by Crystal Davis | Feb 28, 2012 | News Slider
Namaste. I place my hands at my chest and bow. That’s how I begin my day. Meditation has always been something that has made my life easier. Classes, tests and projects can take such a toll on the mind and body. I realized through sickness that taking care of yourself is the sole important thing in life. If I don’t take care of myself, I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach. All things seem impossible in that moment. Sometimes I meditate in bed before I get up for the day, and sometimes I meditate at a stoplight. There’s no single place to find your peace; it can be anywhere you want. Yoga has been a form of meditation I’ve explored for years. The first day I walked into a small yoga studio in Franklin, I felt incredibly intimidated by this new activity, this new way of thinking that I was choosing to experience. Hoping to feel better, I explained to the yoga instructor that I wanted to de-stress and to slow my mind down. Thoughts raced through my head day and night – paying bills, walking the dog. Will I have time to work and do my homework before class? How am I going to sleep enough? Did I forget to eat? Anything and everything flashed in my mind. I wanted to feel the calm and hear the quiet. The instructor ensured me I could find it there and suggested I give it a chance, so I said OK. I greeted the other people in the class. I immediately noticed how quiet everything was. Everyone spoke...
by Crystal Davis | Feb 14, 2012 | News Slider
Kelsea Ballerini isn’t taking the advantages of living in Music City for granted. At the age of 13, Kelsea started writing songs. She always loved music, she said, and figuring out itwas her true passion was “just the cherry on top.” Kelsea, a freshman who originally grew up in Knoxville, decided to move to Nashville to pursue singing and songwriting. Kelsea, currently undecided on a major, is still figuring out what to study at Lipscomb. Though majoring in music is not out of the question, she’s not focused on studying it right now since she’s already successful on her own. Last year, Kelsea played a show with country artist Emily West, whose song with Keith Urban, “Blue Sky,” recently hit the top 10 list. Kelsea also had a song on hold for Beyonce’s new record, and a song she co-wrote was featured on Nickelodeon’s hit show “Victorious.” Her music is, by her own definition, “country bluesy poppy soul.” Kelsea is an open book. She tries to be “as genuine as I can about whatever it is that inspired me to write,” she said. Kelsea said she doesn’t feel the need to “sugar coat things or beat around the bush.” She said she thinks people value writing that shows who the artist truly is. Kelsea said she would love to write with Hillary Lindsey of Lady Antebellum. Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars and John Mayer top the list of who she would most love to sing with. Kelsea said her most memorable moment was meeting of a fan who absolutely adored her. At an airport in Chicago, a young girl approached her to get an autograph. At...
by Crystal Davis | Jan 30, 2012 | News Slider
A case about arson murder was the subject of the first of the HumanDocs film series for this semester, and students were piling in to Ward Hall Wednesday night for the showing of “Incendiary: The Willingham Case.” The case circles around Cameron Todd Willingham who got the raw end of the deal for years, even after death. He was caught in his house one day sleeping as a fire raged through his home. His young daughter and twin babies were also in the house. He woke to the heat of the flames and immediately started searching for his daughter. Willingham said he thought he saw his daughter run outside to her mother, but once Willingham reached his front yard he realized his wife was still running errands and his three children were still inside the house that was now blazing with flames. Neighbors and police officers had to restrain Willingham from running inside the house to save his girls. He was so distraught and desperate to get to his daughters by any means that police officers had to handcuff him, put him on a stretcher and transport him to the local hospital. Willingham suffered minimal burns to his arms, but he never saw his daughters again. They died in the house that day, barricaded by flames. Inexperienced fire investigators said they found evidence of accelerators throughout his home in various areas that led them to believe the fire could have only been caused by arson. Willingham was the lead suspect. Officers and investigators said they made him the prime suspect because people said that Willingham was acting irrational outside the house...
by Crystal Davis | Jan 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
Lipscomb students gathered Saturday, Jan. 14 to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by serving the community in coalition with the SALT program. “We wanted to give students the opportunity to remember the legacy of Dr. King through service this weekend,” said SALT Program Assistant John Williams. “We have planned projects with Feed the Children, the Red Cross and Hands on Nashville to prime and paint the walls of Fire Station #20 in Nashville. Nearly 100 students have already registered to participate in service projects over the weekend.” Williams and the SALT program offered Tier 1 SALT credit, chapel credit and free t-shirts to student volunteers who opted to revamp the dated fire station walls. They painted throughout the common area, the bathrooms and the space allotted for the firefighters to sleep while on break at the station. The fire station had freshly painted walls by the end of the day. On-duty firefighters smiled as they looked around the station and expressed their deep appreciation for the volunteer work. “This project was a blessing to not only Lipscomb but also to the community,” said Trey Hudgins, vice president of Sigma Pi Beta. “The importance of recognizing how much courage Dr. King had to stand up for what he believed in is monumental and definitely reflected this past Saturday by the volunteers choosing to take time out of their weekend to serve others. “The roots of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. involved love and his compassion for others, which is a perfect representation of the love Christ had for us. Needless to say, the volunteers being there also showed that...
by Crystal Davis | Sep 14, 2011 | News Slider
Director of Student Advocacy Teresa Williams describes her position as “helping students in any way they need help whether it’s walking them through difficult processes, trying to resolve issues or providing academic coaching and advising.” She sums it up as: “basically meeting the student’s needs, whatever they are.” Her job is to help students meet their full potential while at Lipscomb. But she also knows that a lot of students aren’t aware that this kind of help is available. In a nutshell, her position allows her to be a liaison between students and faculty to ensure the student’s feelings, issues and opportunities are addressed properly and in a timely manner. Williams says the most important thing she can do for students is to help them get past that “thing” they believe is insurmountable. She says she seeks to relieve stress and to help students enjoy the learning process. During her nine years at Lipscomb, she has spent a lot of time in the academic office working with probationary students, addressing problems and helping them get back on the right track. When the Director of Student Advocacy position became available five years ago, she said it fit ther passions. Her role includes issues ranging from financial counseling for tuition to helping students understand policies in particular classes or possibly mediate between students and faculty if they truly don’t understand each other. The hoped-for result is to promote an environment in which students and faculty can thrive, learn and teach without hiccups. Williams wants students to know that working with them is her favorite part of the job. “It’s hard to know where to go, or what to do,” she said. “I’m...
