by Cory Woodroof | Dec 6, 2013 | News Slider
A man who changed the world over his 95 years — a man President Bill Clinton said, in an interview on NBC, was in a class shared only by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. – Nelson Mandela has died. To many, he’s known as a ground-breaking politician and social reformer who helped heal South Africa from the wounds of apartheid, a system of racial prejudice and social injustice literally meaning “the state of being apart” that sometimes violently discriminated against black residents and kept the minority white Afrikaners in power from 1948-1994. Tributes and memories have been pouring in from all over the world on television, on the internet and in newspapers. The importance of this man and significance of his loss reaches all the way to Lipscomb University, not only because the changes he led affected the entire world, but because there are students from South Africa who today are themselves remembering and asking what’s next? South African Miguel Hof, a sophomore and Bisons soccer player, says Mandela’s passing signifies the end of an era. “Obviously, it’s a tremendous blow for our country,” Hof said. “Because, if it wasn’t for Mandela, we would’ve most probably had a civil war in 1994 after the apartheid.” When Mandela – who served 27 years in prison for his youthful battles against apartheid – was released in 1990, he worked for peaceful resolution of the institution and worked with the white government to end apartheid and establish democratic elections in 1994, when he was elected president of his homeland. Instead of coming out of prison embittered and preaching revolution, Mandela focused...
by Cory Woodroof | Dec 6, 2013 | News Slider
By Bridgette Begle, Brianne Welch and Cory Woodroof Students with Saturday classes or exams should prepare for tomorrow’s lectures and tests, as Lipscomb University is continuing business as normal. In an email sent to the student body, Assistant Vice President of Communication and Marketing Kim Chaudoin wrote that, as the university continues to watch the weekend’s weather reports, all Saturday events will continue as planned. “As you may be aware, winter weather — including ice and freezing rain — has affected areas in the western part of Tennessee,” Chaudoin wrote. “We continue to monitor the weather patterns as it relates to the Nashville area. “The latest update from the Nashville bureau of the National Weather Service is that we can expect rain and temperatures in the mid 30s through early evening. Tonight a mixture of rain and sleet is possible and will move out around midnight, with lows dropping into the mid-20s. Saturday will be cloudy with lows in the mid-30s with the possibility of rain. “As a result of this updated weather forecast, university offices, classes, exams and other events will operate on a normal schedule. Students and employees are expected to follow their normal schedules and routines.” A winter weather advisory has been issued for Davidson County from 4 p.m. Friday until midnight. Chaudoin notes that in the event of inclement weather, the university will follow the schedule disruption policy. The university also has a plan in case of an emergency, campus-wide power outage. “The safety of our students is our top priority,” Chaudoin wrote. “We have an emergency plan in place that we continually refine and practice to...
by Cory Woodroof | Dec 5, 2013 | News Slider
Attendees of the Don R. Elliott Distinguished Presidential Lecture dinner Wednesday night had the chance to hear two of journalism’s most ardent defenders share their thoughts on where the medium is headed. Former New York Times reporter Alex S. Jones, the evening’s keynote speaker, and former Tennessean publisher John Seigenthaler Sr. joined together in a conversation, discussing the digital age of journalism and the place of traditional morals in the new, virtual frontier. The director of the Shorenstien Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, Jones shared his thoughts on the shift to speedy publishing in the digital world of journalism, transitioning from a time, as Jones said, where accuracy lorded over the hope to be first to press, and balance was always over edge. He looked back on a time where journalism was regarded by many to be a public service, rooted in ethical practice. Jones noted a publisher’s view of their product being a social responsibility. Now, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Jones believes the internet age is making a gradual change into placing reader enjoyment at the top of the list of importance. “Now, I believe the core value of the digital world is that you have to be entertaining,” Jones said. “You have to be quick. You have to be entertaining, and you have to grab people quickly, and if only for a short time.” Jones and Seigenthaler also discussed the world of Wikipedia, with Seigenthaler recounting his notorious experience to rid false claims on his own Wikipedia page and the events that followed, including meetings with site...
by Cory Woodroof | Dec 3, 2013 | News Slider
By Bridgette Begle and Brianne Welch The ninth annual Lighting of the Green brought rich tradition and holiday spirit to the Nashville community Tuesday night. Show regular Amy Grant was joined tonight by Ben Rector, David Phelps, Brenda Lee, Nicole C. Mullen, Hymns for Hunger & Friends (feat. Cindy Morgan and Andrew Greer) and the Stella family, including Nashville‘s Lennon & Maisy, for a night of music, merriment and plenty of bright Christmas lights. Fourth and fifth grade students from Lipscomb Academy, as well as the high school chorus, joined the University chorus on stage throughout the performance. The younger chorus tipped off the night with a medley of holiday classics, and the University chorus sang “Deck the Halls.” “We came here to hear one of our children sing in the chorus,” parent Heather Duncan said.” Our daughter is in the fifth grade at the campus school, so we’re looking forward to hearing everyone sing tonight.” About halfway through the show, Brenda Lee, singer of holiday classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” came onto the stage and ignited enthusiasm throughout the crowd. She asked for “eight really good singers,” and ended up with about 15 children, ranging from ages five to 20, to join her in the Christmas classic “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Lee shared her delight in being a part of the night’s fun. “You know, when miss Amy Grant asks you to do something, it’s just awful hard to say no,” Lee said. “So I’m awfully proud to do this for Lipscomb. It’s a wonderful event.” Christian artist Nicole C.Mullen insisted the crowd stand during her song “365.” People...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 22, 2013 | News Slider
For this year’s Lighting of the Green concert, Amy Grant will be bringing along plenty of friends for a night of Christmas joy. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, Grant will be joined by Nicole C. Mullen, Brenda Lee, Ben Rector, Nashville‘s Lennon & Maisy, David Phelps and Hymns for Hunger & Friends (feat. Cindy Morgan and Andrew Greer), as well as a few of campus’ student choruses. The free concert begins on the Allen Arena Mall at 5:30 p.m., while other festivities will begin at 4 p.m. If there is rain, the event will be moved into Allen Arena. Those in attendance can provide Second Harvest Food Bank with either canned food or a cash donation. For more information on the evening’s festivities, visit Lipscomb’s website. Photo courtesy of...
