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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Raiders win 4th All-Sports Trophy, score SBC record
from MT Media Relations
For the fourth time in seven years since joining the Sun Belt Conference, Middle Tennessee's athletic department has won the Vic Bubas Cup, given each year to the university that comes in first in the Sun Belt's all-sports standings.
The Blue Raiders, who scored a conference record 141 total points, received their fourth trophy May 22 during the league meetings in Destin, Fla.
Middle Tennessee won or shared six conference championships during the 2006-07 campaign to secure its first all-sports title since 2005. The Blue Raiders also won the prestigious title in 2001, which was their first year in the SBC, and again in 2004 and 2005. Middle Tennessee is only the fourth school in Sun Belt history to win the award four times.
"This honor speaks highly to the student-athletes, coaches, administration and support staff within our athletics department," said Chris Massaro, director of athletics.
"Winning the award for the fourth time in seven years as a Sun Belt member speaks volumes regarding the total athletic department at Middle Tennessee. Everyone in our athletic department, the university and community should take great pride in this, because this was a total team effort and that's the great thing about an All-Sports Championship."
Middle Tennessee defeated Western Kentucky for the award, while South Alabama was third. The Blue Raiders' All-Sports championship was bolstered by regular season titles in football, volleyball and women's basketball, and conference post-season championships in volleyball, men's outdoor track and women's basketball. Four Middle Tennessee coaches also earned Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year honors--Rick Stockstill (football), Rick Insell (women's basketball), Johnny Moore (men's golf) and Dean Hayes (men's outdoor track and field.)
The Blue Raiders also aided their cause with a significant upgrade in men's golf, where they gained 10 points from the previous season. Middle Tennessee also gained five points in baseball, women's tennis and volleyball, while earning four more points in women's basketball from 2006. The football team added 3.5 points, and softball and women's indoor track provided three more points.
Another impressive number for the Blue Raiders in 2006-07 was their record on the road in conference play. In football, men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball (totals include results of entire weekend series) the Blue Raiders went an impressive 28-4. Football was 6-0, men's basketball 7-4, women's basketball 10-0 and baseball 5-0.
Demonstrating tremendous balance, Middle Tennessee earned six points or more in 16 of the 17 sports it sponsors. Points are awarded based on the number of schools sponsoring the sport. Institutions not sponsoring a sport do not receive points in that sport, and institutions tying for positions split the combined points of their positions.
Middle Tennessee is the only football-playing member to win the Bubas Cup since football became a league-sponsored sport in 2001. The Blue Raiders do not field teams in men's and women's swimming and diving.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Golf tournament for hero adjunct to help scholars
by Gina E. Fann
Adjunct professor Byron Motley, a veteran Murfreesboro police captain, was a hero every time he went to work. He was an off-duty hero when he saved a drowning child in July 2006.
Now he can be a hero to the students who'll be able to attend MTSU on the scholarship being established in his memory.
Joseph Peebles Jr., Motley's stepson and head of the JPJ Foundation, is launching the annual "Byron M. Motley Hero Golf Tournament" on Saturday, July 21--almost a year to the day of the captain's death--to fund an endowed scholarship in the College of Education and Behavioral Science.
Capt. Motley earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice from MTSU. He served as an adjunct professor in the university's Department of Criminal Justice Administration as well as a supervisor in the Murfreesboro Police Department's training division and was the first African-American member of the MPD's Special Operations Unit.
"Byron had three loves: God, family and golf," Peebles said of his late stepfather. "The Hero Golf Tournament will be our way to remember and honor him for his dedication to our family and our community. Additionally, to establish a scholarship in his name will add to his legacy of teaching and helping others become better people. We miss him tremendously."
Criteria for the scholarship require the recipient to be a minority student from a Murfreesboro high school with a minimum 3.0 GPA and a letter of acceptance from MTSU.
The tournament, set to begin with registration at 11 a.m. and a shotgun start at 1 p.m. at Indian Hills Golf Course in Murfreesboro, will carry a fee of $100 per player or $380 per foursome. The cost includes greens fees, cart, range balls, a sleeve of golf balls and dinner. All proceeds will go toward the scholarship fund.
Capt. Motley, 58 and a U.S. Army veteran, died July 22, 2006, while attending a family barbecue in Brentwood. He leaped into a swimming pool to save a young relative but lost his own life in the process.
And that wasn't the first time the captain had risked his life to save another: in 1965, Capt. Motley attempted to save a man from drowning at Walter Hill Dam, and in 1989, he attempted to save pro footballer Jerry Anderson from drowning in Stones River in Murfreesboro. Anderson rescued two boys but sacrificed his own life. In January, the Murfreesboro Branch of the NAACP honored Capt. Motley posthumously with its annual Jerry Anderson Hero Award.
"We are very pleased to work with Mr. Peebles to honor Byron Motley, a man who was a true hero to our community," said Lucie Murphy, coordinator of annual giving. "Through this scholarship in his name, his passion for helping others will last forever. We hope everyone comes out to show their support and respect for the honorable life he lived."
Registration deadline for the tournament is Friday, June 15. For more information, visit www.jpjfoundation.com or contact Peebles at 1-800-800-7150, pin 9178.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Photo Page 1 |
Back to earth
THANK-YOU GIFT--Sixth-grade Campus School students Kelsey Webb, left, and Ashton Merryman sit in the spotty sunshine clearing weeds from the wooded area outside the MTSU greenhouse. The students volunteered to help on campus as a thank-you to the university for all its help; for the full story, see page 8.
photo by Andy Heidt
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
WaterWorks! earns state enviro acclaim
from Staff Reports
MTSU has been selected as winner of the 2007 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award in the Green Schools Higher Education Category.
The award announcement came from Jim Fyke, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. It will be presented Friday, June 8, during the Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards ceremony at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville.
"This was our most competitive awards program ever," Fyke said. "Both the number and quality of nominations created a challenging evaluation and selection process for the judges."
Paula Lawson, used-oil program coordinator for TDEC, nominated MTSU and the Center for Environmental Education for its WaterWorks! Program.
"This honor is a direct result of the outstanding work and high visibility of WaterWorks!" said Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters, biology professor and co-director of the Center for Environmental Education.
According to the center's Web site, WaterWorks! is a statewide public education and outreach program to promote clean water in Tennessee. Funded in part by the state Department of Agriculture Nonpoint Source Program and by TDEC's used oil program, WaterWorks! promotes individual responsibility through "easy-to-learn and do" habits.
"The success of the WaterWorks! program is due to excellent teamwork from Environmental Education Center administration and staff, the creative efforts of the Bill Hudson Agency, strong support and funding from MTSU, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment and Conservation, and the many stormwater programs and watershed groups who have partnered with WaterWorks!" said Karen Hargrove, natural resources coordinator. "We are grateful to them all!"
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
In Brief
CELEBRATE THEIR SERVICE!
Two more of MTSU's "foundations," Martha Turner of the Career and Employment Center (almost 43 years) and John L. High of WMOT Jazz89 (30 years), are retiring! Join their retirement celebrations: Turner's is Thursday, June 21, at 2:30 p.m. in the Business and Aerospace Building's SunTrust Room, while High's is 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, June 22, in LRC 200. Call 615-898-5342 about Turner's event and 615-898-2800 for High's.
TEE OFF FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
Join the Blue Raider Athletic Association Monday, June 11, for the Greater Nashville Blue Raider Golf Scramble. Proceeds benefit student-athlete scholarships. Visit www.goblueraiders.com/braa/ for times, fees and other details.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
For the Record:
SUNO survivor speaks of pride, struggle, goals
by Tamika Ann Boyer
The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has greatly impacted Southern University at New Orleans. Classes and activities are held in modular trailers, and many students reside in trailer homes provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Most people often ask if the rebuilding process seems discouraging, but when I reply, I reply with pride and dignity, emphasizing the passion that I have for my university--my home.
As the struggle continues, it seems as if the rebuilding process of our university is taking forever. Driving around the city recognizing that other colleges and universities are almost back to normal, and then driving past SUNO to see that our campus is still in need of help, is discouraging. If someone were to ask me what I want to see happen with the university, I would say that I want to see steady progress and actions that are being taken to reconstruct and improve our South Campus. I want to return home, just like everyone does. Many of those who have not walked in our shoes or sat in our classroom seats cannot empathize with the pain we suffer.
I am a firm believer of putting students first, because I know that without students there is no university. Now is the time for many students to let their voices be heard, advocating strongly for what they believe or want to see happen. It is time for change and change starts now, but it has to start with someone, particularly student leaders who are able to articulate and demand the needs of the university. As I make future provisions, I include SUNO. As a 2007 graduate, I want to be a part of the rebuilding process. I want to listen to the concerns of the students and implement plans in addition to many long-term goals. I want to advocate for the materials and resources that will account for a better university. I will continue to empower students, stressing repeatedly the importance of a valued education in the black community. I will act as a mentor to those who seek help. Together we will work toward the betterment of a powerful tradition.
Along with other universities, Southern University at New Orleans without a doubt deserves immediate transformation and attention that will enable its students to once again be made whole. Together we fight, together we pray, together we advocate, together we are determined, together we are successful. We are a FAMILY!
Tamika Ann Boyer received her bachelor's degree in social work at SUNO's May 12 commencement; she now plans to obtain her master's in social work. For more on the SUNO pact, visit the Record archives at www.mtsunews.com.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Student-athletes excel in classroom
from MT Media Relations
The report card for the spring 2007 semester at Middle Tennessee is out and it indicates Blue Raider student-athletes are taking full advantage of the opportunity for a quality education as the group collectively passed with high marks during a banner year in the classroom.
As impressive a year as it has been for Middle Tennessee athletics across the board, the performance in the classroom during the spring semester has been even more sparkling, as 163 of 294 Blue Raider student-athletes (55 percent) had a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Of those 294, 80 were on the Dean's List for earning a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the spring semester; 18 had a perfect 4.0 GPA.
"I want to commend our student-athletes for their performance in the classroom," Director of Athletics Chris Massaro said. "So many of our sports were in season at one time or another for a large portion of the spring semester, so there are added pressures. This report indicates a tremendous discipline on the part of our student-athletes. I am very pleased with their efforts and they are to be commended, but we know we can still continue to improve, and we will.
"I also want to thank (Academic Enhancement Director) Jim Rost and his staff for their hard work and diligence. These grades are a universitywide effort from the coaches to the student-athletes to the office of Student Affairs and beyond."
Blue Raider junior soccer player Ingrid Christensen, a two-time All-Sun Belt selection, said excelling in the classroom should be expected, but in an age when so much is made of poor grades, it is nice to be able to boast of a gleaming report.
"There are so many great academic opportunities at Middle Tennessee, and you can see the large majority of the student-athletes here take advantage of that," said Christensen, one of 18 student-athletes who earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring.
"Those numbers are real impressive because there are a lot of demands on the time of student-athletes, and this shows we are doing a good job of balancing our time between academics and athletics and hopefully doing well in both areas."
The overall GPA for all student-athletes for the spring semester was 3.01, and their cumulative GPA for the 2006-07 school year was 2.90. All nine women's sports had a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher for the academic year, and 13 of the 17 sports teams had an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher for the semester. All but two teams improved their semester GPA from last spring.
"I congratulate the effort demonstrated by our student-athletes at Middle Tennessee," university President Sidney A. McPhee said. "Not only have these young people given the effort, but they have gained positive results from those efforts.... These young people are demonstrating discipline and managing their time, and this balance is not often realized easily, so I do applaud their efforts, as well as the support staff, coaches, the athletic department and our academic advisers."
The men's tennis team had the highest overall team GPA with a 3.47, and the softball team had the highest women's team GPA with a 3.45. The number of student-athletes who increased their GPAs from spring 2006 to spring 2007 rose by 77; only 18 of the 294 student-athletes had a GPA below 2.0 in spring 2007, compared to 63 who were below that mark in spring 2006.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Campus construction continues
by Tom Tozer
Campus life continues in concert with the hum of construction equipment, the skillful negotiating of narrowed street lanes and maneuvering around barrels, sawhorses and fences.
Phase 2 of the parking/transportation project began last month, which includes a new entrance from Rutherford Boulevard by Greek Row past Womack Lane Apartments.
Renovations at Womack buildings ABC and JKL are done and include sprinkler systems, fire alarms, electrical replacement, new ceilings and painting. Phase 1 of the kitchen renovation for those buildings--replacing appliances and installing new cabinets--should be finished by the end of July. The same work for buildings DEF and GHI will be completed by this November.
The Student Health, Wellness & Recreation facility is slated for completion by the summer of 2008. Nearly all work is completed on the storm drain, and a permanent water tie-in is finished.
Sod was laid on the Sports Fields in May and should be completed this month.
Life Safety compliance work began in May in the James Union Building, and a new HVAC air-handler unit and sprinkler system are being installed in Wiser-Patten Science Hall.
Bids went out in May to convert Bragg Mass Communication Room 101 from a classroom to a mix room. The old chill water line on the south side of the Bragg Mass Comm building is nearly finished, and a new line will be run into Saunders Fine Arts.
The reroofing of Judd, Gracy and Smith Halls started in May, as well as the replacement of the lower roof over the Keathley University Center cafeteria.
Site work has begun on the 800-square-foot observatory. Phase one is the building, due for completion in September; phase two is the dome, to be completed in January.
Work in Peck Hall includes relocating the dean's suite to Todd Hall, an HVAC upgrade and bathroom upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which include remodeling existing bathrooms and constructing new unisex bathrooms.
The baseball stadium improvements project is out for bid.
Projects in design include Lyon Hall, KUC and Campus School renovations, installation of underground electrical on the west side of campus; the new Science Building and Student Union, several building elevator upgrades, fire alarm upgrades in Peck, Saunders and KUC, a new educational building (in the area of the current intramural fields), the widening of Middle Tennessee Boulevard and general ADA adaptations.
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TAKING SHAPE--Odell Hollis of Odell Hollis Masonry works on the west wall of the new observatory, which will house MTSU's telescope when it's completed this fall and its dome installed in January. This is contractor Bruce Adams Construction's sixth campus project and includes an 18-by-18 main building and a smaller storage building.
photo by News and Public Affairs |
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
University departments gain state PR accolades
from Staff Reports
Two MTSU departments and a university executive have been recognized by the Tennessee College Public Relations Association for their creative efforts in publicizing and serving MTSU.
At the TCPRA's spring meeting held May 17-18 at Vanderbilt University, members of Publications and Graphics and News and Public Affairs earned a total of five awards in the annual statewide competition between universities and community colleges.
The Record, NPA's biweekly newspaper for the university community, and "Middle Tennessee Record," the NPA-produced monthly video magazine, received silver 2007 TCPRA Communications Awards in the Printed Newsletter and Electronic Newsletter categories, respectively.
Gina Fann of NPA is editor of The Record with the assistance of the entire NPA office, and John Lynch and graduate student Seth Alder create "Middle Tennessee Record."
"This kind of recognition is a big hurrah for all of us because producing great work requires the support and expertise of one another," said NPA Director Tom Tozer. "When we talk about a 'team effort,' it's the high standards and professionalism of each player that elevate the team, the division and the university. We owe our successes to the excellence that we expect of ourselves and our colleagues. Lisa, Gina, John and Seth, as well as the other NPA officers, love what they do, and it shows."
The Academic Master Plan 2004: On Target--President's Biennial Report for 2004-06, a joint effort from P&G received the silver 2007 TCPRA Communications Award in the Reports category.
P&G's Martha Millsaps designed the President's Biennial Report.
"The Report is a complex piece and involved a number of people, including Jack Ross and others in Photographic Services, Faye Johnson in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, Alan Thomas in the Business Office, Kim Edgar and Dr. Sidney McPhee in the President's Office and Mitzi Brandon and myself in Publications and Graphics," said P&G Director Suma Clark. "It is gratifying to receive recognition for the extensive work on this important and attractive piece."
Millsaps also received a silver TCPRA Communications Award for her work on a poster advertising photographer Kenda North's spring 2007 exhibit, "Urban Pools," in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery of the Learning Resources Center. Judith Shook, P&G assistant director, and Clark also were involved in the poster production. "Martha did a great job on the design of the poster, and Franklin Graphics captured the important subtleties in the printing," Clark said.
NPA's Lisa Rollins received a bronze TCPRA Communications Award in the Media Success Story category for her efforts in publicizing MTSU geographer Thomas Nolan's quest to lead an interdisciplinary team of researchers to France, where they discovered the precise location of the one-man battlefield of World War I hero Alvin C. York.
Doug Williams, MTSU's executive director of marketing and communications and a past president of TCPRA, was honored with the group's Charles Holmes Award for his work in upholding the values and promoting the interests of the organization. Holmes, a director of university and community relations for the University of Memphis, was a founding member of the TCPRA.
"Our friends in News and Public Affairs and Publications and Graphics, as well as our colleagues all over campus who contribute to their projects, have been honored once again by their peers statewide for superior work," Joe Bales, vice president for development and university relations, said of his division's awards. "And Marketing Director Doug Williams's award for his dedicated service to the TCPRA is truly well-deserved. We're always pleased to have these excellent efforts recognized, because our division's ultimate goal is to serve our students, faculty and staff and to showcase what's great about MTSU."
Photo page 3 |
A MAJOR DISCOVERY--MTSU's Tom Nolan, left, and Châtel-Chéhéry Mayor Roland Destaney listen as regional forester Damien Georges describes the French battlefield area where Nolan's team was preparing to map World War I artifacts in March 2006. Please visit the Record archives at www.mtsunews.com for the complete Jan. 15, 2007, story.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
MT Writing Project zooms into 3rd year, 3 counties
by Lisa L. Rollins
Thanks to generous matching grants totaling $90,000, MTSU soon will embark upon its third annual Middle Tennessee Writing Project, an on-campus writing institute for select teachers of kindergarten through college students.
The grants also will fund three Youth Writer's Camp sessions, all of which are two-week intensive writing camps held Mondays through Thursdays for students from Rutherford, Cannon and Wilson counties.
Although MTSU has previously been the site of MTWP-sponsored Youth Writer's Camps, this year there will be three separate camps--an 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. June 11-21 session for fourth through 12th grades in the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building; an 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. June 4-14 camp for grades five through nine at Castle Heights Upper Elementary in Lebanon; and a 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. June 4-14 camp for fourth- to eighth-grade writers at Woodbury Grammar School in Cannon County.
Author Michael Shoulders, who penned "V is for Volunteer," a book about Tennessee, will be the guest author at all three youth camps.
Dr. Bobbie Solley, professor of elementary and special education, said the June 4-29 teacher-focused MTWP project targets educators who already are doing good work when it comes to writing instruction in the classroom.
"We have 18 teacher participants from Williamson, Rutherford, Bedford, Cannon and Wilson counties, along with several from (the) Lebanon and Murfreesboro city systems," she said. "These teachers will be sharing their expertise and learning from one another the most effective strategies for teaching writing.
"Once the summer institute is complete, these 18 participants will join the almost 40 other teachers who have gone through the institute to become teacher consultants," she continued. "Their job then is to conduct in-service, present at conferences or anything else that would provide professional development for other teachers in the area of writing."
MTSU is the second Tennessee college to offer such a writing project and is one of 185 sites of The National Writing Project, a federally funded program launched in 1974.
"This is a very good thing for MTSU," said Solley, who--along with Dr. Trixie Smith, assistant professor of English--wrote the initial grant request that made MTWP possible.
Twenty-five students already are registered to attend the MTSU writing camp, which costs $200 per student. Both the Woodbury- and Lebanon-based writing camps will cost $100 per student.
Past MTWP teacher-participant Marcy Pflueger of Eagleville School will serve as coordinator for all three writing camps, Solley said.
"In 2005, Marcy Pflueger, one of the participants from the first summer institute, attended a national conference and began hearing and learning about youth writers' camps as a way to involve kids in effective writing as well as provide professional development for teachers," Solley said. "She came to the directors and co-directors of the MTWP with a plan. ... (And) after last summer's institute, more teacher participants wanted to be involved in the youth writers' camp, so Marcy became the director, overseeing three camps for this summer."
For more information about the MTWP, please visit www.mtsu.edu/~mtwp. For youth camp registration information, please contact Pflueger via e-mail at pfluegerm@rcs.k12.tn.us or by calling 615-274-6320.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Photo page 4 |
Moving day
WE-HAUL--Benefits Staff employees pause halfway through filling and stacking 160-plus boxes of personnel files for their move from the Cope Administration Building into the newly christened Sam H. Ingram Building at the corner of Middle Tennessee Boulevard and East Lytle Street. Clockwise from left are Cindy Camp, Lisa Batey, Wendy Brown, Karen Milstead, student worker Carolyn Collins and Becky Young. (Not pictured is Kim Taylor.) Benefits staffers are joining the rest of their Human Resource Services colleagues--the Employment Office, Payroll Office and the assistant vice president of human resources--in the Ingram Building. Other offices relocated to the Ingram Building, named for MTSU's sixth president (1979-1989), include the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the Office of Compliance and the College of Graduate Studies.
photo by News and Public Affairs |
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Listen up! Building fire drills can save your life
from Staff Reports
If you've cried out, "Aaargh! What is that racket and why is it interrupting my class?" and then ignored the fire alarm screaming down the hallway, MTSU has a new fire safety program for you.
The university is launching a new campuswide safety awareness campaign, "Do the Drill," to make students, faculty and staff more mindful of fire drills and fire safety.
"I'm proud to be part of this safety awareness program on campus," said Tom Tozer, director of the Office of News and Public Affairs and one of the campaign's organizers.
"So often it seems that it takes a tragedy for people to realize the importance of planning and preparation. We should respond as though each drill is the real thing. If all of us take fire alarms seriously and evacuate our buildings in a calm and orderly fashion, we should never have to be a jolting headline."
Organizers say that making the campus community aware of the importance of fire drills will help ensure familiarity with exit routes and help people respond promptly and safely if an actual fire occurs. Drills also familiarize building occupants with the sound of the fire alarm, serve as training opportunities for emergency response units and provide important tests of alarm systems and fire-reporting procedures.
"They save lives, pure and simple," Tozer said. "A fire drill is a brief interruption in your life. We had one just the other day in the Cope (Administration) Building, which turned out to be a false alarm, but an interruption is always better brief than permanent."
The safety campaign, which is being promoted via colorful signs around campus and on the university's Web site at www.mtsu.edu/alert4u, offers common-sense reminders and tips for the campus community--remain calm, move quickly, don't go back inside the building, prepare for your escape ahead of time.
"Planning can be the difference between good outcomes and very bad ones in the event of an emergency," university President Sidney A. McPhee said. "That's why MTSU safety plans include periodic fire drills in all campus buildings. Knowing what to do and where to go in case of fire can save your life, and the best way to learn what to do is through practice."
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Photo page 5 |
Specially effective
EWWWWW, COOOL!--Lori Gann-Smith, in apron, assistant professor of speech and theatre, applies gruesome theatrical makeup to Anna Fitzgerald, program director of the Youth Culture and Arts Center, as Special Effects Makeup Workshop attendees Rachel Barnes of Shelbyville Central High School, home-schooler Ben Arnold of Murfreesboro and Alex Morgan of Brentwood Academy watch. Gann-Smith taught youngsters how to cast and mold body parts and how to create "bruises" and other injuries for the most realistic possible look. Proceeds from the workshop benefited the YCAC, a program of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities, or YEAH. For more information about YCAC events, visit www.youthculturecenter.org. For more on the workshop fun, watch the June edition of "Middle Tennessee Record" on your local cable station (see times and stations, page 4) or online at www.mtsunews.com.
photo by News & Public Affairs
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Professor turns caregiving into outreach project
by Lisa L. Rollins
Dr. James E. Taylor never set out to become an expert in family caregiving, but life has provided him with the experiences and motivation to do just that.
An assistant professor of social work at MTSU since 1998, Taylor is on a 12-month sabbatical from full-time teaching to help create what he hopes will become a network of family caregiving resource points within the membership of Nashville's 14 African Methodist Episcopal Churches.
Taylor, who found himself in the role of caregiver for his mother 12 years ago, said that when most find themselves in such a role, it's easy to become overwhelmed and not know where to turn for support.
"Family caregiving is a job we volunteer for and what we do in order to take care of our loved ones," Taylor said. "I didn't know that is what I was called, but I was just that."
The "family caregiver" term, he explained, refers to anyone who provides assistance to someone who is ill, incapacitated or disabled and needs such care to maintain an optimal level of independence. Because families provide the majority of care, they are called "family caregivers," Taylor said.
Moreover, caregivers may be "informal" care providers, meaning they are not hired and are non-professionals, or "formal" care providers, meaning professionals. Informal caregivers usually are not trained and may be a friend or relative of the person needing care, Taylor said. Formal caregivers are trained to provide care and often have no family ties to the person receiving the care they provide in private homes, hospices, medical centers or nursing homes.
An only child, Taylor said that when he first began overseeing his mother's care--including locating and arranging needed services for her in spite of their multi-state distance--he didn't realize that a family caregiver is precisely what he had become.
It was this firsthand experience, though, that ultimately opened a new career for Taylor, who previously worked and lived in Maryland, where he served as a program manager for the U.S. Department of Education until his retirement. Once out of the full-time workforce, it didn't take long for Taylor to grow "tired of being retired," he said, so he turned his long background in research grant management and social welfare policy organization into a full-time teaching role within MTSU's Department of Social Work.
"When I came here and started hanging around some of the other professors, and when they found out what I was doing in regard to family caregiving ... I ended up parlaying that into a family caregiving class for social workers," said Taylor, 73, who continues to care for his now-Murfreesboro-based mom, age 94.
Initially offered in spring 2002, the Family Caregiving elective course Taylor developed wasn't met with the student response he had hoped. "But as soon as the Regents Online Degree Program opened up, I modified that course to fit into that instructional format, and it's proved to be very popular," he said, smiling.
The Family Caregiving elective, which grew in popularity via word of mouth and now boasts full student enrollments, became the impetus for Taylor's current pilot program. It's dubbed the MTSU Faith-Based Caregiver Project and focuses on family caregiving and the need to serve a traditionally underserved community--namely, the black community.
By the end of December, Taylor said he hopes to help select members of the Women's Ministry Societies within greater Nashville's AME churches become educated about the numerous resources and agencies available to those who are engaged in family caregiving. By partnering with a multitude of such agencies, Taylor's goal is to provide caregiving workshops to make the chosen AME representatives aware of the services available to family caregivers and, in turn, point congregation members to the proper resources when they find themselves in the role of caregiver.
Usually, Taylor said, "You're unprepared for (serving as a caregiver) ... and don't know where to turn or find resources. My contention is that African-Americans who attend my churches don't know where to turn or where to go, so I'm setting up an information source in the church."
The project's emphasis on the black community came about, Taylor said, because "historically, African-Americans face greater health problems, and when they are blessed to have a long life, they may not have the financial resources to pay for needed health care.
"Instead of living in a nursing home or an assisted-living residence, they often rely on family members or loved one to care for them in their homes. ... Often these caregivers are not well-informed about available resources and how to locate services to help their ill family members."
Although his non-instructional assignment began only this year, already Taylor has contacted and received a positive response from social agencies such as the Area Agency on Aging and Disability, the Alzheimer's Association, the Tennessee Department of Health, the local Arthritis Foundation, Tennessee Center for Child Welfare, Tennessee Respite Coalition and the Tennessee Centers for Independent Living.
"Usually when we think about family caregiving, we think about old people, but there are many other situations where family caregiving is at work," Taylor noted. "We have children who are born with spina bifida and lots of other things, and when you have to go through life with that kind of experience, family caregiving is involved."
In spite of the fact many family caregivers may feel isolated, "There are a lot of us," Taylor said, adding that current estimates put the number of U.S. family caregivers around 50 million.
"The dollar value that we attach to the services that (family caregivers) provide is said to be in the neighborhood of $400 billion," he continued. "Given the amount of that dollar value and the number of us that do it, there's not an industry in the world that comes close to that."
With his awareness and expertise on family caregiving firmly in place, Taylor said his current project is a win-win for all involved, thanks to the public service it promises to provide and the partnerships it has begun to create.
Additionally, he said he hopes other university faculty and graduate students interested in contributing to his current effort in some way will contact him about possible collaborations or added partnerships related to the caregiver project.
"I am excited about this; I can hardly wait!" Taylor said. "I am going full-speed ahead ... and working in the coming year to organize an advisory group, but I need support to help me do clerical work, work with churches and set up workshops.
"I would like to capture the essence of what's going to take place in this model that I am building so I can create how-to manuals on family caregiving to distribute to the communities. ... I think what we are providing is a public service, and that is how I am pursuing this, but I always welcome help and support."
For more information about Taylor's current project, please contact him via e-mail at jetaylor@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5049.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Funding cuts again cancel summer sports program
by Lisa L. Rollins and Samantha Buttrey
For the second consecutive year, the National Youth Sports Program, a monthlong summer camp for at-risk youth, will not be held at MTSU, confirmed National Program Director Gale Wiedow.
In 2005, federal funding for the national program was eliminated, Wiedow said. "These programs are unable to continue without increased institutional and local community support," he said.
Locally, MTSU's Department of Health and Human Performance has overseen the grant-funded camp, which combines sports instruction and recreation with educational programs, for about 300 at-risk youth from qualifying low-income families.
However, because no federal money for NYSP was provided in the 2005 fiscal year Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill, also known as H.R. 3010, support for the NYSP program at MTSU--as well as 201 other NYSP programs nationwide--will not be available this year, NYSP organizers confirmed.
From 2002 to 2005, MTSU's NYSP staff and volunteers provided nearly 1,000 Rutherford County youths with free medical and dental health screenings as well as four weeks of summer fun with educational, health-focused activities that included life lessons and skills. Free transportation to and from the weekday camp was included in the free program, as were two USDA-approved meals each day.
Dr. Dianne Bartley, chairwoman of health and human performance and past NYSP coordinator for MTSU, said prior NYSP campers participated in activities such as self-defense, soccer, swimming, basketball, tennis, volleyball, golf, racquetball, weight training, and social and aerobic dance.
"This program has been so very valuable for the young people who attended," she said. "These campers also took part in educational classes instructed by MTSU educators and community leaders on topics such as alcohol/drug abuse and violence prevention, proper nutrition, personal health and disease prevention, career opportunities and job responsibilities, and higher education."
Wiedow said MTSU is not alone in its inability to attract money to support the program, but some NYSP programs--including Tennessee State University in Nashville, which is currently the state's only program operating in 2007--have been able to secure alternative funding to conduct programs on their campuses.
"Fifty other programs will run this year," he said, "(but each of them has been) funded locally by grant money as well as the institution itself helping."
Bartley and Wiedow agreed that if MTSU is to continue sponsoring the summer camp for at-risk youth, the local community must exercise its collective voice to help restore funding for NYSP so it can return in 2008. Wiedow suggested that residents utilize the Web to contact their local senators at www.senate.gov and their representatives at www.house.gov.
Currently headquartered in Indianapolis, NYSP was created when representatives from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports launched its concept in the summer of 1968 at two university athletic facilities. In March 1969, the White House announced the federal government would commit $3 million to establish a sports program for economically disadvantaged youth, and NYSP was born.
Today, the NYSP Fund, which operates under the National Youth Sports Corporation moniker, is a nonprofit organization established to administer NYSP projects nationwide.
For more information on NYSP, visit www.nyscorp.org/nysp/home.html.
Samantha Buttrey is a senior majoring in mass communication.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Photo page 7 |
Watching the wheels go round
DAY AT THE HILL--MTSU history graduate student and state museum curator Jeff Sellers gives a tour of the state Capitol to students attending the Tennessee Intercollegiate Student Legislature Day in Nashville in March. Included in the group from MTSU are Tim Chrysler (facing camera in suit), Mitchell Holcomb (in front of Chrysler with MT shirt), Brittany Cates and Kathi Liller. Twenty-five MTSU students and Dr. Jim Williams (history) and Patrick Chinnery (political science) attended the event as part of the campus American Democracy Project. Students met with legislators and legislative interns, observed legislative committee meetings, and learned about other aspects of state government in the first year of this event sponsored by TISL.
photo submitted
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
'Iron Furnace Trail' DVD is a winner; MTSU staffers garner bronze in 2007 Telly Awards
from Staff Reports
Tennessee Iron Furnace Trail," an informational video in DVD format produced in a collaborative effort between MTSU's Center for Historic Preservation and the university's Audio/Visual Services, garnered a Bronze Award at the 28th Annual Telly Awards.
According to its Web site (www.tellyawards.com), "The Telly Awards seek to honor the very best local, regional and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions."
The winning video, which was entered in the contest's TV Programs, Segment or Promotional Pieces-Education category, was produced by Caneta Hankins, assistant director of the CHP; Patrick Jackson, assistant director for programming for A/V Services; and Connie Schmidt, director of MTSU's Instructional Technology Support Center. The video was directed and edited by Jackson, with additional editing by Ty Whitaker, video production assistant.
Hankins and Jackson scripted the video, with consultation from Michael T. Gavin, preservation specialist with the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, and Carroll Van West, CHP director. Frank Forgette, A/V Services director, and Jeffrey Nokes, assistant director of engineering, provided engineering support for the DVD, which is one component of the multi-county Tennessee Iron Furnace Trail project.
According to a release issued by the Telly Awards staff, the 2007 contest attracted a record-breaking pool of more than 13,000 entries.
"This is the second Telly that our department has won, and this time--just like before--it was a thrill and truly a team effort," Jackson said.
"Many people's creative energies went into this project, and it's rewarding to be recognized on such a distinguished level in a competition that draws thousands of quality entries."
A/V Services won a 2006 Bronze Telly Award for producing "Fostering Positive Behavior," a three-DVD training video for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services in collaboration with the Tennessee Center for Child Welfare.
Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards' mission is to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting and supporting creativity.
Silver and bronze Telly statuettes honor outstanding local, regional and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. Past winners include the Children's Miracle Network, Court TV, Cox Communications, E! Networks, Harpo Studios, J. Walter Thompson, Spike TV, Targetcom and Universal Studios Hollywood.
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
People Around Campus:
Campus 6th-graders 'give back' at ground level
by Lisa L. Rollins and Ashley Pinkerton
Students in two sixth-grade classes at the Homer Pittard Campus School recently decided to give back to MTSU by helping perform needed groundskeeping on the university's campus.
The participating sixth-graders reported for duty to Grady "Larry" Sizemore, greenhouse manager for grounds services on campus, May 21 and 22. A 32-year member of MTSU's staff, Sizemore is in charge of all university landscaping.
Dr. Tracey Ring, professor of elementary and special education, said she was contacted by Campus School teachers LeAnn Hays and Shields Templeton when they learned that their graduating sixth-grade classes wanted to perform community service for MTSU.
Ring, in turn, said she immediately thought of Sizemore as someone willing to help the 50 children with their self-initiated community project, since he previously worked closely with several teachers at school.
"We (had) the students doing different things on different days, and all went well," Sizemore said of the community service.
The first class of sixth-graders reported for duty May 21 and spent most of their school day performing tasks that needed to take place so that the second group of children could complete their planned work May 22, Ring said.
"The first helped get a lot of leaves that fell during the recent frost," Sizemore explained. "So we (worked) on getting the nursery cleaned up in that area the best we could so the next group of kids could plant some native grasses, some switch grasses such as North Wind and Heavy Metal, around the rain garden."
Hays said that although some of her previous classes also had conducted community service projects, this particular group of students had developed an especially close tie with the university and conceived the on-campus service idea as a way to say "thank you" for all the help MTSU had provided for them during the past several years.
"This is a part of their graduation celebration, to give back to the university," said Hays, who noted that the children performed the service during their graduation week.
For more information about the K-6 school, which is a public elementary jointly operated by MTSU and the Rutherford County School System as well as the laboratory school for students in the teacher education programs of the Department of Elementary and Special Education, please visit its Web site at www.hpc.rcs.k12.tn.us/index.htm.
Ashley Pinkerton is a senior majoring in mass communication.
Photo page 8 |
CLEARING A PATH--Campus School sixth graders C.J. Hinch, left, and Samuel Short work with their classmates to pull weeds and clear plant debris in a wooded area near the MTSU greenhouse.
photo by Andy Heidt
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The Record, June 4, 2007, V15.22
Campus Calendar
>>Top of Page
Campus Calendar, June 4-17
TV Schedule
"Middle Tennessee Record"
Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday-5 p.m.
NewsChannel 5+: Saturdays-1 p.m.
Visit www.mtsu.edu/~proffice/ MTR.html for airtimes on 12 other Midstate cable outlets.
Through June 15
Student Photography Exhibit
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday
Baldwin Photo Gallery, LRC
For information, contact: 615-898-2085.
June 4-7
Rick Stockstill Football Camp
for first- to eighth-grade boys
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-898-2926.
June 4-10
MTSU Beef Camp
for fourth- to 12th-graders
Tennessee Livestock Center
For information, contact: 615-898-2419.
Monday, June 4
Summer Sessions II, III begin
June 5-6
CUSTOMS Orientation
Liberal Arts, Education and Behavioral Science, Business and undeclared majors
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~customs or contact: 615-898-5533.
Tuesday, June 5
Blue Raider Athletic Association Appreciation Dinner
6 p.m., Alumni Memorial Gym
For information, contact: 615-898-2210.
June 6-20
Blue Raider Strength and Conditioning Speed School
for athletes ages 12 to 18
6 p.m. Wednesdays
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-904-8196.
June 8-9
CUSTOMS Orientation
Basic & Applied Science, Mass Comm and undeclared majors
7:30 a.m., campuswide
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~customs or contact: 615-898-5533.
June 8-10
Tennessee National Barrel Race Association State Championships
9 a.m. daily, Miller Coliseum
For information, visit www.tnnbha.com.
June 10-12
Blue Raider Baseball Pitcher/ Catcher Camp (Session I)
for boys ages 13 to 12th grade
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-898-2961.
June 10-July 13
Governor's School for the Arts
Campuswide
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~gschool or contact: 615-898-2223.
Sunday, June 10
Blue Raider Football "Mini Camp"
for ninth- to 12th-grade boys
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-898-2926.
Sunday, June 10
"MTSU On the Record-Making the Grade?"
Guest: Alfie Kohn
7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FM
Podcast available at www.mtsunews.com or free subscription at iTunes.
June 11-13
Rick Insell "Li'l Raider" Women's Basketball Camp
for girls age 5 to eighth grade
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-898-5356.
June 11-15
Blue Raider Youth Tennis Camp I
for athletes ages 5 to 18
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-898-2957.
June 11-15
"First Touch" Soccer Camp
for athletes ages 5 to 10
For information, visit www.mtsusoccercamps.com or contact: 615-898-5316.
Monday, June 11
Greater Nashville Blue Raider Golf Scramble
11 a.m. check-in, 11:30 lunch, 1 p.m. shotgun start
Temple Hills Golf Course, Franklin
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com/braa/.
June 12-13
CUSTOMS Orientation
Liberal Arts, Education and Behavioral Science, Business and undeclared majors
7:30 a.m., campuswide
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~customs or contact: 615-898-5533.
June 12-14
Blue Raider Baseball Hitting Camp (Session II)
for boys ages 13 to 12th grade
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-898-2961.
June 14-16
Kermit Davis Men's Basketball Team Camp I
for high-school boys' teams
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-898-5228.
June 17-19
Rick Insell Women's Basketball Team Camp I
for high-school girls' teams
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com or contact: 615-898-5356.
Sunday, June 17
"MTSU On the Record-Sanity and Safety"
Guest: Kenneth Sanney
7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FM
Podcast available at www.mtsunews.com or free subscription at iTunes.
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