Motlow Students Invited to Participate in Second Annual Speech Contest

By Robert Davenport
Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

SMYRNA -- Motlow Students can gain invaluable experience and career-changing recognition this spring by competing in the second annual Debbie Zimmerman Oratorial Contest. 

Emerging, intermediate and advanced student speakers are encouraged to enter the contest. 

The deadline to enter the contest is March 12 (Friday). Videorecorded speeches must be submitted by March 15. The speeches will be evaluated by March 22, with finalists notified they have qualified for the finals. The final round of the competition will occur at Moore County on April 4.

Students can enter the contest by emailing Associate Professor of Speech Robert Davenport at rdavenport@mscc.edu. In that email, they should state their name, email address, and the Motlow campus where they attend. Entrants will be emailed a list of the requirements for speech preparation and video submission.

Davenport is once again coordinating the contest, along with faculty co-advisors (Professor Charles Whiting and Professor Debbie Stockdale) of the SEAM (Smyrna Entertainment, Arts & Media) Club on the Smyrna campus. The event is also sponsored by the Humanities Department at Motlow. 

“I appreciate so much the support we have received from my colleagues who understand how important and rewarding this kind of activity is for our students across all of the campuses,” Davenport said. “We are committed to continuing to offer this opportunity to students for many years to come.”

Motlow debuted the contest last April with four students taking the podium for a series of self-penned persuasive speeches with visual aids. Kirsten Wright, who attended classes on the Sparta campus, won first place to become the first-ever Oratorial Contest champion.

The contest is named after Professor Emeritus Debbie Zimmerman, a longtime speech & theatre professor who was instrumental in building the curriculum at Motlow. She was also one of the judges for last year’s contest, along with two speech communication professors from MTSU. She expressed her appreciation for having the event named in her honor, sharing her hope that the contest would become an annual event.

The second annual Oratorical Contest is open to Motlow students (including dual enrollment students) who have already completed COMM 2025 – Fundamentals of Communication or are currently enrolled in that course.

Students who enter the contest will be asked to prepare and present a 6 to 10-minute persuasive speech on a topic of their choosing. Depending on the number of entrants, there will be a “semifinal” round in which students will submit a videotaped recording of their contest speech, which will be evaluated by a group of speech professors. The top five to 10 speakers from that round will then qualify for a live final round of competition on the Moore County campus and compete for trophies and other prizes.

Davenport emphasized how participation in this activity can be extremely helpful to students from any major or career path. The event will help them improve their speaking and overall communication skills as they prepare for the future. 

“Communication skills are the number one skill employers are looking for when choosing new employees for their companies,” Davenport noted. “Besides that, stronger communication skills can help students be successful in their other courses as they advance toward graduation.”

Success is... Following These Helpful Learning Tips

     Hey students... the Motlow team is rooting for your success. Here are a few tips to help lead you to greatness.

Debra Simpson: “Students should come to class prepared for discussions and class activities, having read required or related material.”

Ramona Shelton: “Learn and follow the rules each professor lays out for his or her class, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are confused.”

Tamara Jones: “Two things:  #1 – Half the battle of college is listening, following directions, and turning things in on time. #2 – Trust me and trust the process.”

Christine Summers: “My tip would be to study with a ‘keyword’ focus.”

Greg Killough: “Ask yourself the question, ‘What would you do to make the world a better place?’ and then go after it!”

Motlow Smyrna students celebrate their success at "Celebration 2018." 

Andrea Green: “Observe individuals who have succeeded; take notes and learn from their mistakes.”

Teal Lynch: “It is a constant striving; it is an ongoing journey, not a static destination. You can have a series of successes, but ultimately to have ‘succeeded’ is a lifetime in review of kindness and good deeds. Be good and do good, everything else will.”

Jeremy Mills: “Come up with a plan for every goal – big or small – and stick to the plan, even when it’s hard.”

Bob Fitzgerald: “Success can only result from hard work and the personal effort you invest in yourself.”

Charles Whiting: “Jump in with everything you have and never quit. That means attending classes, learning good study habits, following class protocol, respecting others, and enjoying the ride. Always remember that your professors are rooting for your success.”

Paige Hendrickson: "Never give up! No matter what obstacles you face, you can persevere."

Words from Paige's Pages

   Our librarian, Paige Hendrickson, has a way with words. Here are a few of her favorites.

magnanimous
mag·nan·i·mous
/maɡˈnanəməs/
adjective: Very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.

Synonyms:

generous, charitable, benevolent, beneficent, big-hearted, handsome, princely, altruistic, philanthropic, unselfish, chivalrous, noble

Example: The Smyrna Library is fortunate enough to have coffee supply “sponsors” whose magnanimous donations throughout the year keep this beverage service free of charge to library patrons.

mercurial
mer·cu·ri·al
/mərˈkyo͝orēəl/
adjective: (of a person) Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.

Synonyms:

volatile, capricious, temperamental, excitable, fickle, changeable, unpredictable, variable, protean, mutable, erratic, quicksilver, inconstant, inconsistent, unstable, unsteady, fluctuating, ever-changing, kaleidoscopic, fluid, wavering, vacillating, moody, flighty, wayward, whimsical, giddy, impulsive.

Example: College professors often have to edit their responses to students who have mercurial personalities to ensure fair and levelheaded communication.

myopic
my·op·ic
/mīˈäpik/
adjective: Nearsighted; short-sighted.

Synonyms:

unimaginative, uncreative, unadventurous, narrow-minded, lacking foresight, small-minded, short-term, narrow.

Example: Due to the planners’ myopic vision for future growth, the roads in Rutherford County are constantly congested with traffic, often leading to accidents and long delays.


(Words and definitions found at Dictionary.com)

Student Clubs Offer Educational and Networking Opportunities

     Did you know that there are a host of clubs on the Motlow Smyrna campus that offer a wide range of educational and networking opportunities for students? Get involved! Following is a list of clubs with contact information.

American Chemical Society:
Faculty Sponsors: Ashley Bradley-Roland and Khalid Tantawi
abradleyroland@mscc.edu or KTantawi@mscc.edu

Biology Club

Faculty Sponsors: Stacy Dowd and Mary Matthewssdowd@mscc.edu or mmathews@mscc.edu

COR Club

Faculty Sponsor: Kevin Fitch

kfitch@mscc.edu

Diversity Club

Faculty Sponsor: Nathan Fisher

nfisher@mscc.edu

History Club

Faculty Sponsor: Ramona Shelton

rshelton@mscc.edu

Honors Program

Smyrna Program Director: John Hart

jhart@mscc.edu

Mathematics Club

Faculty Sponsor: Brian Mitchell

bmitchell@mscc.edu

Math Lab

Math Lab Coordinator: Brian Mitchell

bmitchell@mscc.edu 

Phi Theta Kappa

Faculty Sponsor: Misty Griffith

mgriffith@mass.edu 

Psi Beta

Faculty Sponsor: Kate Benson

kbenson@mscc.edu

Rotaract Club

Faculty Sponsor: Terry Durham

tdurham@mscc.edu 

SEAM (Smyrna Entertainment, Arts & Media Club)

Faculty Sponsors: Charles Whitin, Debra Stockdale, and Robert Davenport

cwhiting@mscc.edu (primary contact)

dstockdale@mscc.edu rdavenport@mscc.edu

SGA (Student Government Association)

Faculty Sponsors: Stacy Dowd and Bill Kraus

sdowd@mscc.edu

wkraus@mscc.edu

Student Nurse Association

nursingassociation@mscc.edu

Writing Center

Writing Center Coordinator: Jenna Caviezel

jcaviezel@mscc.edu

writingcenter@mscc.edu

(Did we overlook you? Please send us updated club and contact information at cwhiting@mscc.edu, sdowd@mscc.edu, or rshelton@mscc.edu)

Motlow Smyrna Spotlight: Student Leader Lucas Lanius

(Editor's note: This issue, The Motlow Buzz spotlights student leader Lucas Lanius, who serves as president of the History Club on the Smyrna campus of Motlow State Community College.)

Interview by Ramona Shelton

Motlow Buzz Managing Editor

QUESTION: Why did you choose Motlow Smyrna?

ANSWER:  “I chose Motlow Smyrna because it’s been very success-oriented towards students. I see staff and professors alike everywhere doing everything in their power to see their students prevail in the work that they give. Motlow has also been a great choice for teaching me something they don’t directly have a class for: responsibility. Motlow State Smyrna has taught me to take initiative for everything that I do and aspire to be. I’m very thankful for the opportunities they have given me to mature.”

QUESTION: What do you like best about being a Motlow Smyrna student?

ANSWER: “What I enjoy the most is how interactive Motlow Smyrna is. They may be a smaller campus, but they use it very well to their advantage. Staff and professors get to know their students better face-to-face, and students get to chat, hang out, and bond with each other. It’s only my second semester as a freshman, and I’ve made more friends at Motlow than I can count. I’m certain that even with expansions arriving in the future, Motlow Smyrna will continue to hold on to that mentality of reaching a caring and friendly hand out to everyone who comes to campus.”

QUESTION: What advice would you give to a new freshman coming to Motlow Smyrna for the first time?

ANSWER: “The advice I would give to a freshman getting to experience Motlow State Smyrna for the first time is to explore. Talk to people; get to know the backbone of the college you’re attending. I made the mistake of just being shy and trying to blend in and that’s not how Motlow Smyrna works. It celebrates different talents, styles, characters and so much more, and your personality is just what Motlow needs. Don’t be afraid to be out of the norm. You might find that it opens up just the right doors for you.”

QUESTION: You are the president of the History Club. Tell us what the club is all about? Why should Motlow Smyrna students get involved in the History Club?

ANSWER: “The History Club here at Motlow Smyrna can be summed up in three words: fun, interactive education. The History Club doesn’t want you to only learn about history. We want you to learn it while enjoying it with people of alike minds. Again, it’s another perfect way to introduce yourself to Motlow Smyrna, allowing you to laugh and relish the company that the History Club embraces you with. In just one semester, we’ve gone to an art museum, a former President’s home, and so many other places to expand a student’s knowledge of the history that surrounds them, all while being in the presence of awesome friends.”

QUESTION: What are your plans for after you graduate from Motlow?

ANSWER: “My personal plans after I finish my Spring 2020 semester is to go to Middle Tennessee State University. I want to major in video production and minor in journalism. My goal is to be either a videographer or journalist (or both) for any company in the automotive business. I have a special place in my heart for cars, and if I could get a job even remotely similar to Jeremy Clarkson, James May, or Richard Hammond on The Grand Tour, then I’ll be the happiest man on Earth.”

QUESTION: Tell us something interesting about yourself.

ANSWER: “Hmmmmm… good question. I think a lot of people don’t know that I really enjoy making reviews. I’m trying to get a small YouTube channel started where I take mobile tech and give an overview of it. I think it’s a great way for me to hone in my videography skills while doing something I enjoy and see others who I look up to doing it as well. Who knows? Maybe someday I’ll be the best tech reviewer out there, but I’m still a long way off from people like LinusTechTips, MKBHD, and Mr. Mobile.”

Watch Motlow Smyrna Grow

     SMYRNA -- This is how construction of Smyrna's third building looked from above on Jan. 10, 2018. The new building will be completed by late fall 2019. (Photo provided by Messer/Aerial Innovations)

Welcome Back Students!

Dear Students:

Welcome to the Spring 2019 semester! As the cold air moves over us and the days begin to lengthen, we pause for a moment to look ahead, and see what we will achieve together this semester. Many of you are climbing towards your goals, working to balance your course workload with your personal lives, and dreaming of the heights you can reach equipped with the education and perspective you cultivate at our college.

Motlow Smyrna Academic Dean Elizabeth Fitch

The Smyrna Campus is filled with anticipation and excitement as our college continues to flourish, grow and expand our footprint. You have chosen to attend the fastest growing community college in the state of Tennessee, and one of the fastest growing campuses in the United States. As students, you will remember this time in our history. It is a time of change, a time of things to come, a time of construction as we build not only new facilities, but life long bonds, friendships, memories, and more fulfilling lives and careers filled with purpose. Our campus is being molded by the growth in Rutherford County, the service we are committed to giving the community, by the Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect initiatives, and most importantly by the faculty, staff and leadership that implement their most precious resource, time, to make sure your future and your children’s futures are improved. We as faculty, staff and leadership join you on this journey of education. We are here to encourage you and to celebrate with you as you succeed.

As the third building rises in mass and grandeur, you too are rising. You will rise above all challenges and complete the work ahead of you in stages, slowly, steadily and with precision. Many of you will graduate this spring and will move forward on your path to universities or careers. We look forward to celebrating this accomplishment with you. Thank you for choosing our college, and specifically, the Smyrna Campus to pursue your education and achieve your dreams. We are here to support you in any way we can. Have a great semester!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth A. Fitch

Smyrna Campus Academic Dean

Commencement Ceremony for Motlow Smyrna Students to Occur at 4 p.m. May 5

         SMYRNA -- Motlow Smyrna students will participate in the 48th annual Commencement during a ceremony at 4 p.m. May 5 (Saturday) inside Nisbett Center on the Moore County campus.

         Incoming President Dr. Michael L. Torrence will preside over the ceremonies, with Krissy DeAlejandro, executive director of tnAchieves, serving as guest speaker.

         According to the Motlow office of Admissions and Records, more than 1,100 Motlow students have applied to graduate, making up the largest graduating class in the history of the college. Moore County and Fayetteville campus students will graduate at 10 a.m. Students from the McMinnville campus and the Nursing class will graduate at 1 p.m. The day will end with Smyrna campus students receiving their degrees.

Krissy DeAlejandro, executive director of tnAchieves

         As the leader of the partnering organization for Tennessee Promise, DeAlejandro’s work through tnAchieves has contributed to enrollment increases and student outcomes for Motlow and other community colleges throughout Tennessee. The overwhelming majority of these students are the first in their families to attend college. Raised in a small town in rural Tennessee, Krissy herself is the first in her family to attend college. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of the South in Sewanee and pursued her master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Tennessee, where she began teaching at age 24.   

 

Motlow Smyrna Media Writing Students Contribute Stories to Motlow Buzz

                Media Writing students at Motlow Smyrna have been writing up a storm, and it’s time to share their talents with fellow students, faculty, administrators and staff. Click on the links below to read their stories.

Adventure Science Center Welcomes 31st Annual Whistlestop Weekend  -- By Mohamed Kamara

Painting With A Twist Creates Art in Murfreesboro  – By Dillon Henderson

Smyrna Chick-fil-A to Undergo Renovation – By Landon McAllister

MTSU Students Perform Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ -- By Shanice Green

Cannonsburg Hosts International Festival – By Preslee Pope  

Fountains at Gateway Opens Outdoor Skating Rink for Winterfest   – By Matthew Northrup

Nationally Known Photographer Thomas Sanders Speaks at MTSU  – By David Delgado

Music Festival Ends Suddenly After Conflict Between Staff and Crowd – By Logan Langlois

Woodbury Hosts 26th Annual Cannon County Christmas – By Elise Floyd

Student Government Hosts Thanksgiving Feast in McMinnville – By Jordan Donalson

Western Kentucky Defeats Blue Raiders in Overtime Thriller -- By Gamari James

Skek Boutique Spotlights Jewelry at Fashion Show in Murfreesboro -- By Karlie Mingle-Prater

New Seasonal Ice Rink Opens as Part of Winterfest -- By Maria Mansour

The Scoop on D2L and MyMotlow Banner (Part One)

By Anthony Czelusniak

Motlow Buzz Staff Writer

            SMYRNA – D2L and MyMotlow Banner are creative and helpful tools for faculty members and students, but technical challenges pop up unexpectedly from time to time.

Dean of Digital First Learning Terry Durham and Motlow State Chief Information Officer Cindy Logan recently provided information on how they manage D2L and MyMotlow Banner – working out the unexpected kinks. In part one of this article, the focus is on D2L.

            D2L, or sometimes referred to as Desire2Learn, is a service provided by a multinational company. Because of this, Durham, who manages D2L for Motlow, must maintain the service without having complete control over it.

 “We have to rely on others to make changes or improvements to the platform,” he said. “However, if we owned the software then we would need to be involved directly with maintaining and updating the software. This additional position needed to make changes in-house would be expensive to say the least.”

            Despite the lack of total control over the software, Durham and his team still work hard to ensure the software is ready for use at any time of the day during the semester. His job is made harder by unexpected changes to the software that happen. This happened last semester when the visual layout of D2L was changed drastically without warning.

            “We have had edits performed on course shells that should have not been done,” he continued. “We’re currently working on this not being an issue in the future. Instructors and students become very concerned when this happens, and I do not blame them at all.”

    Durham added, “I have contacts at D2L that I stay in-touch with, so if anything seems out of the ordinary, then we are on the phone or email asking what is happening beyond Motlow State Community College.”

            When asked about the major influx of students to Motlow over the past few years, Durham was confident that an increase in the student population won’t be a problem.

            “We have not had any issues with the system becoming overloaded, nor do I foresee that happening,” Durham said.

            He mentioned that he and his staff are working to add new features for instructors that will make teaching even easier. A new D2L training module for students will help familiarize users with the software.

            Durham explained, “If the students knew more of the basic items or terminology when emailing D2L for help, it would help us tremendously.”

Durham also shared some information on how the email system inside D2L works.

            “If you email your professor’s D2L account from your Motlow State Community College email account, the message will be returned,” Durham noted. “IT people call this ‘bouncing back.’ If you receive an email from your professor’s D2L account, then you must log in or be logged into D2L to respond to that message. The outside link to convey that message back outside of D2L is turned off. This is a [Tennessee Board of Regents] policy that is to be followed, and we can’t turn this on. So please make sure you check your D2L email account as well as your Motlow State Community College email account.”

            Students and faculty who need assistance can contact the Help Desk at Extension 1510 (on-campus) or (931) 393-1510 Option 1 (off-campus) or helpdesk@mscc.edu.

            Stay tuned for part two of this article.

Smyrna Campus Academic Dean Welcomes Students

Welcome Students!

I hope you all had a very restful break and are as excited as I am about the start of classes. We have a lot to look forward to this semester.

First, construction on the new facility and additional parking will finally begin in mid-March. The new 80,000-square-foot facility plans are finished, and the building is on schedule to be completed by July 2019. By the conclusion of this semester, our campus will be bustling with construction activity, and will have 650 additional parking spaces! These additional spaces will be very welcomed, and will be coming just in time for the surge in enrollment we are expecting from TN Reconnect.

Second, we have several new programs beginning this semester. New to the Smyrna Campus in the Spring 2018 schedule are Cybersecurity, Medical Lab Coding, and prerequisite courses for our Medical Lab Technician Program, which will accept the first cohort of students in Fall 2018. Additionally, we just signed an articulation agreement with the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith that will allow qualifying students who have completed their associate degree at Motlow to work toward B.A.S. degrees online. The Academic Unit is also pursuing an A.S. degree in Concrete Management with an articulation agreement with MTSU’s Bachelor Program, and is researching a Dental Assisting Program and Sonography Program in hopes that we can offer these programs around the time our new facility opens. We also plan to bring our EMT program to the Smyrna Campus in Spring 2020 once renovations of our current facilities are complete. All of this hard work on program development is in effort to ensure our students and community have every opportunity to attain better income, better jobs, and better lives for their families.

Finally, I encourage you take advantage of all the opportunities you have to gain support and build connections with fellow students, faculty and staff on campus. You can do this by joining a club, interacting with faculty and staff outside of class at numerous campus events, and by taking advantage of the Writing Center, free tutoring, and the Math Lab located in our Student Success Center. We truly have a unique group of caring individuals dedicated to their professions and to your success. Please do not hesitate to reach out for assistance. We all hope you have a great semester, and we look forward to seeing many of you graduate in May!

Cheers,

Elizabeth Fitch

Smyrna Campus Academic Dean

How To Achieve Your Goals

By Elizabeth Fitch

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

         "The Secret to Success: Work Smarter, Not Harder." 

         Have you ever really taken a moment to think about what this phrase means?

         When I was an undergraduate student at Kentucky Wesleyan College, I decided to major in classical piano despite never having taken a formal piano lesson in my entire life. I gathered up the courage to go see the head of the music department, a concert pianist, and ask her if she would listen to me play. I asked her to give me the honest truth after hearing me play: Am I good enough to major on the piano? I didn’t want her to lie to me, or attempt to save my feelings. I wanted her to tell me the truth. When I finished playing I was shaking, waiting to hear the verdict. She calmly said, “Yes, you are good enough. You can major on the piano.”

Elizabeth Fitch

         From that moment I dedicated myself to the instrument. I spent hours and hours each week practicing the classical pieces I was assigned to learn. Each week I would have a one-hour lesson and a review of my progress. After a few weeks she told me that I was not getting better at certain parts of the music. I was messing up at the same places every time I played them.

         My response to the constructive criticism was to practice even more and increase the hours I played each week. When I returned for a lesson the next week, sure I was going to get praise, she calmly told me that I was still not improving. I repeated my reaction to the criticism, increased my hours of practice, and was certain this would solve my problem. Upon returning to a lesson, I was told again that I had not improved, and that I was continuing to stumble in the same parts of the music.

         This pattern continued for a few weeks until I felt utterly defeated, and admitted out loud to her that perhaps I was not cut out for this. Maybe I just wasn’t good enough to learn the piano the way I had wanted to. I was ready to give up.

         She looked at me and said, “How are you practicing, exactly?” I explained the increase in hours and all my hard work, and reiterated to her my readiness to give up on my dream. She didn’t respond to my open self-defeat. Instead she advised me to start with the hardest parts of the music, to identify my weak points in the music that caused me to fumble and mess up. She told me to start with these parts of the music, at the beginning of each practice session. She added that I needed to slow down. I needed to practice slowly enough that I would not make a mistake, ever. Even if it meant playing the same line, the same bar, the same five notes over and over and over until I was so confident at playing that part that I knew I would not mess up. Only then, could I increase the speed. If I messed up, I had to slow back down until I achieved perfection at that pace. I was only to speed up when I was not making mistakes.

         Once I really took this advice to heart, I began to accomplish my goals. Before this point in my life, I had thought “practice makes perfect” when actually, “perfect practice makes perfect.”

         Slowing down to focus on details and small steps allows us to build the skills we need to achieve much more complex and larger, long-term goals. When we get in a hurry and try to do too much too quickly, it can cause us to stumble, make our work appear sloppy, and ultimately make us feel like we are not capable of accomplishing our goals. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, and give up.

         The secret to success is taking a moment to identify our weaknesses. Focus on improving these first. We shouldn’t run from or avoid the parts of life or work that we are not initially “good at.” We should embrace these challenges, break our goals down into small sections, and focus on the hard parts first. It’s in our nature to gravitate toward the easy, fast path to success. Ultimately, this does not lead to greatness. Greatness is achieved by taking the time to do the right thing, abandoning the fear of failure, and identifying the process that will allow us to improve in the areas that challenge us the most. This deliberate approach will allow us to achieve anything that we want to accomplish.

         There is nothing we cannot do or overcome, if we dedicate ourselves to taking the time to do things right and consistently. This is the essence of working smarter, not harder.

(Elizabeth Fitch serves as Academic Dean on the Smyrna campus of Motlow State Community College)