MILITARY FOCUSED ON PROVIDING ACCURATE, FACTUAL INFORMATION: While the war on terrorism by U.S. forces is an unconventional one, military public affairs professionals are still focused on providing accurate and factual information to the American public via the press. This war has changed the face of some of the information provided, but has not changed the goals of the people charged with informing the American public through its Principles of Information, says Robert Pritchard, a journalism professor and former military public affairs officer. He may be reached at rpritchard@bsu.eduor (765) 285-9104.

CNN GETTING VIEWS OF CAMPUS COMMUNITY: CNN, an international cable news network, has installed a Web camera on campus to get the views of the average person for its "Talk Back Live" program. Participants have the opportunity to discuss the topic of the day on the daily television program. For more information, contact Tim Pollard, a telecommunications professor, at tpollard@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1481.

REPORTERS STUCK BETWEEN PATRIOTISM, ETHICS: News media representatives wearing American flags or patriotic ribbons may be violating journalism ethics by seemingly taking sides in the war on terrorism. Information is the end product for the media, and reporters and news anchors should dedicate themselves to providing information for the American public even if their tactics are perceived to be unpatriotic by the general public, says Mark Popovich, a journalism professor. Contact him at mpopovic@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8207.

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING CENTER MOVES TO BALL STATE: The Software Engineering Research Center (SERC) has moved its headquarters from Purdue to Ball State. The organization allows universities and businesses to work on joint research projects. For more information, contact Wayne Zage, computer science professor and center director, at wmz@cs.bsu.eduor (765) 285-8664.

PROFESSOR NAMED OUTSTANDING CITIZEN FOR COMMUNITY WORK: Linda Keys,an urban planning professor and associate director of the Office of Academic Research and Sponsored Programs, was recently honored with outstanding citizen awards from three organizations. Keys, a former Chicago resident, has been working in the community in a variety of roles with various nonprofit organizations for about 14 years. Contact her at lkeys@bsu.eduor (765) 285-1600.

PALESTINIAN QUESTION A FOCAL POINT FOR TERRORISM: Osama bin Laden, the Saudi Arabian exile blamed for terrorism against the U.S., has tied his fight against America to the Palestian-Israeli conflict. Dan Goffman, a history professor, can explain the historical background and the consequences of this long-standing problem in the Middle East. Contact him at dgoffman@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8712.

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS NOT A RECENT DEVELOPMENT: America is not the first country afraid of the use of anthrax and biological weapons against its citizens. The use of toxins and related dangerous biological materials dates back thousands of years. As early as 600 B.C. they were used when Athenian legislator Solon poisoned the water supply of the city of Kirrha with a biological toxin, said Ann Blakey, a biology professor. Contact her at ablakey@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8841.

GOVERNMENT NEEDS LANGUAGE SPECIALISTS FOR DEFENSE: The hottest career in the next two decades may be foreign language specialists. U.S. intelligence agencies need a better understanding of how other people, other cultures, other countries think and feel. To gain an understanding of such issues, an extensive cadre of language experts are an absolute necessity within the defense intelligence agencies, says Ron Warner, a modern languages professor. He may be reached at dwarner@bsu.eduor (765) 285-1371.

WAR WITH TALIBAN WON'T BE TELEVISED: Don't expect television networks or cable news operations to have the freedom of movement in Afghanistan. The U.S. military has finally mastered the art of controlling the media and the information that they receive. Information also will be tightly controlled because the conflict will take place all over the country, creating an extremely hazardous environment for reporters, says Mark Popovich, a journalism professor. Contact him at mpopovic@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8702.

GLOBAL PR EFFORT NEEDED FOR WAR ON TERRORISM: A strong public relations effort on a global basis will be an important element in President Bush's attempt to create and maintain an international coalition to fight terrorism. Credibility is the key and will be the main factor in achieving, winning and maintaining global public support, says Melvin L. Sharpe, a public relations professor. He may be reached at msharpe@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8215.

HUMANITARIAN AIR DROPS SHOULD HELP U.S. CAUSE: Dropping supplies to the Afghan people and taking care of refugees should generate support among Arabs for America's anti-terrorist strikes, says Kevin Smith, a history professor. Before the current crisis began the United Nations estimated that at least 2 million Afghans were dependent on deliveries to feed themselves after decades of civil war and years of drought. Contact Smith at ksmith@bsu.edu or (765) 285-8721.

ANTHRAX POTENTIALLY DEADLY BUT RARELY SEEN:There have been about 130 cases of humans suffering the effects of anthrax in the last 100 years in the U.S., including a recent fatal case, says Tom Reilly, biology professor. Anthrax is considered to be a potential agent for use in biological warfare. Fears about its possible use have been on the upswing since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Anthrax is not contagious and is treatable, Reilly said. Contact him at rjreilly@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8830.

AMERICA HAS INTERNATIONAL IMAGE PROBLEMS: Melvin Sharpe, public relations professor, says America has a major task in communicating its values due to exports of Hollywood and television productions, which suggest that our social problems are far greater than those experienced in other cultures and countries. This image is complicated by coverage of U.S. political scandals, which indicates to foreign nations American democracy has no edge over the corruption experienced in other cultures. America allows all the warts to show without adequately communicating the strengths inherent in the process of self-analysis and public exposure. Contact Sharpe at msharpe@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8215.

CONGRESS MAY CURTAIL INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT: A bill recently introduced in Congress would place a six-month moratorium on student visas. Such a moratorium would prohibit students who have no involvement with terrorism from studying at U.S. colleges, says James Coffin,director of International Programs. Contact him at jcoffin@bsu.eduor (765) 285-5422.

EXERCISE MAY REDUCE STRESS: Many Americans are feeling highly stressed due to recent terrorist attacks as well as problems they face daily including work, child rearing and reduction of daylight hours. Stress often causes high levels of hormonal production. Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise may help, says Scott Mazzetti, a researcher in the Human Performance Laboratory. For more information, contact him at smazzett@bsu.eduor (765) 285-8696.