[210] MTSU students, faculty, staff await Thanksgiving holiday break

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — MTSU students and faculty will enjoy a four-day break Nov. 23-26, and MTSU will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 24-25, as the university family observes the Thanksgiving holiday.

Fall semester classes will resume Monday, Nov. 28, and all offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. that day.

A Thanksgiving meal for students remaining on campus will be served in the Scarlett Commons Clubhouse from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 24. The MTSU Parent and Family Association will provide the food, which will be catered by MT Dining. The Housing and Residential Life staff will set up and serve the meal. All other food venues will be closed that day.

The MTSU Blue Raiders close out their football regular season, hosting Florida Atlantic University at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, for Senior Day.

Hours of operation for certain buildings and offices during the holiday week include:

• Student Union — Open from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23; closed Nov. 24-26; open from 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27.

• James E. Walker Library — Open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 23; closed Nov. 24-26; open from 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Nov. 28.

• Campus Recreation Center — Open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 23; closed Nov. 24-27.

• Health Services — Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 23; closed Nov. 24-27.

• Campus Pharmacy — Open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. (drive-thru open until 4:30 p.m.) Nov. 23; closed Nov. 24-27.

MT Dining venue hours of operation:

• Nov. 23 — McCallie Dining Hall open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Walker Library Starbucks open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; in Keathley University Center, Chick-Fil-A open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Subway open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; in the Student Union, Dunkin Donuts open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Popeye’s and Panda Express open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Nov. 25-26 — McCallie Dining Hall open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; all other venues closed.

• Nov. 27 — McCallie Dining Hall open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Walker Library Starbucks open from 3 p.m. to midnight; in the Cyber Café, P.O.D. (Provisions on Demand) and Subway are open from 4 to 10 p.m.; in the Student Union, P.O.D. and Panda Express will be open from 4 to 10 p.m.; and Popeye’s will be open from 4 to 9 p.m.; all other venues will be closed.

All food venues resume their regular hours Nov. 28.

[209] Food for thought: MTSU dining cashiers urge student registration

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Along with the food they will eat, MTSU students have received a friendly reminder as they use cash or their ID card to pay for their meals this week.

Sporting T-shirts that say “It’s Time to Register! Nov. 15-18,” caring MT Dining employees are urging students to complete priority registration for the spring 2017 semester in McCallie Dining Hall and RaiderZone in the James Union Building.

A partnership between the Office of Student Success and MT Dining emphasizes priority registration for the spring 2017 semester — and the method is working.

“Wednesday, I ate at the RaiderZone and was floored by how the cashiers were engaging the students,” said Vincent Windrow, vice provost for Student Success.

At the RaiderZone Nov. 17, associate professor Donald Campbell came up with this assessment: “You’ve got to eat. You’ve got to register.”

Just weeks before finals and with the Thanksgiving holiday break approaching, the cashiers are spreading the word so students do not wait until the last minute to register and be able to cross this important item off their to-do list.

“This is an incredible example of one of Dr. (Sidney A.) McPhee’s 10 keys to student success,” Windrow said. “We want the first-year students to understand how registering now positions them for success next semester. And, man, have they been on it — and we owe a lot of credit to the cashiers.”

For RaiderZone cashier Alicia Grimes of Murfreesboro, her ability to share with students “just comes naturally,” she said. “I care (about the students). I love our students.”

Aaliyah Gray, 18, a sophomore from the Bahamas, said she has registered and she’s “glad they’re concerned that everyone’s registered.” She added she just had “seen Mr. Vinny (Windrow). He asked if I had registered and asked about my classes this semester.”

In McCallie, cashier June Campbell of Murfreesboro said the registration awareness message is reaching students.

“They say, ‘I’ve already registered’ or ‘I’m waiting ’til Friday,’” she said. “I normally wear a black chef’s jacket. Most of the students look at my shirt and notice something’s different. … I think it’s a good thing to remind them. They are busy with midterms and other things. The shirt’s another visual reminder.”

Brandi Thomas, 19, a freshman from Memphis, Tennessee, just changed her major, from nursing to education and plans to meet with her adviser. She definitely “likes the idea” of the cashiers reminding them about registration.

[208] MTSU Debate Team looks to continue winning ways at Carson-Newman Nov. 18-19

MURFREESBORO — The award-winning MTSU debaters hope to conclude their best season ever on a winning note this weekend.

Pat Richey, director of forensics and debate coach, will lead his team into Jefferson City, Tennessee, for the final tournament of the semester at Carson-Newman University Nov. 18 and 19.

They’re coming off a victorious showing Oct. 23 and 24 at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, where MTSU finished first or second in most categories against bigger and better-funded schools.

“I think it was where the team came together and bonded well because the first few tournaments we had a lot of new people trying to figure out where they are in the squad,” Richey said.

“It was great to see the team come together and work not only to better themselves but other team members as well,” said co-captain Abby Barnes, a junior double major in communication studies and English from Morristown, Tennessee.

In addition, Richey’s fellow coaches voted to give him the Coach of the Year award.

“I just do what I do,” Richey said. “I don’t think there’s anything special I do as a coach.”

What he does is prepare students, not all of whom have high-school experience in debate, in the art of being able to prepare cogent, winning arguments on the spur of the moment and under deadline pressure.

The topics at Valdosta State included non-gendered bathrooms, climate change and whether Twitter should keep its 140-character-per-tweet limit.

Cameron Bowker, a freshman psychology major from Colorado Springs, Colorado, did not debate in high school, but she has blossomed under Richey’s tutelage.

“It has taught me to be much more aware of what I’m saying, what’s coming out of my mouth,” Bowker said. “I had a habit of speaking way too fast and using my hands way too much.”

For all the hardware that the team keeps collecting, Barnes said there’s much more to debating than winning.

“At the end of the day, we don’t just get trophies for the school,” she said. “We don’t just like arguing. We genuinely love each other, and we genuinely are a family.”

For more information, contact Richey at 615-898-2273 or patrick.richey@mtsu.edu or go to http://mtsu.edu/debate/index.php.