Donate Your Election Signs to the Gore Center

From Jim Williams of the Albert Gore Research Center:

"Ready to get rid of your election-related yard signs?

The Albert Gore Research Center collects political signs for exhibits and educational purposes. If you have regular-size signs (the two-feet square variety) for a candidate or election issue from this or previous elections and would like to donate them to our collection, please drop them off at the Gore Center in Todd 128.

Signs should be in good condition. We do not need the support posts. We reserve the right to discard signs that duplicate others in our collections (we can return them to you if you wish). Unfortunately we do not have the staff to retrieve signs from your office.We also collect bumper stickers, buttons, fans, and other political memorabilia. See the display case outside the Gore Center for examples of from our memorabilia collection."

Homecoming 2008

Homecoming 2008 is a time for current students and faculty to join with alumni and the community in celebrating the past, present, and future of MTSU.

Nov. 3 - 7 - T-shirt Swap
Trade in your team shirts at the T-Shirt Swap. Exchange a T-Shirt from another college to receive a free Homecoming 2008 T-Shirt, available in adult and children's sizes, while supplies last. All collected t-shirts will be donated to charity. Begins 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., KUC or 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m at the Alumni House.

Wednesday, Nov. 5 - Horse Shoe Competition
4:30 p.m., Campus Rec

Friday, Nov. 7 - Chili Cook-off
5:00 p.m., Murphy Center Forest

Friday, November 7 - NPHC Step Show
7:30 p.m., Murphy CenterTickets available by calling the Greek Life Office at (615) 898-5812.


Saturday, Nov. 8
HOMECOMING!!!

10:00 a.m. - Parade
The annual homecoming parade begins on Maney Avenue, following Main Street and Middle Tennessee Boulevard to Greenland Drive.

12 noon, Tent City Walnut Grove
Visit Tent City in Walnut Grove (in between Peck Hall and Cope) to tailgate or see friends and professors, take part in children's activities and activities for everyone.

12:30 p.m. - Raider Walk
Join the Band of Blue, MTSU Cheerleaders and Lightning to rally for your Blue Raider Football Team as they prepare to bring home victory at Homecoming.

2:30 p.m. - MTSU vs Louisiana- Monroe, Floyd Stadium
Students get in FREE with their i.d.


For more information go to http://mtsu.edu/~sga

VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is the day. Exercising your right as an American. Each vote can make a difference.

Tennessee county precincts are open until 7:00 p.m.

To find out where you vote click http://maps.google.com/vote

To find out if you can vote visit http://www.canivote.org/

For more information please visit http://www.rutherfordcountytn.gov/election/

Election 2008: USA Today Seeks Student Opinions

Jim Williams of the MTSU American Democracy Project says,

"USA TODAY encourages MTSU students to voice their opinions to the editor of the newspaper for a special edition that will appear NEXT WEEK, the first week of November."

So hurry up! Time is running out. See more details here: http://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/voices/gen_next.html

The Electoral College -- Pass or Fail?

Michael White, Archivist of the United States, explains his role in "administering the Electoral College process on behalf of the states and the Congress," as well as the history of the electoral college in this article from Prologue Magazine.

You know how it's a common joke that our electoral system is complicated and confusing? Remember the 2000 election? Here are some quotes from the above article, designed to further strike fear into the heart of the voter:

"... the incoming officials may not be well prepared to grapple with the stylized procedural language of the 19th century and some of the more arcane aspects of federalism."

"Too often, Federal Register attorneys would later have to track down bewildered bureaucrats who were surprised to learn that they had been given this task."

"There are more than a few things that can go wrong."

"It was not unusual for as many as half of the electoral votes intended for the Senate to be misdirected, which raised the stakes for the Federal Register to obtain the reserve set of votes for the Congress to act upon. "

The National Archives has created a guide to the U.S. Electoral College, which is designed to educate both the public and election officials on proper procedures. Keep your fingers crossed.

Free shuttle to early voting

MTSU employees and students are invited to hop on the Raider Voter Express bus for a free ride to the Rutherford County early voting location at the election commission on the courthouse square. Early voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 15, and continues through Thursday, Oct. 30.

Shuttle departures will be:

Thur, Oct 16--7:30 am
Fri, Oct 17--2:30 pm
Tues, Oct 21--5:00 pm
Wed, Oct 22--8:30 am
Mon, Oct 27--10:00 am
Thur, Oct 30--3:00 pm

All buses return 1 hour, 15 minutes after departure from campus. Buses depart from in front of the James Union Building and return to the same location. There is no need to make a reservation; just show up a few minutes before the scheduled departure time.Thanks to the Division of Business and Finance and the Office of Transportation and Parking for making this shuttle service available for this election. For a flyer with this information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~amerdem/shuttle.pdf.

Emergency closing, fall break library hours

Due to email threats to the campus, classes are cancelled as of noon on Thursday, October 9, and will resume after fall break on Wednesday, October 15. The library will close today, Thursday, at 4:30 p.m. Library hours for Friday, October 10 will be 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Fall break hours are as follow:
Saturday and Sunday -- closed
Monday, Oct 13: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct 14: 8 a.m. to midnight.