MTSU faculty experts recently shared their knowledge with national media outlets about numerous topics, including small businesses, national politics, Venezuela, mask-wearing, camping, women’s suffrage and college football.

Dr. Richard J. Tarpey

Dr. Tricia Farwell

Dr. Richard Tarpey, an assistant professor of management, said businesses must find ways to ensure compliance with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act while employees are working from home in a July 30 article for Relias Media. His views are available here.

Dr. Tricia Farwell, an associate professor of advertising and public relations, said small businesses must find new ways to reach customers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a July 31 story on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce website. Her views can be read here.

Beverly Keel

Dr. Adelle Monteblanco

Dr. Bob Pondillo

Dr. Adelle Monteblanco, an assistant professor of sociology, commented on health care providers’ relative lack of knowledge about the effect of hot weather on pregnant women in an Aug. 1 article by BuzzFeed News. Her comments are available here.

Beverly Keel, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment, was interviewed about the recording industry by Maal the Pimp on the Pimpaholic TV Podcast, which was posted to YouTube Aug. 3. The video can be accessed here.

Dr. Bob Pondillo, a professor emeritus of American media history and culture, revealed Ohio University’s influence on his career in an Aug. 5 interview with WOUB Public Media in Athens, Ohio. The transcript can be read here.

Kent Syler

Kent Syler, a professor of political science and international relations, updated the status of the U.S. Senate Republican primary battle between Bill Hagerty and Manny Sethi in an Aug. 6 article in The Hill. His remarks are available here.

Syler reviewed primary election turnout in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic for an Aug. 6 story in the Daily Herald of Columbia, Tennessee. His remarks are available here.

Syler analyzed the Democratic primary election victory of U.S. Senate candidate Marquita Bradshaw for an Aug. 8 story in the Chattanooga Times Free Press. His comments can be read here.

Syler previewed the Democratic and Republican national conventions in an Aug. 16 story in USA Today. His views can be read here.

Syler explained why Congressional Democrats and Republicans have not come to an agreement on a new stimulus package in an Aug. 18 story in Newsweek. The article is available here.

Dr. Jane Marcellus

Dr. Stephen Morris

Dr. Jane Marcellus, a professor of journalism, reviewed “Voices Worth the Listening: Three Women of Appalachia” by Thomas Burton in an Aug. 7 post at www.chapter16.org. Her analysis can be read here.

Dr. Stephen Morris, a professor of political science and international relations, dissected the assertion that socialism destroyed Venezuela’s economy in an Aug. 9 story for the USA Today Network. His perspectives are available here.

Dr. Katie Foss

Dr. Rebecca Oldham

Dr. Katie Foss, an assistant professor of media studies, explained why men were proud to wear masks during the 1918 flu pandemic in an Aug. 9 article for www.nj.com. Her views are available here.

Foss offered comments on how to help children spot false information online in an Aug. 15 article for Motherhood Moment. Her views can be read here.

Dr. Rebecca Oldham, an assistant professor of child development and family studies, explained how indoor cycling and a change in diet helped her lose weight and reduce hip pain in an Aug. 10 story at www.today.com. The article is available here.

Dr. Betsy Dalton

Dr. Charlie Baum

Dr. Betsy Dalton, an associate professor of communication studies, explained her research into how people seek information and deal with uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in an Aug. 11 article in The Laurel of Asheville (North Carolina). Her remarks can be read here.

Dr. Charles Baum, a professor of economics, wrote an editorial proposing three ways to make health care in Tennessee better for the Aug. 12 Murfreesboro (Tennessee) Post. His essay is available here.

Dr. Crystal deGregory

Dr. Sidney A. McPhee

Dr. Crystal deGregory, a research fellow at MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, assessed the importance of U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris’ graduation from an historically black institution of higher learning for an Aug. 12 edition of MarketWatch. The article can be read here.

Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU president, discussed the university’s plans for the fall 2020 semester on the August edition of “Murfreesboro Storytellers,” a program produced by the City of Murfreesboro and posted on YouTube Aug. 12. The video can be seen here.

Dr. Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand

Blake Osborn

Blake Osborn, outdoor pursuits coordinator, answered questions about what people who are new to camping need to know in an Aug. 13 article in the Nashville Scene. His comments can be read here.

Dr. Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand, a professor of religious studies, detailed the role that religion played in the women’s suffrage movement in an Aug. 15 article in The Tennessean, the Knoxville News-Sentinel and other newspapers. Her analysis is available here.

Chris Massaro

Dr. Ashley Riley Sousa

Chris Massaro, athletic director, commented on Conference USA’s decision to proceed with college football this season in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic in an Aug. 15 Associated Press report. His comments are available here.

Dr. Ashley Riley Souza, an associate professor of history, explained the dark side of Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan priest who founded several missions in California in the late 18th century for an Aug. 16 article in the Los Angeles Times. The story is available here.

Dr. Mark Byrnes

Dr. Mark Byrnes, MTSU provost, commented on COVID-19 protocols in place on campus as students moved into dormitories for an Aug. 19 report on WSMV-TV in Nashville. The video is available 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.