[243] MTSU ramps up for WKU rivalry with 'True Blue Week' Jan. 21-27

For release:  Jan. 20, 2013

News and Media Relations contact: Jimmy Hart, 615-898-5131 or Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu

MTSU Athletics contact: Marco Born, 615-898-5260 or Marco.Born@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — MTSU is encouraging Blue Raider fans and supporters to observe Jan. 21-27 as “True Blue Week,” culminating with the men’s and women’s basketball teams taking on Sun Belt Conference archrival Western Kentucky at Murphy Center.

Spearheaded by the MTSU Athletics Department, the week aims to build fan support and turnout for the WKU games, which features a men’s contest scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. Jan. 26 and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. The women’s contest will start at 2 p.m. Jan. 27.

MTSU representatives Diane Turnham, associate athletic director, and Coby Sherlock, president of the Student Government Association, accepted an official mayoral proclamation for “True Blue Week” last Thursday night at the Rutherford County Commission meeting. The city of Murfreesboro has also made a proclamation as well.

Blue Raider fans should wear blue throughout the week and fly their MTSU car flags. Businesses and restaurants around town are encouraged to have their staffs to wear blue, and those businesses with marquees outside are asked to promote the games.

“This is possibly the last time or one of the last times we’re going to play Western as a conference rival with our pending move to Conference USA,” said Marco Born, MTSU assistant athletic director for ticketing and marketing. Born pointed out the “Plus 1” promotional push for season ticket holders to bring one extra fan with them to the games.

As announced in late November, MTSU athletics will be leaving the Sun Belt Conference to join Conference USA no later than July 2014.

Tickets for the games are $10. For ticket information, call 1-888-YES-MTSU or 615-898-5261. You can also visit www.goblueraiders.com and click on the “Tickets” tab at the top of the page.

But “True Blue Week” isn’t just about hoops.

The week also highlights the university’s beliefs expressed in its True Blue Pledge, which spells out four core values: honesty and integrity; respect for diversity; engagement in the community; and a commitment to reason, not violence. (Learn more at http://www.mtsu.edu/trueblue/.)

All of those values will be in focus on Monday, Jan. 21, when MTSU’s Center for Student Involvement and Leadership and the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs present the Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration Program from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Keathley University Center Theater.

Members of the MTSU community will gather to honor King’s life and legacy. The theme for this year’s celebration is “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington.”

The free public event will feature a keynote speaker and remarks from a diverse group of presenters.

Note to media: Photos attached

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CAPTION: Rutherford County Commissioner Jeff Phillips, center, reads a proclamation at Thursday’s County Commission meeting denoting the week of Jan. 21-27 as “True Blue Week.” Accepting the proclamation inside the County Courthouse are, at far left, MTSU representatives Diane Turnham, associate athletic director, and Coby Sherlock, Student Government Association president. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

            MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.