrangle.

• 11:30 a.m.: Salsa music. • Noon: Comments by Drs. Kaylene Gebert, executive

vice president and provost, and Michael Allen, viceprovost for research. Refreshments will be served. Forinformation, contact Allison McGoffin at 615-898-2953.

Featured College: Business • Poster Session: 2-3 p.m., south lobby of Business

and Aerospace Building. For information, contact Dr. JeffHamm at 615-904-8305.

Featured College: Mass Communication • “Thirty Ways of Looking at Hillary Clinton,”

Susan Morrison: 12:40-1:40 p.m., Keathley UniversityCenter Theater. For information, contact Beverly Keel at615-898-5150.

Tuesday, April 1

Featured College: Basic and Applied Sciences• Hands-On Learning Showcase: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.,

KUC Knoll (rain location: KUC first- and second-floor lob-bies). For information, contact Dr. Saeed Foroudastan at615-494-8786.

Wednesday, April 2

Featured College: Liberal Arts• Talks, Panels and Performances. For information, contact Dr. Mark

Byrnes at 615-898-2351.

Thursday, April 3

Featured College: Education and Behavioral Science • Life's Major Questions Luncheon: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Hazlewood

Dining Room; $5 advance tickets. For information, contact Dr. Will Langstonat 615-898-5489.

Friday, April 4

• Universitywide Poster and Multimedia Exposition: 12:40-2:45 p.m.,Murphy Center Track Area; 3-3:30 p.m., presentation awards ceremony withGebert presiding. Refreshments will be served. For information, contact Dr.Wassimuddin Qureshi at 615-898-5005.

discussion about the Internet,” saidBeverly Keel, director of the SeigenthalerChair of Excellence. “The Internet is thenew century’s wild, wild West, an ever-changing world not bound by laws thatapply to conventional broadcast and printmedia. We will examine the currentInternet landscape, its evolution and effecton public and private figures. We will dis-cuss how traditional concepts of the FirstAmendment have transitioned into thecyber age of blogs, YouTube and chatrooms.”

At 9:45 a.m., the daylong event willbegin with Sunstein, author of Republic.com2.0, who will discuss the Internet’s effecton democracy and self-government.

At 10:25 a.m., veteran journalistSeigenthaler will reveal his personal expe-riences with Wikipedia in “The WonderfulWorld of Wikipedia: Sinbad, Fuzzy Zoeller,Ann Coulter and Me.”

At 11:25 a.m., Wikipedia founderWales will discuss “The Future of Free Culture: Challenges,Changes, and Opportunities.”

At 1 p.m., former Vice President Gore, a visiting distin-guished professor at MTSU, will share his observations aboutthe Internet. As both an early and longtime proponent of theInternet and frequent subject of Internet blogs and newsreports, he has a unique perspective on this technology.

At 1:45 p.m., Wales and Seigenthaler will join Gore for anhourlong roundtable discussion.

At 4:20 p.m., a panel discussion will address bloggers,online defamation and the Internet’s impact on mainstreamjournalism. The panelists are Sunstein; Robert Cox, presi-dent, Media Bloggers Association; Dr. Karen B. Dunlap, president of ThePoynter Institute; Landman, deputy managing editor of the Times; and attorneyCharles Sizemore, who represents a couple who filed a lawsuit against bloggersfor libel and invasion of privacy.

At 6 p.m., the “Frontline” documentary “Growing Up Online” will beshown. It will be followed by a panel discussion, “The Internet and Your Child:What Parents Need to Know,” featuring educators and students. (See storyabove right for more details.)

For more information, contact Keel at 615-898-5150 or [email protected].

Internet from page 1

Seigenthaler Wales

Dunlap Landman

Sizemore

SPICY MUSIC—The MTSU Salsa Band plays on the Library Quad during the 2007 Scholars Week kickoff.Performing are, from left, Tony Hartman on piano, David Walker on timbales, Josh Yohe on saxophone, LisaAtcher on trumpet, Leonard Walker on saxophone and Courtney Mosley on trombone. The band’s latestlineup is set to showcase its talent at the 2008 Scholars Week kickoff Monday, March 31 at 11:30 a.m.

file photo by J. Intintoli

Anew policy for schedulingspace on campus will beexplained and demonstrated

in a workshop that will be presentedtwice in the Keathley UniversityTheater: Wednesday, April 16, at 1:30p.m., and Tuesday, April 29, at 10a.m.

“This workshop will be for any-

one and everyone,” said QuintinaBurton, manager of event coordina-tion, “but certainly for all those peo-ple who have scheduled events inthe past.”

Burton added that anyone whoattends will benefit from learningabout the policy changes.

For more information about theworkshops, please contact Burton at615-898-5143.

Adjust your schedule to attend new space policy workshopsfrom Staff Reports

It’s 8 p.m. Do you know what Website your child is reading?On Thursday, March 27, MTSU

will present “The Internet and YourChild: What Parents Need to Know,”an evening panel discussion designedto provide parents with the facts theyneed to raise children in the Internetage.

The free public event will be heldin Room 121 of the Cason-KennedyNursing Building. It’s part of the sym-posium “Accuracy, Privacy and theWorld Wide Web: The FirstAmendment and the Internet,” whichis sponsored by MTSU’s JohnSeigenthaler Chair of Excellence inFirst Amendment Studies.

At 6 p.m., the “Frontline” docu-mentary “Growing Up Online” willbe shown. The film will be followedby the panel discussion on “The

Internet and Your Child.”Dr. Becky Alexander, MTSU assis-

tant professor of education, will mod-erate the panel, which will includeAnna Benson of Metro NashvillePublic Schools as well as a representa-tive from Nashville’s Harpeth Halland several high-school students.

Alexander will be joined by herson, Eldridge, a senior at RiverdaleHigh School, who can provide a first-person report about teens and theInternet. He owns his own business,EZap Technology (www.ezaptechnology.com), and is regularly called for con-sulting on equipment purchases andmultimedia presentations.

For more information, contactBeverly Keel at 615-898-5150 [email protected].

Learn about kids’ Internet usage


Representatives from theHeritage Center ofMurfreesboro and

Rutherford County and theTennessee Civil War NationalHeritage Area will kick off a seriesof public programs at 5:30 p.m.Tuesday, April 1, beginning with afree guided tour of the new exhib-it, “The Time that ChangedEverything: Murfreesboro’s CivilWar Era.”

During the upcoming eventopening, Dr. Antoinette van Zelm,Heritage Area historian, will sharehighlights from the exhibit with aspecial focus on the themes ofemancipation and Reconstruction.

“This exhibit was a tremen-dous team effort, and we were allthrilled to discover how rich thelocal story of the Civil War erareally is,” said van Zelm, who wasone of several historians from theTennessee Civil War NationalHeritage Area who worked withMTSU graduate students to createthe new exhibit.

“The Battle of Stones River, ofcourse, was the key event for thearea, but there was plenty of otherdrama as well,” added van Zelm,who has authored a number ofCivil War history-related articlesand served as editor of Freedomand Work in the Reconstruction Era:The Freedmen’s Bureau LaborContracts of Williamson County,Tennessee (2006).

“One of the most compellingstories of the Civil War period isthe story of the transition fromslavery to freedom,” van Zelmcontinued, “(and) our new exhibitlooks at how this process tookplace locally.”

“The Time that ChangedEverything” gallery tour will bethe first of four in a CommunityHeritage Lecture Series that willbe held at the Heritage Center andsponsored by the Tennessee CivilWar National Heritage Area,which is a partnership unit of theNational Park Service and isadministered by the Center forHistoric Preservation at MTSU.

Michael T. Gavin, the HeritageArea’s preservation specialist, willpresent a lecture on the log build-ings of Rutherford County at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29, at thecenter. An encore presentation ofthis lecture will be given as abrown-bag lunch lecture the fol-lowing Wednesday, June 4, begin-ning at noon. The final two lec-tures in the series will take placein the fall.

Located just off the historicMurfreesboro Square at 225 W.College St., the Heritage Center isopen from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. eachMonday through Friday. Grouptours and tours of the town squaremay be arranged by calling 615-217-8013. Admission is free.

For more information on theCommunity Heritage LectureSeries, please call 615-217-8013 ore-mail [email protected].

by Lisa L. Rollins

‘Rich’ heritagegives boost toCivil War series F

or the second year in a row, MTSU will host theWomen’s Health and Safety Fair on the knoll infront of the Keathley University Center Wednesday,

April 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.The Health and Safety Fair provides resources and

information on healthand safety for students,faculty and staff atMTSU. Several campusdepartments, such asHealth Services andCounseling Services, aswell as a number ofcommunity agencies,will be on hand at theevent.

“This is an opportunity to receive information onemergency services and valuable resources and contactinformation in a comfortable setting from experts in thefield,” Terri Johnson, director of the June AndersonWomen’s Center, said of the event.

A number of activities will be open for participation,including registration of bicycles and information tablesfeaturing:

• student patrol and escort services;

• an introduction to the campus emergency text-messaging system;

• instruction in the Rape Aggression Defense System,or RAD, a physical defense program for women; and

• material on sexual assault, dating violence, domesticviolence, breast cancer, AIDS, the dangers of ultravioletrays, eating disorders and safety in inclement weather.

“One of our maingoals is to make it verystudent-friendly so thatstudents can feel com-fortable asking ques-tions and receivinginformation abouthealth and safety,”Johnson said.

Door prizes andother giveaways will

offer more incentives to attend the fair, but Johnsonstressed that the main objective of the event is to raiseawareness and promote education of the issues. TheHealth and Safety Fair is co-sponsored by the JAWC,MTSU’s Department of Public Safety and the President’sCommission on the Status of Women.

In the event of inclement weather, the event will beheld Thursday, April 3. For more information, contactJohnson at 615-898-2193 or [email protected].

Health and Safety Fair set April 2by Casey Brown

‘One of our main goals is to make it very student-friendly.’

Terri Johnsondirector, June Anderson Women’s Center,on the upcoming Health and Safety Fair

HANDY ROUTE—A Raider Xpressshuttle and a car negotiate the newlyopened stretch of Alumni Drivebetween Greek Row and Blue RaiderDrive behind the Womack LaneApartments. The four-lane avenue,which includes dedicated bus and bicy-cle lanes running east and west, willserve as a primary campus entrancefrom Rutherford Boulevard while con-struction work closes MTSU Boule-vard. The route features a landscapedmedian and an elevated pedestriancrossing connecting a new studentparking lot and bus shelter.

photo by News and Public Affairs

Alumni Drive now open

Caregivers can nurture spirits at 2-day event

The theme of this year’s 14thAnnual “Dynamics of ElderlyCaregiving Conference” is

“Spirituality and Caregiving,” and isscheduled for Thursday, April 3, from6 to 9 p.m. and Friday, April 4, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the St. Clair StreetSenior Center in Murfreesboro.

The conference will provide infor-mation on spiritual aspects in healthand well-being for caregivers in themedical and ministerial fields, as wellas for nonprofessional caregivers.

The featured speakers will be Dr.Harold Koenig and Dr. Verna BennerCarson, authors of Spiritual Caregiv-ing: Healthcare as a Ministry.

Koenig, who serves on the facul-ty at Duke University, is board-certi-fied in general psychiatry, geriatricpsychiatry and geriatric medicine. Heco-directs the Center for Spirituality,Theology, and Health at DukeUniversity Medical Center and haspublished extensively in the fields ofmental health, geriatrics and religion.

Carson is national director ofbehavioral health at Staff BuildersHome Health and Hospice. She wasan associate professor of psychiatricnursing at the University of MarylandSchool of Nursing for 21 years. Inaddition to her book with Dr. Koenig,she is the author or co-author of threeother books, including SpiritualDimensions of Nursing Practice.

Koenig and Carson will focus onholistic methodologies that supportspiritual, physical, cognitive and psy-chosocial needs of patients (particu-larly the elderly), their families andcaregivers. Discussion will include the

ways to nurture the spirit and reducespiritual distress. A question-and-answer period with the keynotespeakers will follow, and specialbreakout sessions will provide partici-pants with the opportunity to focuson their specific interests.

Physicians, nurses, certified nursetechnicians, nursing home administra-tors, social workers, psychologists,dieticians, long-term care profession-als, educators, clergy, lay caregiversand advocates for caregiving serviceswill benefit from this special event.

Continuing education credit hasbeen applied for from the TennesseeNurses Association.

The $50 registration fee includesthe opening keynote address on April3, the April 4 sessions and lunch. Forinformation about registration, pleasecall the MTSU School of Nursing at615-898-5950. For general informationabout the conference, contact theSenior Center at 615-848-2550.

by Tom Tozer

Koenig Carson


IT Conference attendees will be ‘immersed in learning’

People attending the 13th annual InstructionalTechnology Conference at MTSU April 6-8will be “Immersed in Learning”—the theme

this year.“Each conference theme is based on online

technology that instructors and professors use intheir teaching methods,” said Robin Jones, directorof communication support services in the Divisionof Information Technology.

This year’s featured speakers will include:• Chris Dede, professor of learning technolo-

gies at the graduate school of education at HarvardUniversity, who will discuss “EmergingEducational Technologies and NeomillennialLearning Styles” at 8:15 a.m. Monday, April 7, inthe Keathley University Center Theater;

• Carl Berger, professor and dean emeritus ofthe University of Michigan School of Education,who will present “The Millennial Instructor: The

Net-Generation Student … OK, But the Net-GenInstructor?” at 7 p.m. April 7 at the DoubletreeHotel in Murfreesboro; and

• Julie Little, interim director with EDUCAUSELearning Initiative, who will speak on “Learning2.0: The Changing Landscape of Teaching andLearning” at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 8, in the KUCTheater.

“The featured speakers we have had over the

years in instructional technology are experts intheir field,” Jones said.

Colleagues from across the nation will sharetheir experiences and expertise in instructionaltechnology, said Jones, who added that BarbaraDraude serves as director of the MTSU FacultyInstructional Technology Center.

The universities of Alabama, Tennessee,Arkansas, Connecticut, Wisconsin-Milwaukee,DePaul and Loyola in Chicago and many otherswill be represented with presenters during variousTrack 1 and 2, preconference (Sunday, April 6) andregular conference sessions.

MTSU presenters include Dr. Pam Taylor (nurs-ing), Sharon Coleman and Lauren Rudd (humansciences), Drs. Maria Clayton (English) and LarryBurriss (journalism), and Michael Fleming and JohnHill (recording industry).

ITD offers free registration to the first 100 full-time MTSU faculty who apply, Jones said. For moreinformation, visit www.mtsu.edu/itconf.

by Randy Weiler

Dede LittleBerger

“What It Means to be Human: Science, Consciousness and OurPlace in the Universe” is the topic of the MTSU Science andSpirituality Symposium at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 27, in the

State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. The event is free and open to the public.The lecturers will be Dr. Joel R. Primack, a professor of physics and one of

the world’s leading cosmologists, and Nancy Ellen Abrams, attorney and for-mer Fulbright Scholar. Primack is a renowned lecturer, author and researcher.Abrams is an author and frequent speaker with a long-term interest in the his-tory, philosophy and politics of science.

Primack and Abrams jointly teach the prize-winning course “Cosmologyand Culture” at the University of California-Santa Cruz. They co-authored thegroundbreaking book The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering OurExtraordinary Place in the Cosmos.

MTSU chemistry professor Dr. Gary Wulfsberg says he appreciates theopen-minded approach Primack and Abrams take to their subject.

“They realize that we don’t know what 95 percent of the universe consistsof,” Wulfsberg says. “It sort of takes one away from the earlier scientific viewthat we’ve got things under control, (that) we’re the path to all truth in the uni-verse, and the religions and humanities are just sweeping up the dust.”

“At the heart of humanity’s problems on this planet is a terrible alienationfrom nature, both planetary and cosmic,” says Rami Shapiro, an adjunct reli-gious studies professor at MTSU and an ordained rabbi. “We see ourselves asessentially unnatural; we imagine this world as an antechamber to the moreimportant world to come. The true hope that dialogue between science andspirituality holds out is this: to reawaken our capacity for wonder, to help usrealize that we are the way the universe looks at itself and says ‘Wow!’ This iswhat our guest speakers are going to help us do: look and wonder.”

R. Neil Scott, associate professor of the James E. Walker Library, andadministrative services librarian Bill Black joined Shapiro and Wulfsberg toestablish the MTSU Forum on Science and Spirituality with an eye to fosteringgreater discussion of the issues. Shapiro says he is confident that this eventwill help the forum to raise grant funds for more programs in the future.

“Our plan for next year is to focus on neurotheology and what the study ofconsciousness can tell us about the nature of the human soul,” Shapiro says.“This is exciting stuff, and MTSU has the chance to really make a name foritself in this area. I hope we take advantage of it.”

The Walker Library serves as ground zero for the symposium, says Scott,adding that he hopes the library’s efforts to support the symposium will growin credibility, attracting grant money and possibly resulting in a permanentcenter on science and spirituality.

“One of the missions or goals of the library is to partner with other depart-ments and schools on campus and do things in a collegial way,” Scott says.

The library is sponsoring monthly brown-bag lunches to provide whatScott calls “a nonintimidating informal atmosphere for people interested in sci-entific and spiritual issues to talk.” Last month, Dr. Eric Klumpe talked about“dark matter” and the origin of the universe. On March 18, Shapiro presented“Who Are We: A View from the Center of the Universe” in the library’s fourth-floor conference room.

In addition to the public lecture on March 27, Primack and Abrams willspeak to astronomy classes taught by Klumpe and Dr. Ronald Henderson andreligion classes taught by Shapiro. The authors also are slated to attend theFriday, March 28, “Star Party” at 6:30 p.m. in Room 102 of the Wiser-PattenScience Building.

Primack and Abrams’ visit to MTSU is co-sponsored by the James E.Walker Library, the Colleges of Basic and Applied Sciences, Liberal Arts, andUniversity Honors, the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Officeof the Executive Vice President and Provost.

For more information, contact Scott or Black at the Walker Library at 615-898-2772.

Nexus of science and spirituality is symposium topicby Gina K. Logue

LEARNING TO RELATE—Attorney Nancy Ellen Abrams, left, talks with her co-author,Dr. Joel R. Primack, as the pair prepare for MTSU’s Science and Spirituality Symposium.

photo submitted/Steve DiBartolomeo

International Banquet offers bounty of cultures, cuisines

If you’re in the mood for someinternational cuisine and culture,MTSU’s annual International

Banquet, scheduled for Saturday,April 5, can fill the bill.

The event, to be held in theJames Union Building, will featurecultural exhibits for viewing in theJUB lobby. The doors will open at4:30 p.m. for the exhibits; the buffet-style meal will begin at 5 p.m.

The menu includes:

• classic choucroute (smokedpork loin chops and Germansausages with caraway-braisedsauerkraut);

• spicy Thai curry chicken withwide noodles and basil (thinly slicedchicken with julienne vegetables andwide rice noodles with Thai basiland spicy curry sauce);

• chicken cacciatore (chickenbraised in white wine and tomatoeswith onions, peppers, mushrooms,

olives and fresh basil);• coq au vin (traditional French

favorite with fresh chicken braised inred wine with mushrooms and gar-lic); and

• blanquette de veau (tenderveal simmered with fresh herbs,pearl onions and mushrooms in acreamy velouté sauce).

A variety of desserts also will beavailable.

The entertainment includes the

Murfreesboro Steele Band, ChineseArts Alliance of Nashville and inter-national student alumna AmberWeening Turner.

Admission is $16 for each adult,$10 for MTSU students and $14 forchildren 12 years and younger.

Please call the InternationalPrograms and Services Office at 615-898-2238 for tickets, or come byRoom 124 of the Keathley UniversityCenter.

Maria L. Edlin (Center forEconomic Education) received theCommunity Health CharitiesChampions in Health 2008 Volunteerof the Year for the MuscularDystrophy Association on Feb. 26.

Drs. Robert B. Blair, RondaHenderson and Vincent W. Smith(business communication and entre-preneurship) attended the TennesseeBoard of Regents’ Distance LearningConference, “Exploring New e-Learning Applications: Web 2.0 andBeyond,” Feb. 28-29 in Nashville.

Dr. Dovie Kimmins (mathemati-cal sciences; associate director of theTennessee Mathematics, Science andTechnology Education Center) andJack Rhoton (ETSU Science, Techno-logy, Engineering and MathematicsCenter) represented Tennessee at theinvitation-only U.S. Department ofEducation/National Science Founda-tion Math/Science Partnership STEMSummit in December 2007 inWashington, D.C.

Mary E. “Beth” Palmer Howard(accounting) graduated Dec. 14 fromthe University of Tennessee at

Knoxville with a doctoral degree inbusiness administration with a con-centration in accounting.

Dr. Leon R. “Lon” Nuell (art)passed away March 12 in Murfrees-boro. Funeral services were conduct-ed March 16. Dr. Nuell, 68, joinedMTSU’s Department of Art in 1971,served as director of the Todd Galleryand was a longtime member and for-mer chair of the Murfreesboro CitySchool Board. His family, whichincludes fellow MTSU art professorDr. Elizabeth “Christie” Nuell, abrother and three sons, has asked thatmemorials be made to the MTSU ArtDepartment Scholarship Fund.

Dr. David E. Walker (speech andtheatre) passed away in FranklinMarch 13. Funeral services were con-ducted March 17. Dr. Walker, 69,joined MTSU’s Department of Speechand Theatre in 1965 and was a formerFaculty Senate president. Also a min-ister for more than 53 years, he is sur-vived by his wife, two sisters, a son,three daughters and their families.

Drs. Jennifer Dooley (mathemat-ical sciences), Vivian Alley andLawanna Fisher (academic enrich-

ment) presented “IntegratingDevelopmental Concepts into CollegeLevel Mathematics Courses” at the32nd Annual Conference of theNational Association for Develop-mental Education in Boston inFebruary.

Dr. Loren Mulraine (recordingindustry; interim associate dean,mass communication), along with Dr.Jack Thomas (Western IllinoisUniversity) and Dr. Ronald Williams(Tennessee Higher EducationCommission) presented ”AcademicLeadership: An African AmericanMale Perspective,” at the annualSouthern Conference on AfricanAmerican Studies in Atlanta Feb. 7-9.

Grover Baker (Center for PopularMusic) has published his article,“Monkey Biz-ness (Down in Tennes-see),” in Music Reference ServicesQuarterly, 2006, Vol. 10, No. 2, p. 13-32.

Drs. Patrick R. Geho and MarshaO. Smith (business communicationand entrepreneurship) had an articleaccepted for publication in the 2008edition of the Georgia Business Educa-tion Association Journal, “TennesseeVirtual Enterprise International™:Teachers’ Perceptions.”

page 8 The Record March 24, 2008

Faculty/Staff Update

Publications

Awards

Riki-Lynne Spence is proud of her womanhood andwants to make sure other females feel the same.

What started out as a class project for the senior psycholo-gy major came to full fruition on March 18 when “They Havea Story: Feminist Views of the Self” opened in Dining Room Cof the James Union Building on the MTSU campus.

“They Have a Story” is a unique exhibit designed to cele-brate the female gender. The display consists of 88 footballhelmets, each designed and decorated by a different femaleranging in age from eight to 82 years old. Spence is proud ofthe exhibit, but said she’s still surprised that it evolved as itdid.

“It started out as a creative project for my HonorsInterdisciplinary Seminar with Dr. (Ron) Kates,” Spence said.“I had done other things in the past, but he told me it wastime to try something a bit bigger.”

Spence described the display, a culmination of more thana year’s work, as a collaborative effort between her and twoclassmates, Allison Cummings and Michelle Francescon.

Each football helmet in the exhibit features words ordrawings that “display what’s great about being female.” Theirony of highlighting femininity on a traditional symbol ofmasculinity is not lost on Spence; rather, it’s part of the pro-ject’s appeal.

“By juxtaposing feminine images on football helmets, Ithink it makes a statement,” Spence said. “It’s really about thepower of being a woman and embracing being female.”

Obtaining the helmets was initially difficult, with a mixture of donationsfrom local high schools and purchases on eBay yielding about 40 pieces ofheadgear. The three young women eventually tracked down several more,however, and the wheels were soon set in motion.

Eschewing many of the typical connotations of feminism, Spence insiststhat the idea is one rooted in positivity.

“It is about (a woman) feeling blessed about her femininity and not feeling

depressed, cheated, less of a person or bitter about it, and encouraging othersto embrace themselves as well,” Spence said.

The eye-catching exhibit will be on display in the JUB’s third-floor DiningRoom C through March 31 as part of MTSU’s celebration of Women’s HistoryMonth.

“It’s a really cool display, and a true celebration of the female,” Spencesaid.

‘They Have a Story’ that demands telling

by Casey Brown

STARTING LINEUP—Helmets decorated by volunteers await final placement in the “They Have a Story:Feminist Views of the Self” exhibit, organized by senior psychology major Riki-Lynne Spence, at the JamesUnion Building. The exhibit continues through March to celebrate National Women’s History Month.

photo by News and Public Affairs

Events Around Campus

UR065-0308

Tom TozerDirector, News and Public Affairs

Editor: Gina E. [email protected]

Contributors: Gina K. Logue, John Lynch,Paula Morton, Lisa L. Rollins, Randy Weiler,Doug Williams, Seth Alder, DanielleHarrell, Claire Rogers, Bonnie Bailey,Casey Brown and Brittany Witt.

Photos: MTSU Photographic Services,except where noted

Printed by Franklin Web Printing Co.

Phone: 615-898-2919 Fax: 615-898-5714

The Record is published every two weeksby the Office of News and Public Affairsat MTSU. It is distributed free to faculty,staff, friends and media outlets.

Attention Postmaster:Address changes andother correspondence shouldbe addressed to:

The RecordOffice of News and Public AffairsCAB 209, MTSUMurfreesboro, Tenn. 37132

MTSU, a Tennessee Board of RegentsInstitution, is an equal opportunity, non-racially identifiable, educational institu-tion that does not discriminate againstindividuals with disabilities.

Psychology major’s projectturns into unique art exhibit

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