by Lily Kate Corley | Oct 6, 2021 | Galleries, News Slider
Students gathered Friday night in Bison Square for Salsa en el Square, a lively celebration of salsa dancing during Hispanic Heritage Month. A student instructor taught the groups several basic techniques. After the lesson, students got to show off their new skills with different partners. “I really enjoyed that there was enough structure there to show us what we were doing so we didn’t have to just … figure it out ourselves. … [The instructor] gave us ample amount of time to practice what she had taught us,” said JoAnna McCutcheon, a sophomore nutrition major from Southside, Alabama. Sarah Small, an IDEAL student from Zionsville, Indiana, added that the best part of the night was “learning new things.” Events like Salsa en el Square provide the opportunity for students to appreciate diverse cultural traditions and meet new friends in the Herd. “Everyone was there to have fun, everyone was there to dance, so … I liked going around and seeing who else didn’t have a partner and being like, ‘Hey! Let’s dance!’” said Anna Adams, a junior English major from Rogersville. “I think that was kind of always in my personality … but I think that the experience here [at Lipscomb] has kind of opened me up and opened that side of me.” Salsa en el Square was hosted by the Student Activities Board and Office of Intercultural Development and served as a continuation of events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Photo Gallery by Cora Coletti Hayden Smith and Annie Duda...
by Lily Kate Corley | Sep 24, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
The Class of 2025 rocked campus Saturday night during the first annual Freshman Lipsync Battle. “(Competing in Lipsync was) a really fun experience that brought me closer with the people I was already close with and … introduced me to more people I didn’t know before,” said Annie Duda, a commercial music and songwriting major from Pennsylvania who was inspired to join a competition team in order to strengthen and build friendships. Four groups of freshmen competed for the silver walkman trophy. The Backstreet Men emerged victorious from their denim-clad performance of the Backstreet Boys’ classic hit “I Want It That Way.” The student producers surprised the crowd with their own take on “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé, and hosts Grant Bobo and Liz McKell opened the show with a humorous performance of “Fabulous” from High School Musical. Other competition groups showcased favorites from the 2000s including a sleek, girl-powered rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”; a Southern twist on Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA”; and a Phineas & Ferb medley complete with a faux palm tree and bright costumes. “We all love Phineas & Ferb to some degree and it was really fun to be in a group of people that … knew the show (well) enough to where I could reference it … and (we) kind of just knew … what was going on in (each other’s) heads,” said electrical and computer engineering student Hayden Smith. Smith joined the mashup group Beljeetles by random assignment but gained a group of friends with common interests. Students who love to perform–like Duda–reveled in their first live audience since the start...
by Lily Kate Corley | Sep 12, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
What was the most iconic event between the years 2000 and 2010? The release of Kelly Clarkson’s song “Since U Been Gone”? Bedazzled jeans? The first Twilight movie? While there are many staples to choose from, they pale in comparison to the most important world premiere of all: The birth of the students in the Lipscomb University Class of 2025. Most undergraduate students on campus were born between 1999 and 2004, which makes the early 2000s an important time for the Bison Herd. To welcome this year’s Freshmen Class to the Lipscomb family, the Office of Community Life is hosting a Freshmen Lipsync Battle on September 18th. The theme for the battle is 2000s Mix. The event will feature songs released between the years 2000 and 2010, as selected by the 10 competition groups. Groups may perform a mash-up or a single song, utilizing up to four minutes. Performance groups will consist of up to 30 students and approximately seven students will serve as producers, assisting with marketing and logistics behind the scenes. According to Kelsy Campbell, Coordinator of Student Productions and Social Clubs, Freshmen Lipsync Battle will provide a “get-to-know-you experience right off the bat” and “a feel for the fun of Lipscomb.” Whether students sign up with friends or sign up alone, they will walk away from the event with shared memories and a strengthened sense of community. While the Bison Herd is experiencing Lipsync Battle for the first time, a rich musical tradition is well established at Lipscomb. Each Spring, undergraduate students compete in the time-honored tradition of Singarama in which they must prepare the choreography,...
by Lily Kate Corley | Sep 11, 2021 | News, News Slider
“A plane just hit one of the World Trade Center Towers.” R. Samuel Lynn, Lipscomb veterans advocate and a former Marine, recalls hearing those words from his desk at an architectural firm in upstate New York on Sept. 11, 2001. He immediately thought that a small plane must have mistakenly gone off course. “It seemed like just a couple of minutes later [that the secretary] … slow-walked into the office,” Sam Lynn said. “[Her] face was just white. She said, ‘Another plane just hit one of the towers.'” “And that’s when … my heart hit my toes.” Lynn and his colleagues watched the news channel all day, as most Americans did, and realized that they were witnessing a terrorist attack against the United States. The event would alter the trajectory of America and the world– they knew “it was all going to change.” Lynn was right about the changes, which included the creation of The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the United State’s engagement in war in the Middle East. The attack was the impetus for 20 years of consequences. Four years after 9/11, Lynn became a Marine. He spent 10 years in the military and completed two tours of duty in the Middle East with Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was injured during his service. After rehabilitation, he became a combat marksmanship instructor. Today, he serves the Lipscomb University Community as director of Veterans Services. Lynn’s has a multi-level view on the events, since he experienced the events of 9/11 as a civilian and then participated in the war that followed as a Marine. Veteran Programs Coordinator Jimmie L....
