Stampede of Bisons attempts to fix problem of fan support

It’s the bottom of the ninth inning, the bases are loaded and the game is tied. Or maybe there are five seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the kicker is coming out to give his team the lead. Or perhaps the point guard has the ball in his hands with the final buzzer on the verge of sounding. At the end of a close contest, when an athlete is running on fumes, any edge can make the slightest of difference between winning and losing. If the home team has the privilege of playing in front of a raucous crowd that shakes the stadium, it might be the advantage that provides a victory. The support of fans doesn’t always come to mind before practice, skill and athleticism in the hierarchy of winning attributes for an athletic team, but in a hard fought battle where both teams are evenly matched, a rocking home field advantage could make a huge impact. Lipscomb senior T.J. Ojehomon saw a distinct lack of fan support, especially from students, when he started attending athletic events on campus. Being a former athlete himself, he knew that peers cheering you on while competing can have a crucial impact. Ojehomon also knew that even though his playing days were over, he wanted to make an impact on Lipscomb athletics somehow. Thus, Stampede, Lipscomb’s student fan organization, was born. “My sophomore year I got the opportunity to produce a video in order to promote Running of the Bison,” Ojehomon said. “Then that led to another opportunity to do on-court entertainment, being the guy that gets people involved during media...

Lady Bisons can’t overcome offensive woes against Stetson

Despite a back and forth first half, the Lipscomb Lady Bisons extended their losing streak to 10 games in a 82-47 loss to the Stetson Hatters at Allen Arena. The win for the Hatters was their eighth in a row. The Hatters came out firing on all cylinders after halftime, starting off the second half with a 13-0 run to extend their 11 point lead to 24. The Lady Bisons struggled to find their shooting touch throughout the game as Stetson’s defense was strong from the get-go. The Lady Bisons shot 15-66 from the floor on the game. Lispcomb especially had trouble behind the arch, finishing the game 6-33 from the 3-point line. The Lady Bisons usual sharpshooters all had trouble finding the basket. Danay Fothergill, Chandler Cooper and Sara Bliss combined to shoot just 3-24 from outside. One silver lining for the Lady Bisons was the play of sophomore Ashley Southern. Southern almost notched a double-double in the first half with nine points and 11 rebounds. She finished off the achievement in the second half, ending the game with 14 points (on 6-14 shooting) with 16 rebounds. Southern has now recorded a double-double in seven straight games. Southern is also closing in on the Atlantic Sun Conference record for most double-doubles in a season. She has 16 double-doubles on the season, just five away from the conference record of 21. “I mean, that’s pretty exciting, but I’d much rather us be number one in the conference,” Southern said. With the outside shot lacking, the Lady Bisons ran the offense through Southern for most of the game. Even though...

Lumination’s 2014 Oscar nomination reactions

Well folks, it’s that time again. Thursday morning was the movie fan’s equivalent to Christmas morning, except with a much higher chance of heartache. The nominations were announced for the 86th Academy Awards.  There were, per usual, outrageous omissions and pleasant surprises. I, Lumination Network Entertainment Editor Logan Butts, will break down the morning’s most important moments. Biggest Surprises: 1. No Tom Hanks: Believed to be a lock for one acting nomination, and in the running for two, the always lovable Tom Hanks was left out of both the Best Actor field for his riveting turn in Captain Phillips and the Supporting Actor field for his role in Saving Mr. Banks. I believe that he most likely canceled himself out by being in the running for both awards. 2. Lack of Saving Mr. Banks nominations: Speaking of Saving Mr. Banks, it was completely shut out of the major categories, only receiving a Best Original Score nomination. For a film thought to be right up the voting body’s alley, the film went home without a single nomination. 3. Sally Hawkins in, Oprah out: In the Best Supporting Actress race, Oprah Winfrey was predicted by most prognosticators to receive a nod for her role in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, which was shut out as well. Instead, her spot went to Sally Hawkins for the film Blue Jasmine, proving once again that the voters love performances from Woody Allen films. Cate Blanchett is the front-runner in the Best Actress category for her performance in the same film. Worst Snubs: 1. Inside Llewyn Davis: Although it always seemed to be more of a critical darling...

Veteran’s chapel added to breakout options

For the 2014 spring semester, the Campus Ministry Team has made some changes and booked some big-name guests for The Gathering. The theme of “Ask. Seek. Knock.,” which comes from the book of Luke, will continue as the theme from the fall semester. Although there are not usually many changes during the fall-to-spring transition, this spring semester looks to add one change of notoriety to the options of breakout chapels. In addition to the men’s and women’s chapels, worship chapel, hymn chapel, theater chapel and others, the campus ministry team is adding a veteran’s chapel for Lipscomb’s Yellow Ribbon students. The chapel will be led by Dr. Tom Seals of the Bible department, who served in the military himself. “It’s just a really great opportunity for that group on campus to grow in community together, and to grow in faith together,” said Keela Evans of the Campus Ministry Team, “I’m really excited to see how that blossoms.” Many of the breakout chapels have been a hit with students. The singing chapel has become particularly popular with students. “I usually go to the one the singing one. I think it’s fun. Sometimes I think the best way to praise God is just by singing, and not always listening to someone talk. I love music, so I enjoy the singing chapel,” sophomore Alex Woods said. The devotionals on Wednesday nights are another aspect of chapel that has been popular among the student body. The Wednesday Night Devos stand out from the other chapel services because they are student run and led. “Usually if I can ever make it to them, I...

Assassination of President John F. Kennedy remembered through eyes of communications professors

Fifty years since the assassination of John F. Kennedy – a trauma that sparked the first “wall-to-wall” television news coverage, so generations captivated by the young president and his family could view the events – the cruel reality still resonates with those who lived through it. Similar to how most people who are alive today know exactly where they were when the events of 9/11 occurred, anyone who lived during President Kennedy’s assassination knows exactly where they were when the news was broke to them early in the afternoon of Nov. 22, 1963. “I was in Madison Street Elementary School in the first grade class,” said Mark McGee, Lipscomb Athletics media relations director and adjunct professor. “And our teacher, Mrs. Beachboard, came into the class and told us that the president had been killed.” “I remember exactly where I was,” said Alan Griggs, associate professor and chair of the department of communications and journalism. “I was in the seventh grade, and I was in a civics classroom. We were being taught by Mr. Basset, the civics teacher. All of the sudden, the door opens, and in comes the assistant principle with a very worried look on his face saying that the president had been shot. We were all just stunned.” For the next four days, Americans sat glued to their televisions watching all the events unfold. From the assassination of the President on Friday to Jack Ruby’s shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald on Sunday and Kennedy’s funeral on Monday, all of America saw the events unfold in their living room, right in front of their eyes. “It took over TV,” McGee said. “I...