by Emily Snell | Mar 14, 2012 | News Slider
The immediate excitement surrounding a High Rise dorm flood, fire and two evacuations may have calmed down after last week, but the repair work for Lipscomb facilities staff is still underway. Generators are supplying power to High Rise while the facilities team continues to inspect and repair electrical issues related to the building, said Kim Chaudoin, director of university communication and marketing. “I think they’re still exploring and trying to get to the root of the problem,” she said, “trying to make sure when they repair it that they’ve caught everything that there is to repair at this point.” Chaudoin said the facilities crew plans to do more work over spring break in order to avoid disturbing students. Michael Engelman, associate director of the physical plant, confirmed that power to a few buildings on campus will be turned off briefly during the break to allow facilities to replace cabling that was damaged last week. He said the power outage will last just long enough to replace the cable and safely get the workers out of the manhole. Engelman said the main issue with repairs is the time required to get new parts, especially for older buildings. “It just takes so long to get these parts in, that’s what people don’t understand,” he said. “It just takes time to get parts because nobody in Nashville stocks some of this stuff.” Engelman said he’s not sure yet of the total cost of the dorm’s repairs. Reports have circulated saying that a fire occurred in High Rise last week, but Engelman said that’s not really accurate. The fire occurred in the manhole...
by Emily Snell | Mar 9, 2012 | News Slider
“All Hands on Deck,” directed by Morgan Mathis, was announced Saturday night as winner of the sweepstakes competition for the 49th annual Singarama. After winning the music contest Friday night and the staging contest Saturday afternoon, “All Hands on Deck” also won the sweepstakes title for accumulating the most total points throughout the four Singarama performances. The cast was comprised of social clubs Phi Sigma, Tau Phi, Gamma Xi and friends. “We were all really excited,” said Brennan McNeil, sailor in the show. “We are really happy- we put a lot of work in. Winning doesn’t mean it’s the best show; it just reflects all the work we put in.” McNeil’s love interest in the show, Kelly Dean, also said the group’s hard work was what pushed them over the top. “We literally worked day and night on the show,” Dean said. “The hard work and effort paid off because we got the big win.” Some of the show’s songs included “Hard Knock Life,” “I Can Transform Ya,” “Mercy” and “Happy Days.” The group told the story of sailors called upon to rescue a missing ship, but there was a catch – most of the crew had never set sail before. From backwoods country folks to Italian gangsters, the diverse cast kept the audience laughing. There was even a line of dialogue referencing High Rise’s water problems. “The Land of Dreams,” directed by Cayla Cleaver, won Thursday night’s theme contest during the 49th annual Singarama kickoff performance. Cleaver, said she was “extremely surprised” when she found out that her cast won. “My knees almost gave out actually,” she said. “I was...
by Emily Snell | Mar 8, 2012 | News Slider
Soulforce, a group that promotes equality for LGBTQ people, will visit Lipscomb on Monday, March 12. The Soulforce visit was announced briefly at the end of The Gathering on Feb. 28. A March 1 email from SGA President Daniel Wakefield further clarified the event. The email stated that students were invited to attend one of three morning discussion sessions in Ezell chapel, involving panel discussions with representatives from Soulforce and university professors. The email reminded students that seating would be limited. “[Soulforce’s] mission is to bring attention to what they believe are unfair attitudes and policies within religious organizations,” Wakefield’s email said. “As a gracious and loving Christian community, Lipscomb seeks to be open to conversation about issues that may be difficult or sensitive,” the email contintued. “In this spirit, we look forward to meaningful dialogue with the Soulforce visitors and hope they feel that they have been graciously, thoughtfully, and faithfully received.” In a two-part panel discussion led by Dr. Steve Joiner, Lipscomb’s director for the Institute for Conflict Management, Soulforce will explore the justice and ethical issues surrounding the subject of homosexual orientation and homosexual practice. On Monday, the university will have panel discussions at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. for the limited number of students who were able to sign up in the SGA office. The justice issues that the panel will likely discuss include bullying and equal and fair treatment under the law. Lipscomb panelists include Dr. Ken Durham, Dr. Randy Spivey and Dr. Norma Burgess. A second panel will include Dr. Lee Camp, Dr. John Mark Hicks and Dr. Charla Long. Soulforce will supply...
by Emily Snell | Mar 5, 2012 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s faculty hopes to bring new perspectives to their classrooms this spring as the university recognizes the opening of Faculty Club 1891 and its discussion series Carpe Discentes. The club is located in the upper level of the student center and is designed to allow faculty to engage in meaningful discussions that will improve their teaching in the classroom and help them implement new methods with their students in the community. Dr. Jim Thomas, assistant to the president and a committee member for Faculty Club 1891, said he thinks the new facility and discussions will benefit the university, the students and the city. “We move from simply an intellectual challenge to an implementation in society that makes society better than it was previously,” he said. Thomas said the committee, which is comprised of six other professors, hopes the facility and the discussion series will challenge faculty to think “not only in academic terms but in implementation terms.” Then, he said, students learn how to apply concepts and how to assess community impact. This implementation benefits the whole city, he said. “We think it’s win, win, win, all the way around.” Thomas said he finds “tremendous enrichment” to education when professors and students take things out of the classroom, into the community and then bring it back to the academic setting for evaluation. Thomas said the committee chose the title Carpe Discentes, which means “seize the learning,” because the name “matches the tone and the level” they want Faculty Club 1891 to have. “I really hope that we can begin to create an atmosphere so that there is an interdisciplinary...
by Emily Snell | Mar 2, 2012 | News Slider
NASHVILLE, TENN – On Friday, Mar. 2, the National Weather Service, along with the local news stations, warned the mid-state of the potential for severe weather. The meteorologists’ predictions were nearly spot on as the storms produced several tornado warnings as well as numerous severe thunderstorm warnings. Many students and faculty were advised to seek shelter on on campus, waiting out the storms in basements, closets, interior hallways and the backs of parking garages. Once the threatening storms had passed and the university had given the all-clear, those same students and faculty documented what the storm left behind. The following is a slideshow compromised of TwitPics, Instagrams and Facebook photos that those folks posted throughout the afternoon and evening. The following video is from Lumination correspondents Caitlin Selle and Kelly Dean. Check back with Lumination throughout the weekend for more on the storm such as videos, more pictures and other content. Until then, feel free to work backwards through the storm by following what our updates looked like today. Lumination would like to thank those that contributed to this story. [From 12:30] National and local weather experts are predicting severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes for Nashville and much of the Southeastern United States today. [UPDATE: 4:36] Severe Thunderstorm Warning still in effect for Northern Davidson County until 5:15 p.m. NashSevereWx Downtown: it’s not over. More intense thunderstorms coming, hopefully not as bad. Williamson Co continues to elude the worst of it. 3/2/12 4:33 PM [UPDATE: 4:25] All clear for now in the Nashville area. Loving the tweets, everyone. Keep them coming. Find the link at the bottom of the...
