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MTSU on national Higher Ed Community Service Honor Roll

May 13, 2013 By

Middle Tennessee State University has again been recognized for its community service efforts with inclusion on the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

The Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, annually highlights the role colleges and universities throughout the nation play in solving community problems and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement by recognizing institutions that achieve meaningful, measureable outcomes in the communities they serve.

MTSU student volunteers work with Habitat for Humanity crews on the 2012 Habitat Blitz Build on Sevier Street in Murfreesboro. (MTSU file photo)

Dr. Rosemary Owens, strategic partnership coordinator in MTSU’s provost office, said the accolade is a reflection of campuswide support for public service.

This is the third time MTSU has made the national list.

“This is an additional representation of the kinds of things we do out in the community with our students, faculty and staff,” Owens said. “Every division participates in this.”

The 2013 recipients were announced earlier this spring at the American Council on Education’s 95th annual meeting,”Leading Change,” in Washington, D.C.

Owens said MTSU’s designation reflects the university’s work via partnerships within the local community and throughout the region as well as internationally.

Among the initiatives highlighted is MTSU’s Experiential Learning Scholars Program, which encourages students to participate in service-learning activities such as Habitat for Humanity Blitz Builds and after-school tutoring at area schools. During the 2011-12 academic year, students performed almost 198,000 hours of community service work.

MTSU faculty, staff and student volunteers broke ground on a Habitat for Humanity home, their third home for a Rutherford County resident, in January 2012. The project was unique in that the only onsite volunteers were members of the MTSU community.

Dr. Rosemary Owens

The home, which marked Rutherford County Habitat’s 109th, and was built in the neighborhood surrounding MTSU. Organizers said it honored MTSU’s commitment “to being a good neighbor and its recognition that it takes good neighbors to build a house.”

Pres Higher Ed LogoMTSU students, faculty and staff pitched in with labor and collecting donations. The house was completed and was dedicated to its new owner, Yvonne Summers, on April 26, 2012.

“The MTSU volunteers were ecstatic to be able to participate in an event so life-altering for Ms. Summers and her family,”  Dr. Danny Kelley, assistant vice president for student affairs at MTSU, said in the honor roll application.

“The partnership that MTSU has with Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity is recognized as one of the best the university has with any entity or organization.”

Find the entire 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll here.

The Corporation of National and Community Service oversees the honor roll designation process. It is supported by a collaborative of the U.S. Department of Education, American Council of Education, Campus Compact and the U.S. Department of Housing .

Established in 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through its core programs — Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and the Social Innovation Fund — and leads President Barack Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

 

New homeowner Yvonne Summers, center, is joined by MTSU volunteers at the April 26, 2012, dedication ceremony for her new home, which boasts a Raider blue mailbox. Leadership and Service Director Jackie Victory, standing next to Ms. Summers, and MTSU then-sophomore Randall Thomas, far right, spoke at the event. (FIle photo by MTSU Office of Leadership and Service)

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MTSU EXL Scholars program receives top regional award

May 6, 2013 By

The Experiential Learning Scholars program at Middle Tennessee State University was honored recently with a top award for higher education credit programs.

MTSU received the Outstanding Credit Program Award from the Association for Continuing Higher Education South “in recognition of the excellent nature and results” of the Experiential Learning Scholars, or EXL, program.

MTSU launched the program in spring 2006 as a pilot project in conjunction with a universitywide improvement plan. EXL courses provide students with opportunities for hands-on experience in their fields of study, valuable networking with professionals and an opportunity to explore career paths through real-world activities.

Carol Swayze, center, Experiential Learning program director at Middle Tennessee State University, receives the Outstanding Credit Program Award from the Association for Continuing Higher Education South at an April 22 award luncheon in Sandestin, Fla. Also in the photo are, at left, Amy Johnson, ACHE South Regional president, and David Grebel, ACHE president. (photo submitted)

The EXL Scholars program formalizes and organizes several existing experiential learning activities into a comprehensive program of study.

“We are fortunate to have such an exceptional team of faculty, staff and community partners who are providing a top quality educational experience for our students,” said EXL Director Carol Swayze, who accepted the award April 22 at a luncheon in Sandestin, Fla.

“This honor is truly a reflection on the quality of work performed by the founding committee and speaks to the dedication of MTSU to student success.”

Dr. Jill Austin, a professor of management and marketing at MTSU, chaired the committee that launched EXL and served as program director for five years.

“I am very pleased to learn that the EXL program is being recognized outside of the university for its contribution to student learning,” Austin said. “The program was developed by many faculty, staff, students and community members in hopes that students will be more engaged in the learning process and will have an enriched learning experience at MTSU.

Dr. Jill Austin

“This award is an indicator that EXL is making an impact beyond our campus and community.”

MTSU had 54 EXL faculty members at end of the program’s first year, and participation has grown considerably since. In the 2012-13 academic year, the EXL program includes 27 departments, 191 faculty members, 470 course sections and 7,263 participating students.

EXL color logo webTo date, almost 30,500 MTSU students have taken EXL courses, and almost 1,100 students have completed all the requirements to graduate with the distinction of EXL Scholar.

“This award is a direct result of the leadership of Dr. Jill Austin and the EXL QEP Committee made up of MTSU administrators and faculty and the current direction of Carol Swayze,” said Dr. Dianna Rust, associate dean of the University College at MTSU.

“The Experiential Learning Scholars program outcomes have been significant in student contribution to the community in terms of service, internships and practicums as well as in student satisfaction and learning outcomes.”

The EXL Scholar designation is awarded only to students who have completed a minimum of 16 credit hours of EXL coursework and other service-learning requirements. Students who complete the requirements are awarded EXL Scholar cords and are recognized at commencement. The EXL Scholar notation also appears on the students’ transcripts.

“The program continues to grow each semester as more students discover the value of experiential learning and the EXL Scholar designation,” Swayze said.

For more information about the program, visit www.mtsu.edu/exl/index.php.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

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MTSU student nurses host auction to fund mission of mercy

April 11, 2013 By

MTSU student nurses need the community’s help to fund a medical mission to Central America next month.

The MTSU Student Nurses Association will host a silent auction from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, April 15, in the first-floor lobby of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building.

MTSU student nurses prepare for a medical mission to Central America next month. The participants include, front row, from left, Terry Dewaratanawanich of Antioch, Tenn.; Andrea Phillips of Nolensville, Tenn.; Beth Schaller of Beavercreek, Ohio; Kelly English of Mt. Juliet, Tenn.; Amy Atwood of Nashville; and Bethany Baker of Murfreesboro. On the back row, from left are Mysti Motz of Murfreesboro; Tyler Davis of White House, Tenn.; Steve Tyree of Lascassas, Tenn.; Assistant Professor Paul Williamson; Tori Cox of Thompson’s Station, Tenn.; and Grace Zimmerman of Nashville. (photo submitted)

Items available for bid include Nashville Toffee Company candies, a Mary Kay makeup basket, a stethoscope, gift cards from local restaurants and more.

All proceeds will go toward the expenses of medical supplies and medications that 11 nursing students will take with them to Los Robles, Guatemala, May 18-26 to serve the medically needy.

Each member of the MTSU entourage, under the supervision of nursing professor and registered nurse Paul Williamson, will take 50 pounds of supplies to the small clinic in Los Robles. The supplies will include over-the-counter pain relievers, gastrointestinal medications and prenatal and children’s vitamins.

“The Guatemalans living in Los Robles are faced with many skin infections and malnutrition,” says student nurse Grace Zimmerman, a senior from Nashville.

“With the help of our professor and a Spanish translator, we hope to deliver health care and medications to hundreds of people in desperate need.”

Middle Tennessee Medical Center has donated $5,000 as well as medical supplies worth another $5,000. The group also has received medication donations from dental offices, hospitals and other supports, including MTSU’s Office of Education Abroad.

Auction winners must be present at 4 p.m. to pay and receive their items. For more information, contact Williamson at 615-494-8729 or paul.williamson@mtsu.edu.

For auction parking information, go to http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

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MTSU ‘BIG Event’ to give big boost to local ‘Days of Action’

March 4, 2013 By

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties is teaming with MTSU for a massive volunteer effort.

MTSU’s “The BIG Event,” which is slated for Saturday, March 23, will boost the United Way’s endeavors on the final day of the organization’s “Days of Action.”

Big Event 2013 poster web“The BIG Event is the largest one-day student-run service project in the nation, where students of MTSU will come together to say ‘thank you’ to the residents of Murfreesboro,” said Brandon Brown, philanthropic coordinator of MTSU’s Student Government Association.

The SGA is one of two MTSU partners, along with MT Athletics.

Meagan Flippin, United Way president and an MTSU alumna, said she became aware of the university’s large annual volunteer effort, which previously went under a different name, as a student. This is the fifth year for the MTSU event.

Flippin said the local United Way chapter has staged “Days of Action” for almost a decade.

“It just made sense, because it seemed like we were working toward the same efforts at the same time of year, that we partner together to mass-produce this community-service event and to have everyone kind of on the same page,” said Flippin.

From March 21 to March 23, United Way’s “Days of Action” will promote volunteerism through specific projects in the area.

The United Way deadline to register for this year’s activities was March 1. Job request forms and volunteer forms for MTSU’s “The BIG Event” were due  March 4. Details are available at www.mtsu.edu/sga/bigevent.php.

Last year, more than 500 volunteers participated in the joint effort, racking up 2,301 hours of service and completing 56 projects.

“In the state of Tennessee last year, a volunteer hour was valued at $21.36,” said Flippin. “You can do the math and see the kind of economic impact that has on the community.”

This year’s projects include delivering meals to homebound seniors, building a play area for an after-school program, general painting for a multiservice ministry and organizing donations for a local mission.

One unique opportunity to be offered for the first time this year is “speed volunteering” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 21, and Friday, March 22, according to Kristen Hampton, United Way coordinator of marketing and special events.

“If there’s someone who can’t get out of the office all day, or maybe has a job that’s just not conducive to that, this is an opportunity for individuals to just stop by, volunteer and make an impact,” Hampton said.

The “speed volunteering” locations are at the United Way office at 615 Memorial Blvd., Suite 200, or the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce at 3050 Medical Center Parkway, both in Murfreesboro.

Private sector sponsors of “Days of Action” include Nissan, Publix Super Market Charities, Regions Bank and Middle Tennessee Medical Center.

For more information about “Days of Action,” or to register, contact the United Way at 615-893-7303 or visit www.unitedwayvolunteer.org.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

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Little Raiders’ Christmas party ‘a blessing’ to local families

December 17, 2012 By

Santa Claus (MTSU Police Officer Brett Huskey) holds 4-month-old Journey Truesdale as MTSU Police Sgt. Vergena Forbes, right, helps gather gifts during the Little Raiders’ Christmas party held Friday evening at the MTSU Public Safety Department. (MTSU photos by News and Media Relations)

As a mother, the smile on Leranda Collier’s said it all.

“That’s all she wanted,” the Murfreesboro resident said, as her daughter, Akira Lawrence, cried and cradled the beautiful pair of new skates she had just unwrapped during a Christmas party held Friday evening inside the MTSU Public Safety Department.

Ariel Klimpel, 13, is all smiles as she poses with Santa Claus and her new bicycle during the Little Raiders’€™ Christmas party on Friday at the MTSU Public Safety Department.

Akira, 13, was among several children who received Christmas gifts as part of the successful MTSU Little Raiders’ gift-giving campaign held this year. The campus community responded with True Blue holiday spirit, picking off almost three dozen “ornaments” that had adorned three Christmas trees on campus.

MTSU Public Safety, Campus Recreation Center and the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students were joined by the OWLS (Older, Wiser Learners) and Golden Key Honor Society student organizations in jointly sponsored the campaign as a community service project.

The effort targeted MTSU students with children as well as parents being served by the Domestic Violence Program.

Friday night’s party included plenty of donated food such as barbecue, pizza and dessert as well as an assortment of gifts distributed by none other than Santa himself (played by MTSU Police Officer Brett Huskey).

“It turned out great,” said Sgt. Vergena Forbes, the MTSU Community Policing specialist who spearheaded the effort. “We had tons of food from all of our donors. Families came out with the kids. They got to see Santa and got gifts from Santa … some of them were crying because they got exactly what they wished for.”

Forbes revived the campaign, last held in 2006, this year. The result was gifts ranging from bicycles to toy trains to new coats, thanks to the generosity of members of the Blue Raider community.

Similar to the Salvation Army’s well-known Angel Tree, the Little Raiders’ Christmas trees on campus were decorated with laminated paper “ornaments” containing a needy child’s age, gender, clothing size and wish list. Participants who picked the available numbered ornaments from the trees registered as Secret Santas.

“This was a blessing,” said mom Gloria Broussard as she watched her three children, ages 7, 2 and 4 months, enjoy the new bicycle, toy train and Elmo doll Santa handed out just minutes earlier.

Sgt. David Smith assisted Forbes with the project, along with Jenny Crouch, Campus Recreation’s marketing and adaptive recreation coordinator, who represented the Golden Key Honor Society, and Valerie Avent, assistant director of the June Anderson Center and the OWLs adviser.

“I’m looking forward to doing it again next year,” Forbes said.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

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Campus groups partner to provide gifts to ‘Little Raiders’

November 28, 2012 By

Students and staffers in the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students are supporting the Little Raiders gift-giving campaign this holiday season. From left are Buddy Renner, a junior aerospace major from Morristown, Tenn.; Donald Abels, a graduate student in the Office of Leadership and Service from Savannah, Tenn.; Kristen Russell, a programming assistant with Fraternity and Sorority Life from Mt. Juliet, Tenn.; Jeremiah Bland, a senior physical education major from Memphis doing work-study in the June Anderson Center; and, kneeling, Zaver Moore, a senior psychology major from Knoxville and director of values for the Fraternal Values Society. (MTSU photos by News and Media Relations)

The holiday season is a time of giving, which is why a group of MTSU organizations banded together to make the season a bit brighter for local children who are less fortunate.

MTSU Public Safety and Campus Recreation Center and the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students, OWLS (Older, Wiser Learners) and Golden Key Honor Society student organizations are jointly sponsoring the “Little Raiders” gift-giving campaign this holiday season.

Three trees on campus — in the MTSU Public Safety/Campus Police Lobby, the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students and MTSU’s Campus Recreation Center — were decorated with laminated paper “ornaments” containing a needy child’s age, gender, clothing size and wish list. Participants have chosen all the available numbered ornaments from the trees and registered as a Secret Santa.

Spearheading the effort is Campus Police Sgt. Vergena Forbes, who  received approval from Police Chief Buddy Peaster and university administrators to resurrect a similar effort last undertaken in 2006.

Forbes, a community policing specialist, said the Little Raider campaign is similar to the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree concept. The MTSU effort focuses on low-income families on campus, single parents and children being served by the local domestic violence shelter.

This “ornament” shows the Christmas wish list for a local boy who will be helped through the Little Raiders gift-giving campaign this year. 

“We’re going to give all the gifts out to children,” Forbes said, “basically to help the children have a nice Christmas.”

Sgt. David Smith is assisting Forbes with the project, along with Jenny Crouch, Campus Rec’s marketing and adaptive recreation coordinator, who is representing the Golden Key Honor Society, and Valerie Avent, assistant director of the June Anderson Center and the OWLs adviser.

Avent said OWLs provides “support, networking and advocacy” for nontraditional students, and one of the semester’s goals for the group, led by OWLs president Darrell Land, “is to be more involved in the Murfreesboro community.”

Crouch, co-advisor for Golden Key, said one of the primary objectives of the academic honor society is service to the community, so the Little Raiders campaign was a natural fit.

“We saw perhaps that there was a need on campus,” said Crouch, noting that several of the ornaments on the Rec Center’s Christmas Little Raiders tree have already been claimed.

“It’s Christmas, and we were all interested in providing a service to the community in a small way.”

Forbes said she’s grateful for the cooperation and assistance from other campus entities. The tree ornaments — featuring the MTSU mascot Lightning donning a Santa’s hat — are produced by MTSU Creative and Visual Services, and the MTSU Athletic Department gave its approval to use Lightning’s image on the ornaments.

“I’m hoping that we have a good response this year and this will be an annual thing that we can do … and be able to reach out more to the community,” Forbes said.

For more information about the Little Raiders campaign, please contact Forbes or Smith at 615-898-2424.

— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu)

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‘Can Jam’ has entertainment plus food for needy

November 13, 2012 By

An upcoming concert at MTSU will be more than a feast for the ears — it’ll also provide a good meal for hungry students and community neighbors in need.

The “MTSU Can Jam,” set Monday, Nov. 19, in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room, features three great bands for one low price: one can of nonperishable food per person.

All proceeds will benefit the MTSU Student Food Pantry and Second Harvest Food Bank. The event, organized by the Office of Student Programming and Activities, is open to the public.

Farewell Fighter, Candace Brown and Tell Romeo I Hate Him will perform beginning at 7 p.m. at the concert, which is co-sponsored by the Student Government Association and the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

Nashville pop-rock quartet Farewell Fighter topped Alternative Press Magazine’s list of 2010’s top unsigned bands in North America, then went on a self-funded, self-booked tour across America in 2011. Their latest self-released EP is “The Way We Learn.”

Brown, a native Californian who relocated to Washington State as a middle schooler, started the Storybook Maneuver band with her younger sister, then moved on to a solo artist after graduating from high school and working with a local nonprofit group, Embracing Orphans in Jamaica, and leading music for a girls’ camp there. Her current EP is “Vivid.”

Tell Romeo I Hate Him’s members hail from various Southern cities, but the Nashville music scene has welcomed their pop-punk mix that incorporates their histories with violin, trumpet and saxophone along with the more standard guitar, bass and drums.

For more information about “MTSU Can Jam,” email concerts@mtsu.edu.

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Students, staff protect environment with third tree-planting

November 9, 2012 By

Cynthia Allen of the MTSU Stormwater Program puts soil around one of dozens of trees planted Nov. 9 along Garrison Creek in Murfreesboro. Allen coordinated a volunteer team of about 40 students for the tree planting event, which was hosted by the MTSU Stormwater Program in partnership with the Tennessee Environmental Council and the city of Murfreesboro.  (MTSU photos by News and Media Relations)

About 40 MTSU student volunteers turned out on a beautiful Friday afternoon for a tree-planting event along Garrison Creek in Murfreesboro.

Approximately 125 trees were planted along the creek, an effort organizers say will help provide a border and future canopy for the stream and in turn better protect the community’s groundwater supply.

Volunteers gathered near the Kroger on Lascassas Pike. The creek runs along the rear of the Kroger property, and though the creek was dry on Friday, it can fill quickly following sustained rainfall.

“About a week ago, it was full of water,” said Cynthia Allen with the MTSU Stormwater Program while taking a brief break Friday from planting trees. “We’re trying reestablish this stream … and some wonderful folks have come out to help us get these trees in the ground.”

The event was co-sponsored by MTSU’s Stormwater Program, the Tennessee Environmental Council and the city of Murfreesboro.

Kelly Poole, who’s in charge of stream restoration with the Tennessee Environmental Council, joined the volunteers Friday and was equally grateful for the students’ assistance. The trees will help shore up the creek banks, reducing the amount of mud and sediment polluting the waterways.

“We’re a nonprofit, so we definitely couldn’t do this work without the help of MTSU and the great students that are out here volunteering today,” she said. “We’ve been working this project in phases.”

This was the third planting in a series of several projects this year that will help re-establish this stream segment and support aquatic life within the creek. A similar event in October, that also included cleanup efforts, resulted in more than 200 trees being planted along different parts of the creek.

For more information, contact Cynthia Allen with the Stormwater Program at 615-898-2660 or via email at Cynthia.allen@mtsu.edu or TEC Executive Director John McFadden at 615-330-5364 or via email at john_mcfadden@att.net.

For more information about the Stormwater Program, visit www.mtsu.edu/stormwater.

— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu)

 

MTSU student volunteer Aaron Curtis, left, a junior music major from Murfreesboro, and sophomore Maya Smith, a criminal justice major from Memphis, put soil around one of dozens of trees planted Nov. 9 along Garrison Creek.

MTSU student volunteers Deonna Bounds, left, a graduate student from Collierville, Miranda Denham, a junior from Chattanooga majoring in child development, and Donald Abels, a graduate student from Savannah, Tenn., help plant trees Nov. 9 along Garrison Creek in east Murfreesboro.

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New giving campaign deadline lets employees ‘pump it up’

November 5, 2012 By

MTSU’s Employee Charitable Giving Campaign deadline has been extended to Friday, Nov. 9, which is good news for people like John Ross Langworthy.

Academic adviser Dr. Lucy Langworthy pauses in the middle of a busy day in MTSU’s College of Liberal Arts. She’s encouraging co-workers at the university to give what they can to the Employee Giving Campaign to help agencies across the community. Her son, John Ross, is living successfully with diabetes in part because of research funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

The 13-year-old son of Dr. Lucy Langworthy, an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 18 months old. He’s now a strapping 13-year-old who plays football, basketball and baseball.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is one of the 140-plus charities supported by the Employee Giving Campaign, which has a goal of $115,000 and is currently near 85 percent of pledges toward that goal.

“Their support, education and research make it possible for people with this illness to live lives as close to normal as possible,” Langworthy said of the research foundation.

John wears an insulin pump everywhere except in the shower, freeing him from the routine of injecting insulin via syringe or pen. His mother says it gives a feeling of self-sufficiency.

In fact, John is so adept at monitoring and controlling his own device that he came to the rescue of another child whose insulin pump came loose at a baseball camp two years ago. John simply used his extra equipment to fix the other youngster’s pump.

Langworthy said research has made it possible for her son to live a more rewarding life. That ongoing research needs continuing support through the Employee Charitable Giving Campaign as scientists try to find a cure for the increasingly prevalent disease.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to give back to an organization that produces results you can see, said Langworthy, noting that 80 cents of every dollar the foundation receives goes toward research.

“We’re thrilled to know that we have a record number of givers and will have a record number of dollars this year,” said Dr. Hilary Stallings, manager of recruitment and resources for the College of Liberal Arts and a member of the campaign’s executive committee.

Contributions are distributed to organizations through the United Way, Community Health Charities, Community Shares and 11 independent charitable organizations.
Donations can be as little as $1 per month or a $5 one-time contribution. To give, visit www.mtsu.edu/givemtsu and click on the campaign logo.

— Gina K. Logue (Gina.Logue@mtsu.edu)

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MTSU POLL: Voters predict continued gridlock after election

November 5, 2012 By

Republicans and Democrats agree on at least one thing in Tennessee: The stalemate in Washington probably will continue after the 2012 election.

Dr. Ken Blake

Nearly half (47 percent) of the state’s likely voters think a stalemate between Democrats and Republicans in Washington is likelier after the election than cooperation between the two political parties.

Only a fourth or so (28 percent) think the two parties will cooperate, and another fourth (24 percent) don’t know which is likelier.

The rest give no answer, according to the fall poll by Middle Tennessee State University.

“Attitudes may soften at least temporarily after the election, when talk tends to turn toward unity and bipartisanship,” said Dr. Ken Blake, director of the MTSU Poll. “But going into the election, relatively few Tennessee voters think Republicans and Democrats will be willing to negotiate once the ballots are counted.”

Predictions of a stalemate prevail regardless of party affiliation. Over half (53 percent) of Democrats predict a stalemate, but so do a statistically identical 46 percent of independents and 46 percent of Republicans.  Within each political group, those who foresee a stalemate outnumber those who don’t.

The possibility of a stalemate seems higher, though, to Tennessee voters who are focused on unemployment, the federal budget deficit, the stock market and housing costs. About half of the voters who consider these the most important issues in the election predict a stalemate after the election. By comparison, closer to 40 percent of Tennessee voters focused on taxes and the price of gasoline think there will be a stalemate after the election.

Dr. Jason Reineke

“Voters who are focused on macroeconomic issues like the deficit seem more pessimistic about post-election cooperation in Washington than those who are concerned with microeconomic issues like the price of gasoline,” said Dr. Jason Reineke, associate director of the MTSU Poll.

Meanwhile, a 43 percent plurality of likely voters say Romney has been more honest over the course of the campaign than Obama has. Only about a quarter (25 percent) say Obama has been more honest than Romney has.  Eleven percent say both have been generally honest, while 13 percent say both have been generally dishonest.

Aside from the obvious tendency of voters to consider their preferred candidate more honest than the other candidate, the biggest factor behind these assessments seems to be which national television news outlet one watches most often.

Frequent Fox News viewers overwhelmingly (83 percent) consider Romney the more honest candidate. But Obama is seen as more honest by a majority (64 percent) of MSNBC viewers and pluralities of those who watch CNN (47 percent) and ABC (44 percent). Viewers of NBC and CBS have relatively mixed views about who is most honest.

About the MTSU Poll

Conducted by telephone Oct. 16-21, 2012, by Issues and Answers Network Inc., the poll completed 650 interviews with randomly selected registered voters in Tennessee. The poll has an error margin of plus or minus four percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence.

In order to obtain a representative sample of respondents, data were collected using a mix of landline and cell phones. Additionally, quotas were placed on landline and cell phones to ensure a proper mix of the two groups. The sample contained only registered voters and was representative of the state population.

Interviews averaged 12 minutes in length. Weights were applied to the data to match the sample’s gender and race proportions to those seen in exit poll data from the 2008 election in Tennessee. However, a comparison of results with and without the weights showed little difference.

The poll defined “likely voters” as registered voters who had voted already or who had either voted in the 2010 governor’s race in Tennessee and/or described themselves as “very likely” to cast a vote in the upcoming presidential election.

The results reported are for the 609 poll respondents who met the likely voter criteria.

All poll results are available on the MTSU Poll website, www.mtsusurveygroup.org.

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