M TSU has landed in the top 15 percent of military-friendly schools in the United States, according to a recent survey by G.I. Jobs magazine. Tennessee’s largest undergraduate university currently enrolls nearly 1,000 veterans. MTSU originally saw an increase in veteran stu- dents after the first G.I. Bill was passed in 1945. The higher-education veterans’ popu- lation doubled after passage of the Post 9-11 G.I. Bill, which allowed virtually unlimited funds for a veteran pursuing further education, said Dr. Derek Frisby, assistant professor of history and a veterans’ adviser at MTSU. MTSU’s Military Center, established in 2009, is a major reason for the university’s top ranking in the magazine’s Military-Friendly Schools 2011 List. Considered a “one-stop shop” in the University College for veteran students, its services help soldiers recall how to be students and to make the transition into the classroom. The center provides a support structure for veteran and military students and aims to create a positive and successful experience at MTSU, said Cathy Delametter, Military Center coor- dinator. Some services offered to students are readjust- ment counseling, career direction, the Blue Raider American Veteran Organization or B.R.A.V.O., aca- demic advising, assessment of military credit and processing educational benefits. Veterans can choose degrees that maximize their specialized training. Students may choose beginning classes through veteran learning commu- nities, which Delametter said can give them a more comfortable classroom setting and may increase their potential for success. “We process the G.I. educational benefits and work very organized so that no one is forgotten in the filing process,” said Veterans Affairs Coordinator Ray Howell, who works in MTSU’s Records Office. “We never handle paperwork twice.” Howell’s office even contacts veteran students if W orld War II veteran Charles A. Jones of McMinnville will be the recipient of the 21st annual Joe Nunley Award on Saturday, Nov. 13, at MTSU. The presentation to Jones will be made during pregame picnic festivities as part of the 29th annual Salute to Armed Services/Veterans Day activities, said Maj. Chuck Giles, assistant professor of military science. The events are a prelude to MTSU’s 2:30 p.m. Sun Belt Conference game against North Texas. Along with their family members, vet- erans and active-duty military personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard are welcome to partici- pate, Giles said. A Veterans’ Memorial Service will be held outside the Tom H. Jackson Building starting at 11:30 a.m. The catered picnic will start at noon outside the Rose and Emmett Kennon Hall of Fame, and the Nunley Award presentation will begin at 1 p.m. In case of inclement weather, activi- ties will be moved indoors. Jones, born in 1923, is a native of McMinnville. He graduated from McMinnville High School and attended a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community www.mtsunews.com • Nov. 1, 2010 • Vol. 19/No. 9 Inside this edition: Chinese Film Festival under way, page 2 Walking through WWII history, page 6 Senior shares cultural heritage, page 8 RAD CLASSES ARE BACK! A series of free Rape Aggression Defense classes will be offered every Thursday through Dec. 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the MTSU Police training room, 1412 E. Main St. The RAD class is open to all female MTSU students, fac- ulty and staff and the general pub- lic. Enrollment is limited; for more information or to enroll, call MTSU RAD Instructor David Smith at 615-692-2424. www.mtsunews.com NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID MURFREESBORO TN PERMIT NO. 169 IN BRIEF Unforgettable trip, page 2 Unforgettable trip, page 2 Serving, saluting MTSU’s veterans See ‘Nov. 13’ page 5 by Leslie Lynn [email protected]A little change Make a big blue difference for MTSU’s neighbors in 2011 see page 3 from Staff Reports [email protected]Nov. 13 planned as day of Armed Services events Campus can ‘bleed blue’ to beat WKU, save lives M TSU and Director of Athletics Chris Massaro have challenged Western Kentucky University to a blood- donation drive to see whose fans will lend a hand and hold out an arm. The campaign, “Bleed Blue to Beat WKU,” will be held Nov. 15-18 leading up to the football game between the two schools on Saturday, Nov. 20. Both universities have partnered with the American Red Cross and plan to make this an annual event before the MTSU-WKU gridiron clash. The winner of the blood-drive challenge will be announced at half- time of the Nov. 20 game in Bowling Green, Ky. “This is an excellent opportunity to help the community and save lives at the same time. It is even bet- ter when you can make it a competi- tion against your biggest rival,” Massaro said. “I hope Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky can make this event an annual suc- cess. I encourage all Blue Raider fans to come help us with this noble cause.” To be counted in the competi- tion, all MTSU blood donations must be collected at the Student Health Wellness and Recreation Center. Magazine names university as ‘military-friendly’ See ‘Magazine’ page 5 See ‘Campus’ page 5
Transcript
MTSU has landed in the top 15 percentof military-friendly schools in theUnited States, according to a recent
survey by G.I. Jobs magazine. Tennessee’s largest undergraduate university
currently enrolls nearly 1,000 veterans. MTSUoriginally saw an increase in veteran stu-dents after the first G.I. Bill was passed in1945. The higher-education veterans’ popu-lation doubled after passage of the Post 9-11 G.I. Bill, which allowed virtuallyunlimited funds for a veteran pursuing furthereducation, said Dr. Derek Frisby, assistant professorof history and a veterans’ adviser at MTSU.
MTSU’s Military Center, established in 2009, is amajor reason for the university’s top ranking in themagazine’s Military-Friendly Schools 2011 List.
Considered a “one-stop shop” in the UniversityCollege for veteran students, its services help soldiersrecall how to be students and to make the transitioninto the classroom. The center provides a supportstructure for veteran and military students and aimsto create a positive and successful experience atMTSU, said Cathy Delametter, Military Center coor-dinator.
Some services offered to students are readjust-ment counseling, career direction, the Blue RaiderAmerican Veteran Organization or B.R.A.V.O., aca-demic advising, assessment of military credit andprocessing educational benefits.
Veterans can choose degrees that maximize
their specialized training. Students may choosebeginning classes through veteran learning commu-nities, which Delametter said can give them a morecomfortable classroom setting and may increase theirpotential for success.
“We process the G.I. educational benefits andwork very organized so that no one is forgotten inthe filing process,” said Veterans Affairs CoordinatorRay Howell, who works in MTSU’s Records Office.“We never handle paperwork twice.”
Howell’s office even contacts veteran students if
World War II veteran Charles A.Jones of McMinnville will be therecipient of the 21st annual Joe
Nunley Award on Saturday, Nov. 13, atMTSU.
The presentation to Jones will bemade during pregame picnic festivitiesas part of the 29th annual Salute to
Armed Services/Veterans Day activities,said Maj. Chuck Giles, assistant professorof military science. The events are a prelude to MTSU’s 2:30 p.m. Sun BeltConference game against North Texas.
Along with their family members, vet-erans and active-duty military personnelfrom the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marinesand Coast Guard are welcome to partici-pate, Giles said.
A Veterans’ Memorial Service will beheld outside the Tom H. Jackson Buildingstarting at 11:30 a.m. The catered picnicwill start at noon outside the Rose andEmmett Kennon Hall of Fame, and theNunley Award presentation will begin at 1 p.m. In case of inclement weather, activi-ties will be moved indoors.
Jones, born in 1923, is a native ofMcMinnville. He graduated fromMcMinnville High School and attended
a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community www.mtsunews.com • Nov. 1, 2010 • Vol. 19/No. 9
Inside this edition:Chinese Film Festival under way, page 2Walking through WWII history, page 6Senior shares cultural heritage, page 8
MTSU and Director ofAthletics Chris Massarohave challenged Western
Kentucky University to a blood-donation drive to see whose fanswill lend a hand and hold out anarm.
The campaign, “Bleed Blue toBeat WKU,” will be held Nov. 15-18
leading up to the football gamebetween the two schools onSaturday, Nov. 20. Both universitieshave partnered with the AmericanRed Cross and plan to make this anannual event before the MTSU-WKUgridiron clash.
The winner of the blood-drivechallenge will be announced at half-
time of the Nov. 20 game in BowlingGreen, Ky.
“This is an excellent opportunityto help the community and savelives at the same time. It is even bet-ter when you can make it a competi-tion against your biggest rival,”Massaro said. “I hope MiddleTennessee and Western Kentucky
can make this event an annual suc-cess. I encourage all Blue Raider fansto come help us with this noblecause.”
To be counted in the competi-tion, all MTSU blood donations mustbe collected at the Student HealthWellness and Recreation Center.
Magazine namesuniversity as ‘military-friendly’
See ‘Magazine’ page 5
See ‘Campus’ page 5
page 2 The Record Nov. 1, 2010
This past summer, I returned home from Tanzania, Africa, where I vol-unteered for three weeks with 25 other cadets from schools all over thenation, all paid by university Reserve Officer Training Corps groups.
I saw a side of the world that maybe a quarter of Americans, if that many,will ever experience. My volunteer work consisted of teaching little children,ages 5 to 7, subjects such as math and English and, most importantly, nurseryrhymes.
Along with teaching, we were given opportunities to visit places like theNgorongoro Crater, The Serengeti ecosystem and geographical region innorthwest Tanzania, and the villages of the ancient Masai tribe.
Let me tell you, seeing the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater live putsNational Geographic to shame! Having been to these places that are said to be“great” and “fantastic,” I have learned that such adjectives are an understate-ment. The sights were breathtaking.
Most people would be terrified to travel to Africa, but I saw this as anopportunity for adventure and a new perspective. Best part of the trip: It wasfree!
I couldn’t explain in one article how magnificent this country is and theamount of generosity I was shown by their people, but I can say that I thinkabout that place every day, wondering what will be next for the Tanzanians.
Being in that country gave me the feeling that I had walked through atime machine and landed where there were no washers and dryers, no cleanwater and other luxuries we see as necessities, and I think of how far theUnited States has come. I am and always will be extremely grateful for thechance to have seen in person what I have always seen on television.
Erika Ortega, 21, of Clarksville, Tenn., is president and captain of the MTSUwomen’s rugby team and an MS IV, or senior military science, cadet. She plans to
graduate in May 2011 with a global-studies degree and receive her commission.Because her father, William, served in the military, she has been to numerous coun-tries, including Japan and Germany.
Tanzania trip is unforgettable for senior ROTC cadetby Erika Ortega
MTSU’s Sunday NightChinese Film Festival isreturning for the fall semes-
ter with cinema guaranteed tointrigue, entertain and educate,organizers say.
All movies in the series haveEnglish subtitles and are free andopen to the public.
Co-sponsored by the College ofMass Communication and theConfucius Institute, the festival, nowin its 11th semester, kicked off Oct. 24and continues onSunday, Nov. 7,with “MountainPatrol,” the 2004true story ofvolunteerrangers fightingto save theendangered Tibetanantelope from a bandof ruthless poachers in the massiveKekexili wildlife reserve.
On Sunday, Nov. 14, “RidingAlone for Thousands of Miles” is thefeature, directed by Yimou Zhang andtelling the 2005 tale of a Japanese fish-erman battling language barriers andgovernment red tape to complete hisdying son’s unfinished documentary.
And on Sunday, Nov. 21, the festi-val’s fall 2010 semester will concludewith “Go Lala Go!”, a 2010 romanticcomedy by actress/director/writer
Xu Jinglei about a white-collar work-er’s joys and pains as she grows froman office rookie into a humanresources manager.
Each movie will begin promptlyat 6 p.m. in COMM 103. Followingeach movie, Liu Jue, a master’sdegree candidate in the College ofMass Communication, will lead aquestion-and-answer session.
Founded in 2004, the ConfuciusInstitute is a nonprofit organizationestablished to strengthen educational
ship with Hangzhou NormalUniversity of China with the spon-sorship and authorization of theOffice of Chinese Language CouncilInternational under the ChineseMinistry of Education.
For more information about thefilm festival, call the ConfuciusInstitute at 615-494-8696 or Dr. RobertSpires, professor of electronic mediacommunication, at 615-898-2217.
Chinese Film Festival under way
Sunday-night cinema returns
Submit your behind-the-scenes “For the Record” columns, Campus Calendar items, Faculty/Staff Update news and other tips to [email protected] by 3
p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3, for the Nov. 15 edition of The Record or 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, for the Nov. 29 Record. The final edition for fall 2010 is Dec.13, so submit your late December and early January 2011 items before 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1. Thanks!
Get noticed in The Record !
LEARNING AND LAUGHING—MTSU senior Erika Ortega, center right, is joined byattentive Tanzanian children as she teaches math, English and nursery rhymes duringher summer 2010 volunteer trip to the central east African nation.
photo courtesy of Erika Ortega
Have you been dreaming ofa white Christmas? Signup by Friday, Nov. 19, for a
Dec. 18-23 Skiing and Snowboard-ing Trip to Breckenridge, Colo.,with Campus Recreation.
This trip to Colorado’s premiereresort will cost $825 for each stu-dent, $850 for faculty and staff and$875 for each guest, all with airfareincluded. If you have your owntransportation, the cost is $485 eachfor students, $510 for faculty and
staff and $535 for guests. Get your snowshoes on and
don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime experience! If you are notan experienced skier or snowboard-er, don’t worry; instruction is avail-able at the resort.
For more information about theSkiing and Snowboarding Trip toBreckenridge, contact Josh Stone at615-898-2104 or visit www.mtsu.edu/~camprec.
Sign up for Breckenridge ski trip
The deadline to submit appli-cations for money fromMTSU’s Distinguished
Lecture Fund for spring 2011 speak-ers is Friday, Nov. 19.
The Distinguished LectureCommittee seeks to promoteappearances by speakers who focuson regional, national and globalissues in a variety of fields.Through the Distinguished LectureFund, the committee supports aca-demic and other departments thatwish to bring recognized experts tothe MTSU campus.
Preference will be given tofunding visits from well-knownspeakers who can bring educationalexcellence to campus. Speakers may
include authors, lecturers, politi-cians and other relevant individu-als. Programs generally should beopen to students, faculty, staff andcommunity members withoutcharge.
Apply online at www.mtsu.edu/nsfp/fund_nsfp.shtml. Applicants willreceive an e-mail confirmation fromcommittee member Gina Poff with-in three working days, and theDistinguished Lectures Committeewill meet shortly after the deadlineto review the applications for fund-ing.
For more information, visit thewebsite or contact Poff via e-mail [email protected].
Distinguished Lecture deadline is Nov. 19
The MTSU Employee Charitable Giving Campaign is now under way insupport of several local charities, said Dr. Gloria Bonner, campaignchair.
"Make a Big Blue Difference" is the 2010 theme, and the goal is toreceive at least $85,000 in pledges this year. Pledge forms must beturned in by Tuesday, Nov. 30.
With slightly more than 2,200 employees at MTSU, this goalcan be easily attained if each employee pledges $40 per year orjust $3.33 per month. Brown-bagging your lunch for oneworkday a month can help you make that simple gift!
“The need continues and gets greater from those whobenefit from our giving,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPheesaid. “There are challenges every year, but we always step upto meet them. What you give doesn’t have to be a large gift; adollar makes a difference in the lives of the people we help.”
Gifts may be designated to any charitable organization from alist of nine independent charities and three federated charitable organi-zations, including Community Health Charities, Community Shares and thelocal United Way.
The payroll-deduction option is provided and is a cost-effective way of
making a gift. Employees also have the option of writing a personal check,made payable to "MTSU Employee Giving Campaign," as a one-time paymentmethod.
All campaign material, including the printable pledge form, isonline at www.mtsu.edu/givemtsu.
Submit pledge forms to your division’s team captain:• Academic Affairs—Dr. Hilary Stallings, [email protected],
MTSU Box 546 or 615-898-5039;• Business and Finance—Janice Benson, [email protected],
Cope Administration Building Room 119 or 615-898-2852;• Development and University Relations—Belinda Young,
[email protected], Box 109 or 615-898-5014;• Information Technology Division—Cassie Leyhew,
[email protected], CAB 217 or 615-898-5570; or• Student Affairs, Enrollment and Academic Services—
Pat Grimes, [email protected], Box 196 or 615-898-5342. Team captains should submit all forms to Dr. Rosemary Owens in
CAB 111 by Nov. 30, so employees should sign and submit their pledge formsto their captains before that date.
For more information, contact Allison McGoffin at 615-898-2953.
The Record Nov. 1, 2010 page 3
Make a big blue difference by giving this year
Support art scholarships at exhibit, sale
Editor's note: The dates and times for the SeasonalExhibit and Sale changed after the Oct. 18 edition of TheRecord, where this article was first published, went to press.The article below contains the new, correct dates and times forthe event.
MTSU’s Department of Art is continuing its suc-cessful Art Scholarship Seasonal Exhibit andSale with another fundraising event set for
Nov. 10-11.The exhibit and sale, begun in fall 2008 as a effort to
raise funds for various scholarships within the depart-ment, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. onWednesday and Thursday, Nov. 10 and 11.
The works included in the exhibit and sale havebeen collected from art-department faculty members,staff, students, alumni and friends in the community,organizers said.
"This is our third annual sale to promote Departmentof Art scholarships. It promises to be our best yet," saidDr. Jean Nagy, department chair.
Continuing in the original vein of donors’ choice,funds from the sale of each piece will go to a scholarshipfund designated by each artwork’s donor.
Current art scholarships include:• the Hester Rogers Ray Scholarship for art-
education students;
• the Charles Massey Scholarship for second-semester studio-art majors;
• the Dr. Charles Brandon Scholarship for studio-art majors;
• the John and Elva Griffin Scholarship for incomingfreshmen majoring in art;
• the Jill Montgomery Scholarship for art-historymajors;
• the David LeDoux Scholarship for studio-artmajors;
• the Ollie Fancher Scholarship for graphic-designmajors;
• the Lon Nuell Scholarship for incoming freshmenmajoring in art; and
• Department of Art Scholarships for art majors.The department also will feature exhibitions of work
by Bachelor of Fine Arts degree candidates throughoutNovember and December in the Todd Gallery. BFAStudio 1 artists will be on exhibit Nov. 8-12, while BFAStudio 2 artists will exhibit their work Nov. 15-19 andBFA Studio 3 artists will be on exhibit Nov. 29-Dec. 3.
Opening receptions for the three exhibits areplanned on each exhibit’s opening day (Nov. 8, 15 and29) from 6 to 8 p.m. All the BFA exhibits will be openduring the Todd Gallery’s regular operating hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
For more information on the scholarship exhibit andsale or the BFA degree candidates’ exhibits, call 615-898-2455.
SEE HOW WE’VE GROWN—MTSU Human Sciences ProfessorNancy Oxford, left, shows stu-dent work to State Sens. BillKetron, center, and Jim Tracy dur-ing a tour of the Ellington HumanSciences Building during an openhouse celebrating “100 Years ofHuman Sciences” on Oct. 14. Theevent also featured interactivecooking demonstrations, studentdisplays and a pumpkin-carvingcontest. Students majoring inhuman sciences may chooseemphases in textiles, merchandis-ing and design, family and con-sumer studies, nutrition and foodsciences, and interior design.
MTSU Photographic Services
photo by Andy Heidt
Happy birthday!
BFA candidates set late fall display
Dr. Conrad C. Crane, direc-tor of the U.S. ArmyMilitary History Institute,
will speak at MTSU on Tuesday,Nov. 2, on “America’s Counterin-surgency War: Iraq and Afghani-stan.”
Crane’s address is scheduledto begin at 7 p.m. in the StateFarm Lecture Hall of MTSU’sBusiness and Aerospace Building(Room S102). The lecture is freeand open to the public and willbe followed by a question-and-answer period.
Crane is thelead author ofthe currentArmy-U.S.Marine Corpscounterinsur-gency fieldmanual,released inDecember 2006.When the man-ual was released, Crane toldMilitary.com that warring nationswill continue resorting to insur-gencies because they cannot takeon the U.S. military in conven-tional warfare. “Enemies willmake us fight these kinds of warsuntil we get them right,” Cranesaid. “Then they’ll switch.”
A published author and vet-eran of 26 years of military serv-ice, including nine years as a pro-fessor of history at the U.S.Military Academy at West Point,Crane holds a bachelor’s degreefrom West Point and master’s anddoctoral degrees from StanfordUniversity.
Crane’s lecture is part of theMTSU Distinguished LectureSeries and is presented under thejoint sponsorship of theDepartments of History andPolitical Science, the College ofLiberal Arts and the Society forMilitary History.
For more information aboutthe lecture, contact Dr. RobertHunt, professor of history atMTSU, at 615-898-2536.
Counterinsurgencytactics by Americaare speaker’s topic
Crane
Event dates, times and
locations may change after
press time. Please verify
specifics when making plans.
“Out of the Blue”
Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 5 p.m.NewsChannel 5+: Sundays, 1:30 p.m.Visit www.mtsunews.comfor other cable-outlet airtimesor www.youtube.com/mtsunewsfor a complete show archive.
Wednesday, Nov. 3, for theNov. 15 edition of The Recordor 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16,for the Nov. 29 Record. Thefinal edition for fall 2010 isDec. 13, so submit your lateDecember and early January2011 items before 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 1. Thanks!
Get noticed in The Record !
Nov. 4
Nov. 10
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Nov. 12
The Record Nov. 1, 2010 page 5
MTSU student-athletes, studentambassadors, fraternities andsororities will check in donorsand hand out juice and cookiesafter donations have been made.
Donors must be 17 or older,weigh at least 110 pounds andbe in general good health. Theyalso must provide identification.Blood donors may park in thegravel lot on MTSU Boulevardor at the Recreation Center.
Appointments aren’trequired, but donors can makean appointment to donate by
visiting www.redcrossblood.org,clicking on the dark-blue “Makea Blood Donation Appointment”box on the right and entering thesponsor code of MTSU19.Appointments may be madeuntil Sunday, Nov. 14, the daybefore the competition begins.
Campus from page 1they have not confirmed their class-es or paid fees by the purge date sothey don’t have to go through thefrustration of signing up for classesagain.
Delametter, who also is a mem-ber of the university’s MilitaryIssues Committee, works with thestudents on the adult degree-com-pletion program.
“This is an appealing option formany family-oriented students,”Delametter said, explaining thatveteran students are placed withveteran advisers to help smooth thetransition process.
Veterans also can get involvedin B.R.A.V.O., a student-run organi-zation providing veterans’ serviceson campus.
Frisby said veteran studentscomplete their degrees at a slightlyhigher and faster rate than nonvet-erans, but he added that veteransalso have a higher dropout rate,possibly because of the demands oftheir family lives.
“The high caliber of maturity inthe military brings students withexperiences, diversity, leadershipand different perspectives,” Frisbysaid.
The future of MTSU’s MilitaryCenter depends on a pending grantto fund a director’s position and anadviser. For more information, con-tact Delametter at [email protected] or 615-494-8952, or visitwww.mtsu.edu/military.
Magazine from page 1
Honors College publications earn national acclaim
Two University Honors College publications, Honors Edition and Collage:A Journal of Creative Expression, received awards in September, DeanJohn Vile said.
Honors Edition, the Honors College newsletter/magazine, earned secondplace in the National Collegiate Honors Council Publications Board NewsletterContest.
Honors Edition, which was one of 12entries in the Faculty/Administrator/StudentPublished category, is a two-color magazine.Regular features include honors faculty newsand profiles; student study-abroad stories,theses, student news, Buchanan Fellowshipupdates and scholarship and award winners; and alumni news and profiles.Marsha Powers serves as Honors Edition editor.
Collage, the arts and literary magazine of the Honors College, received anoverall Gold Medalist Certificate, the highest rating given by the ColumbiaScholastic Press Association, a program affiliated with the Graduate School ofJournalism at Columbia University in New York City.
The fall 2009 and spring 2010 issues of Collage also received the GoldMedalist Certificate. The magazine received All-Columbian Honors for specialmerit in the organization and design categories. All-Columbian Honors aregiven only when a publication is in the 95th percentile or higher in one or
more of three categories.May 2010 honors graduate Jasmine Gray,
who was selected for the USA Today All-USACollege Academic First Team, was editor of thefall 2009 and spring 2010 issues of Collage.Jennifer Johnson was assistant editor, and artmajors Danny McClain and Nathan Henrisdesigned the fall and spring issues.
Vile noted that honors publications contin-ue to underscore the excellence of MTSU’s programs and that Powers has donean extraordinary job supervising the publications. He added that the collegesoon will be publishing Scientia et Humanitas, a journal of undergraduateresearch.
Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville.Inducted into the U.S. Army at age 20 in 1943, Jones
served until December 1945, said Harriett L. Howard, aformer nurse and veteran and recipient of the NunleyAward in 1999. Jones served in the 88th Infantry Division,known as the Blue Devils, which fought from NorthAfrica to Italy and to the Brenner Pass in Austria.
After the war, Jones was employed by First NationalBank of McMinnville for more than 20 years. In 1965,Jones was elected state adjutant-quartermaster for theVeterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Tennessee. Inthis role, he accounted for funds of 142 VFW posts fromKingsport to Memphis and served his fellow veteranswith distinction until retiring in 1988, Howard said.
Sixteen alumni officers also have been invited to bespecial guests of university President Sidney A. McPheeand his wife, Liz, for the day’s events.
MT Athletics and the Department of Military Scienceare collaborating on a number of other activities, includ-ing a possible flyover by either National Guard or AirForce planes. Free game tickets are being provided for
veterans, active-duty personnel and their families, andMTSU ROTC cadets will lead the veterans onto JonesField when the Band of Blue plays their branch’s officialsong during the patriotic halftime salute.
The Marine Corps once again will collect new toydonations at the gate in the annual Toys for Tots drive.
Sponsors include State Farm Insurance, BarrettFirearms, the National Guard and Dollar General.
For more information, contact Giles at 615-898-2470or Brad Keen, athletics marketing and promotions assis-tant director, at 615-494-7825.
The 16 alumni officers include retired Brig. Gens.Patrick W. Harrison (Class of ’51), Kenneth E. Wallace(’54), Edward N. Fletcher (’55), Noah Daniel (’59), JamesP. O’Neal (’69), Leslie L. Fuller (’73), Stan Lillie (’76) andRobert D. Ogg Jr. (’78); retired Lt. Gens. George Stotser(’56) and Horace “Pete” Taylor (’60); and retired Maj.Gens. Thomas D. Farmer (’58), Charles R. Henry (’59) andJames Myles (’74). Active-duty Brig. Gens. William N.Phillips (’76), Max Haston (’79) and James B. Burton (’83)also are among those invited to attend.
Nov. 13 from page 1
Andrew Oppmann, president and publish-er of The Daily News Journal in Murfrees-boro, will become associate vice president
of marketing and communications at MTSU,President Sidney A. McPhee announced.
Oppmann will assume his new role in earlyNovember.
“We’re pleased to have found a strong com-municator with national experience—but also soclose to home—to lead our efforts,” McPhee said.
Oppmann’s journalism career spans 25 years.He has been with the DNJ since 2007 and alsoserved as a vice president at The Tennessean. In2008, he added The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville tohis responsibilities. That same year, Gannett hon-ored Oppmann as one of its top three publishersfor his work in Murfreesboro and Clarksville.
“It’s been a wonderful ride, filled with greatmemories, interesting people and daily doses of
adrenaline,” Oppmann said. “But I’m just as excit-ed to begin this new chapter of my life in serviceto an institution so vital to all of Tennessee.”
The new associate vice president will overseecommunications and marketing as well as print-ing, publications and graphics,and Web operations.
“We are excited to haveAndrew on board,” said JoeBales, vice president for theDivision of Development andUniversity Relations. “This was avery competitive search, and wefeel very fortunate to haveattracted someone withAndrew’s unique skill set.”
During Oppmann’s tenure,the DNJ received top honors from Gannett and theTennessee Press Association for its coverage of the
2009 Good Friday tornadoes that struckMurfreesboro. He led efforts to build a strongermultimedia operation at the 162-year-old newspa-per, and his formation of the DNJ Media Groupexpanded digital communications and createdseveral audience-targeted websites.
He is chairman-elect of the United Way ofRutherford and Cannon Counties and led its $2.3million fundraising effort in 2009. Oppmann alsoserves on the advisory board for MTSU’s Collegeof Mass Communication and on the board of theTPA, and he is a vice president of the MiddleTennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Oppmann, a University of Kentucky graduateand Hopkinsville, Ky., native, lives inMurfreesboro with his wife, Elise, and their threedaughters, Emily, 11; Sarah, 9; and Rachel. 5.
Associate VP for marketing, communications named
Oppmann
page 6 The Record Nov. 1, 2010
Students will walk through WWII history next summer
After two excursions to the South Pacific toexpose students to some of the critical sitesof World War II, an MTSU historian is
preparing to embark on a tour of some of the piv-otal sites of the European Theater of Operations forhis “Warfare and Public Memory in WesternEurope” class.
Dr. Derek Frisby, an associate professor of his-tory, will escort students across the continent May19-June 3, 2011, in tracing the war’s “GreatCrusade” for HIST 3070. The 16-day tour willinclude an examination of Normandy, Bastogneand Dachau as well as Operation Market Garden, acampaign fought in Germany and the Netherlands,and the “Eagle’s Nest,” Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’sretreat in the mountains above Berchtesgarden.
Students also will follow the route of the 101stAirborne Division’s “Band of Brothers.” Tours ofOmaha and Utah beaches, Arnhem and the “Battleof the Bulge” site are on the itinerary as well as theBayeux Tapestry, Paris, Verdun and Waterloo.
“Being in Europe and so close to many otherhistorical sites, we’re able to sprinkle in a broadertype of conflict,” says Frisby, a retired U.S. Marineand a veteran of Operations Desert Shield andDesert Storm.
Frisby says he anticipates that a diverse mix ofstudents will accompany him on this study-abroad
experience, including pre-law and interior-designmajors joining the expected history majors.Students who went to Iwo Jima, Okinawa andPelilieu with Frisby two summers ago, while bene-fitting educationally, endured a grueling physicalexperience marked by scorching heat, crawlingthrough caves, battling insects and discoveringhuman remains and explosives.He believes closer proximity totraditional Western amenities willmake the European excursionmore attractive.
“We’ve begun to recruit somepeople who’ve never seen theocean before and yet are motivat-ed enough by this trip to go withus to Europe,” Frisby says. “Ithink we’ve got a much broaderrange of students lined up for theEuropean trip.”
Another difference in the Asian and Europeanjourneys is the educational emphasis. Instead ofjust analyzing individual battles, Frisby says stu-dents will be able to look at the fighting in the larg-er context of a campaign and to dissect the natureand culture of warfare itself, in addition to study-ing the way today’s Europeans frame the conflictfor public consumption.
“Are they geared more toward Americantourists?” Frisby says his students will be asking.“Are they geared to a European perspective? How
do the Europeans promote this as a tourist indus-try?”
Frisby, who has performed painstakingresearch for MTSU’s Veterans Memorial Committeeon students and employees who perished in mili-tary conflict, plans to visit the sites of some fallenMTSU alumni, including Robert J. Sarvis (’41). ACanadian attached to the U.S. Army Air Corps inEurope, Sarvis was killed on July 25, 1944, whenhis B-25 bomber reportedly was strafed by aGerman fighter near Carquebut, France.
“The village there has found wreckage over theyears, including the remains of Robert Sarvis,”Frisby says. “So even today, that incident continuesto play a role in that village’s collective memory.”
Scholarships for up to 50 percent of the pro-gram cost will be available through the MTSUOffice of Education Abroad and Student Exchange.Pell Grants and other financial aid also may beavailable, and Honors College students may be eli-gible for additional scholarships or grants.
MTSU alumni, history buffs and other interest-ed people also may join Frisby’s group, but thecourse is limited to 20 people. A 10 percent dis-count is available for those who make their finalpayment before Jan. 20, 2011.
For more information, contact Frisby at 615-904-8097 or [email protected]. To learn more aboutstudy-abroad opportunities, contact the Office ofEducation Abroad and Student Exchange (MTAbroad) at 615-898-5179 or [email protected].
OFFERING GUIDANCE—MTSU student nurses helped emergency personnel and staffers at Middle Tennessee MedicalCenter transfer more than 100 patients Oct. 2 to its new facility on Medical Center Parkway from the 83-year-old hospitalat Bell and North Highland Streets. Seniors Bethany Powell, right, and Whitney Cottingham, center right, help EMTShelby Stewart and MTMC surgical services nurse Elaine Gregory guide a patient’s gurney into the new hospital.
photo courtesy Titus Bartos/Made in Murfreesboro Photography
Helping hands
Alumna Freneka F. Minter willreturn to MTSU Thursday,Nov. 4, for a special lecture,
an event organizer said.Her talk, “DRIVEN—Motivated
by Something,” will begin at 7 p.m.in Wiser-Patten Science Hall Room102. It is free and open to all stu-dents, faculty, staff and the public.
Minter’s presentation, part ofMTSU’s Distinguished Lecture
Series, will be ofparticular interestto Women inScience, Technol-ogy, Engineeringand Math partici-pants.
The Murfrees-boro native nowworks for OakRidge AssociatedUniversities as a
health-education specialist in theHealth Communications andTechnical Training Department’sHealth and Safety Training Group.
Minter’s previous experienceincludes the Tennessee Departmentof Mental Health and DevelopmentalDisabilities’ Division for Alcohol andDrug Abuse and MTSU’s Center forHealth and Human Services as wellas work with local, state and federalagencies on alcohol, tobacco andother drug-prevention efforts andcancer, heart-disease and stroke pre-vention. Her master’s degree inhealth, physical education and recre-ation and bachelor’s degree in chem-istry are from MTSU.
For more information, contactDr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, chemistryprofessor and WISTEM Center direc-tor, at 615-904-8253 or [email protected].
Alumna Minteraims to provide‘driven’ lecture
Minter
The Record Nov. 1, 2010 page 7
Journalist, activist and politicalanalyst Bakari Kitwana will leada town hall meeting on the inter- section of Islam, hip-hop and
identity among a new generation ofAmerican youth Wednesday, Nov. 10,in Room 221 of MTSU’s LearningResources Center.
The panel discussion and viewingof the documentary “The NewMuslim Cool” will begin at 7 p.m.
The 2009 film, which has beenscreened at the Sundance FilmFestival and aired nationally on thePublic Broadcasting System, followsPuerto Rican rapper Hamza Perez ashe steers away from his former life asa drug dealer and embraces Islam.
As he rebuilt his life with a mes-sage of faith through hip-hop music,the FBI raided Perez’s mosque, chal-lenging him to embark on an evendeeper exploration of his religion,profiling, tolerance and Americanidentity.
“New Muslim Cool” was anOfficial Selection of the RooftopFilm Festival and Lincoln CenterIndependents Night and the winnerof the Freedom Award at the AlJazeera International Film Festival.
Following the screening,Kitwana will moderate an interac-tive panel discussion about the filmwith documentary subject Perez andattorney Nura Maznavi of MuslimAdvocates, a San Francisco-basednonprofit sister organization of theNational Association of MuslimLawyers and counsel for its Program
to Combat Racial and ReligiousProfiling.
Perez is an artist, communityactivist and educator who works for a
national nonprofitorganization as ayouth and jail coun-selor and as the viceprincipal of a privateIslamic elementaryschool. He performswith his brother, JuanSuliman Perez, aspart of the hip-hopgroup M-Team andthe interfaith poetryproject Crossing
Limits.Kitwana is senior media fellow at
The Jamestown Project, a think tankbased at Harvard University LawSchool, and CEO of Rap Sessions:
Community Dialogues on Hip-Hop,which conducts town hall meetingsaround the country on issues facingthe hip-hop generation.
The author of four books,Kitwana’s most recent offering is thisyear’s Hip-Hop Activism in the ObamaEra (Third World Press). He holds abachelor’s degree and master’sdegrees in English and educationfrom the University of Rochester.
This event is free and open to thepublic. It is co-sponsored by theCenter for Popular Music, the MTSUDepartment of History, the Office ofIntercultural and Diversity Affairs,the MTSU School of Music andStudent Programming.
For more information, contact Dr.Felicia Miyakawa at 615-904-8043 [email protected].
‘New Muslim Cool’ explores Islam through hip-hopby Gina K. Logue
INSURANCE SCHOLARSHIPS—MTSUprofessor Dr. Ken Hollman, center, and twosenior finance majors accept a $15,000 schol-arship donation from representatives of theCumberland Chapter of RIMS, the Risk andInsurance Management Society. The scholar-ships of $1,500 each will serve 10 students inthe Martin Chair of Insurance program. LoriJackson, second from left, of Auburntownand Patrick Basile, far right, of Henderson-ville are two of the recipients. Joining the stu-dents and Hollman, who is the Martin Chairof Insurance chairholder, for the check pres-entation are Cumberland RIMS chapter par-ticipants David Dixon, Kevin Gabhart, BrianSpears and Steve Heckle.
photo submitted
Ensuring more scholars
Lorie Krauss (social work) pro-vided ethics training for the UpperCumberland Council for theTennessee Commission on Childrenand Youth at its annual networkingconference Sept. 17 at Nashville StateCommunity College’s Cookevillecampus.
MTSU professors participating inthe Southern Festival of Books inNashville Oct. 8-10 included Dr.David Pierce (English), who has pub-lished two successful children’s bookswith his wife, comedian ChondaPierce, and read from his book Don’tLet Me Go: What My Daughter TaughtMe About the Journey Every ParentMust Make; and Dr. Amy Sayward(history), author of two previousbooks on economic development,who read from her new book,Tennessee’s New Abolitionists: The Fightto End the Death Penalty in theVolunteer State, co-edited with Dr.Margaret Vandiver (University ofMemphis). Dr. Reza Ordoubadian(English), who retired from MTSU in1989, read from Sufi and MysticalPoems of Abu Sa’id, An 11th CenturyPersian Poet and Divine, one of his fivebooks, at the event.
Dr. Mark Anshel (health andhuman performance) was inter-viewed for the “Fitness Feature” inthe November issue of Self magazine.He answered the question “Do menworry less than women about whatothers think of their bodies?” and dis-cussed “body self-image” and “socialphysique anxiety.”
Drs. Ken Blake and JasonReineke (journalism, MTSU Poll)were guests on “OpenLine” onNewsChannel5+ Oct. 14. Blake andReineke also appeared on “This Weekwith Bob Mueller” on WKRN-TV Oct.17. This fall’s MTSU Poll measuredTennesseans’ attitudes towardMuslims, the Tennessee governor’srace, the Tea Party movement andgun laws and ownership.
Dr. Mark Frame’s (psychology)research on men and the glass ceilingis source material for a blog posted—along with a mention of MTSU—onthe Harvard Business Review website.
Dr. Andrew Owusu (health andhuman performance) was inter-viewed about bullying in Africaneducational institutions by JacksonMvunganyi for the program “UpFront” on the Voice of America.
Dr. Wandi Ding (mathematicalsciences) and Dr. Suzanne Lenhart(University of Tennessee-Knoxville)published “An Introduction to Opti-mal Control for Discrete Models withan Application to Disease Modeling”in AMS-DIMACS Series on DiscreteMathematics and Theoretical ComputerScience, Vol. 75, 109-119, 2010.
Dr. Mark Doyle (history) pub-lished an article, “The Sepoys of thePound and Sandy Row: Empire andIdentity in Mid-Victorian Belfast,” inJournal of Urban History 36 (November2010): 849-67.
Dr. Dennis R. Papini (psycholo-gy) co-authored “The effect of lifeexpectancy on aggression and genera-tivity: A life-history perspective” inEvolutionary Psychology 8(3), 492-505.
Contributors: Gina K. Logue, Paula Morton,Randy Weiler, Sydney Hester, LindseyAustin, Binetou Soumare’, EdgardIzaguirre, Leslie Lynn, Kelly Ford andSusan Nogues.
Photos: MTSU Photographic Services,except where noted.
Printed by Franklin Web Printing Co.
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MTSU, a Tennessee Board of RegentsInstitution, is an equal opportunity, non-racially identifiable, educational institu-tion that does not discriminate againstindividuals with disabilities.
Laurence Tumpag, a Jackson, Tenn., native and a senior majoring in socialwork, has been on a mission to embrace his Filipino heritage and share itwith his fellow students.
“The Filipino culture was first exposed to Americans in the 1904 World’s Fairin St. Louis,” Tumpag says. Unfortunately, he adds, the people who participated inthe event were presented inhumanely, in human “zoos,” and subjected to harshconditions and treatment, resulting in many deaths.
In hopes of raising awareness of the Filipino culture, Tumpag has set up arotating display of Filipino ethnographic wares in Peck Hall.
These dolls “represent the many tribes that existed and still exist in thePhilippines today,” says Tumpag, adding that his display also is in memory of his
ancestors. Most importantly, he says, the dolls are being used torepresent the Filipino culture in a positive light. (October isFilipino American Heritage Month.)
Tumpag, who is an American citizen, says he began collect-ing Filipino cultural items such as ethnographic dolls as a meansto better understand and reconnect with his Filipino heritage.He felt he had become estranged from his culture by living inthe United States, especially in the South.
Tumpag asked his family members for some items, boughtothers online and began doing research to prepare for his dis-play.
The Philippines, a Southeast Asian nation located in thewestern Pacific Ocean, is made up of more than 7,000 islands.
All of the country’s indigenous tribes originated from a single area and eventuallyspread to islands, mountains and lowland areas. Water separated most tribes,leading to change in dialects, cultural traditions and beliefs.
Throughout the history of the Philippines, Tumpag explains, Spain, the UnitedStates and other nations have colonized or occupied the country. Also, several reli-gions such as Islam and Christianity have influenced different tribes in the coun-try, making it the diverse nation that it is today. A consequence to this rich diversi-ty, however, has been infighting and bloodshed. Nevertheless, he says, the peopleof the Philippines continue to strive toward a movement that promotes peace, co-existence and unity.
As a social-work major, Tumpag says he feels it’s his passion and duty toadvocate for the rights of all disenfranchised individuals. As a history minor, he’salso found great value in and appreciation for the lessons humanity has taught us.
People Around Campus
Senior’s display seeks, shares cultural heritageby Gina K. Logue and Edgard Izaguirre
