by Lacy Pack | Jul 20, 2011 | News Slider
With the second session of Advance coming to an end on Tuesday, incoming freshmen are looking toward the upcoming school year with more confidence than ever before. Designed to ease the transition to college life, Advance helps take the awkwardness out of meeting new people and getting used to a new living situation. For Edward Campos, a freshman biology major from Nashville, Tenn., Advance has accomplished just that. “You get a taste of what college is like” said Campos. “I’ve already made a lot of friends and I’ll recognize faces when my classes start.” Campos’ fellow biology major and newfound friend Paige Murphy from Huntsville, Ala., said she also felt more prepared for the upcoming semester. “Academically, Advance helps a lot because I’ve found there are several helpful resources and advisers here to help me,” said Murphy. Freshmen aren’t the only ones getting something out of Advance, either. Quest Team member T.J. Cantrell from McMinnville, Tenn. has enjoyed the two days as much as anyone else. “Last night we had a devotional led by Jason Parker, Nocturnal Madness where we played all kinds of fun games and then all the incoming freshman hung out in Shamblin and played around for awhile,” Cantrell said. “Advance has been a blast.” The Quest Team has been working tirelessly to prepare good food and entertaining activities for the freshmen, and their hard work is paying off – many incoming students said Lipscomb feels like home. “Everyone already seems to know me. I have had so much fun,” said Inett Branch, a freshman business major from Lavergne, Tenn. “The Lord has opened the...
by Lacy Pack | Jun 24, 2011 | News Slider
Are you breaking a sweat while walking from class to your car this summer? You’re not the only one, and Las Paletas is the perfect remedy to beating the heat. This Mexican popsicle shop located on 12th Ave. South has an extensive amount of flavors-all made with fresh, natural ingredients. They make fruit-only paletas, creamy paletas and “other paletas” like cucumber with hot peppers, hibiscus and avocado. From adults in business suits to mothers with small children, people of all ages come to Las Paletas. Sevier Park is conveniently located just across the street, too, which is an added bonus to the shop’s location. As a college student, I find Las Paletas to be an inexpensive, fun way to venture out of the usual flavor selections to more adventurous options like creamy avocado and chocolate with hot peppers. I don’t even like avocados, but I am hooked on the creamy, smooth avocado paleta. Las Paletas has already received national exposure from The Food Network, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, but Irma Paz-Bernstein, co-owner of the shop, is cautious of growing the business. “Success is very subjective,” says Paz-Bernstein. “To have kids prefer our paletas over ice-cream, we change kids’ tastes. We even had a marriage proposal here! We get to be part of people’s stories and that is a true success.” Las Paletas is open this summer from noon-8 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday. So, drop by Las Paletas, pick a Mexican caramel paleta and take a stroll through the park with that special someone. Many establishments around town sell...
by Lacy Pack | Jun 16, 2011 | News Slider
Sometimes it is the smallest decisions that can change your life forever. For Camille Santos and Rainey Lankford, choosing to spend two weeks in Ghana, West Africa has done just that. Camille Santos, a senior nursing major from Memphis, Tenn. says that Lipscomb’s summer mission trip to Ghana has opened her eyes in many ways. “This might sound sad, but I’ve been on mission trips before and I feel like I never actually got anything from it,” Santos said. “But even on the first day there I felt completely compelled… you do change as a person. I feel 100 percent myself when I’m there. No makeup. No shower. It doesn’t matter because the kids are the focus.” Santos is one of the students that returned from Ghana last week. Lipscomb works with an orphanage called the Village of Hope, which is home to around 200 children. The children are brought to the orphanage from off the streets, abusive or dangerous living conditions and even rescued from child slavery. Santos explained that the children live in homes overseen by couples who devote their lives to raising these children as their own. The orphanage consists of a medical clinic, dental clinic, Hope Christian Academy (a school of 600-700 students), the Village of Hope Church of Christ, staff houses and guest houses. Santos reminisced with a smile about the confusion she caused at the beginning of the trip. Santos is biracial and has several piercings. In Ghanaian culture, people are either white or black and facial piercings are not common. She gained the nickname,“The Black American,” but Santos wasn’t the only one...
by Lacy Pack | Jun 8, 2011 | News Slider
Lipscomb University hosted Volunteer Girl State (VGS) for the second year, and hopefully not the last. For the past 59 years, VGS was held at MTSU, but LU hosted the 2010 session. That session was deemed so successful that the VGS returned this year.Kathy Issaacson, Co-Director of VGS, is uncertain about whether next year’s session will be held at Lipscomb, but she says it is definitely a possibility. “We certainly enjoy it and we have been more than happy with all the accommodations here at Lipscomb,” says Issaacson. “We really appreciate the intimacy of the campus, its smallness, and its beauty and we think it really adds to the Girl State experience.” Wrenne Bartlett, a junior from Brentwood says she loves everything about Lipscomb and has enjoyed having Girl State here, even with all the cicadas. “You get around them… you avoid them,” laughs Bartlett. “You learn just to step around them or kinda wack them out of your face and get over them the best you can.” VGS is a one-week program offered to young women who are rising high school seniors. Girls from high schools all over Tennessee spend the week learning about state government, citizenship and how they can positively affect their communities by forming and running a mock government. Jordan Jowers, a junior from Lexington, TN, explains that all 550 girls or “citizens” are divided into two political parties and 12 cities to help them learn about government. “We get to elect mayors, a governor, and a Supreme Court, and we just go through all the roles of government,” says Jowers. “We develop a respect...
by Lacy Pack | Apr 18, 2011 | News Slider
For most Lipscomb students, college begins directly out of high school. But not for veterans April Herrington and Susannah Leonard, who joined the United States Air Force instead. Now, Herrington and Leonard are pursuing their degrees at Lipscomb while helping the Campus Veterans Organization (CVO) grow and develop. Herrington, senior accounting and finance major from Texas, says the CVO is like a social club for veterans. “Having a group of people here who have gone through similar situations and have similar needs is what makes this organization important,” Herrington said. The purpose and vision of the CVO is to provide a strong social and support network for veterans seeking higher education at Lipscomb. All members are given the opportunity to achieve their educational and career goals, provide service to their community through volunteer work and gain easy access to information and benefits for their families and themselves. There are around 95 veterans on campus, 20 percent of which are female. When asked the question “Does Lipscomb cater to your needs?” David Hughes, the veterans liaison, walks into the office. Herrington laughs. “Most definitely, that’s what David’s for!” Herrington said. “If we have any issues, he’s the one we go to.” Leonard laughs and nods in agreement, “He’s our caterer.” The CVO is a relatively new organization and has only been in existence at Lipscomb since fall of ’09. According to the veterans, it was a little bumpy in its development because the program was new for everyone. Leonard, marketing major from Nashville, says that the CVO has just started developing past the infancy stage. “We are just now getting...
