by Erin Franklin | Aug 18, 2016 | News Slider
A hot topic of 2016, the Zika virus outbreak has caused a state of health emergency in many countries, but the Zika threat is not stopping Lipscomb Missions. Erin Gupton, Event Planner and Trip Coordinator for the missions department on campus, discussed the possible affects of traveling to a country with a rampant Zika virus and also some preventative actions for students who do decide to travel on mission trips where catching the Zika virus is a possibility. She participated in a seminar about Zika early this year when it first became a bigger threat. Gupton said she doesn’t expect there to be a decrease of students traveling on mission trips to countries because of the virus. “We have a lot of questions — more-so than a decrease in student numbers, necessarily; I don’t think we had anyone drop from the trip because of it,” Gupton said. Zika is not a new virus as it was first documented pre-1950s. However, a recent widespread outbreak has led some countries to issue travel warnings, which could negatively affect the tourism industry. Some countries, including Brazil, the site of the 2016 Olympics, have gone as far as to advise couples to delay pregnancies until more is known about the complications of the virus in connection with pregnant women and their fetuses. “Zika has been around since the 1940s; it’s not new, and at these locations that we go to, especially the Caribbean, there’s two other diseases you can get from mosquitoes that are pretty prominent,” Gupton noted, citing that diseases dengue and chikungunya are as prominent as Zika. “The symptoms for those...
by Erin Franklin | Aug 14, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Kendall Austin is focused on bringing the young perspective to today’s political world. The 18-year-old incoming Lipscomb freshman recently attended the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The experience was a memorable one for Austin; athough he had attended the DNC once before, this year was his first time attending as a delegate — in fact, one of the youngest delegates at the convention. “Hearing the speeches was so surreal,”Austin said, adding that “being able to vote on the nominees, whether it was Bernie or whether it was Hillary” was a favorite responsibility. “Being able to represent my state was such an amazing experience.” While Austin said he didn’t meet any major speakers at the convention like President Obama or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, he was able to meet many fellow delegates and made some great contacts. “I made a ton of connections,” Austin said. Most people involved with politics are attorneys or people that own law firms, so I met a lot of attorneys and was able to get a bunch of cards from them. I met Congressmen; I met Chelsea Clinton; I met Jimmy Carter and his grandson, Hank Johnson — a bunch of different, great connections.” Austin said he got involved in politics through his grandmother, who is also heavily involved in the Democratic Party in Decatur, Georgia, where Austin is from. When he first ran for delegate, Austin had to give a speech and fill out paperwork to get the position, all tasks he was happy to do to receive the opportunity to be the youngest delegate from his state. “I’m pretty good at public...
by Erin Franklin | Aug 11, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
In a summer filled with movie remakes, sequels and superhero installments, Pete’s Dragon ranks as one of the best remakes in a summer composed of so-so flicks. The film is an adaptation of Disney’s 1977 live-action/animated musical that didn’t go down in the Disney hall of fame with the likes of Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins or 101 Dalmatians. 2016’s Pete’s Dragon thankfully wanders with poetic beauty from the slightly odd and unsteady original. The new Pete’s Dragon begins harmlessly with a much younger Pete going on an “adventure” with his parents. What seems to be a joyful road trip for the young family soon changes to a terrible tale as the car is flipped over, horrifically killing both of Pete’s parents. The frightened new orphan, clutching the book — “Elliot Gets Lost” — with which he was learning how to read, ventures into the woods alone. That’s where he finds Elliot, a giant, furry green dragon. This moment in the woods marks the beginning of a truly remarkable friendship between the two. Six years later, Pete (Oakes Fegley) is a rambunctious boy, bounding though the woods with his best friend Elliot, the dragon, who doesn’t appear terrifying in the least. The story is really a simple boy-and-his-dog tale; however the dog in this tale just happens to be a big, sometimes invisible and very lovable dragon. Pete’s seemingly idyllic life is interrupted when he sees Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Natalie (Oona Lawrence) from a distance. Grace, a park ranger, is taken aback by the fact that this young boy has been living in the woods, which she...
by Erin Franklin | Aug 10, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
The 47th Annual GMA Dove Awards nominees were announced by artists CeCe Winans and Jason Roy on Wednesday morning in Shamblin Theater, with Jason Ingram leading with seven nominations and Lauren Daigle securing six. At last year’s Dove Awards, Daigle won big, receiving New Artist of the Year. Her “How Can It Be” clinched two awards (including Song of the Year) for writers Jason Ingram, Jeff Johnson and Paul Mabury. “While it’s great to see these artists at the top of their game, it’s even greater to see that they have chosen to use their creative gifts to serve mankind and the greatest Creator,” Mike Fernandez, Lipscomb’s Dean of Entertainment and the Arts, stated, as he opened the event with a word of prayer. GMA executive director Jackie Patillo, along with radio personalities Wally from Way-FM, Lady Shaunte’ from 760 the Gospel and Doug from the “Family Friendly Morning Show,” also announced a new social media campaign, which is designed to bring awareness to the individuals who are “amplifying love” in their communities. Love Amplified is the theme for this year’s Dove Awards. The Dove Awards will take place on Tuesday, October 11, 2016, returning to Lipscomb’s campus at Allen Arena for the fourth consecutive year. The show will air on Trinity Broadcasting Network on Sunday, October 16. Artist of the Year for King and Country, Word Entertainment Hillsong United, Hillsong Music Australia/Sparrow Records Lauren Daigle, Centricity Music Lecrae, Reach Records Toby Mac, ForeFront records New Artist of the Year Hollyn, Gotee Records Jordan Feliz, Centricity Music Stars Go Dim, Word Entertainment Travis Greene, RCA Inspiration We...
by Erin Franklin | Aug 2, 2016 | News Slider
As the terror threat rises, many people question whether it is safe to travel during the current unpredictable times, due to the recent terrorist incidents in Europe. Despite these red-flags, the university study-abroad program is still flourishing and seeing increased numbers, likely due to the university’s dedication to safety and students’ desire to have a global perspective through travel. At Lipscomb, the semester-long global learning options are Florence, Italy; London, England; Santiago, Chile; and Vienna, Austria, three of four being European destinations. The vehicular attack in Nice, France, the suicide bombing in Ansbach, Germany, and the hostage-taking and murder of the priest in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, France, are some of the most recent terrorist-related attacks in Europe. Even though these incidents are cause for concern, the director of global learning, Michael Winegeart, said he does not expect to see a tapering off of global learning at all over the years. “Three years ago, Lipscomb joined Generation Study Abroad, which is an Institute of International Education (IIE) initiative to mobilize resources and commitments with the goal of doubling the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade,” Winegeart stated. “With President Lowry’s vision and backing, we have quadrupled the number of students studying abroad in just four years. “Although terrorism is on the rise, the leading cause of death for Americans traveling abroad is not terrorism, or murder . . . or even crime of any type — it’s car crashes,” Winegeart noted. “Even though the headlines are troubling, our students understand what a career differentiator studying abroad is; as a result, student enrollment has not dropped in...
