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Powwow
American Indian Festival to be held in livestock
center
'The whole family
will enjoy the excitement and pageantry of this American Indian Festival.'
Georgia Dennis, festival coordinator |
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AMERICAN INDIAN FESTIVAL DEMONSTRATION-Tommy
Clontz pressure flakes an American Indian edge tool during a demonstration
in this new picture from the 2003 American Indian Festival at MTSU.
This year's festival will be held in the Tennessee Livestock Center
on March 6 and 7.
photo by J. Intintoli |
by Tom Tozer
The American Indian Festival 2004, the largest
indoor all-Nations American Indian event in Tennessee, will be held March
6 and 7 in the Tennessee Livestock Center at MTSU.
The festival recently won the Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Award.
The society's mission is to develop, market and promote travel to and
within the southeastern states.
On March 6, the doors will open at 9 a.m., with grand entries at noon
and 6 p.m. The festival will close at 9 p.m. On March 7, the hours will
be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Grand Entry at 1 p.m.
The event brings together nationally acclaimed artists, dancers, musicians
and other entertainers. They come from as far away as Oregon and Canada
and represent Choctaw, Paiute, Cherokee, Catawba, Apache, Creel, Chippewa,
Lakota Sioux, Shawnee, Cheyenne, Menominee, Lenape, Metis, Nanticoke,
Kickapoo, Seminole, Hopi and Navajo nations.
"The whole family will enjoy the excitement and pageantry of this
American Indian Festival," said MTSU's Georgia Dennis, festival coordinator.
"This event is nonpolitical, family-oriented and kid-friendly. Please
let your children know that all of our participants are easily approachable,
and everyone should feel free to ask questions."
The two-day celebration is designed to promote a better understanding
of Native Americans, Dennis said.
While there will be numerous spectacles and demonstrations to watch, some
of the colorful dancing will be enhanced by high-spirited audience participation,
she said.
The Friday of each year's festival is a special School Day, which transports
hundreds of children and teachers from their school classroom to a real-world
learning environment of Native American culture.
"I encourage schools to call for information about special group
rates," Dennis said. Regular admission will be $6 per adult and $3
for children ages 6-16 years. Children under age 5 will be admitted free
of charge. Advance tickets are $5 for adults and $2.50 for children ages
6-16.
The festival is sponsored by the University Honors College, the Native
American Student Association, the Middle Tennessee Anthropology Society,
Student Programming/Student Activities and the MTSU Anthropology Program.
For more information, call 615-898-5759 and visit www.mtsu.edu/~powwow.
Dr. Aaron W. Todd is emeritus professor of chemistry, MTSU. |
Todd wishes to see full house on Feb. 26
Having taught at MTSU for 40 years, it goes without
saying that I have a special feeling for the students, faculty and the
entire community at the university. With that in mind, I want to ask each
of you a special favor.
Recently, I was diagnosed with aggressive, incurable brain cancer. The
median life expectancy, assuming aggressive treatment, is 12 months. I
am going to fight like crazy against this disease, but at the same time,
I am thinking about what unfinished business I might attend to in my remaining
time.
This is where you come in. At least one more time,
I wish to see Murphy Center filled with fans like it was back during the
1970s.
Thirty years have passed since the men's basketball
attendance record of 11,600 was set at Murphy Center against Austin Peay
in 1974. With the help of Athletic Director Boots Donnelly and Bill Lansden,
associate director of fund raising and marketing, we have initiated "Operation:
Full House" to smash that record at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 against arch-rival
Western Kentucky. I'm asking your wholehearted support of this goal.
You might not be a fan of athletics, and that is OK. I taught chemistry
at MTSU, and occasionally, had students question why they had to study
something they felt was irrelevant like Shakespeare. I would tell them
in the bigger picture of life, one can never be completely sure what was
important. Just dive in, give it your best effort, and somewhere down
the road, it might make sense.
I sincerely believe that whatever is good for MTSU athletics is good for
the university as a whole. Plus, it can be a lot of fun when Murphy Center
is packed and the crowd is rocking.
Over the past three decades, MTSU has had some
great basketball players, including Sleepy Taylor, Jimmy Martin, Jerry
Beck, Rick Campbell and Tim Sisneros. I remember the night MTSU played
and beat UT and Georgia in back-to-back games in the NIT Tournament.
I'll never forget the games MTSU had with Austin Peay when Fly Williams
was playing. Those games were as entertaining as any college basketball
game in the country. The size and enthusiasm of the crowd were major reasons
those games were great.
You can help by getting every person you can to attend the game-not just
purchase a ticket. There will be a large crowd that night. Get your tickets
in advance and give yourself plenty of time to park. I know I can count
on your support of this project. This isn't being done for my benefit,
although I will take great delight in its success. It will be done to
benefit us.
To order tickets, call 615-898-2103 or go to the ticket office at Gate
1 of Floyd Stadium from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.
High school students get job at fair here
by Randy Weiler
A group of 75 high school students will get to
be on their own when they attend the "On My Own Fair" from 9
a.m. to noon March 9 in KUC Room 322.
Students from Oakland, Moore County, Clarksville Northeast and Cannon
County high schools will be given a job with a salary and then go through
12 booths, where they will establish a bank account and budget their money
for housing, transportation, insurance, food, utilities and other necessities
of life.
Dr. Connie Schmidt, director, Instructional Technology Support Center,
said the fair participants will be videotaped. Video clips from the fair
will be used in an April 29 "On My Own: A Financial Education Simulation
for Middle School and High School Students" ITSC videoconference
program that aids the professional development of teachers.
Dena Wise, assistant professor and extension specialist with the University
of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, said that she will lead a
program that "gives participants an opportunity to anticipate adult
responsibility, decision-making and money management in an interactive
format."
Schmidt said, "We are doing the 'On My Own Fair' in KUC to have these
students come away with a realistic picture of what it's going to be like
when they're out on their own and to better prepare them for when it happens.
"People don't save. They go into debt," Schmidt said. "Dena's
part of a statewide program called 'Tennessee Saves' that encourages savings."
Dr. Angela Lewis, assistant professor, human sciences, also will be participating
in the fair, Schmidt said, adding that 12 students in her family and consumer
sciences education class will assist high school students at the fair
booths.
"These future home economics teachers will learn how to run a financial
education simulation to benefit student learning," Schmidt said,
adding that businesses such as Cavalry Banking, Miller & Loughry Insurance
and Services Inc. and others also will have booths.
"We will have a car dealer, real estate people and others - experienced
people who actually do this for a living," Schmidt said. "One
of the most fun booths will be a fortune telling booth. Our fortune teller
(Jenny Marsh) will give each of the students a card with good things and
bad things."
For more information, contact Schmidt at 615-898-5191.
'42nd Street'
'Reflections to Go'
BALDWIN EXHIBIT FOR WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH-An exhibit
by New York photographer Susan Bowen will be displayed March 1-April 15
at the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in "Expanded Realities."
She will give a slide show/ lecture at 7:30 p.m. April 5 in LRC Room 221.
Susan Bowen photos
Baily |
Dr. Baily receives King-Hampton
Award for improving status of women
by Gina Logue
The Association of Faculty and Administrative Women and the June Anderson
Women's Center (JAWC) have honored Dr. Carol Ann Baily with the King-Hampton
Award.
Created in 1990, the King-Hampton Award is presented
to a person who has contributed significantly to the improved status and
equality of all women at MTSU. It was named for Jeanette Moore King, a
member of the first Middle Tennessee Normal School faculty, and Martha
Hampton, the first woman administrator at MTSU.
Baily has been the director of the Adult Services Center since its inception
in June 1993, when she also began her service as faculty adviser of Older
Wiser Learners and Pinnacle, the honor society for non-traditional students.
"A lot of students who come in here need advice with the juggling
act with their home lives," said Virginia Ellis, secretary, Adult
Services Center. "She'll get on that phone and do whatever she can
to help them out. She's definitely got her hands full, but she's very
patient and understanding."
From January to September 2003, Baily filled a vital role as interim director
of the JAWC following the retirement of Dr. Candace Rosovsky.
"She really kept us going throughout the whole spring semester,"
said Mary Ann Guiliano, secretary, JAWC. "She also was the faculty
adviser for Women for Women, which is a student organization."
Baily helped organize the first Southern Girls Rock 'n' Roll Camp.
"My first two days at the center were spent with Carol Ann going
over various tasks and activities," said Dr. Susan Trentham, JAWC
director since October 2003. "If I had questions or needed more information
about some aspect of the center, she was available to help me out with
those."
An instructor of University 101 and elementary French courses at MTSU,
Baily earned her bachelor's in French and German at Florida Presbyterian
College, now Eckerd College, in St. Petersburg. She received both her
master's degree in French and her doctorate in higher education administration
from Vanderbilt University.
At MTSU, Baily has served as chairwoman of the President's Commission
on the Status of Women and a task force on intergenerational care.
She chairs the Adult Learners' Commission of the National Academic Advancement
Association and was a charter member of the Association of Nontraditional
Students in Higher Education.
Gray |
Research scientist Gray to speak
for women's history month
by Randy Weiler
The resume for research scientist Teri L. Quinn Gray, who will speak at
MTSU during National Women's History Month, lists ice cream, Mississippi
catfish and "My Grandma's Family Circle" family reunion as passions
in her life.
The native of Jackson, Miss., who has been a research manager for DuPont
in Newark, Del., since 2001, also could consider students, particularly
females aspiring for science, math and technology careers, as an academic
passion.
"She's so excited about coming," said Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross,
associate professor, chemistry, who recruited her chemistry colleague
to speak to students and faculty (11 a.m. March 4 weekly chemistry seminar
and 5:30 p.m. March 4 during the American Chemical Society Nashville Section
meeting at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville). "She
said she never gets to talk to students.
"She's a very dynamic woman," Iriarte-Gross said. "She's
very interested in encouraging women in math, science and technology.
She calls herself a 'soccer mom' because you have to juggle so many things.
She's really involved with everything."
Gray's present position involves managing regulatory analytical research
with DuPont Crop Protection. She was a research chemist in the same department
from 1997-2001. Since 1993, she has been an adjunct chemistry faculty
member in the Business, Science, Math & Technology Division at Montgomery
College in Germantown, Md. Gray earned her doctorate in analytical chemistry
in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland
in College Park.
Gray will give a technical talk during the March 4 morning seminar, said
Iriarte-Gross, who added that Gray's speech at Tennessee Tech likely will
be titled "Nice Girls Don't Ask . . . Maybe Too Often."
"I'm thinking what opportunities are available in chemistry and chemical
engineering in general, but particularly in industry in government, and
why it's important to constantly attract talent to the sciences, and what,
why and how women are participating in the game," Gray wrote to Iriarte-Gross
about what she would share.
"The inspiration for me is that women are often not aware of opportunities
or simply don't ask when that is sometimes all it takes," she added.
"I'll try to convey how important self-awareness, preparation and
networking are to our success as women in the chemical sciences."
Gray's appearance will be co-sponsored by Women in Science and Engineering,
the National Women's History Month Committee and a grant from the ACS
Nashville Section.
For more information, call Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253.
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RECEIVING RECOGNITION --
African American History Month Unity Luncheon honorees are, from
left, Ida Phillips Thomas, Grace L. Turner, Florence Wilson Smith
and Margaret Phillips Taylor. Pearl Steward was unavailable for
the photo.
photo by Ken Robinson
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Unity Luncheon
Unsung heroes honored during
AAHM event
by Tom Tozer
A traditional kickoff event for MTSU's African-American History Month
(AAHM) celebration every February is the Unity Luncheon, which recognizes
and honors "unsung heroes" in the community who have spent a
large part of their lives serving others through their time and energy.
This year's five honorees were Gracie L. Turner, Florence Wilson Smith,
Pearl Steward, Margaret Phillips Taylor and Ida Phillips Thomas.
All five attended a ceremony on Feb. 5 in MTSU's James Union Building
in the Tennessee Room.
Gracie L. Turner retired from Chromalox-Emerson Company nearly 20 years
ago. She is a graduate of Holloway High School and a member of Antioch
Primitive Baptist Church. She volunteers at the Bradley Academy Museum
and Cultural Arts Center, and she is an active participant in activities
at the St. Clair Street Senior Center. She serves as a den mother for
a Boy Scouts troop and coaches her neighborhood baseball, tennis and swim
teams. Her compassion is evident in her efforts to help feed the homeless
in Murfreesboro.
Florence Wilson Smith also is a graduate of Holloway High School and earned
a B.A. degree from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville. She is active
in the Berry Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, Tenn.,
serving on numerous boards and singing in the choir. For the past 10 years,
she has been an educational assistant at Cason Lane Academy. She is also
a self-employed seamstress at Ediante Boutique. She belongs to numerous
civic groups and was the recipient of the Kappa Alpha Psi Community service
Award for 2002. She also was named the Murfreesboro Education Association's
"Distinguished Educational Support Person" for 2003.
Pearl Steward is a member of the Woodbury Arts Center Board and Woodbury
Historical Board. The oldest member of the Franklin Road Church of Christ,
she also is the recipient of the Negro History Award. Friends say that
Steward is always pleasant and has a smile for everyone. She is uncompromising
in her quest for spirituality, quality and excellence in all areas of
church and community life.
Margaret Phillips Taylor attended grades 1-8 at Little Hope Community,
a one-room schoolhouse. At Holloway High School, she was president of
her junior and senior classes and was valedictorian. Taylor graduated
with honors from Tennessee State University and later attended MTSU and
the University of Chicago. She taught elementary school for 34 years,
25 of those years at Reeves-Rogers School. She was the first African-American
president of the Murfreesboro Education Association, and in 1995, she
received the Murfreesboro Educator Award. She is active in numerous organizations,
and she serves as director of Christian education in her church. In July
of last year, she was elected dean of the Sunday School Convention of
Cumberland Association of Primitive Baptist.
Ida Phillips Thomas is a graduate of Holloway High School and Tennessee
State University. She taught for 41 years in the Murfreesboro City Schools
system, retiring in 2000. During her career, she was twice selected by
her peers at Mitchell-Neilson Primary School as a distinguished classroom
teacher. Thomas is a member of Progressive Primitive Baptist Church and
has held various offices. She teaches in the church's summer tutorial
program. She holds membership in numerous organizations, including Delta
Kappa Gamma Society and is on the advisory board of Bradley Nursery School.
The year's MTSU AAHM theme is "Brown v. Board of Education."
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PROVIDING INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS-HIV
education coordinator Mary Owens, left, talks with MTSU freshman psychology
major Samantha Pensyl during the "Tunnel of Love" event
Feb. 9 in Murphy Center. The event included information booths and
student presentations.
photo by J. Intintoli
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Scientific quest
Fifth-grade 4-H winner wanted MTSU physics
T-shirt
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CHAIRMAN GRANTS REQUEST- Campus School
student Eric Dawson, 10, receives a T-shirt in appreciation for his
knowledge of physics and astronomy from Dr. Vic Montemayor, professor,
interim chairman, physics and astronomy.
photo by J. Intintoli |
by Randy Weiler
Homer Pittard Campus School fifth-grade student Eric Dawson had a simple
request when his parents asked him what he would like to have after winning
a recent 4-H speaking contest with a speech titled "Newton's Laws
of Motion and Space Exploration."
All the 10-year-old wanted was a T-shirt like the one displayed at the
new Applebee's restaurant on South Rutherford Boulevard. It was a limited
edition Department of Physics and Astronomy T-shirt. Or, as Dr. Vic Montemayor,
interim chairman, called it, "one of our famous physics and astronomy
football T-shirts."
After "Eric wanted to remove it from the wall," Steve Dawson,
Eric's stay-at-home dad, said that he contacted the department through
alumnus Travis Laurance (B.S. '03).
Steve Dawson sent an e-mail to Montemayor, who informed the father that
the shirts are "collectors' items - they really cannot be obtained
anywhere at this time. However, I happen to have a couple left over, and
in honor of Eric's outstanding success in the 4-H speech contest with
his talk on physics - a very unusual subject to appear in the 4-H talks
I'm sure - it will be my pleasure to award Eric with one of these T-shirts
on behalf of the Department of Physics and Astronomy."
A smiling and inwardly excited Eric not only was presented the T-shirt
by Montemayor in front of faculty and students attending a recent Society
of Physics Students meeting, the youngster, whose father jokingly calls
him "Einstein's reincarnate," received brief personalized tours
from Drs. Bill Robertson, Chuck Higgins and Ron Henderson.
"I thought it was really, really cool," Eric said of the T-shirt,
then admitted, without hesitation, "I'm going to wear it," rather
than framing or hanging the keepsake in a special spot in his Murfreesboro
home.
The young science prodigy said Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Leonardo
Da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei are his science heroes.
"Eric has had an interest in science since he could talk," Brenda
Dawson, his mother, said. "We knew early on we were dealing with
a very high IQ. We know that an interest in science and high intelligence
goes hand in hand."
"Recently, we were at home in our TV room and Eric talked for about
30 minutes, telling us that time doesn't exist but that seasons exist,"
Steve Dawson said. "A few weeks later, we were watching a TV program
and this scientist was talking about how time doesn't exist - the same
thing that Eric had been telling us. ... I'm a science guy, but I have
to study to keep up with him."
Eric said he hopes to attend MIT or Cal Tech one day.
Higgins had some advice for this young science student: "Study hard.
Get scholarships. If he's this interested this early, he's interested."
MTSU Theatre group performs here, worldwide
by Lisa L. Rollins
In presenting an original children's play that
is rich in national heritage, MTSU Theatre will call on Paul Bunyan, Pecos
Bill, Mike Fink, Annie Christmas and Slue Foot Sue-all heroes of America's
tall tales- when it delivers "American Tall Tales" at 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 27-28 at Tucker Theatre.
"This show promises to take us on an incredible
journey with the characters we all know and love," said Jeff Gibson,
assistant professor, speech and theatre. "It will be visually exciting
and full of intense energy and excitement."
"American Tall Tales" will introduce audience members to a rich
American heritage using stories that grew out of the struggles of the
working class.
The original work, "addresses the needs of young people while entertaining
and educating them," Gibson said.
The heritage-inspired play-which is set to travel beyond the United States-
was developed during the 2003 fall semester in a course taught by Dr.
Jette Halladay, professor, speech and theatre.
Halladay said that students in her creative drama course researched tall
tale characters and wrote an original script about those characters, and
the creative process will continue this year with a week of performances
of "American Tall Tales" at MTSU for local school children and
the community.
That process will literally take them around the world. The show has been
invited to perform at youth theatre festivals in Finland, Russia and Latvia
in May, she said.
"During the international tour, MTSU students will teach youth from
various countries through workshops and performance," Halladay said.
"The students will be taught by theater professionals from the countries
represented at the festivals, (and) they will also have the chance to
learn about the people and cultures of the countries being visited,"
she said.
Also, "It will offer the first publication of a collaborative play
from MTSU students and faculty," Halladay said. "It will be
the first international tour of a MTSU Theatre production, and it will
be the first U.S. production many of the foreign audiences will have seen.
And, for many of our students, it will be their first time traveling abroad."
For advance tickets to the MTSU performances, call 615-898-2103 or visit
the ticket office at Floyd Stadium, Gate 1A.
Tickets also will be available at the door. Tickets are $8 general admission,
$6 for MTSU employees and senior citizens, and $4 for K-12 students. MTSU
students with ID will be admitted free. Proceeds from the Feb. 27-28 performances
will help support student travel for the international tour.
For school group matinees Feb. 24-27, call Gibson at 615-898-5916.
For an alumni theater reunion on Feb. 28, call 615-898-2922 or visit www.mtalumni.com.
The $30 reunion reservation will include a ticket to the performance and
a wine reception following the show at the Alumni Center. This event will
mark the first meeting of the Theatre Chapter of the MTSU National Alumni
Association.
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ACROBATS PERFORM HERE MARCH 3-The Chinese
Golden Dragon Acrobats have performed in all 50 states and in 65 countries.
This year marks the acrobats' 25th consecutive year of touring. They
combine acrobatic stunts, gravity-defying balancing acts, traditional
dance, colorful costumes and ancient theatrical techniques into their
show. The acrobats will perform at 7:30 p.m. March 3 in Tucker Theatre.
The performance is free and open to the public. For more information,
call 615-898-2551. |
Student remembers terror of life in Iraq
by Lesley Seaver
Imagine you're from a foreign country. You've escaped a terrifying past.
But you don't know anyone. You can't read, write, add or subtract. You
look different from the rest of the students around you. This isn't the
life most people live-but it was the only life Nishtiman Tayip knew.
Nishtiman was born in Kurdistan, a region of Iraq. When she was 6 years
old, she and her family fled after Saddam Hussein forced Kurdish citizens
to leave Iraq. After Saddam released nerve gas on the Kurds, Nishtiman's
family was on the run for three days before reaching the Turkish border.
"I remember being so tired, I couldn't even walk," Nishtiman
said. "A lot of people didn't make it, and some were my relatives.
We buried them along the way. Everyone was crying and holding onto my
mother."
At the Turkish border, the Kurds denied them entry into the country.
"The (Turkish) people said they didn't want Kurds either," she
said.
Two hours before Saddam's forces could get to them, the Kurds relented
and allowed them into Turkey, dividing them into three refugee camps.
"They were called refugee camps, but they were more like concentration
camps," she said. "There was no heat, water or electricity.
People were beaten to death and buried alive."
Nishtiman and her family were given only three pieces of bread a day.
This was supposed to feed 11 people. She believes it's possible that the
limited bread portions were poisoned because some people died after eating
it.
Many people also perished from pneumonia during the cold winter, especially
those who lived in tents and had no or few blankets. Nishtiman's family
had to get by with only two blankets.
After living in the camp for about four years, immigration officials interviewed
the Kurds, and some were sent to live elsewhere. Nishtiman, along with
her parents and nine siblings, were chosen to leave.
"The people who helped us were from Nashville," she said. "They
brought us all and bought us a house."
It was at this time that Nishtiman's life really changed.
Having never attended school before, she enrolled in Hillsboro High School,
where she caught on very quickly. She learned how to read, write and use
numbers so well that she began appearing on the honor roll. However, it
was in high school where she encountered more discrimination.
"My principal told me that she didn't have time for international
students," Nishtiman said. "I also had people tell me that I
needed to go back to my country."
Despite the many obstacles, Nishtiman and her family became U.S. citizens
in 1998. Soon afterward, she enrolled at Nashville State Technical Institute.
"I went there for two years, then transferred to MTSU. My major is
chemistry, and I want to go to pharmacy school."
She also wants to go back to her homeland some day and help people.
"I would cry to my mother that I wanted to help people," she
said. "There were so many sick people. Three people were in one hospital
bed."
As for the situation between Iraq and the United States, Nishtiman believes
that Saddam needed to be out of power.
"Invading Iraq was a good decision. ... Democracy is the best way
to go."
Nishtiman is currently a senior at MTSU. She lives in Nashville's Kurdish
community. She is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society
and an employee of Eastland Pharmacy.
A devout Muslim, she regularly attends a mosque and fasts according to
the Islamic tradition during the holy month of Ramadan.
"We fast in order to feel what other people feel when they are hungry
and also to cleanse our bodies from sin," she said. "We don't
drink, smoke or have sexual relations from sunrise to sunset."
Nishtiman and her five sisters and four brothers have come a long way
from war-stricken Kurdistan.
However, she still can give a firsthand account of racism in America and
what she and many like her have had to face to overcome adversity and
gain acceptance in a new land.
Civil War storySymposium focuses on Stones River
by Lisa L. Rollins
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VISITING STONES RIVER BATTLEFIELD
-- U.S. Colored Troops re-enactors visit Stones River national Battlefield
in Murfreesboro last summer. They will be part of "The Legacy
of Stones River: Slavery and the Civil War in Tennessee" symposium
this March.
photo from National
Park Service
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A one-day symposium, "The Legacy of Stones River: Slavery and the
Civil War in Tennessee," will focus on telling the story of the Civil
War and Reconstruction and the impact of slavery on the coming of the
Civil War in Tennessee. It will be held March 6 at MTSU.
Sponsored by Stones River National Battlefield, the Tennessee Civil War
National Heritage Area, Eastern National, MTSU's history department, the
Teaching American History/Cumberland River Valley Consortium Project,
the daylong symposium is open to the public. Registration is $10 per person
and pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
Lauren Batte, heritage area specialist at MTSU, said the educational event
will begin at 8 a.m. March 6 at MTSU's Alumni Center. After a lunch break,
the symposium will resume with 1:30 p.m. re-enactments at Fortress Rosecrans
in Murfreesboro before moving to Stones River Battlefield for tours.
Virginia native Charles Dew, who teaches at Williams College and authored
a book, "Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and
the Causes of the Civil War" (University Press of Virginia 2001),
will be the event's featured speaker. Also, Gary Edwards of the University
of Memphis will present his research on slavery in West Tennessee and
discuss how slavery differed across the state.
"Slavery greatly influenced economic, cultural and political life
in Tennessee during the antebellum period," Batte said. "The
role of slavery in leading Tennessee to secede from the Union and move
toward Civil War, however, has stirred debate for generations of Tennesseans."
In addition to presentations by Dew and Edwards during the upcoming event,
Linda Wynn of the Tennessee Historical Commission and Fisk University
will discuss what slavery was like for enslaved African Americans, while
Robert Gudmestad of Southwest Baptist University will present his research
on the enterprise of slave trading.
Now in its second year as an annual event and its first year on the MTSU
campus, "The Legacy of Stones River" symposium will give scholars,
history professionals and history enthusiasts an opportunity to explore
slavery and Civil War issues through the presentation of current research,
open discussion, a demonstration by U.S. Colored Troops re-enactors and
tours of two significant Murfreesboro Civil War sites, Batte said.
"Anyone interested in these issues will want to attend the one-day
symposium on March 6," she said.
To register for the event, call Stones River National Battlefield at 615-893-9501
or the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area at 615-494-8910. For
a brochure, access one of the following Web sites, www.nps.gov/stri or
histpres.mtsu.edu/tncivwar.
For more information regarding the symposium, contact the Tennessee Civil
War National Heritage Area at MTSU at 615-898-2637.
Guitar festival continues on
campus
by Lisa L. Rollins
The 3rd annual Tennessee Guitar Festival, which began Feb. 20, features
six consecutive days of concerts beginning at 8 o'clock nightly through
Feb. 25 in the WMB Music Hall.
In addition to the evening concerts, several visiting artists will present
master classes at 10 a.m. Feb. 23-24 and at 11 a.m. Feb. 25.
"This year's festival is the largest of its kind in the state,"
said Dr. William Yelverton, professor of guitar at MTSU. "This is
an opportunity for guitar enthusiasts to enjoy a rare event, six concerts
and three master classes, all free and open to the public."
The festival began Feb. 20 with performances through Feb. 25.
Douglas James, a prize-winning classical guitarist who uses 19th century
guitars when playing music of the Classical and Romantic periods, will
give a master class at 10 a.m. on Feb. 23.
Jim Piorkowski, a recording artist, composer and arranger, will perform
Feb. 23 in addition to delivering a 10 a.m. master class that day. A professor
of music and head of the guitar studies program at the Fredonia School
of Music at State University College of New York, Piorkowski will perform
an evening concert of his original works for guitar.
On the evening of Feb. 24, Croatian artist Ana Vidovic, an internationally
known, prize-winning guitarist, will perform the music of Bach, Paganini
and Ponce. Vidovic also will present a master class at 11 a.m. on Feb.
25.
Wrapping up the festival on Feb. 25 will be a concert by Elliot Frank,
who also is an international prize-winning guitarist and professor at
East Carolina University. Frank's concert will feature the music of Bach
as well as Latin-American composers.
All concerts and master classes are free and open to the public. "Area
guitar students and enthusiasts are encouraged to attend them all,"
Yelverton said.
For information on the festival and its artists, visit the Web site at
www.mtsu.edu/~yelverto/guitfest.html.
Visually impaired prof rides,
rock climbs
by Lesley Seaver
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CHERISHED ACTIVITY-Dr. Tara Perry, associate
professor, HPERS, who is visually impaired, enjoys riding a horse
at a farm in Lascassas.
photo by J. Intintoli |
Dr Tara Perry loves the outdoors. She rides horses,
rock climbs, hikes, plays with her dogs and walks. Equipped with a doctorate
in recreation from Penn State, she teaches recreation therapy classes,
advises students and enjoys reading. She has a positive outlook on life.
But 13 years ago, she was uncertain if she would ever be able to do those
things. At age 25, Perry, associate professor, HPERS, lost her ability
to see.
While in college, Perry went to see an eye doctor about getting contact
lenses. "I had always had trouble seeing at night. But I never thought
that was a big deal," she said.
The doctor told her she suffered from an uncommon hereditary disease called
retinitis pigmentosa, which gradually causes a complete loss of vision.
There is no cure or fullproof prevention method. She was 22 when she was
diagnosed.
"People told me it would take decades before I would lose my sight,"
she said. "But by 25, I had quit driving and had completely lost
my peripheral vision. Slowly, I lost my center vision."
Perry realized her life was changing dramatically. She began asking herself
what she could do.
Reflecting on the things she enjoyed doing the most, which included working
with animals and people, Perry decided to pursue her doctorate in recreation
in order to teach.
"When you have a disability, you need credentials. I wanted to be
highly qualified. I love teaching and working with students."
She taught at Georgia Southern University, Texas Tech and the University
of Mississippi before coming to MTSU. She insists that moving a lot has
been a good challenge for her. All the places she has lived provide different
types of richness for her, she said.
To get around Murfreesboro, Perry relies on the help of her dog, Kirby.
He helps her find the correct path and nudges her out of the way of barriers.
He also stops her at stairs, curves and crosswalks. She also has another
dog, Kelso, a retired guide dog, and a cat.
Recently, Perry has become involved with horseback riding. A former student,
Jessica Roberson (2000), takes her once or twice a week to a farm called
Stolen Moments in Lascassas, where she enjoys riding, her most cherished
activity.
One of her other hobbies is rock climbing, although she says it's been
awhile since she has participated in it. A few years ago, Perry took the
rock climbing course at MTSU.
"My teacher would climb beside me and talk me through it. Before
I took the course, I had a fear of heights. It was a good mental and physical
challenge for me."
Challenge has been a huge part of Perry's life, but she has a positive
attitude.
"Any loss is an adjustment. I am amazed at what I can do with my
hearing in such a visual world. It's interesting. Everybody's life experience
with a disability is different."
As for day to day frustrations, she insists she deals with the ones she
can and vents a whole lot.
She relieves her stress by embracing quiet time and riding horses. She
has also tried yoga, meditation and using a treadmill. She strongly believes
in never ignoring emotions, but to keep pressing onwards.
"My philosophy ... to keep aware and just adapt to everyday life.
If I don't ever see again, that's all right. But I do think it would be
great if I could drive again at 95."
KOM fire drill set for Feb. 24
by Doug Williams
Citing the importance of learning proper safety
practices, MTSU officials have planned the second university emergency
preparedness drill for 10 a.m. Feb. 24 in the Kirksey Old Main-E.W. Midgett
building complex.
All faculty, staff and students who are normally in the KOM complex on
Tuesdays are encouraged to participate in the drill, said Gerald Caudill,
a member of the university Emergency Preparedness Committee. Their participation
will serve as a learning process for safety personnel, as well as the
university community.
"The KOM is one of the oldest buildings on campus, and it is one
of the busiest in terms of faculty and student usage when combined with
the connected Midgett building," said Caudill, manager, building
maintenance service. "When the alarm sounds, we ask everyone to calmly,
immediately exit the building. Only by doing this can safety personnel
get a realistic idea of how long it will take and what problems are involved
in the evacuation of the building."
MTSU safety personnel will conduct the drill in cooperation with the Murfreesboro
Fire Department.
Two years ago, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee appointed a university
Emergency Preparedness Committee with a charge to develop procedures that
would enhance and promote safety on campus. In fall 2003, MTSU began the
practice of conducting regular emergency drills, and the first was conducted
in Cope Administration Building on Oct. 1, 2003.
The objectives of the drills are to familiarize staff with evacuation
procedures, planning for the needs of disabled students or staff and raise
awareness of crisis planning.
Because of the size of the KOM-Midgett complex, the drill should take
about one hour, he said.
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SEIGENTHALER INVOLVED WITH FACULTY-MTSU supporter and retired newspaper
publisher John Seigenthaler talks about his new book on James K.
Polk in the Bragg Mass Communication Building during a recent mass
communication faculty meeting. The John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence
in First Amendment Studies at MTSU is named in his honor.
photo by J. Intintoli
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