by Erin Franklin | Aug 4, 2017 | News Slider
Lipscomb has begun preparations for the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, which will take place on Monday, August 21 — the first day of classes for the fall semester. Nashville is the largest city in the path of totality. The rare celestial occurrence will begin around 1:25 p.m. in Nashville. Lipscomb’s 1 p.m. classes will still meet so professors can take roll for the first official class day, but students will be dismissed early to view the eclipse. “The start of every school year is always an exciting moment,” Provost Craig Bledsoe said in a statement. “This year, however, there is a truly significant event attached to the start of school on August 21.” Bledsoe added that while professors should dismiss their students by 1:15 p.m. to commemorate the event, it is still imperative for students to show up for the beginning of class to confirm enrollment with both professors and the university. In addition to the student body and faculty gathering together to view the total eclipse on campus, Lipscomb also has some special activities and presentations planned earlier in the day to commemorate the event. The LIGHT program and the College of Professional Studies have ordered 3,000 solar eclipse glasses for the campus body. The first set of glasses will be handed out to freshman during Quest Week, but staff, faculty and upperclassmen students will have the opportunity to pick up glasses the morning of August 21. Solar eclipse glasses are necessary to view the sun since it is not safe to ever look at the sun with the naked eye, as this could permanently damage the retina due...
by Erin Franklin | Aug 2, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
The touring production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid has made its way from under the sea to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center this week, captivating both young and old audience members alike. Diana Huey stars as the irresistible Little Mermaid. This is Huey’s first national tour, and her perky, enthusiastic nature shines through in her performance. She has a strong, powerful voice and maintains a continuous mermaid-like presence on stage. Huey swims across, up and down the stage via a flight harness, making it a physically demanding role, yet Huey appears to do it with ease. Melvin Abston is also brilliant as Sebastian, the calypso-singing crab, and his rendition of “Under the Sea” is delightful, big and colorful. The cast has some impressive Broadway credits, including Jenniffer Allen as Ursula and Steve Blanchard as King Triton. Notably, Blanchard is recognizable in another Disney princess movie for his role as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. The great surprise, though, is Jamie Torcellini’s portrayal of Scuttle (the seagull most famously known for revealing to Ariel that a fork is called a dinglehopper). Torcellini flies around the stage with a flight harness for most of the show before landing to perform an amusing tap-dance of “Positoovity” after Ariel gets her legs. The costuming by Amy Clark and Mark Ross is intricate and vibrant, and Charlie Morrison’s and Kenneth Foy’s Lighting and Scenic Design, respectively, is captivating as well, mesmerizing audience members. While this production does pay homage to the 1989 Disney film version, there are a few deviations from the film, such as Flounder’s awkward crush on Ariel, and King...
by Erin Franklin | Jul 25, 2017 | News Slider
Green Hills property owner Matt Hale called Channel 4 News’ I-Team to report an unkempt Lipscomb property after allegedly trying for three years to get the university to take action. The story reported by Jeremy Finley aired on Channel 4 on July 13. The article states that within 48 hours of the I-Team getting involved, the issue was resolved, as Lipscomb sent crews to clean up the property. In 2014, Lipscomb purchased the lot, located at the corner of Caldwell and Granny White. Lipscomb spokeswoman Kim Chaudoin said the property had no immediate intention upon its purchase, and the previous owner likely approached Lipscomb and offered to sell it to the school, despite Lipscomb having no set plans to build in that area. “I think it was just an opportunity presented to us, and, honestly, was an opportunity to preserve,” Chaudoin said. “I’m sure you’ve seen what’s happening across the street where they will scrape a house and cram like two or three structures onto an itty-bitty lot, and this was one way where we could prevent that from happening — to keep a developer from coming in there and putting like four or five houses on this one little lot. So I think we have it right now just to preserve it from anything like that.” Lipscomb filed a master plan with the state with the institutional overlay that shows what the school’s intentions are for buying property. Lipscomb has currently filed plans to buy houses between campus and Grandview. However, the part of Caldwell in which the lot in question sits is currently outside of the master plan...
by Erin Franklin | Jul 23, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
As a heat advisory for Middle Tennessee has been issued until Sunday at 7 p.m., Lipscomb Athletics assistant strength and conditioning coach Sean Johnson discussed the necessary precautions to take when exercising or working outside in extreme heat. Johnson, who began working with Lipscomb Athletics the spring of 2016, said the most important thing to do when outside in extreme heat is to make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and to consume electrolytes during exercise. Another precaution to take is to wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. For exercise specifically, moisture-wicking, quick-drying gear is best, such as Nike Dri-Fit, and wearing light-colored clothing will reflect the sun, rather than absorb it. Sunscreen is also essential for protecting one’s skin. Johnson said the guidelines for Lipscomb sports teams vary, but he recommends checking the weather beforehand and planning to exercise or practice during a part of the day when the humidity is low. “If we are going to train outside, it is best to do it early in the morning — 5:30 or 6 a.m. — before the sun gets too hot or late in the evening when the sun is going down,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of up to each coach as to when they want to practice, but they try to avoid the hottest parts of the day when they can.” This week has been one of the hottest of the summer. In addition to high humidity levels, the temperature reached 98 degrees in Nashville today. A 60% chance of rain is expected tomorrow, which will cool temperatures slightly, but the highs will stay in the...
by Erin Franklin | Jul 12, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Coach Don Meyer is an undisputed legend at Lipscomb. Meyer coached Lipscomb basketball from 1975 – 1999 — back when the school was still NAIA — and led the Bisons to 13 NAIA national tournaments, three Final Fours and won the 1986 NAIA National Championship. One of his star players was Philip Hutcheson who played for Meyer from 1986 – 1990, broke college basketball’s all-time scoring record at the time, scored 4,106 points during his career and was selected as the 1990 NAIA Player of the Year. This fall, Meyer will be adding yet another accolade to his prestigious career, as he’ll be posthumously inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame in Evansville, Indiana. Hutcheson said the organization was established to recognize coaches and players who played for universities that weren’t a “Power Five” school, or a larger institution. “It was created because there was a feeling that there were a lot of great athletes and coaches whose contributions to basketball weren’t recognized nationally as much as they probably should’ve been,” Hutcheson said. “Maybe the people who know the game well would know them, but the casual sports fan would not know them as much. And so I think this organization was kind of created to help tell the stories of these people who otherwise might not be recognized as they probably should have.” Meyer is already a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the South Dakota Hall of Fame, the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame and the Northern State Athletics Hall of Fame. However, Hutcheson noted how Meyer is...
