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Students find helping paw
by Gina K. Logue
A student drops a pencil in class. The student has no legs and risks falling
out of his wheelchair if he bends over to pick it up.
Furthermore, he has no fingers or hands to pick up the pencil. Nonetheless,
the student retrieves the pencil without help from his classmates. His
trusty dog springs into action and grabs it with his mouth.
This is life at college for undeclared freshman Charlie Rogers, who was
diagnosed with meningococcal septicemia at the age of five. The illness
cut off blood circulation to his hands and legs, and his parents opted
to have them amputated.
Indie, a nine-month-old German shepherd, is now Charlie's hands and legs.
"Eventually, he'll be opening doors for me if I'm holding too many
books or anything like that. And, actually, I think he'll carry a backpack
on his back to carry my books," Charlie says.
Indie was schooled in the fine art of lending a helping paw by Cumberland
Canine, a dog-training facility in Castalian Springs. He arrived at the
business from a kennel in Pulaski.
"He is specially bred so we can guarantee that his hips won't go
out on us early, and also that his temperament is sound and he's not going
to be overly aggressive, but he will have enough drive to do the work,"
says trainer Katie Hamlin, a junior business management major who lives
in Trousdale County and commutes to campus on Mondays and Wednesdays for
her classes and sometimes on Fridays to help Charlie and Indie.
Charlie says he has had prostheses before, but the artificial hands were
hot and heavy and he'd rather work without them. One day, he says, he'll
probably get artificial legs again. But he says he would still need Indie
to retrieve items because even with prosthetic legs, he wouldn't be able
to bend all the way down to the floor.
That's why Katie taught Indie the "soft retrieval" method of
gathering objects in his mouth without biting down on them. She also trained
Indie to use a litter box, since it's not always convenient for Charlie
to stop what he's doing to take his companion outside.
She says it costs about $11,000 to train an assistance dog, but in cases
like Charlie's, state vocational rehabilitation pays for the service.
"A lot of people don't know that they can have dogs and that the
government will help pay for them," Katie says. "A lot of people
could be a lot more independent if they had a dog to help them."
Over the next year, Katie and Charlie will work to reinforce Indie's grasp
of the commands to which he must respond. Already he displays a dutiful
temperament, not venturing away from Charlie to allow friendly passers-by
to pet him unless Charlie says "Go say hi."
Charlie says Indie can be stubborn sometimes, but he doesn't chase squirrels
(an asset at MTSU), and he only barks when he's mad.
"Every time he's been in (class) with me, he just lays there. He
likes laying down," Charlie chuckles.
For now, Indie is a sturdy little fellow, but he's not brawny. That will
change soon; Indie is about to undergo weight training.
That's right. The dog is going to bulk up and get beefy. Why?
If Charlie's 340-pound battery-powered wheelchair ever breaks down, someone's
going to have to pull him to class.
Scholars Week is chance to learn
by Heather Taylor
MTSU's first campus-wide Undergraduate Scholars Day will give students
an opportunity to showcase their own research for the faculty, the public
and, especially, their peers.
"Students often find communication with peers much easier than communication
with their professors," said Dr. Andrienne Friedli, special projects
interim director.
"Undergraduate Scholars Day offers an excellent chance for students
to learn from their peers and expand their minds outside the typical classroom
setting."
Undergraduate Scholars Day will be held Monday, Oct. 31, from 1 p.m. until
4 p.m. in the Todd Building. Faculty and students are encouraged to attend.
Faculty and Graduate Scholars Day will follow on Wednesday, Nov. 2, from
9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the James Union Building's Tennessee Room.
The events combine and expand on last year's Scholars Day and the College
of Basic and Applied Sciences Undergraduate Poster Session. Scholars Week
also follows in the tradition of the Faculty Research Symposia that were
held in 2000-2003, organizers said.
To participate, students and faculty initiate proposals for their research.
The proposals go through the standard process for approval by a task force,
just as professors and graduate students proposals must do.
"The students have done research with the help of a faculty member,
normally as a mentor," explained Dr. Robert Carlton, undergraduate
research director. "Most of the students have been funded either
through the McNair Scholars program or the Undergraduate Research Scholarship
and Creative Activity, or URSCA, program."
Undergraduate Scholars Day offers students that chance to present their
work in a venue that will prepare them for the future.
"This day is a stepping stone for students in preparation for graduate
programs and professional organizations," said Carlton. "When
students are preparing for graduate school or even entering the work force,
they have something on their resume to show they can tackle a problem
and find a solution to it and then communicate it to a professional audience."
Multimedia presentations, a student-created CD, student performances and
approximately 63 posters displaying research projects will be presented
at Undergraduate Scholars Day.
"We encouraged students to do more than just the typical three-panel
science poster board. We want them to be able to express themselves freely,"
said Friedli. "This is not just a day for the sciences; this is a
day for students from a variety of disciplines to share their creative
works."
She added that Undergraduate Scholars Day will allow the campus and community
to see how undergraduates are engaging their minds in research and hands-on
problem-solving outside the traditional classroom setting.
"Research and scholarship is a known benefit to students," said
Friedli. "Research allows students to learn soft skills such as communication,
independent problem-solving, speaking to audiences and group dynamics."
The day is designed to set undergraduates apart from faculty and graduate
students and to show that they, too, are working and expanding their minds
outside the classroom.
"This is one of the big reasons the College of Graduate Studies and
office of research is working to sponsor this day," said Dr. Pamela
Knox, associate dean of the College of Graduate Studies. "Research
is very important, and we want to promote that kind of environment for
students."
Annual giving campaign under way
from Staff Reports
MTSU is "Building a Brighter Tomorrow" for the community as
it kicks off its 2005 Employee Charitable Giving Campaign.
"The MTSU family has always been very responsible and very generous
in our response to the needs of the community around us," said Dr.
James Burton, MTSU campaign chair and dean of the Jennings A. Jones College
of Business.
"The disasters of the past several months just remind us of how extensive
those continuing needs really are."
"The opportunity to help our fellow citizens is a gift," added
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. "Regardless of our own personal
circumstances, the MTSU family consistently steps up to aid our neighbors.
To have roofs over our heads, to have precious belongings nearby, to have
family safe and secure, to have a job to come to every day-we are truly
blessed, and we're always generous in sharing those blessings."
Faculty and staff can give by check or payroll deduction to their choice(s)
of more than 100 local and national charities, some on the MTSU campus,
Burton said. The Employee Charitable Campaign supports agencies in United
Way, Community Health Charities, Community Shares and independent charitable
organizations.
Brochures and pledge forms are being distributed now following the Oct.
19 campaign kickoff. Burton said a growing list of prizes is being assembled
for a drawing from the names of those who return their pledge forms before
Tuesday, Nov. 22. The prize list is updated regularly at ww.mtsu.edu/~mtgive.
"We are asking the MTSU family to be especially generous this year,"
said Burton. "In every way, MTSU is a vital part of Building a Better
Tomorrow for this region."
The drive, which is conducted in unison with all Tennessee Board of Regents
institutions, concludes on Thursday, Dec. 1. This year's giving goal is
to exceed $50,000.
For more information, contact Burton at 615-898-2764.For the Record: Professor
takes charge, lives stronger
by Dr. Barbara Haskew
I found the tumor in my breast myself. I was waking up, and a small voice
in my head said, "Barbara, there is a lump in your right breast."
I had to convince the doctors that it was there. It did not show up on
a mammogram and was only a shadow on an ultrasound at the highest magnification.
Doctors told me that we could just watch it for six months, but I wanted
it gone!
In June 2001, I had a mastectomy of my right breast. The surgeon removed
a tumor the size of a golf ball; it clearly was cancer. It was categorized
as Stage 2 because of its size, but I caught a break because the cancer
had not spread to my lymph nodes or any other area of my body.
I did not have breast reconstruction immediately because I wanted to complete
the recommended chemotherapy first. Killing the cancer cells and saving
my life were my only goals. I knew the chemo would cause me to lose my
hair, so I just had my head shaved as I began treatments. I bought a really
good wig and expect that I looked better with it than my natural hair.
I had a lot of support from my family (husband, children and sister).
They put everything else in their lives on hold, and a small army of family
always accompanied me when I had my chemo treatments. I met a woman there
who was joking about the treatments and discussing how she had to hurry
because she had somewhere else to go. At first I was put off by her attitude,
but I soon found out that she had been battling breast cancer and its
spread for over 19 years. She taught me that survivors are warriors. My
oncologist wouldn't let me feel sorry for myself. He pointed out that
there were folks in the treatment room receiving chemo who would leave
and go directly to their job on the late shift.
I always had my treatments on a Friday so I could recover my energy and
go back to work on Monday. When my doctor wouldn't let me come to campus,
I worked with folks at the university by phone or by e-mail. Everyone
was great, even though I know that it was often inconvenient for some
of them. They recognized that helping me continue to do my job was a part
of my healing process. Some folks I don't even know well at MTSU offered
to donate sick days for me if I ran out. That really touched me. MTSU
became my support group. Being able to work was important to me: I didn't
want cancer to put me on the sideline. I wanted both my life and my health
back!
Six months after I had my surgery, I went back to a teaching position
in the academic department and college where I had spent most of my professional
career. Initially, it was difficult to adapt to a new job at the same
time as I was healing from the cancer. I heard that some people thought
I was dying. I also found that some people discount your ability as a
professional when you have had cancer, apparently believing that you are
not as capable as you might have been in the past. That isn't true, but
many uninformed people react that way. I believe this is a reaction to
both their fear and their ignorance of breast cancer and its survival
rate. When I discussed this with my oncologist, he told me not to waste
my time trying to convince these folks, but instead just to set goals
that I could achieve without permission from others and to keep putting
one foot in front of the other. I have found that to be good advice. I
have focused on my teaching, research and my work as an arbitrator and
mediator in labor relations. Every semester I tell my students about breast
cancer and urge them to encourage their mothers and sisters to be checked
and watch for signs of breast cancer. I have received a number of supportive
calls from their family members and know that I helped one student's mother
find her cancer.
In 2002, I asked the doctor to remove my left breast. It was a perfectly
healthy and cancer-free breast, but I didn't want to live on pins and
needles waiting for cancer to possibly initiate in that breast. I told
the doctor to take it and "make me a matched set!" Some folks
don't understand why I had the second mastectomy and the reconstruction,
but I wanted to reclaim as much of my life before breast cancer as I could.
I wanted to thumb my nose at cancer.
Still, cancer changes you. Although I am now cancer-free and heading toward
the magic five-year mark, I look at life differently. I remember the lesson
I learned from the plastic surgeon who performed my reconstruction. He
introduced me to his most important patients-children who had been born
with severe facial deformities. My husband and I were invited to sing
one of his songs, "A Lion Named Sam," for these children, who
were in the midst of the many surgeries necessary to repair and rebuild
their faces. Since I can't sing, I bought a giant lion costume to dance
around in and interact with the kids. One little 3-year old boy climbed
into my lap, hugged me and wouldn't leave. I could feel the love.
Cancer helped me understand what is important and what is not. It altered
my compass and refined my perspective. Well-meaning folks suggest that
I should retire; I think, "Are you crazy?" In some ways I believe
I am living a richer, fuller life now than I did earlier. I have moved
beyond fear and am greedy for life. I hope never to have to fight cancer
again, but if it reappears I will be ready. Lance Armstrong is right;
we must learn to live strong.
Dr. Barbara Haskew teaches economics and labor relations as a Distinguished
Professor in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business. A former provost
and vice president for academic affairs, dean of the College of Business
and chair of the economics and finance department with more than 20 years
of service to MTSU, Haskew also is director of the Tennessee Center for
Labor-Management Relations and is a practicing labor arbiter. She suggests
visiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Web site, www.komen.org,
for more information.
Limber up for an evening of swing
from Staff Reports
The MTSU Friends of Music membership will sponsor the group's inaugural
event, "Evening of Swing," beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov.
1, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building on the MTSU campus.
The gala dinner-dance event will feature big-band music of the 1930s and
'40s, with music performed by MTSU's two jazz ensembles under the direction
of MTSU music faculty Don Aliquo and Jamey Simmons, respectively.
"We're excited that we can kick off our new Friends of Music organization
with such a fun and gala event," said Dr. George T. Riordan, director,
McLean School of Music at MTSU.
"The Tennessee Room is a great place for dancing and enjoying the
music and the evening. People will be very impressed with the swing sound
of the MTSU jazz ensembles," he noted.
"This will be a wonderful forum to introduce the high quality of
our musicians to people who haven't yet enjoyed concerts at the McLean
School of Music."
The Friends of Music is a new group designed to encourage community members
to take advantage of the 150 concerts presented annually at MTSU and,
in turn, enable the McLean School to better provide services and opportunities
to music students, as well as to provide guidance to the school from a
community perspective.
"We have an active and dynamic leadership committee who are really
excited about this event," Riordan remarked.
Members of the Friends organizing committee include Jane Blakey, Martha
Curl, Bobbie and John Duke, Brenda McFarlin, Shirley LaRoche, Liz Rhea,
Margie Spangler, Mary Taylor, Ernestine Thomas and honorary chairman Robert
"Bob" McLean, whose donation of 54 Steinway pianos is honored
with his name on the MTSU music school. Other group members who represent
MTSU include Anne Sloan, Don Aliquo, Connie Huddleston, Robyn Kilpatrick,
Patience Long and Cheryl Hammil.
Tickets for "Evening of Swing" are $50 per person ($15 is tax-deductible)
and include dinner and a gala evening of music and dancing. Tables seating
10 are available for $500 ($150 is tax-deductible); patron tables are
$1,000 each ($650 is tax-deductible).
For more information on the Evening of Swing or the Friends of Music,
please contact Hammil at 615-898-5924.
Folklore meeting focuses on regional resources
from Staff Reports
The annual meeting of the Tennessee Folklore Society will be held on the
MTSU campus from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 in the Paul
W. Martin Sr. Honors Building amphitheater.
One of the oldest and most respected state folklore societies in the country,
the Tennessee Folklore Society is dedicated to the study, documentation
and advancement of the traditional arts of the Volunteer State, event
organizers said.
In a departure from the traditional conference format, this year's meeting
features a slate of invited presenters in a showcase of regional resources
that support the study, documentation and presentation of traditional
culture.
Under the heading, "A Symposium on Regional Resources: Programs,
Projects and Partnerships in Traditional Culture," representatives
from more than 15 organizations in Tennessee and neighboring states will
talk on topics ranging from cultural tourism, libraries and archives,
state and community programs, academic programs and funding opportunities.
"There's far more going on in the state and in the region in the
way of folklore activities than most people realize," said Patricia
Wells, chair of the symposium program committee.
"We're trying to make people aware of the broad scope of activities,
in the hope that new partnerships and possibilities will emerge. We hope
also to encourage new people to become active in TFS and to broaden the
base of the organization's support. In order to promote these goals, we're
making the meeting free and open to the public."
The line-up of speakers includes representatives from the Country Music
Hall of Fame and Museum, East Tennessee State University, the Southern
Foodways Alliance, Western Kentucky University, the Tennessee Arts Commission,
Humanities Tennessee, Arkansas State University, the Southern Arts Federation,
the West Plains Council for the Arts (Missouri), the Arts Center of Cannon
County, the Tennessee Sampler Survey, the Tennessee Overhill Heritage
Association and the North Carolina Arts Council, in addition to MTSU.
Presenters from MTSU include Caneta Hankins with the Center for Historic
Preservation, Dr. Rebecca Conard of the history department and Paul Wells
of the Center for Popular Music.
In her presentation, Hankins will focus on the programs, projects and
partnering opportunities with the Center for Historic Preservation, of
which she is assistant director. Those will include the center's Tennessee
Century Farms Program, the African-American Church Program and the Tennessee
Civil War National Heritage Area.
Hankins notes: "Each of these three programs documents aspects of
traditional culture and encourages communities to consider the associated
stories and resources in their heritage tourism planning."
Paul Wells said he would focus on aspects of the Center for Popular Music's
extensive archive and library that relate to traditional music in Tennessee.
"So much of popular music of the 20th century grew out of folk music
traditions of the South, particularly Tennessee," Paul Wells said.
"I will use the opportunity of the symposium to spread the word about
what the Center has in its holdings that can support the study of traditional
music in Tennessee."
The Tennessee Folklore Society, in partnership with the Center, will present
the symposium for Popular Music at MTSU and at the Arts Center of Cannon
County. The conference is supported through technical assistance funding
by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Special Projects Fund of
the Tennessee Folklore Society.
For more information, call Paul Wells at 615-898-2449 or Pat Wells at
615-904-8131.
Mobility is goal of underwater treadmill project
by Tom Tozer
Dr. Don Morgan is anxious to test his underwater treadmill because he
believes it will help children with cerebral palsy gain greater strength
in their lower extremities, lessen their level of fatigue and perhaps
raise their level of mobility.
Morgan, a professor in the health and human performance department and
expert in exercise science, always has been fascinated by the energy demands
of locomotion. He began his work with athletes, primarily long-distance
runners. With funding partially provided by the U.S. Olympic Committee,
he conducted research on the design and construction of athletic shoes.
"I realized, however, that it wasn't just athletes who have to move-everybody
has to move in order to function in society," Morgan said. "I
looked at a study funded by the National Institutes of Health that examined
how physical growth impacted the energy demands of walking and running
in children.
"I realized that the NIH was interested in helping kids with disabilities
become more economical in their movements," he said. "No one
had ever done a longitudinal study in this area."
Morgan studied 40 typically developing six-year-olds with the idea that
if he could understand the relationship between physical growth and improved
locomotion efficiency, perhaps some of those findings could be applied
to physically challenged children.
Pilot studies that he conducted with children with cerebral palsy suggested
that their energy demands are much higher, which creates greater fatigue
and contributes to their not being as mobile as non-physically challenged
children.
"We started wondering, 'What could we do to improve these kids' locomotion
deficiency?' The data suggested that they had a much higher energy cost
of walking. Since their maximum aerobic capacity was less to begin with,
that meant that walking at any speed resulted in a higher energy draw.
It was no problem for an able-bodied child walking at the same speed."
Morgan said that's when he thought about using an underwater treadmill.
"It's relatively new technology, but it's been used by athletic teams
to rehabilitate athletes and for older folks with arthritis and even used
to rehabilitate horses," he said. "It had never been used with
this particular population. Although water therapy had been used with
physically challenged children in swimming pools, you can't control the
water height in pools," he continued. "And when you walk in
a pool, you tend to lean forward, and it's not the same sort of normal
walking motion. With a treadmill, you can control the speed."
The water also helps develop leg strength, and the buoyancy of the water
creates less joint stress, Morgan explained, resulting in more range of
motion and less pain.
Morgan submitted a proposal to NIH and received $310,000 in funding the
first time around. He is now in the first year of a two-year project,
and he just received his "refurnished" treadmill a few weeks
ago. It took months of obtaining permits to move the treadmill down from
the sixth floor of a clinic in Manhattan. The operation literally stopped
traffic, Morgan said.
"We hope to begin the project in the next couple of months,"
he said. "We're in the process of subject recruitment." It will
be a 10-week study.
"We'll study 60 children with spastic cerebral palsy who are affected
on both sides of their bodies-but their legs more than their arms. They
will have to be independent ambulators so that they don't have to walk
with crutches or other devices."
Morgan explained that the children will be assigned to a control group
and an experimental group. He will test them for muscle strength and cardiovascular
function and measure how efficient they are when walking on a land treadmill.
"The children will wear a specialized step-activity monitor around
their ankles, which will record their walking activities. That device
can then be plugged into a computer, which will produce all these printouts.
... At the end of the 10 weeks, we hope that the cardiovascular and leg
strength are better-and that they're taking more steps and are more mobile.
"We hope this underwater treadmill training program will not only
help them become healthier but more active," Morgan continued. "We
know that when these kids become adults, they typically are less active.
When these kids are young, they get a lot of support services. As they
get older, those services are less and less. What happens is that they
become less mobile, and thus, more fatigued-thus, less fit. It's a downward
spiral."
Older disabled people tend to rely on wheelchairs and other devices, he
said. Studies indicate that they stop walking because they tire easily.
"Maybe we can affect that decline as they grow older. ... When I
go to conferences, I discover this kind of water therapy is right on the
cutting edge of what physical therapists are interested in."
There also is an emotional payoff, Morgan believes.
"We hope to add quality-of-life issues to the study," he pointed
out. "Are the children more confident? How will that impact other
areas in their lives? They know they have a disabling condition, but to
the extent that they can keep up and do the things that other kids are
doing, that has to help them feel better about themselves."
The underwater treadmill is located in MTSU's Human Performance Lab. It
is made of fiberglass and steel and is powered by electricity. It holds
270 gallons of water and has electronic panels underneath, which help
determine the percentage of body weight that is being supported.
"I can tell you that the reason I'm here at MTSU is that when I told
President McPhee about this, he said, 'If we can do this, we'll try to
make it happen.'"
Morgan came to MTSU from Arizona State University, where "there are
so many proposals, it probably was going to take years before it was acted
upon. At MTSU, it's going to happen."
Assisting him in his research are an orthopedic surgeon, who will help
recruit the 60 children, and a pediatric physical therapist, both at Vanderbilt
University in Nashville.
A music education graduate of Northwestern University, Morgan received
his M.S. degree in physical education from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville
and his Ph.D. in exercise science from ASU in Tempe. He joined the faculty
at MTSU in 2004.
Morgan can be reached at 615-898-5549 or dmorgan@mtsu.edu.
Express your views on new student union Oct. 27
from Staff Reports
Plans to construct a new student union building are moving forward with
a scheduled series of campus community meetings to discuss programming
needs for the building and the needs of students, faculty, staff, community
and alumni who will use the facility.
The Division of Student Affairs will kick off the meetings on Thursday,
Oct. 27, with focus-group discussions on food service and dining needs
for the building conducted by representatives from Envision Strategies.
"We are soliciting feedback from faculty, staff and students to assist
with this process," said Dr. Gene Fitch, associate vice president
for student affairs and dean of student life. "Specific focus-group
times are available to meet with the consultants. Additionally, we are
looking for faculty and staff help in identifying students who would be
willing to provide their feedback."
All meetings will be held in Room 322 of the Keathley University Center
and will be approximately 45 minutes long, Fitch said. Light refreshments
will be provided during the faculty/staff sessions. All student sessions
will include drinks and pizza.
The focus group schedule for Oct. 27 is:
• 11 a.m.-Faculty/staff
• Noon-Graduate students
• 1 p.m.-Adult/commuter students
• 2 p.m.-On-campus residence hall students
• 3 p.m.-Break
• 3:30 p.m.-Faculty/staff
• 4:30 p.m.-General student session
• 5:30 p.m.-General student session
Fitch said organizers need the names of attendees by Friday, Oct. 21,
to make arrangements for refreshments. Attendees can RSVP to Jennifer
Lane of Student Affairs at jlane@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2750.
"I cannot emphasize enough the importance of your participation,"
said Fitch. "We hope to construct a facility that will be appealing
to all who enter its doors, and we can't do that without your input."
Child-care services for students get a boost
by Gina K. Logue
If you're a student with children, watch your e-mail in early November
for an important survey to help MTSU better understand your needs.
The survey will be a revamped version of an earlier questionnaire about
students' familiarity with the available types of care.
"We did a little survey last May that just asked people if they had
heard of different kinds of care we had on campus, and, if they had used
it, we asked them for the gender and the birth year of their child or
children," says Dr. Carol Ann Baily, director of the Adult Services
Center.
More than 300 people (caring for a total of 550 children) responded. Unfortunately,
since the May survey was anonymous, officials don't know who those students
are. Examples of students who might have been missed in the survey include
students not on financial aid, students whose education is paid by the
GI Bill and students on disability insurance.
Baily says she has been told that the names, birth years and genders of
students' children will be documented through the new Banner program some
time in the next two years. If that information is made available to the
university as students are enrolled, it would be a boon to those trying
to help moms and dads find the child care they need.
In the meantime, the MTSU Childcare Consortium, consisting of the Child
Care Lab, the Child Development Center Lab and the Evening Extended School
Program, has gained a new partner. On Aug. 29, Kids R Kids at 1152 N.
Rutherford Blvd. in Murfreesboro, began giving qualified MTSU students
a break on the cost of babysitting.
"We signed a letter of understanding that we'll provide the things
we already have on campus, and Kids R Kids will provide a sliding scale
so that our students who are really economically deprived because they're
students and not working would have a lower fee than a normal fee,"
says Baily.
Kids R Kids is filling an important gap in the quality of child care available.
Last semester, MTSU could provide only 24 spaces for kids ages 3-5 on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday through the Child Care Lab and 24 spaces
on Tuesday and Thursday through the Child Development Center Lab during
the regular school year.
"(The CDCL) does not function all year-round, and it only works for
a two-hour window two days a week for different groups of children,"
says Baily. "Although that provides wonderful training for our students
to become early childhood educators, it did not provide child care for
most of our students. It was only supplemental child development activities
for the stay-at-home moms, essentially."
The EESP was created at Homer Pittard Campus School a couple of years
ago for students attending night classes. It serves only children in kindergarten
through eighth grade, however, so an MTSU student with an eight-year-old
and a three-year-old could only utilize the EESP for the eight-year-old.
Kids R Kids can take infants at six weeks of age and can arrange part-time
or full-time day care for infants and toddlers. The facility, unlike the
Child Care Lab, also can handle three-year-olds who haven't been potty-trained.
It is licensed by the state to accommodate up to 300 children, and the
local facility has extended its liability insurance to cover child care
up to 9:30 p.m. After investigating other child-care companies, Baily
found Kids R Kids was the best fit.
"Most of the other centers were full and licensed to a maximum of
99, so they could not take the bulk of our students," says Baily.
Kids R Kids also can handle school-aged children up to age 12 on school
holidays or snow days- if their parents have pre-registered for holiday
care and provided copies of the children's immunization records in advance.
Kids R Kids, based in Duluth, Ga., is a private-sector child-care company
with 112 franchises located in 12 states and Puerto Rico. The Murfreesboro
outlet also offers a discount to MTSU employees, and Baily says the sliding
scale for students provides child care at an even lower cost than the
employee discount.
For more information on:
• Kids R Kids, call Linda McCart at 615-907-5437 or go to www.kidsrkids.com;
• the Child Development Center Lab, call Dr. Carol Detmer at 615-898-2198;
• the Child Care Lab, call Nancy James at 615-898-2970; or
• Evening Extended School Program, call Jennifer Stanley at 615-904-8220.
Help trim the tree for 'Little Raiders' beginning Oct. 26
The Department of Public Safety will put up the Santa's "Little Raiders"
Christmas tree in the lobby of police headquarters at 1412 E. Main St.
on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
"Little Raiders" are children of students who reside in the
Womack Lane Apartments. The campus community may stop by, pick a "Little
Raider" (or two or three) off the tree and help make Santa's Christmas
delivery really special.
Officer Kristin Hancock says Santa needs all wrapped gifts, new and unused,
returned to the police office by Wednesday, Nov. 30. Each gift should
have the child's tree-tag number written on it so that each child will
receive the correct gifts.
Those who wish to purchase a single larger gift (valued between $10 and
$15) for the Christmas party on Friday, Dec. 9, should label the gift
"For Christmas Party." All participants are invited to the party,
which will begin at 6 p.m. in the JUB dining hall. Mr. and Mrs. Claus
and their elves are scheduled to attend.
WMOT fall fund drive is under way
from Staff Reports
WMOT-FM Jazz 89.5 has kicked off its fall fund drive on the heels of a
major expansion of its tower that has doubled its broadcast signal in
the middle Tennessee region.
The station is excited about adding a large population of jazz listeners
in Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin to the regular Rutherford and Cannon
county listeners, said station director John High. The non-directional
antenna also reaches parts of Wilson, Smith and Sumner counties.
"With this new expansion, we will now be able to reach almost one
million listeners," High said. "Previous to this expansion,
our listening area had approximately 570,000 people. Now we will reach
another 420,000 beyond Rutherford County.
"We hope that both our new listeners and our faithful long-term listeners
will support our fall fund drive, which runs for the next six weeks. This
support will help us continue to provide the very best in jazz programming
and local news."
For nearly 25 years, Jazz 89.5 has played the best in modern and mainstream
jazz 24 hours a day. The station also has an experienced and award-winning
news staff that specializes in statewide and local news coverage.
Until recently, WMOT was unable to utilize its full 100,000 watts of power
because of a Federal Communications Commission rule that would not let
it signal overlap with WNAZ in Nashville. The FCC recently waived that
ruling, which now allows WMOT's coverage area to include most of metro
Nashville.
WMOT is located in the Learning Resources Center on the MTSU campus. For
more information about the WMOT fund drive, listen to 89.5 FM. To make
a pledge, call 615-898-2800 or online at www.wmot.org.
Celebrating decade of growth: Concrete program's future is set in stone
by Tom Tozer
When MTSU's Austin Cheney returns from Las Vegas next January, he expects
to be a million dollars richer.
But it won't be because of a lucky slot machine or a run at the blackjack
table. It's because movers and shakers in the concrete industry will be
betting on MTSU's four-year Concrete Industry Management program-the nation's
first such program-to retain its status as a partnership model between
education and industry.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of MTSU's CIM program, the CIM Patrons
and staff, along with the World of Concrete Show Management, Hanley Wood
Productions and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, will sponsor a one-time fund-raising
auction at the 2006 World of Concrete show in Las Vegas Jan. 17-20, 2006.
"The idea for the auction came from the department's first-ever golf
tournament last May that grossed more than $100,000," said Cheney,
CIM director at MTSU.
"Chris Davenport, CIM Patrons president; Rick Yelton, senior editor
for Concrete Producer Magazine; and I decided to do an auction and have
all the equipment donated-large equipment, like Ready Mix trucks, construction
equipment, paving machines and laser screeds."
Cheney has big plans. He wants a building all his own. He would like to
see the program one day become a department. Most of all, as other universities-larger
schools-develop their own CIM programs, he wants MTSU to remain competitive
and stand tall as the flagship in the fleet.
"I want about $3 million to endow professorships and attract high-quality
faculty," he said. "I'll need $6 million for the building. So
we need about $10 million. This auction will give us money to start the
process."
For the last decade, MTSU offered the only four-year CIM program, Cheney
noted. However, with MTSU's assistance, Arizona State University launched
a program this fall.
"We're also exploring two other schools-one is Cal State, Chico,
and the other is the New Jersey Institute of Technology," he said.
MTSU is helping these other schools get started, Cheney explained, adding
that this kind of institutional mentoring is essential.
"Industry is going to expand this program whether we participate
or not," he said. "So we met with the dean and applied for a
grant through the National Science Foundation called 'Partnerships for
Innovation.' In pursuing this grant, we were looking at three areas: a
graduate degree program, distance-learning courses or expansion of this
program to different schools. So we thought, 'Let's embrace the latter
idea and be a leader in an expansion process,' and that's what we've done."
Cheney said only 7 percent of the proposals received funding; MTSU's proposal
was selected the first time around.
"Part of that was due to the proposal effort through Dr. [Tom] Cheatham
and Dr. [Heather] Brown and our department chair, [Dr.] Walter Boles,"
he said. "But what really put it over the top was the industry support
that we had. We had virtually every major national industry association
on board with signed letters of support for the grant. That played a major
role in our getting funded."
The three-year grant is in the amount of $600,000, Cheney said. With some
of that money, MTSU developed and provided ASU with detailed curriculum
plans, laying out a lesson plan for every course. Cheney's been involved
in discussions with other schools as well.
"Without local industry support, our program would not be what it
is today," he said. "We already have great national support.
But each program at each university will have to have strong local and
regional industry support. And those will comprise their patrons groups,
whose members will help with fund raising."
Cheney praised local industry for its support of MTSU's program.
"We have several producers, contractors, pavers, paving companies-these
folks helped make it possible for us to build a parking lot outside our
building," he said. "That's the kind of support we want to see
in every school so that they can be successful."
Currently, there are about 275 students in MTSU's CIM program. Cheney
said he would like to see a larger enrollment, but that requires more
faculty to teach, recruit and promote the program.
"We pride ourselves on giving individualized attention, and it's
hard to do that with increasing demands," he said. "I'd like
to see us get to the point where each faculty [member] was advising about
40 students. ... The employment opportunities in this field are exceptional."
The auction proceeds will go directly to the CIM Patrons, a 501c3 nonprofit
entity similar to a foundation, and the Patrons will contribute the entire
amount to start the MTSU CIM building.
"It helps to have $1 million in your hands when you go out and start
asking for more," Cheney said. "The auction in Las Vegas will
really be an important showcase for MTSU."
Partnerships crucial to program success
by Tom Tozer
MTSU's Austin Cheney would be the first to say that when you want to build
a university program, it helps to have a president who believes in it
and goes out into the field to find the support.
In response to an invitation from Terry Alby, the CEO of Alby Materials
Inc. in Waterford, Wis., President Sidney A. McPhee recently spent three
days at the plant and got a firsthand view of the company and the industry.
The two met previously at a national industry meeting and became friends.
"I drove a bulldozer and a tractor and went down where they dig out
the gravel," McPhee said. "I met with the executive staff and
spoke to them about our program, and we discussed what we could do to
better prepare our graduates for the industry. They even presented me
with a plaque made of concrete.
"Most importantly, they committed to providing a $3,000 scholarship
every year to a student in the Waterford school system to come to MTSU,"
McPhee continued. "That was absolutely incredible."
McPhee noted that the reputation of MTSU's CIM program preceded him to
Waterford.
"They had a strong sense of our program, and, in fact, they have
had experience with some of our students doing internships at Alby's.
They said they would like to have more interns. They were very complimentary
of our program and very impressed with our university."
John Hilbrink, marketing director for Alby Materials, said MTSU's four-year
CIM program is a welcome sign that people are beginning to pay serious
attention to the industry.
"Graduates of the program will be the people we need in our company,"
CEO Alby commented.
Julie Luther, executive director of the Ready Mix Concrete Research Foundation
and past president of the MTSU CIM Patrons, echoed the sentiment that
the reach of MTSU's program extends across the country and already is
well-known for turning out qualified CIM graduates. The MTSU curriculum,
developed through a strong partnership, requires students to have at least
one industry internship to gain hands-on experience, she noted.
"The industry has been able to grow stronger because of MTSU's program
through recruitment of capable, knowledgeable and professional individuals
to be the future leaders of the industry," Luther said. "MTSU
will now serve as the model for all future CIM programs."
That's precisely what McPhee says he wants to preserve.
"The industry has made it very clear-MTSU will be the home base of
the concrete program at the university level," he emphasized. "The
focus must remain on MTSU. I want to make sure that we don't get pushed
down as we're dealing with bigger schools with bigger budgets. This program
has put us on the national map because it provides us with one of those
niche areas that benefits the entire industry across the board."
Financial support from industry is crucial to academic enterprises because
of the lack of funding in the state, McPhee said.
People Around Campus: Senior's research may make sharks jumpy
by Lauren Bullock
The closest most people want to get to a shark is the business end of
a TV remote.
MTSU senior Joy Young prefers her shark encounters up close and educational.
"There is never a dull day when working with one of the ocean's top
predators," says the biology major, who spent last summer researching
juvenile lemon sharks on the Bahamian island of Bimini.
"Sharks are a natural resource just like fresh water and trees. In
order to use those resources properly, we need to understand them,"
Young says.
Young is doing her part to understand sharks better by researching fin
lesions, or erosions, which can be fatal to a shark.
The last year of Young's life has been working in libraries, the ocean
and labs to determine if fin lesions might be caused by parasites or bacterium.
Armed with a bandanna, sunglasses and grit, Young headed out to the Bimini
Biological Field Station in June to complete the field-study part of her
research.
For the first month of her field study, Young spent 12 hours every night
fishing in the ocean for lemon sharks. While capturing and tagging sharks,
she was chased by tropical thunderstorms, swarmed by mosquitoes, bitten
by sand flies and stung by upside-down sea jellies.
After the sharks were gathered into a holding pen in the ocean, Young
took fin clippings and swabs from 30 sharks.
Young's ability to manhandle the sharks was cultivated from years spent
as an educator at Sea World and a lab assistant at Bimini Station. It
was Young's former position at Bimini and the encouragement of MTSU's
Dr. George W. Benz that inspired her current research.
Benz is a leading pathologist and the reason Young says she came to MTSU.
"Dr. Benz currently has three students working in his lab on individual
parasite research projects," Young said.
Young's research is supported because an "understanding of the impact
of disease on these fishes ... can ultimately affect population size and
health [of the sharks]," said Benz.
Young is now back in the lab with Benz, studying the samples she took
in Bimini. There are no conclusive results yet, but Young has found a
species of parasites in the samples.
"I'd like to thank the biology department and the Undergraduate Research
Science and Creativity Activities Scholar Award for funding my project,"
Young says. "This research would not be possible without their support."
After finishing her research and graduating from MTSU, Young hopes to
become a fish pathologist specializing in shark research.
Although not many people want to learn about sharks, Young has her reason.
"I have been hooked," she says.
The Record, October 24, 2005, V14.09
Campus Calendar
>>Top of Page
Through Nov. 4
"Perpetrators," an exhibit
by artist Sidney Chafetz
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Todd Gallery
For information, contact:
615-898-2505.
Oct. 24-25
Domestic Violence Awareness Month: "Silent Witnesses"
11 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, KUC Knoll
For information, contact:
615-898-2193.
Monday, Oct. 24
Honors Lecture Series
"Sport Psychology:
Far More Than You Think,"
Dr. Harold D. Whiteside
3-3:55 p.m., HONR 106
For information, contact:
615-898-2152.
Stones River Chamber Players
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
No admission charge
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Wambui Bahati,
"I Am Domestic Violence"
7:30 p.m., BAS S-102
(State Farm Room)
No admission charge
For information, contact:
615-898-2193.
Oct. 27-29
Holocaust Studies Conference
James Union Building
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~holoed/
or contact: 615-898-2645.
Thursday, Oct. 27
Free Legal Clinic
7-9 p.m., June Anderson Women's Center (JUB 206)
Appointments required
For information, contact:
615-898-2193.
Saturday, Oct. 29
Contest of Champions
10 a.m. preliminaries, 7 p.m. finals; Horace Jones Field
Tickets range from $10 to $30
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~coc/tinfo.pdf
or contact: 615-898-2103.
MTSU Football
vs. Florida International
5 p.m. Eastern, Miami
For information, contact:
615-898-2103.
Oct. 29-30
Tennessee Pony of America Show
8 a.m., Tennessee Livestock Center
No admission charge
For information, contact:
615-896-8728.
Sunday, Oct. 30
"For the Record"
Guest: Susie Bright
7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FM
MTSU Concert Chorale/ Middle Tenn. Choral Society
Mozart's "Requiem"
3 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
Admission: $10
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Monday, Oct. 31
Undergraduate Scholars Day 1-4 p.m., Todd Building
For information, contact:
615-898-5894.
Honors Lecture Series
"Improving the Athletic Experience Through the Evaluative Process,"
Dr. Colby Jubenville
3-3:55 p.m., HONR 106
For information, contact:
615-898-2152.
Wednesday, Nov. 2
Faculty/Graduate Scholars Day
9 a.m.-2 p.m., JUB Tenn. Room
For information, contact:
615-898-5894.
Nov. 2-5
Second International Conference on Cultural Diversity: "Communicating
in a Multicultural Environment"
Nov. 2 sessions campuswide, Nov. 3-4 sessions in Nashville
For information, go to www.mtsu.edu/~cdinit/
or contact: 615-898-5975.
Thursday, Nov. 3
MTSU Jazz Ensemble
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
No admission charge
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Friday, Nov. 4
First Friday Star Party
"Tantalizing Mars," Dr. Eric Klumpe
6:30-8:30 p.m., WPS Room 102
For information, contact:
615-898-2130.
Saturday, Nov. 5
Varsity Club Reception
Open to Varsity Club members and families
2 p.m., Kennon Hall of Fame
For information, contact:
615-898-5632.
MTSU Football
vs. Arkansas State
4 p.m., Floyd Stadium
For information, contact:
615-898-2103.
Sunday, Nov. 6
"For the Record-
HPERS to HHP"
Guest: Dr. Mark Anshel
7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FM
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