A Metro elementary school teacher was placed on administrative leave Monday after an audio tape of her insulting her students surfaced.
Noelle Smith teaches third grade at Sylvan Park Elementary School in Nashville.
Concerned parents told Nashville's News 2 they placed a tape recorder in their daughter's backpack after the student made a disturbing statement.
"She made the statement a couple of nights ago and it just killed me," said the parent who asked not to be identified. "[She said], 'Well, maybe I should just die.'"
The presidents of MTSU and Nashville State Community College signed an agreement March 14 to make it easier for students to earn degrees from both institutions.
MTSU’s Dr. Sidney A. McPhee and Nashville State’s Dr. George Van Allen officially authorized a Concurrent Enrollment and Reverse Transfer Agreement to ease the processes between the two Tennessee Board of Regents institutions and encourage students’ academic success.
Nashville State hosted the signing of the agreement, which expands on the already-established Dual Admission Program between the two institutions. The new agreement provides advising, registration priority and admission to MTSU while the student is still at NSCC.
“This builds on our dual admissions agreement,” McPhee said. “We’ll be working with students, easing the transition and eliminating a lot of the hassle. This will give them priority registration, which is a highly valued perk, and access to all student support services.
“This agreement goes a long way in achieving those goals and making a better life for those in our community.”
“The agreement is novel because it is focused solely on enhancing student achievement and on upward educational mobility,” Van Allen said. “It is also the most comprehensive agreement affecting students that I have read in my nearly 40 years in higher education. I believe it will serve as a model for other institutions for some time to come.”
Nashville State’s plans to open a satellite campus in Antioch also play a part in the new pact.
“When we open the campus in Antioch, it will be in close proximity to MTSU,” Van Allen said, “and this agreement will impact those students.”Dr. Kim Estep, vice president for academic affairs and student services at Nashville State, was among the higher-education officials attending the ceremony.
“Nashville State is delighted to provide these additional opportunities for students to experience a seamless transition between NSCC and MTSU,” she said. “MTSU has been a great partner with NSCC, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration.”
Nancy Eisenbrandt, chief operating officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, took note of the positive impact the agreement will have on the future workforce for Nashville and middle Tennessee.
“The collaboration between these two institutions is a very, very important initiative,” Eisenbrandt said after the ceremony.
MTSU also has established dual-admission programs with Chattanooga State, Dyersburg State and Motlow State community colleges.
The “concurrent enrollment” aspect of the new agreement allows students to enroll in classes at both institutions simultaneously and get financial aid for the total number of credits if needed. That also should help community-college students in selected majors to enroll in other required lower-division courses that are currently offered only at MTSU, such as nutrition, interior design and Concrete Industry Management.
The “reverse transfer” portion of the plan gives former NSCC students who enrolled at MTSU without receiving an associate’s degree from NSCC the opportunity to transfer their MTSU credits back to NSCC and receive a two-year diploma.
Students must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the new partnership with NSCC, including meeting admissions standards for MTSU.
– Randy Weiler ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
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National Kick Butts Day is today
NASHVILLE, TN – Tennessee youngsters will join thousands of their peers across the country taking part in Kick Butts Day today. This nationwide initiative encourages kids to be leaders in the effort to stop youth tobacco use.
“Young people are a very powerful part of the solution to reducing tobacco use among our children and teenagers,” said Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “Through participation in Kick Butts Day, kids are setting a healthy example and sharing this lifesaving message with their peers.”
In Tennessee, nearly 21 percent of high school students, or 73,000 teenagers, are smokers, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The organization also reports 7,600 Tennessee juveniles become new daily smokers each year. Statistics also show how deadly this daily habit can be. The group estimates 132,000 juveniles now alive in Tennessee will ultimately die prematurely as a result of smoking.
The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, can help by offering personalized support for Tennessee teens and adults who want to quit smoking. Callers are connected with trained quit coaches to guide them through the quitting process, and receive ongoing professional coaching with a quit coach personally assigned to them. QuitLine callers also have complimentary access to relapse prevention techniques, printed resource materials, information on nicotine replacement therapies and other services to help in the quitting process. This convenient and confidential service is free and available to Tennesseans seven days a week in both English and Spanish. The service is also available for the deaf and hard of hearing at TTY: 1-877-559-3816.
Tennessee residents can also access the QuitLine at www.tnquitline.com to enroll in the online program to get the plan, tools and support to quit smoking or using other tobacco products. Clients get fast, free access to a personal health coach, progress chart, interactive tools and other helpful resources.
The Tennessee Department of Health’s county health clinics also offer smoking cessation services to help both teenage and adult smokers kick the habit. Contact your local health department for details. A list of Tennessee’s health department locations can be found online at http://health.state.tn.us/localdepartments.htm.
Kick Butts Day is a national effort led by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. To learn more and find a list of Tennessee events planned for Kick Butts Day 2012, go to http://kickbuttsday.org/.
Bon Voyage!” is the theme of MTSU’s spring 2012 Student Design Fashion Show slated for 7 p.m. Saturday, April 21, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building.
Entries will be divided into three categories: “Jetsetter,” for luxury travel wear; “Stylish Splash,” for beachwear and sportswear; and “Summer Nights,” for glamorous evening gowns appropriate for cruises and/or resorts.Dr. Jasmin Kwon, assistant professor in the Department of Human Sciences, says this cruise/resort collection created by students in her fashion promotion class, TXMD 3110, will include vacation-ready fashions inspired by dreams of “the lifestyle of traveling from one stylish or exotic place to another via private aircraft.”
Students must submit their designs March 26-29 with a final deadline of 6 p.m., Thursday, March 29, in Room 104 of the Ellington Health Sciences Building. Designers are limited to a maximum of five garment entries per person.
The winners will receive prizes and scholarships sponsored by Singer Sewing Company, the MTSU student organization Fashion & Design Students and the MTSU Textiles, Merchandising and Design Program.
General admission is $15, and VIP admission is $30. Seating will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The Avenue Murfreesboro and MTSU Student Programming are sponsors for this event. For more information, contact Kwon at 615-904-8340 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
– Gina K. Logue ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
MTSU students can make sure they get the classes they need for summer and fall 2012 by registering during the University’s “Priority Registration” period April 2-13.
Freshmen and sophomores should make an appointment with an academic adviser today, because students who’ve completed fewer than 30 credit hours are now required to meet with an adviser before they can register.
Other students with questions or complex issues also should make an appointment ASAP with their academic advisers to ensure plenty of time to fully discuss their scheduling plans and course needs.
“Taking advantage of priority registration, instead of waiting to register later in the summer, is very important,” said Dr. Deb Sells, vice president for the Division of Student Affairs and vice provost for enrollment services.
“Demand for specific classes is monitored during priority registration and gives our university schedulers a sense of when and if additional sections are needed while the overall schedule can still be adjusted. Last-minute registration during the summer months makes it difficult for the University to react to an unexpected demand for classes.”
Officials in the University College Advising Center say that students are receiving emails now with instructions on meeting their academic-advising requirements.
“While most freshmen have always been required to see an adviser prior to registration, beginning this spring, all students with fewer than 30 completed hours will be required to meet with an academic advisor prior to being able to register for summer or fall classes,” said Dr. Laurie Witherow, assistant dean of the University College.
“Careful academic advising has been proved to help students avoid mistakes in course registration and help keep them on track for graduation. Taking advantage of the early-registration period is essential for students to ensure that they have access to the classes they need to graduate!”
In addition to all students with less than 30 earned hours, some students also will be required to see an adviser before they can register for summer or fall classes. Examples include:
any student with a prescribed course requirement, who must consult with an adviser in the University College Advising Center until all requirements are completed;
all undeclared students, who are required to see their UCAC advisers; and
College of Mass Communication students with 60 earned hours and candidacy who have not filed an Upper Division form, who must meet with a faculty adviser.
Witherow added that MTSU’s academic advisers are making appointments now to see their assigned students and help with the new requirements.
Students with simple registration needs also can drop by the UCAC office in the McFarland Building for a walk-in appointment March 26-April 13. Available walk-in times at the McFarland Building during that three-week period are 8 to 10 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
A campuswide schedule for walk-in advising availability in departments and colleges is located at www.mtsu.edu/advising/WalkInAdvising.shtml.
The MTSU Summer/Fall 2012 Registration Guide will be available the week after Spring Break. Students also may view their assigned registration times in RaiderNet at that time.
For more details about Priority Registration at MTSU, visit the UCAC’s updated web page at www.mtsu.edu/advising/priorityregistration.shtml or click on the graphic above.
Fall Preview Day at MTSU will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. and the first tour starting at 9 at the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center on Blue Raider Drive. The preview day lets prospective MTSU students, their parents or guardians and families visit and gain a glimpse of campus life. The tour will include visits to the James E. Walker Library, John Bragg Mass Communication Building, Business and Aerospace Building, Keathley University Center and one of the residence halls, an admissions official said. After the tour, visitors will return to the Rec Center for an academic open house. Representatives from the Admissions Office, Office of Financial Aid, Housing and Residential Life, all of the academic colleges, Transfer Student Services and the Department of Student Programming will provide information and answer questions from prospective students and their families. Fall Preview Day attendees must pre-register online. Go to bit.ly/MTFallPreviewDay11, which will take you directly to the Fall Preview Day event details. Click “Register” at the bottom of the page to sign up. Daily campus tours are held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday through Wednesday, Dec. 7. No tours will be conducted Nov. 21-25 because it’s Thanksgiving week. For more information about admissions, tours and Fall Preview Day, call 615-898-2111. – Randy Weiler (
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A career fair boasting nearly 120 businesses, government agencies and graduate schools will be available to MTSU students and alumni on Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the Murphy Center track level.
AFLAC, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Frito-Lay Inc., McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC and TVA are just a sample of the vendors registered to attend the annual Fall Career Fair. The corporate and government agencies encompass a wide spectrum of disciplines.
As of Oct. 5, 28 universities had registered to have vendor space to showcase their graduate schools. These include MTSU Graduate Business Studies; the Ole Miss MBA; the University of Tennessee’s law, pharmacy, Health Sciences Center and mathematics grad programs; Vanderbilt’s nursing program and numerous others.
Representatives from at least nine law schools are expected to attend. Chiropractic and seminary representatives also will be on hand.
Officials in the Career Development Center said MTSU students and alumni from all major fields within the University should plan to arrive early, bring a resume and dress professionally. The event is not open to the public.
Student IDs will be required to enter. More than 1,200 students from all academic colleges at MTSU are expected to meet prospective employers, and full- and part-time positions and internships will be available.
At the Career Development Center website, www.mtsu.edu/career, job seekers can click on “See registered employers” and “See registered grad schools.” Visitors then can click on individual businesses’ or government agencies’ websites and learn more about companies, agencies or grad schools they are interested in for employment.
Bill Fletcher is the Career Development Center director. Pat Stamps serves as recruiting coordinator. For more information, call 615-898-2862.
The MTSU Department of Health and Human Performance, in collaboration with Student Health Services and Cengage Learning, will sponsor the 11th annual Tunnel of Love to raise awareness of sexually transmitted diseases on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building.
Planned Parenthood, Nashville C.A.R.E.S. and the Rutherford County Health Department are a few of the organizations that will be on hand to provide information and literature about the health consequences of untreated gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia and other illnesses. Free HIV testing also will be provided.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 19 million new STD infections each year in the United States. According to the latest data available from the CDC (2009), sexually active teens and young adults are at greater risk for STD infection than older adults.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Cassie Higginbotham, instructor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, at 615-904-8274 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
– Gina K. Logue ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Creating a winning business plan was the “holy grail” for 38 middle school students in the 2011 State Farm Summer Business Camp, “Business Quest,” July 11-22nd. The worthy knights? Austen George, Megan Starling, Madison McGill, and Kory Cooke.
These four middle school students were the winners of the 2011 State Farm Summer Business Camp business plan competition for their ice cream shop business idea, “Swirly Top.” Each student received a iPad as their grand prize.
Funded by State Farm and administered by the Business Education Partnership Foundation, the camp teaches students how to become entrepreneurs by creating their own business concepts in teams. At the end of the two weeks, the students present their team business plans to a panel of judges, who questioned and evaluated the potential viability of the proposals.
Like all great quests, the students learned that business is not for the faint of heart.
“The middle school students learn in two weeks what many college students take one to two years to learn in their courses,” said BEP executive director Lee Rennick. “Because of all the information we give them, they have to process quickly and figure out how to use the information to write up a viable business plan.”
Students were joined on their quest by business leaders all over Rutherford County. Volunteers from State Farm led workshops on public speaking, finances, and computer literacy. Representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, Middle Tennessee Medical Center, Barnes and Noble, World Outreach Church, Old Fort Park Golf Club, MidSouth Bank, Nissan, State Farm, and other businesses coached students on creating financial, marketing and human resource plans, as well as developing a code of ethics and mission and vision statements. Students also toured a variety of establishments to learn how business models differed in management, production, and service methods.
“It’s a strenuous time for the students, but it is remarkable what they can accomplish,” said Rennick. “We are grateful to State Farm and the business community for making this camp possible. Their investment is preparing students to be future business leaders in a powerful way.”
For more information on this and the BEP's other programs, visit the BEP website at www.rutherfordbep.org/businesscamp.
Picture Caption: State Farm Summer Business Camp business plan winners stand with BEP executive director Lee Rennick and State Farm VP Jeff Shay. Students pictured left-right: Madison McGill, Megan Starling, Kory Cooke, and Austen George.
Murfreesboro, TN - Sustaining a Village Everyday (S.A.V.E.), a charity created and run by six teens from Murfreesboro, will be holding their biggest fundraising event of the year on July 30th. Planned by Laura Bean, the S.A.V.E. the Night Fun Run 5K will be held at 8:00 p.m. at Gateway Island in Murfreesboro. The intent of the event is a family and teen friendly race that will raise funds and awareness for the malnutrition in Haiti. The 5K will also be a superhero costume contest and will feature a DJ. Awards and door prizes will be given out after the race. Donuts, glowsticks, t-shirts, Smoothie King, and an ice cream truck will also add to the fun! The entry fee for participants ten and over is $25 and the fee for those eight and under is $20. Proceeds will go towards the organization’s overall goal of raising $25,000 to build wells and lakes, as well as purchase livestock, for the malnourished village of Boukeron, Haiti.
In January of this year, Tayllor Cochrane was inspired by an episode of ABC’s 20/20 to raise $25,000 to feed a malnourished village for an entire year. Others expressed interest in the cause, and soon the core leadership group was formed, including Laura Bean, Mary Cate Ownby, Tony Allen, and Brock Baker. Kristi Cochrane and Melissa LaDuc also stepped up as adult supervisors to guide the group.
Attending six different churches and two different schools in Murfreesboro, they brought together their various interests and experiences to develop a plan for Tayllor’s idea. The goal quickly shifted from merely feeding a village to giving a village the resources and knowledge to provide sustenance for themselves long term. They selected Boukeron, Haiti as their location, where missionary Fred Wall is able to help them identify the needs of the people there. He informed the group that Boukeron would benefit most from the construction of a well and a lake filled with tilapia that would naturally reproduce, as well as the purchase of various livestock.
With this in mind, the S.A.V.E. team developed a financial plan to achieve their goal by the end of 2011. The six leaders kicked off the fundraising with a letter campaign that raised $4,703. The first event, a 24-hour famine, was directed by Brock Baker. On May 13th and 14th, 50 teens from all over Murfreesboro gathered for a lock-in featuring various games and competitions related to Haiti, while also fasting for 24 hours. Through sponsorship for each hour the teens fasted, together, they raised $2,741.
Next, the car wash held on May 22nd rallied $948 through a combination of pre-sold tickets and tickets bought at the event. The event was coordinated by Shelby Hardison. Recently, the leaders have been visiting businesses to acquire corporate sponsorships.
S.A.V.E. appreciates the support of the community and their friends and family in helping them strive towards their goal. With God and the collaboration of others, Sustaining a Village Everyday can truly make a difference in Boukeron, Haiti.
