Drew Watson elected SGA president, runoffs to be held Thursday for VP, secretary

Rising senior Drew Watson has been elected SGA President for 2014-15 school year.  Watson, a rising senior, said he is really excited about his new position and is ready to serve the student body. “I knew it was going to be a close race and I’ve just had a lot of fun campaigning,” Watson said. “It’s been kind of stressful, but it’s been a lot of fun. “I am really excited to start this summer on some of the things that I talked about in the debate, specifically with the summer internships.” A runoff election will be held Thursday, April 10, for the vice president and secretary positions. Julia Allen and Seth Carey are the VP runoff candidates, while Jamie Keiser and Margaret Rox are the Secretary runoff candidates. Melissa Parrish was elected as treasurer. Elections will be in the Bennett Campus Center from 12-3 p.m. Below are the list of elected senators, from SGA’s email sent to the student body.  Senior Senators: Kirby Arloff Brendon Burke Whitney North Spencer Richardson Allie Sockwell   Junior Senators: Michael Clinger Brennan Johnson Cole Meador Adrian Ricketts Anne Claire Smith   Sophomore Senators: Anna Cannone Layne Collier Sarah Lavoie Megan Neuenschwander Ellen Taylor Cory Woodroof contributed to this story. Photo credit: Bridgette...

Humanitarian Terry Waite speaks on captivity, faith and hope in Thursday’s Gathering

The Lipscomb community gathered on Thursday to hear Terry Waite, a globally known humanitarian and peace worker, speak in The Gathering at Allen Arena. Waite was introduced by university president Randy Lowry, who called Waite a “hostage negotiator,” paving the way for Waite to share his story of captivity and survival with students. In 1987, Waite was taken hostage while negotiating the release of several hostages in Beirut. Before his abduction, Waite had been recognized for championing the release of hostages in Iran and Libya, all in the 1980s. Waite said his approach to negotiating the release of hostages meant that he had to meet the abductors face-to-face. It is a “risky approach,” Waite said, but worth the effort. “The first thing was to seek a face-to face meeting,” said Waite, who is the scholar-in-residence in Lipscomb’s Institute of Conflict Management this year. “Now, that is risky, because you are dealing with people who are often in a precarious situation, who are highly suspicious and who may well easily take you captive.” This approach, Waite said, requires a level of trust, especially when working with people from different backgrounds and different beliefs. “Somehow, you have to be able to stretch out a hand and form a bridge, and grasp the hand of the other in order to build a relationship of trust,” Waite said. Waite went through his entire negotiating process, building trust and relationship, and seeking a face-to-face meeting with those in Beirut. He was on his way to meet them, or so he thought, when he was abducted. It was not until he had already been held captive for...

Lipscomb Security head Jim Humphrey to leave university for new opportunity

The head of Lipscomb’s Safety and Security team, Jim Humphrey, will be stepping down at the end of the month for a new, off-campus opportunity. Humphrey has served as associate dean of students and in veteran affairs during his time on campus. A recent email from Scott McDowell, senior vice president for student life, expressed the emotion of the Lipscomb community at the leaving of Humphrey. “We know Jim will have much success in his new endeavor,” McDowell wrote. “He will be missed.” Humphrey’s engagement in the Lipscomb community, specifically among veteran students, has led to the growth and development of the student body. With his guidance, Lipscomb’s veteran affairs has increased in size, and this is the first year veteran enrollment has exceeded the limit. Humphrey will continue at Lipscomb through Monday, March 31. A reception will be held next week in Humphrey’s honor. The details will be announced soon. Photo courtesy of...

New Lipscomb recovery group ‘Free To Be’ offers friendship, accountability

The major message of the “Free To Be… You and Me” record, produced by Ms. Foundation for Women, was to inspire everyone, male and female, to achieve greatness. The goal of Lipscomb’s new recovery group, Free To Be, is similar in that it inspires students to take care of their bodies, achieving wellness.  “Free To Be [started] because we realized there wasn’t a lot going on as far the drug and alcohol support was concerned,” said Andrea Mills, associate director of Lipscomb’s Counseling Center. “We wanted to make sure students felt like there was something they could come to and not feel like they were going to get in trouble for admitting that they had an issue or problem,” Mills said. Free To Be is a drug and alcohol recovery group, that also serves as a breakout chapel, where students can receive one chapel credit per session. Beginning in January, Free To Be meets once a week on Thursdays and gives students the opportunity to engage in a community that understands their situation and offers accountability. The group is not just for recovering addicts, however. Mills said she knows students think they have to be in recovery to join the group, but Free To Be is for any student who has any struggle with alcohol or drugs and wants help. Mills came to Lipscomb in October 2013 from the UAV Hospital, where she worked with emerging adults in the in-patient recovery program. She said students do not have to identify as an alcoholic or addict. The student just needs to see that they are struggling and want help. Free...

Country music stars head to Allen Arena for Charlie Daniels benefit tour

Music legends are heading to Lipscomb this spring for the fifth annual Copperweld Charlie Daniel’s Scholarship for Heroes event. The concert, which will be on Tuesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. in Allen Arena, will feature performances from Charlie Daniels, Kellie Pickler, Clint Black, The Grascals, the American Hitmen, the Navy Band Sea Chambers and other special guests. The Charlie Daniels Scholarship for Heroes tour is a benefit to raise funds for American veterans’ education. The event was started in March 2010 by Daniels to promote the Yellow Ribbon education program. Lipscomb participates in the Yellow Ribbon program at the highest level, offering free tuition for eligible military veterans and their families. Veterans may pursue an undergraduate degree through the program. Specific master’s programs are also available tuition-free. Servicemen and women, veterans and their families are invited to the concert as guests of corporate sponsors. In Lipscomb’s press release about the event, Jim Humphrey, the associate dean of campus life and director of veterans services, thanked Daniels for his support of veterans and the Yellow Ribbon program at Lipscomb. “We appreciate Charlie Daniels and his organization as well as those artists who have joined us for this event the past five years,” Humphrey said. “The awareness and funds that they raise for our program are impacting the lives of our veterans and their families in significant ways.” “Our veterans know that freedom isn’t free, but we think their education should be,” Humphrey said. “At Lipscomb we have a very unique opportunity to help open doors for our veterans through higher education.” Tickets are available to the public through to the generosity...