by Brianne Welch | Feb 13, 2013 | News Slider
Student workers who receive federal work-study funds just learned their pay is going to decrease to below minimum wage. Lipscomb was required to pay Federal Work Study students $7.25 an hour prior to last week’s change that takes them down to $6.85 per hour, according to Janice Cato, human resources assistant. The wage was slashed due to the high number of students eligible to receive the funds, she said. “Because the FWS is used up for those eligible students, their pay rates need to be changed to the regular student pay rate of $6.85 an hour,” Cato said. While $6.85 is below minimum wage, “LU has been approved by the Department of Labor to pay student workers sub-minimum wage,” Cato said. The students will be able to keep the jobs they have as of right now, but may eventually have to leave their jobs if their pay remains that low. Tuesday night in his State of the Union message, President Obama promised to work to raise minimum wage to $9 an hour. Some students have said they are unhappy with both the pay cut as well as the way the university informed them of the change. “I don’t think the way it was handled was very ethical,” said work-study scholar Kelly Dean. “All we got was a one-sentence email that said ‘you are no longer required for Federal Work Study as of this date.’” Dean goes on to say that the email gave no explanation to the students as to why their pay was decreasing. “I definitely think it is going to affect a lot of students who have FWS,” Dean said. Another...
by Brianne Welch | Jan 29, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Defeating a United States Olympian at an invitational is only the beginning of great things to come from Lipscomb junior Tucker Peabody. The Memphis native began running track his junior year in high school simply to get in shape for football. “I didn’t think track would get me anywhere,” Peabody said. Peabody was offered to play football at several Division I and Division II colleges before sustaining an injury. The injury prevented him from fully participating in half of his senior year football season. “[The injury] diminished my football career, and so I decided to stick with track,” Peabody said. During his senior season of track, Peabody said he got much better and so he received other offers for track. “Once I started receiving all of the offers, I started taking [track] more seriously,” Peabody said. Peabody currently runs the 100m, 200m and the 4x400m relay for the Bisons track and field team. On Saturday, Jan. 19, Peabody defeated Olympian Manteo Mitchell in the 200m. Peabody finished with a time of 21.36 seconds while Mitchell finished with a time of 21.37 seconds. “People seem to think it’s a big deal,” Peabody said when asked about his victory. Whether racing an Olympian or another college athlete, Peabody gets nervous just like anyone else. “Nerves kick in before every race, whether there is very little competition or I am racing an Olympian,” Peabody said. “The nerves are always there.” Peabody and Mitchell have raced several times before, and Peabody has a competitive relationship with Mitchell. He said that when the two raced in a preliminary race on Friday, Jan. 18, Mitchell...
by Brianne Welch | Jan 28, 2013 | News Slider
Two beloved members of the Lipscomb family who died last week — former professors Dr. Bill Collins and Dr. Oliver Yates — will long be remembered for what they did for their students, colleagues and the university. Dr. Collins died Jan. 21 at the age of 71, Dr. Yates on January 24 at the age of 79. Dr. Yates first came to Lipscomb as a freshman in 1952, and he remained at Lipscomb until his death. “He taught thousands of students during a career that lasted nearly 55 years,” wrote Kent Gallaher, chair of the biology department. “[he] made a huge impact in the lives of hundreds of health-care professionals who did their undergraduate training at Lipscomb from the late 1950’s though 2010.” Like many others who were touched by Dr. Yates’ life, Gallaher spoke very highly of him. “Along with Dr. Paul Langford, he laid the foundation for the successful pre-med program we enjoy today.” Lipscomb provost, Craig Bledsoe, said Dr. Yates has left a lasting legacy. “Through his work, Lipscomb became the place to be to train for a health-related career,” Bledsoe wrote. “He personally trained hundreds of students who would go on to become highly successful doctors, dentists, nurses, veterinarians, and others who chose to devote their lives to caring for others.” Bledsoe talked about how Dr. Yates not only touched the lives of students, but he also was extremely involved in bettering the community. Professor Collins came to Lipscomb as a staff member in 1985, and he retired in May 2012. Dr. Collins was a philosophy professor but was part of the Bible department until 1999. In...
by Brianne Welch | Jan 16, 2013 | News Slider
Get Fit Month, Campus Recreation’s January health initiative, offers many diverse programs – from weight loss to yoga to a mild kick- boxing/dancing hybrid – all designed to help students fulfill their New Year’s resolutions and live healthier. “Everyone sets goals to have better health, to have more fitness, and we are trying to help everyone go along with that,” said Callie Shanks, facilities and marketing graduate assistant, in talking about the Student Activities Center’s Get Fit Month programs. One of the more popular events the SAC is sponsoring during is the Biggest Loser competition, which began January 14. “It is for individuals who really want to make big lifestyle changes,” Shanks said. Unlike The Biggest Loser reality TV show, Lipscomb’s event is not simply dedicated to weight loss, but instead uses a “swap points” system to put the focus on overall healthy lifestyle adjustments. “Some swap points could be along the lines of: Instead of drinking soda, you drink water,” Shanks said. “So someone who is overweight, but has made a ton of healthy decisions, is able to win as well.” Shanks said the winners will be encouraged to continue their lifestyle choices. “They can win prizes such as yoga, ballroom dancing and tons of fun fitness activities to help them be active,” Shanks said. It costs $45 for students to compete in the Biggest Loser challenge. While the Biggest Loser program is currently the largest Get Fit Month activity at the SAC, there are many other fitness programs – such as spin classes and Monday night yoga – that are designed to help students get moving. Shanks...
by Brianne Welch | Jan 9, 2013 | Opinion
After The University of Alabama blew out the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame Monday night 42-14, the Southeastern Conference claimed its seventh straight National Title win – not to mention its eighth win in the past ten years. This game helps support the fact that the SEC is the dominant conference in NCAA Division I college football. Seven years ago, during the 2006/2007 college football season, The University of Florida was scheduled to play Ohio State University for the BCS National Championship. Florida embarrassed Ohio State by winning 41-14. At the time, very few commentators, analysts, fans or coaches believed that the SEC was anything special, but with the blowout of the Ohio State Buckeyes came the dynasty of the SEC. Professionals and amateurs alike have all been debating whether or not the SEC is the most dominant conference for years, and now it is safe to say that the SEC is indeed the most powerful conference in college football. After the National Championship game on Monday night, the AP and Coaches polls released their postseason rankings. Seven SEC teams landed in the top 25, five in the top 10 and three in the top 5. The SEC is the strongest conference in college football also due to the incredible athletes it recruits. Over the past 20 years, the SEC has sent over 550 players to the NFL draft. The Big 10 has sent 396, and the PAC-12 has only sent 250. Not only does the SEC have the most teams in top 25 rankings, but it also has the most difficult schedules. According to teamrankings.com, teams in the SEC...
