Racer Report: August 12-16

MURRAY, Ky. – The latest Murray State University Racer Report includes student, faculty, staff and alumni accomplishments, announcements, upcoming campus events and more for the week of August 12-16.

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Professor Emeritus Roger Haney has published his second textbook in a series of four dealing with the effects of the mass media. The book has been published with Cambridge Scholars Publishing where it is available with an extract. The book is entitled “Key Behavioral Effects of the Mass Media.” The book is also available from Amazon books.

A blurb describing the book is:

“This text provides empirical research on some of the most controversial media issues of our times. The first chapter investigates such issues as the effects of viewing erotica. How are users affected? Are rapists users and are they affected? Are there therapeutic effects of viewing erotica? The second chapter covers how violent depictions affect violence in society. What are the findings of various government commissions and other research on depictions of media violence? The third chapter presents theories on causes and prevention of violence. Are viewers desensitized to violence in society? Does long-term viewing affect more aggressive behavior? Are there ways to mitigate the effects of viewing violence? The final chapter covers how political content affects voters. How are receivers socialized politically? What is the hereditary vote? What knowledge is gained from political content? What are the effects of political debates? What is the nature and effect of bias in the media? What role does Internet content play?”

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Murray State University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Tim Todd, Director of the Murray State University Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development Chris Wooldridge and Professor of Economics Dr. Simone Silva were recently recognized by the City of Madisonville and the Madisonville Police Department for its ongoing support in the development of a regional police training academy to be located in Madisonville, Kentucky. The creation of the Regional Training Complex will eliminate training backlogs and reduce travel requirements for agencies across western Kentucky.

This effort enjoyed a successful allocation of $50 million by the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly for the construction of the West Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training Police Academy in Madisonville. One of the efforts by Murray State included the development of a report by Dr. Simone Silva, professor of economics and the director of the Master of Arts in Economic Development program, reflecting the projected financial impact on the communities in the region.

“We are honored to be recognized for supporting this very important project that will have tremendous impact on the training and deployment of law enforcement professionals as well as build on the quality of life already existing in west Kentucky,” Wooldridge said. “We appreciate being included in the vision and leadership of both Chief Steve Bryan and Mayor Kevin Cotton.”

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Professor of Psychology Dr. Dan Wann was featured in an Aug. 7 CNBC article by Jade Thomas about how to capture the joy of watching the Olympics in daily life.

Wann, who specializes in the psychology of sports fandom and sports psychology, has been in the field for more than three decades and has taught at Murray State since 1991.

Read the full article here: bit.ly/4ctsmuT.