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University Relations Tip Sheet - August 24, 2004

Ethicist: New Jersey controversy highlights obstacles facing gays
New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey's announcement that he will resign from office in November after revealing he is gay and had an extramarital affair with a man recently sent political shockwaves throughout the country. While gay-rights advocates have applauded McGreevey's decision to come out publicly, his political opponents have called for the governor to resign immediately. Regardless of how the controversy plays out, the situation is partly a consequence of legal and social barriers facing gays in America, says a political ethicist at Georgia State University. "The McGreevey resignation is unfortunate on several levels - there are broken promises, the whiff of corruption and shattered lives as a result," says Andrew Cohen, acting director of the Jean Beer Blumenfeld Center for Ethics at Georgia State. "But McGreevey's resignation is also partly a symptom of the personal and political consequences of cultural derangement -- when gays cannot marry, they can be driven into alienated and deceptive lives." Contact him at 404/654-5815 or aicohen@gsu.edu.

Expert: Opinion leaders carry influence at polls
If most Americans don't pay attention to media coverage of politics, as studies have shown, upon what information are they basing their voting decisions? These people often turn to opinion leaders in their social networks for advice and information, says Christine Roch, assistant professor of public administration and urban studies at Georgia State University. Opinion leaders, who are present in all social classes and occupations, mediate the flow of information from mass media to individuals, she says. "They enjoy the social power that holding and transmitting information gives them," says Roch, who studies how opinion leaders gain influence over other citizens. "Understanding who the opinion leaders are that citizens may rely on when making decisions is key to our understanding of democratic governance." Opinion leaders attain their positions based not only on personality characteristics, but also on where they are in social networks, including who they know outside the group, she says. Contact Roch at 404/651-3351 or croch@gsu.edu.

Hairy vetch roots for the tomato
Mention "hairy vetch" to a city dweller and he just may think you're referring to a shadowy loner in a Woody Allen flick. In fact, the hairy vetch is a warm and devoted companion - to the tomato. As part of a study on sustainable agriculture, researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including Georgia State University biologist Douglas Mills, found that tomatoes grown with hairy vetch, a legume often used as a cover crop, resisted disease better and lived longer than tomatoes grown with chemical fertilizer and black polyethylene (plastic) mulch. Mills cites several additional advantages of growing tomatoes with vetch rather than black plastic. For one, he says, the rhizobia bacteria living on the vetch's roots take nitrogen from the air and convert it to fertilizer for the tomatoes' use, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. Vetch also discourages soil erosion and helps tomatoes resist leaf disease better than those grown with the plastic, reducing the need for fungicide. "The idea of sustainable agriculture is to be able to grow crops over the long term by preserving soil and maintaining the health of plants, animals and human communities," Mills says. The results of the study, published in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer a detailed genetic explanation for the tomatoes' increased longevity and disease resistance. For more information, contact Mills at 404/463-9920 or biodjm@langate.gsu.edu.

Buyer beware: Popular back-to-school items can cause injury
Parents be forewarned - some of this year's trendiest back-to-school buys can be hazardous to children's health, according to Laurie Tis, associate professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University. Most ankle sprains, neck and back pains, head injuries, and arthritic conditions can be traced to buying the wrong shoes, backpacks and sports gear, according to Tis, an injury prevention expert. She advises buying athletic shoes that fit a child's specific activity - whether it's running or basketball - versus buying popular styles more suited for casual wear than sports. Tis also recommends rolling backpacks to prevent shoulder and neck strain. For more advice on back-to-school buys and general safety guidelines, contact Tis at 404/651-4022 or ltis@gsu.edu.

Professor: Art students need real-world lessons
Students learn more from the lessons in their textbooks when their teachers help them connect classroom facts to events and experiences outside of school, according to Melody Milbrandt, associate professor of art education at Georgia State University. "The idea of authentic instruction is that students develop greater understanding and more in-depth knowledge if they connect learning to real-life experiences and issues," says Milbrandt. "You want students to realize that art is about something, and that it happens in a culture, in a social environment." Milbrandt, co-author of "Art for Life: Authentic Instruction in Art," says this life-centered approach works particularly well in art education when looking at contemporary artwork, because it so often deals with critiques of society and the types of issues that most students already know about. For more, contact Milbrandt at 404/651-1708 or milbrandt@gsu.edu.

Happening at Georgia State University:

New-music ensemble begins 10th season
Atlanta new-music ensemble neoPhonia kicks off its 10th anniversary season at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 in Georgia State University's Kopleff Recital Hall (corner of Peachtree Center Avenue and Gilmer Street). Under the artistic direction of Nickitas J. Demos, coordinator of composition at Georgia State, the program features works by Messiaen, Tavener and Pärt, and the premiere of Inside Psalms by Amanda Graham. Admission is free. For more information, contact Helene Erenberg at 404/651-1326 or herenberg@gsu.edu.

Interactive public art in Freedom Park
Freedom Park visitors will soon have the opportunity to participate in African artist Meschac Gaba's public-art project "Atlanta ASD: Art in Service of Development." Between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sept. 4-6 and 11-12, volunteers will operate a bicycle kiosk at the corner of Highland Avenue and Glen Iris Boulevard. For a $5 donation, park goers can ride bicycles that were donated locally and painted gold by volunteers. Donations will be used to help ship Gaba's project "Library of Contemporary African Art" to Benin, West Africa. When the project is complete, the bikes will be donated to the Salvation Army and to clients of the Mad Housers, a local homeless-advocacy group. "Atlanta ASD" is presented in association with the exhibition "Strange Planet," in which five international artists look inside the translated cultural experience to find a world grown strangely small. Works in "Strange Planet" will be on display from Sept. 2 to Nov. 5 at Georgia State University and at Saltworks Gallery. For more information, contact Cathy Byrd, director of the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design galleries, at 404/651-0489 or cathybyrd@gsu.edu.

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