NASHVILLE,
Tenn.(TSU News Service) – The name of TSU alum and musician Jazmin Ghent
continues to resound.
The jazz phenom recently received an NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Jazz Album category for “The Story of Jaz.” In 2017, she was voted Best New Artist by the Smooth Jazz Network.
Jazmin Ghent
Ghent earned a master’s degree in music from
Tennessee State University in 2014. She said music has always been a part of
her life.
“If I didn’t have music, I know I wouldn’t be
where I am today,” she said. “Music distracted me from getting off track and
being something I’m not. It really allowed me to express myself and find
my way in life.”
Nicknamed “Jazzy Jaz” by her grandfather
Fletcher Gaines, who also played saxophone, Ghent grew up listening to
jazz standards from his music collection, as well as the music of Gerald
Albright, Kirk Whalum and Brian Culbertson.
Jazmin credits TSU for
playing a major role in her success.
She said Dr. Robert Elliot, head of the
Department of Music at TSU, her residence life coworkers Gregory Williams and
Brent Dukhie, and various members of the TSU family, provided direction
and support during her time at the university.
“I found out about the program at TSU through
the Bobby Jones Show,” she said. “I performed on his ‘Show Your
Talent Show,’ and went to do an interview with Dr. Elliot. He didn’t have
to give me a chance and an opportunity, but I am beyond thankful that he did.”
Elliot, who served as chair of Ghent’s thesis
committee, said that as a musician, Jazmin brings the “total package.”
“She is very much a modern saxophonist, but
she is well-grounded in the music of those greats who came before her, and she
has built upon that legacy,” he said.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) –
Tennessee State University‘s Student Government Association has a new group of
officers for the 2019/2020 academic year.
The new student leadership, including a Mr.
TSU and a Miss TSU, was announced by the Student Election Commission on April 5,
during a ceremony in the university’s Amphitheater.
Kayla Sampson, the 89th Miss TSU, right, places the heirloom sash on the 90th Miss TSU, Jada Crisp. (Submitted Photo)
Frank Stevenson,
dean of students and associate vice president for Student Affairs, along with other
Student Affairs staff, was on hand to congratulate the new officers when the
election results were announced.
Katelyn Thompson,
of Memphis, a rising senior with a double major in criminal justice and
psychology, was elected the new SGA president, while Ryan Smith, a senior agricultural
science major from Atlanta, is the new SGA executive vice president.
Memphis native Jada
Crisp, a rising senior business supply chain management major, won the coveted
crown to become the 90th Miss Tennessee State University. Damyr
Moore, as the new Mr. TSU, will escort her. Moore is a senior mass
communications major from Atlanta.
SEC Chair, Jessica Fuqua, and SEC Member, Kobe Forman, announce the winners of the 2019/2020 SGA elections. (Submitted Photo)
“These new
officers are an amazing group of students,” said Tasha Andrews, director of
Student Activities. “The outgoing leadership did a great job and they left a nice
foundation for these students to continue to build upon. We are celebrating the
90th Miss TSU, so that’s exciting and a monumental year, so we want
to do some amazing things to celebrate that.”
Following is the
list of the new Miss TSU court and other members of the SGA:
Mr. Senior – Daryus Drayton – Psychology
Miss Senior – Kristian
Taylor – Marketing
Senior Class Treasurer
–
Lawrence Evans – Criminal Justice
Junior Class
President –
Makayla Davis – Mass Communication
Mr. Junior – Naton Smith,
Jr. – Health Sciences
Miss Junior – Maya Howard – Business
Marketing
Sophomore Class Vice
President –
Emmanuel Wallace – Agricultural Sciences
Mr. Sophomore – Mark Davis – Mass
Communications
Miss Sophomore – Mayora Berry – Mass Communications
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is
Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban,
co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree
programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU
has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and
Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one
of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social
mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee
State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit
the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – The NFL Draft will
highlight the future of professional football in a couple of weeks. However, on
April 12, Tennessee State University will celebrate former TSU players who
competed in the pros, including 21 in Super Bowls.
“Salute to Greatness-Excellence on the Gridiron” will take
place at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. A reception is scheduled for 6 p.m.,
followed by a program/dinner at 7 p.m.
The event leading up to the NFL Draft in Nashville on April
25 is part of TSU’s annual Coming Home-Legends Weekend, which will feature the
Blue and White Game on April 13.
“Our history of sending students to play on the professional
level of football is special,” says TSU Athletics Director Teresa Phillips.
“Those who competed on the highest level were and are great representatives of
the university and should be recognized. The ‘Salute to Greatness’ event seeks
to bring these stars together to celebrate their collective successes.”
Over the years, more than 150 TSU players went on to compete
in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and other
professional leagues.
Those players who did and will be at the April 12 event
include Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Dent, MVP of Super Bowl XX with the
Chicago Bears; Ed “Too Tall” Jones, who appeared in three Super Bowls as a member
of the Dallas Cowboys; and two-time Pro Bowler Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who
played in Super Bowl XLVIII with the Denver Broncos.
“When I first learned of the event, I was very excited,”
says Jones. “Tennessee State has always had a rich athletics program, even
before I got here. This is not a championship team that will assemble, it is
all the players coming back to support this as well. I’m looking forward to
seeing all of the guys.”
Grant Winrow is the event’s chairman and special assistant
to TSU President Glenda Glover. He says it’s great to “welcome our former
players back to the school that gave them their start.”
“We thank President Glover for allowing us to carry this vision
of celebration during our Coming Home weekend,” says Winrow, who is also
director of special projects.
Chris Hope, a former Tennessee Titans Pro Bowler and Super
Bowl champion safety with the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be the event’s keynote
speaker. The master of ceremony is Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Hope Hines, considered
a Nashville legend in sports coverage.
“For over six decades, players from Tennessee State University have been cornerstones of the National Football League,” says Hines, who covered TSU sports extensively. “In fact, only a very few colleges and universities have sent more players to the NFL than TSU. The ‘Salute to Greatness’ night is the perfect opportunity to celebrate over 60 years of the brotherhood of Big Blue players who have made Tennessee State University synonymous with the NFL.”
Traci
Otey Blunt, a TSU alum and senior vice president of corporate communications
for the NFL, agrees.
“I
think it’s so dynamic what TSU has done for the sports community, business
community, and beyond,” says Blunt. “I scream from the mountaintops that I’m a
proud Tennessee State University graduate.”
In 2016, TSU was recognized at the John Wooten Leadership
Awards in San Francisco for the number of players who competed in Super Bowls. The
university’s football legacy dates back to Super Bowl I in 1967, when former
TSU Tigers Willie Mitchell and Fletcher Smith made their appearance as
teammates with the Kansas City Chiefs. More than 20 players have followed them
over the years.
To learn more about TSU football and the university’s other athletic programs, visit http://www.tsutigers.com.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – At least 40 vendors from across the city participated in the Community Health and Wellness Fair at Tennessee State University on April 5.
Chiropractic care, dental screenings and HIV testing were
just a few of the free services offered at the fair, which was a partnership
between TSU, the DP Thomas Foundation for Obesity, Vanderbilt University
Medical Center’s HIV Vaccine Program, and the Turnip Truck, a natural foods
grocer in Nashville.
A participant at the health fair receives dental screening. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations)
Participants also received information on weight-loss
management and nutrition, as well as fitness demonstrations and health
screenings.
Dolly Patton-Thomas, executive director of the DP Thomas
Foundation for Obesity, said the event was intended to motivate people to live
healthier lives.
“The expectation was
to bring the community together to let them understand the importance of health
as well as the availability of nontraditional and traditional medicine,” Thomas
said. “The partnership with TSU has been really great because they support us in
getting the word out to the community, as well as supply the space. They do a
lot for us and they put that message out there for a healthy lifestyle.”
TSU’s Dental Hygiene Department,
which provided intra-oral screenings at the event, has been one of the main
participants over the years.
Leon Roberts II, coordinator of clinics
for the department, stressed the importance of taking care of oral hygiene
because “it affects an individuals’ whole health.”
“The mouth is the gateway to the
body, so a lot of dental diseases don’t just affect the mouth,” he said.
“Periodontal disease is connected to diabetes, heart disease, and for women who
are pregnant, it is connected to low-birth weight babies.”
Sharronda Broughton is
program specialist for Outreach STD/HIV Communicable Disease with Metro Public
Health Department. She has been attending the fair for several years and is
impressed with how much the yearly event has grown.
“We participate in the
health fair to offer STD and HIV screening and awareness for the students,
staff and for the community,” Broughton said. “Each year we see more and more
participants. It looks like more people are now aware of what this event
offers.”
Lalita Hodge, TSU coordinator of
public relations and a member of the DP Thomas board of directors, also spoke
about the growth of the fair. She announced the addition of Bounce TV-Nashville,
Gilead Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as new sponsors for
the fair.
“It was important for people to
come out to see what’s out there in health care with regards to traditional and
nontraditional products and methods to keep us healthy, because our health is
our wealth,” Hodge said.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students,
Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a
comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38
bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral
degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and
Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the
top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility,
research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University
celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University alumnus and celebrated actor L. Warren Young speaks with nostalgia when he recalls piling into a room with other budding thespians during his freshman year at Tennessee State University.
L. Warren Young
“They had everybody in the speech and drama department to meet in one room. I think it was like 50 or 60 people there, and the instructors were talking to us. Everybody was like ‘Yeah man! We’re going to do this man! I’m going to be a movie star! I’m going to be in this play and get in this movie!’ Everybody had such high hopes,” said Young, who television viewers from around the world can watch currently as the recurring character Fred Williams from the hit TV series Greenleaf. “Out of the 50 to 60 people who were in the room at that moment, I am the only one left. The odds are against you, but you can beat the odds.”
Young spoke in the Strange Performing Arts Building in Rehearsal Hall on April 8. He expressed excitement about returning to Tennessee State University to share with students some of the insights he has learned from being in the acting industry for almost five decades.
“I’ve been in this business for 47 years. I’ve raised a family. I’ve had to do other jobs and things like
that, but I’ve always had my eye on the prize.
And as they say, I’m not finished yet,” he said.
Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Matthew McConaughey, Meagan Good and Will Ferrell represent just a few of the many well known actors Young has collaborated with on the set of countless TV shows and films including “Daddy’s Little Girls,” “The Blind Side,” “Saints and Sinners,” “Shots Fired,” “The Game, “Bessie,” “Meet The Browns,” “Nashville,” and “We Are Marshall.”
TSU senior professor of theatre and award-winning director Lawrence James said Young’s visit is a tremendous experience for students, as well as the entire TSU campus community.
L. Warren Young (middle) on the set of TV Series Greenleaf.
“It’s good to have beacons of light and success. This is an
opportunity for the students to get up close and personal with someone who is a
success,” James said. “We are always wanting to have role modes for our
students, and to have someone of LaParee’s caliber and success to come and talk
to the students should be extremely rewarding for them.”
Young, who entered TSU with a music scholarship and played trombone with the Aristocrat of Bands, also recalls being a member of the T.E. Poag Players Guild and Theta Alpha Phi National Honorary Dramatic Fraternity. He credits many of his TSU professors with teaching him skills he uses as a professional actor.
“One of the major forces in my career as a student was a
mentor, and Oprah Winfrey’s mentor as well, W. Drury Cox. He was the one,” Young said. “A very knowledgeable man, a very sound man,
a very personable man, and a very caring man. The four years I was at Tennessee
State, it was amazing to have him as a mentor.”
L. Warren Yooung as a student at TSU rehearsing for a theatrical production of the play ‘No Place To Be Somebody’ by Charles Gordone.
Jordan Young, a Nashville native and sophomore marketing
major at TSU, said his uncle consistently offered him great advice during his
time as a child actor.
“Sometimes as an actor I would get discouraged when I didn’t get call backs, and he always told me to keep my head up,” said Jordan Young.
Jordan, son of actor K. Addison Young, said his father and uncle had a lot to do with him attending TSU.
“They both went to TSU.
It was like a tradition in my family that for the first 17 years of my
life, we always used to go early in the morning to the parade. I’ve seen the
culture around here, and I’ve seen how much they have benefited from it,” he
said.
James hopes Young’s visit gives students across the campus a real look at what it takes to be a successful actor.
“Sometimes theatre is looked at as that kind of secondary art form, but now we can look and see all the wonderful movies and TV shows, particularly with young minorities starting out as far as television and film are concerned, with ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Insecure,’ ‘Atlanta’ and ‘Boomerang,’” James said. “All of these are wonderful movies, and others are starting theatre groups. The point is that theatre and the movie arts and television arts are alive, and I wish more of our students would focus there, and discipline themselves academically and artistically to be successes in those areas.”
Young, who emphasizes the importance of doing theatre for developing skills as an actor, said he performed in every theatrical production except for three, during his time as a TSU student. He said students must learn different acting techniques, as well as the business of acting in order to be truly successful.
“Learn what you can at an institution like Tennessee State
University that has the facilities to further your career, because those people
that have studied and learned the business of this business are the ones that
last and have the staying power,” he said. “There are a lot of people that may
get into a series today, and you don’t see them in another year, because a lot
of times they were just good for that particular role. They didn’t know how to
act; they knew how to just memorize lines.’
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
(TSU News Service) – Nashville’s four
historically black colleges and universities will come together on Wednesday,
April 10, in the first-ever HBCU Pride Basketball Tournament.
Tennessee State University, Fisk University, Meharry Medical
College and American Bible College will participate in the intramural sports
event involving non-NCAA student athletes.
Gerald Davis
The tournament will begin at 7:45 p.m., on the TSU Ralph H.
Boston Wellness Center Basketball Courts on the main campus.
Organizers say the event, intended to be a future fundraiser,
is free and open to the public. It will feature the kings, queens and royal
courts of the institutions, as well as vendors and entertainment. Court Yard
Wednesday – usually held in the TSU Student Center, where student organizations
set up tables and other displays – will move to the tournament site as part of
the festivities.
The tournament is the brainchild of Gerald Davis, TSU alum
and director of the Wellness Center. He said the idea to organize the
tournament and bring the four institutions together has been in the works for a
long time.
“HBCU Pride as an idea is something I have been thinking
about for about three years now,” says Davis. “It’s always been a goal and a
wish of mine to have all four HBCUs right here in the Nashville area to do
something together.”
He says representatives from the other institutions have embraced the idea and are excited about this inaugural event, with a plan to make it an annual event to raise funds for the four schools.
“I think something like this will have a positive spin to
have all four schools together. So, the basketball game for me is just a
backdrop of bringing all four schools together. More importantly, it is just
the camaraderie that I have always wanted to see all four schools together,”
says Davis.
Tammi Lavender, event co-organizer and director of student life at Meharry Medical College, says Meharry students like the idea of bringing the local HBCUs together and are excited to participate in the tournament.
“We have only intramural sports at Meharry, and so when I sent the email to our students they were very excited about coming down to participate,” says Lavender. “I definitely like the idea for the tournament and the plan to make it even better to support our HBCUs.”
HBCU Pride comes a few days before the start of Alumni Coming Home and Legends Weekend – April 12-14 – featuring a celebration of TSU football players who went to the pros, a 5K run/walk, and the Blue & White Football Game.
“The plan is to grow it and bring alumni back,” says Davis.
“I wanted to strategically put this around our (alumni) coming home weekend.
So, hopefully we will be able to get on the big schedule next year with other
activities.”
Participating institutions will receive trophies for first, second and third places, with the winning team receiving an overall championship trophy that must be returned and competed for each year, “like the Stanley Cup,” says Davis.
For more information on the HBCU Pride Tournament, call Gerald Davis at 615-963-2260.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is
Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban,
co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree
programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU
has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and
Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one
of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social
mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee
State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit
the University online at tnstate.edu.
The Tennessee State University Africana Studies Program, in partnership with DC Consult International, will host the US-Africa Business Opportunities and Exchange Conference, beginning Wednesday, April 3.
The conference will bring together federal and state
government leaders, industry experts, and private business leaders from the Southern
region of the United States around the themes of business development and
investment opportunities in the areas of green infrastructure, healthcare,
agriculture, entertainment and entrepreneurship.
“All eyes are on Africa in regard to future opportunities for business investment. The timing of this conference couldn’t be any better, and I encourage everyone to participate,” said TSU assistant professor of business administration Isaac Addae, who will present at the conference. “Strong relationships are a major aspect of achieving business success on the continent, and this conference provides a great opportunity to forge partnerships with individuals currently doing business across Africa.”
Isaac Addae
Diana C. Onyejiaka, founder of DCCI and an alumna of TSU, said attendees can expect panel sessions to include: Civil Rights, Pan Africanism, and Decolonization: Making the Connection; Agribusiness with Africa; Entertainment: Africa’s Next Export; Female Empowerment For Economic Growth and Sustainability; Healthcare Systems and Primary Care; Green Infrastructure for Urban Development in Africa; and Blockchain Technology for Developing Nations.
“I graduated from TSU with plans to go to law school, come out, and only practice law in the United States,” said Onyejiaka, who obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in political science with minors in philosophy and psychology in 2007 and a master’s in public administration from the university in 2013. “However, when I started learning about the different types of business engagements that many international firms engaged with Africa, I was determined to create something similar. I wanted to participate in those business engagements too.”
Onyejiaka, the main organizer of the conference and a speaker for the “Entertainment: Africa’s Next Export” session, also obtained her Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center in 2014. Addae and Samuel O’Sesin, digital and marketing strategist and owner of Gadgetivo, an online “gadget mall,” will serve as speakers for the “Millennials, Capital and Opportunities” session.
Samuel O’Sesin
The Culture
& Creative Industries Council (CCIC) Awards Gala at 7:30 p.m. on April 5, will
honor men, women, and organizations that heavily impact Africa and its diaspora.
The gala, themed “A Night Dedicated to People of African Descent,” will include
a dinner catered from Pole’ Pole’, a local mobile and catering food service that offers gourmet
cuisine from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a traditional dance performance
from Nigeria, West Africa, and live music from Uzoma Obiora and The Path
to Freedom.
Onyejiaka hopes to attract millennials to the conference so they can become more informed about the vital role Africa will play in the future of the global economy.
“I want students to be informed about the shift currently
happening. The United Nations projects that by 2050, 1 in 4 people on Earth
will be African and that Africa will likely be the only region that will
continue to grow after 2050,” she said. “I would say that the average American
student today should expect that he or she will likely engage in business with
or in Africa at some point of their career. It is inevitable.”
Uzoma Obiora
The TSU Africana Studies Program offers an 18 credit hour Minor designed to complement a student’s major in one of the university’s degree granting programs. The program’s curriculum and pedagogy are designed to prepare students for success in a diverse and increasingly interdependent global economy and job market.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is gearing up for another informative Community Health and Wellness Fair on Friday, April 5.
Chiropractic care, dental screenings and HIV
testing are just a few of the free services that will be offered.
More than 40 vendors with some connection to
health care and wellness are expected to participate in this year’s event,
which is free to the public.
The fair, which is scheduled to start at 10
a.m. in the university’s Kean Hall on the main campus, is a partnership between
TSU, the DP Thomas Foundation for Obesity, Vanderbilt University Medical
Center’s HIV Vaccine Program, and the Turnip Truck, a natural foods grocer in
Nashville.
Lalita Hodge, TSU coordinator of public relations
and a member of the DP Thomas board of directors, said this year there are
three new sponsors: Bounce TV, Gilead Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
“It
is important for people to come out so they can see what’s out there in health
care with regards to traditional and nontraditional products and methods to
keep us healthy, because our health is our wealth,” Hodge said.
One of the main participants is TSU’s Dental
Hygiene Department, which will provide intra-oral screenings at the event.
Leon Roberts II, coordinator of clinics for
the TSU Dental Hygiene Department, stressed the importance of people from the
campus and surrounding communities stopping by their booth to get the screenings.
“The mouth is the gateway to the body, so a
lot of dental diseases don’t just affect the mouth,” he said. “Periodontal
disease is connected to diabetes, heart disease, and for women who are
pregnant, it is connected to low-birth weight babies. So it is very important
to take care of your oral hygiene because your oral hygiene affects your whole
health.”
Among its offerings, the fair will provide
information on weight loss management and nutrition, as well as fitness
demonstrations and health screenings.
Dolly Patton-Thomas, executive director of
the DP Thomas Foundation for Obesity, said she hopes the event will motivate
people to live healthier lives.
“We need doctors. They support us with our
health in many ways, and we need them to support us in the health decisions we
make as well,” she said. “Still, I think we can help them by taking our health
into our own hands on a day to day basis.”
Keith
Richardson is community engagement coordinator for Vanderbilt’s HIV Vaccine
Program. He said this will be the third year he’s participated in the health
fair, and he’s looking forward to it.
“It’s
going to be a really great event,” Richardson said. “I think it is going to be
beneficial for all ages, young and old.”
For more information about the Community Health and Wellness Fair, call 615-474-1286, or email: [email protected].
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
