Declassifying 9/11

Congress and the White House are clashing over whether or not to declassify some of the 800-page investigative report on 9/11. Presidents tend not only to look out after their own individual interests but also those of the office they hold, says Dr. John Vile. "Presidents sometimes find themselves withholding information that actually doesn't reflect as badly on them as predecessors from the other party. President Nixon fought strongly against release of the Pentagon Papers, although the central villain in terms of having deceived the American people was President Johnson rather than Nixon." Nixon lost the battle, which was really with the press rather than with another branch of government, he notes.

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

Maverick money-makers

Are the independent record labels playing better music, not being so concerned about the bottom line? Independent labels have always been considered to be the "farm team" for the five "majors," says Dr. Paul Fischer, associate professor, recording industry, and popular music studies expert. "Lauded for being 'closer to the street' and much more in touch with developing trends than their behemoth brethren, they release the majority of the new music titles each year, reaping a minority of the sales." Independents have less overhead, less ambitious marketing goals and global reach via the Internet--and thus, quicker profitability, he adds.

Contact Fischer at 615-898-5470.
pfischer@mtsu.edu

Talk is king

Talk seems to have taken the place of writing in schools, just as it has in all of society, says Gary Wolf, assistant professor of journalism--which may be one reason why writing skills are lax. "A more tangible and manageable cause, of course, is the number of public school teachers assigned to teach subjects they're neither trained in nor certified to teach--a much bigger problem today than a generation ago and surely a contributing factor in the decay of student writing." There is also little doubt that TV watching has replaced reading, and good writers are almost always habitual readers, he adds.

Contact Wolf at 615-631-1250.
gwolf@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

TODAY--The final day of the Summer Language Institute, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., in the Alumni Center. Area teachers have been learning Spanish through a new accelerated method of teaching in order to be better equipped for the growing number of non-English speaking students. How have the teacher-students performed, and what have they retained? For comment, contact Dr. Shelley Thomas, event director, at 615-308-3204.
SUNDAY, JUNE 15--Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Wright Music Building for the four-week Governor's School for the Arts, followed by orientation at 2 p.m. in Tucker Theatre. This is the 18th year for the program (after last year's temporary suspension due to budget constraints), and about 230 gifted youth will be participating in arts activities. Contact director Dale McGilliard at 615-898-2274. Media welcomed.
NOW THROUGH JULY 3 at MTSU--National Youth Sports Program is sponsoring a program for at-risk kids ages 10 to 16. Contact Dr. Dianne Bartley, MTSU chair of the HPERS department and program director, at 615-898-2890. Media welcomed.
JUNE 16--JULY 3: The Jennings and Rebecca Jones Reading Academy that will be held at Bradley Elementary School in Murfreesboro. "The inability to read and write is a lifelong, crippling handicap," says director Dr. Nancy Crews. Contact Crews at 615-898-5630 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~readacad. Media welcomed.