Business ethics

Codes of ethics are now commonplace among America's large corporations, and business ethics courses have become an integral part of the business curriculum, says Dr. Thomas Tang, management and marketing, and expert in organizational behavior and money ethics. In his recent study related to ethical decision making, Tang says the issue is not new. Twenty years ago, a Gallup Poll revealed that only 20 percent of the public expressed "a great deal of confidence" in big business. About 40 percent of executives reported that they were asked to behave unethically.

Contact Tang at 615-898-2005.
ttang@mtsu.edu

Star 'experts'

Actors spend their lives pretending to be someone else. So when they appear on talk shows and are interviewed as if they are experts, that's more than just a little absurd, says Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and media expert. "I'm not (saying) that these people should be arrested for giving aid and comfort to the enemy. That kind of thinking is dangerously close to the notion that we should support the president no matter what he says--that any dissent is somehow unpatriotic. The fault here is with the interviewers and reporters who put them in the spotlight in an area where they have no particular expertise."

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

Strokes in the South

A study by the CDC reveals that blacks and Southerners are more likely to die from stroke--and the highest stroke death rates are in North and South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee. Among the strongest predictors of cardiovascular disease are high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, cigarette smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and family history, says Dr. Dellmar Walker, expert on nutrition and eating disorders. "Certainly these factors can be found in populations where diets are high in calories, fat and sodium and where obesity is prevalent." High blood pressure has a genetic link and is higher in African-Americans than in non-Hispanic whites, she adds.

Contact Walker at 615-904-8076.
dewalker@mtsu.edu

TODAY'S MTSU UPLINK AT 10 A.M.

SEGMENT 1: Vicki Standingdeer talks about her job as "head lady" during the recent American Indian Festival at MTSU. Video includes hoop dancer, drumming circle and captivated school children.
SEGMENT 2: Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss. Several MTSU faculty read to local school children as part of Read Across America. Joan Clark, librarian, discusses how this helps motivate children to read.

TR EXTRA: TODAY, March 5, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Art Barn Gallery, reception for artist Jan Ruby, with a discussion at 12:30 p.m. Ruby's exhibit, "Handmade Paper Prints," is on display in the Art Barn until March 25. Media welcomed.
THURSDAY, March 6, 11 a.m., Davis Science 100, Dr. Cornelia D. Gillyard, chair and associate professor, chemistry, Spelman College, will discuss her experiences with the Women in Science and Engineering Scholars Program. Media welcomed. THURSDAY, March 6, 3 p.m., Todd Gitlin, Columbia University professor of journalism and sociology, will speak on "The Media and the Emotions of War," Mass Comm 104 as a guest of MTSU's John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies--free and open to the public. Media welcomed.
THURSDAY, March 6, 7 p.m., Learning Resources Center, Multimedia Room, Guerilla Girls Gig--an entertaining romp through the history of the Girls. Through humor and satire, the group focuses on discrimination. Free and open to the public. Media welcomed.
FRIDAY, March 7, 6:30 p.m., lecture on Jupiter and "Star Party," Wiser-Patten Science Hall, Room 220; telescope viewing following the lecture, weather permitting. Free and open. Media welcomed.