by Aaron Schmelzer | Sep 20, 2011 | News Slider
When Belmont chose the theme “Liberating Voices” for its 10th annual humanities symposium, there was really only one choice for the keynote speaker — a woman whose voice was set free after being held captive for years. On Monday night at the Curb Event Center, Maya Angelou took the stage. Before a sold-out crowd, Angelou spent the evening telling stories, laughing and reciting poetry. She played up her love for country music to the Nashville audience, beginning with lyrics to an old Kitty Wells country song — “When it looked like the sun wasn’t going to shine any more, God put a rainbow in the clouds.” And Angelou knows about the days of clouds. As a child, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. She fell silent for six years, instead choosing to read poetry and listen to it in her head. She recalled seeing a famous actor give a reading of “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe — “Eep,” as she called him — and being sorely disappointed by his delivery. “That’s not how it sounds! I know how it goes,” she said, surprising the audience by rapping the first few stanzas. But even that wasn’t enough to give Angelou her voice back. It took some convincing from one of her personal “rainbows” to nudge her back into the light. “You will never love poetry until you speak it,” Angelou’s mentor told her just before she turned 13. And the little girl who would grow up to be the voice of a generation spoke again for the first time. “Be a rainbow,” Angelou urged the audience. “Don’t just live in one and be...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Apr 29, 2011 | News Slider
Care for Aids is a non-profit organization started by two college students who were confronted by the harsh realities of life for HIV-positive men and women in Kenya. Seeing both the physical and spiritual needs of these suffering people, they believed the Kenyan churches had the power to be more than a house of worship but could be a haven for medical care, life counseling and HIV support. Thus, partnership was established with local Kenyan churches. However, before meeting spiritual needs, the physical needs had to be met. Without proper medical, nutritional and hygienic care, these individuals have limited life expectancy. However, with proper care and education, their life expectancy can increase to about 10-20 years. Other physical means used are teaching them trade skills to help them produce an income and provide food. Once caring for their physical needs, spiritual needs are provided through counseling and teaching the HIV clients about the gospel. This provides hope, meaning and purpose to the lives of those who have been kicked out of their families and despised by their communities. By tangibly demonstrating Christ’s love, these churches are empowering individuals and transforming communities every day. Within Kenya, approximately 1.4 million people are infected with HIV. Care for Aids currently has 10 centers which each care for 80 clients a year. It costs about $18,000 a year to run these centers, coming down to about $20 per month, per client. So how can you help? A book drive is going to be held during finals week – Friday and Saturday, April 29 and 30, and Monday through Wednesday, May 1-3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the student center. Caroline Scherer, a senior family relations and nursing...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Apr 25, 2011 | Uncategorized
CAMPUS RECREATION Campus Recreation Survey Last week to take the Survey! Only 367 students have taken the survey and we need 800 to make a difference. Do you want more cardio equipment, weight machines, intramural sports, a swimming pool, free wellness services? Complete the Campus Recreation Survey sent to your email account. (type “campus recreation survey” in your “search mail” feature) 13TH ANNUAL SPRING GOLF SCRAMBLE Sponsored by: Whitts BBQ/SGA Where? Through The Green Golf Course When? – Thursday April.28 Shot gun start at 8:30am Cost per Player? $28.00 student & $38.00 faculty/staff. (pay April 28!) Registration limited to first 144 players What does my cost cover? 18 holes of Golf & Golf cart, Free range balls(beginning at 7:30am), T-shirt, lunch provided by Whitts BBQ, & prizes for the winners! How to enter? Sign the sheet at the SAC Front Desk. What is the format? It is a scramble where you can pick your team of 4. It will be a best ball where everyone hits off the tee then each Golfer hits his/her second shot from the best ball from the 1st shot. Sign Up at SAC Front Desk...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Apr 25, 2011 | Sports
With a trip to Buffalo, NY and a bid to the Division III National Tournament within their grasp, the Lipscomb Ultimate team took to the field with high hopes. “We knew going in that we had a shot to win the tournament, so we were kind of disappointed that we didn’t,” said Jordan Bates, a senior marketing major from Nashville. “But at the same time, we fought through a lot of fatigue and windy weather to get some quality wins. So we were happy overall.” The regional tournament was hosted Milledgeville, Ga., for all Division III (DIII) schools in the southeast region. Any school with 7,500 students or less qualified under DIII, and any school with more is considered Division I (DI). The Ultimate team went up against Spring Hill in their first game and beat them by a final score of 15-1. They took on Florida Tech for their second match, whom they also beat 15-1. Lipscomb then took on Georgia College and State University, the veteran team hosting the tournament, and lost 10-15. This was a hard fought loss, as the Lipscomb men who came back from being down 8-1 at the half just couldn’t gain enough momentum to win. The team wasn’t able to take their entire squad to the tournament due to scheduling conflicts, and their lack of subs caught up with them. The exhausted team lost a close game to Southern Polytech State 14-15 to close out the day. Lipscomb’s men bounced back on Sunday and beat Florida Tech 15-12, then avenged their loss to Southern Polytech State with a 15-13 win to take...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Apr 15, 2011 | News Slider
UPDATE : A statement from President Lowry on the tree removal. Please upgrade your browser After two weeks of rain and windstorms, with gusts measuring in excess of 50 miles-per-hour, Lipscomb is forced to say goodbye to some beloved trees. On Friday afternoon, April 15, campus safety and security personnel began a second round of trim work on the “wishbone tree.” Storms from this past Monday and April 4 caused many large branches to fall from the tree, and campus safety cut down many of the branches in danger of falling as a safety precaution. Click here to view video footage of campus safety trimming the tree earlier this week. Student Government Association President Jackson Sprayberry confirmed that this, the “wishbone tree,” and the other larger tree in Bison Square will be “coming down soon.” Sprayberry sent this email out to the student body this afternoon, offering explanation and future plans for Bison Square: “While we often become uneasy in accepting big changes, it is necessary for the tree in Bison Square to come down. The tree is over-matured, disease-ridden, and nearly rotten. Pieces of the tree have been crashing to the ground in every storm we have had this season, thus creating a heightened concern for student safety. But don’t fret! Your Student Government has already made plans to implant two maple trees in the square that, in a few short years, will provide increased shade from the current trees and also provide beautiful, colorful foliage each Autumn.” Students seem upset about the trees they’ve come to know and love being chopped down. Senior family relations major...
