MTSU faculty and staff recently provided their analyses of various issues for journalists on topics including the economy, Morgan Wallen, money and credit, Benevolent Cemetery, memory and other subjects.

Lynda Williams

Mark McLeod

• Lynda Williams, a professor of criminal justice administration, said an excessive force law could have saved George Floyd’s life in a Jan. 26 interview with WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. The video is available here.

• Mark McLeod, an associate professor of art and design, explained why he explores the fallibility of memory in his art classes in a Jan. 29 article at www.redandblack.com. His remarks can be accessed here.

Dr. Katie Foss

Dr. Carroll Van West

• Dr. Katie Foss, a professor of media studies, published her research article on how childbirth is depicted in postapocalyptic narratives Jan. 30 in the academic journal Feminist Media Studies. The study can be read here.

• Dr. Carroll Van West, director of the Center for Historic Preservation and Tennessee State Historian, noted the work of Allen Chapel AME Church in maintaining Benevolent Cemetery in a Jan. 31 article in the Murfreesboro Post. The center prepared the nomination to get the cemetery placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The story is available here.

Dr. Tim Graeff

Dr. Roberta Chevrette

• Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the Office of Consumer Research, said the economy’s future appears bright despite several obstacles in a Jan. 31 report by WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee. The video and transcript can be accessed here.

Graeff assessed the impact of the Etsy website’s use of the “opt-out” on getting and keeping consumers in a Feb. 2 article in the Tampa Bay (Florida) Times. His remarks are available here.

• Dr. Roberta Chevrette, an assistant professor of communication studies, explained why the presence of women superheroes with masculine physical skills in movies over the past few decades can be considered “toxic” in a Jan. 31 article in The Christian Science Monitor. Her views can be read here.

Dr. Colby Jubenville

Beverly Keel

• Dr. Colby Jubenville, professor of health and human performance, answered questions about how money and credit can affect relationships in a Feb. 1 article at www.wallethub.com. His perspectives are available here.

• Beverly Keel, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment, said it is time for the country music industry to stop talking about Morgan Wallen and his previous use of a racial slur caught on video and talk about other issues in a Feb. 1 article in Billboard Magazine. Her comments can be accessed here.

Dr. Jana Ruth Ford

Dr. April Weissmiller

• Dr. Jana Ruth Ford, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, analyzed areas of Tennessee affected by meteorites for a Feb. 3 report on WKRN-TV in Nashville. The video and transcript are available here.

• Dr. April Weissmiller, an assistant professor of biology, co-authored a research paper on the inhibition of the WIN site, a cavity that links the WDR5 protein to the material of which chromosomes are composed, in the human body. The article was published Feb. 3 in the academic journal Scientific Reports and can be read here.

Reporters seeking expertise from MTSU personnel, as well as members of the campus community with expertise for media, may contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Media Relations at 615-631-8322 or via email at gina.logue@mtsu.edu.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)