by Lorena Coleman | Sep 16, 2017 | News Slider
Lipscomb students came out in force to the Hurricane Relief interest meeting, expressing a desire to volunteer with relief efforts for recent hurricanes, Harvey and Irma. When Hurricane Harvey crashed into the Houston area on August 25 leaving destruction in its wake, many students began asking what they could do to help residents pick up the pieces from the disaster. Then, when Irma hit the coast of Florida on September 10, it added to the devastation and caused an even greater need for support and assistance for those who had been in the hurricanes’ paths. Fortunately, Lipscomb students’ motivation to help grew as well. Missions Coordinator Joshua Self said that the idea of coordinating the trips actually started with the students. “Numerous students reached out to our office immediately and asked whether we would be organizing trips.” Self said. “Our wheels began to turn in thinking about how to coordinate relief teams, drawing upon previous relief efforts in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina.” From there, the Missions team began to meet with the Office of Church Services to figure out where students could provide the most help for those impacted by the storms. Over 250 students have since expressed a desire to help out with the relief trips. Senior Mackenzie Lewis is one of those students and said she hopes and plans to go and help out. “I have felt really convicted this semester,” Lewis said, “that part of my mission as a Christian is to serve others to the best of my ability through my time, resources and actions. When the opportunity presented itself during chapel, I realized this...
by Lorena Coleman | Sep 1, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Lipscomb students exhibited a variety of reactions to pop star Taylor Swift’s new single, “Look What You Made Me Do.” Swift dropped the single at midnight August 25, informing her followers via social media that “Look What You Made Me Do” would be the first single off her upcoming album titled “Reputation.” The announcement sent waves of excitement and anticipation through Swift’s fans across the internet as well as in the conversations across campus. Sophomore Lexi Cummings from the Contemporary Music program said “Look What You Made Me Do” is much darker and repetitive than Swift’s traditional sound. “I think that she is perhaps mocking the traditional pop song mold,” Cummings stated, “or maybe trying to re-create her persona once again.” The single is the latest tune by the songstress since her album “1989” was released three years ago this November. Other than a collaboration in 2016 with Zayn on “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” and a Super Bowl party performance, Swift went off the grid, working on her sixth studio album and plotting her return to the spotlight. While Cummings heard the single when it was first released, she said she liked it better after seeing the music video. “While the beginning definitely had me startled, I feel like she definitely created a vibe that went well with the persona she was trying to portray. You can definitely tell that the song is a lashing out however, mostly at Kanye, though I’d argue it’s aimed at a general ‘haters’ crowd as well.” “Look What You Made Me Do” is quite a direction change for Swift, who got her start in country music and is...
by Lorena Coleman | Apr 19, 2017 | News Slider
Retiring chemistry professor Villa Mitchell said she will miss many things about Lipscomb. But the commute will not be one of them. Mitchell has been living on her family farm in McMinnville, Tennessee, making a three-hour commute to Lipscomb for work every day. “McMinnville’s about 75 miles southeast of here.” Mitchell said. “It’s a small town, mostly rural farming, not much of anything there. If you want to retire it’s a good place for that.” Retiring there is what Mitchell plans to do. She will leave Lipscomb at the end of the semester after 40 years of teaching. During her time at Lipscomb, Mitchell taught many classes, ranging from general introduction chemistry classes to organic chemistry labs and biochemistry. From those classes, Mitchell has accumulated several memories. Among those memories, Mitchell said a more memorable one was an explosion in an organic chemistry lab. “When I was teaching organic labs, a lot of the guys in there would find something to explode.” Mitchell said. “It was always interesting to them. They would sometimes, without me knowing it, try different experiments. “I did have a couple of guys who blew something up, and I can’t even remember what the reaction was now, but they did it and we had stains on the ceiling from their endeavors.” While Mitchell might not miss moments like these, she said there are things she will miss. Mitchell said she has enjoyed seeing how her students have changed over the years and will miss interacting with them the most. “When I started teaching, my students would take notes writing down every word I said furiously, and if...
by Lorena Coleman | Mar 30, 2017 | News Slider
Lipscomb students took some time to give back on the university’s 15th annual Service Day Wednesday afternoon. Classes were canceled from noon – 4 p.m. to give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to choose from over 50 organizations to volunteer at various locations in Nashville. An estimated 900 students took part in the day, which started off with lunch in Allen Arena at noon and then heading out to volunteer for the afternoon. Freshman Paige Reece volunteered at The Bridge, a non-profit organization that donates essentials like food and clothing to the poor and homeless. Reece’s group spent time at the facility sorting clothes and cleaning the warehouse. “My favorite part was realizing all the different ways we can serve the Nashville community,” Reece said. “It was more different than I thought it would be but such a cool experience.” Sophomore Savannah Campbell went to Blakeford nursing home to play bingo and spend time with the residents. She said a highlight of her time volunteering was meeting President Lowry’s father. “He was so sweet and so happy to see us,” Campbell said, adding, “and so proud when we told him we knew his son.” When asked what her favorite part of the experience was, Campbell said she enjoyed the whole day in general. “It was so much fun. I’d love to go back and volunteer again next year.” Junior Rebecca Shannon personally lead a group with her social club Delta Omega and took a group of students to Rocketown, a youth outreach facility in Downtown Nashville. The social club has a history with Rocketown, going there in past...
by Lorena Coleman | Mar 22, 2017 | News Slider
Over Spring Break, several Lipscomb students journeyed to Nevis with the mission of strengthening their relationships with the people and strengthening the people’s relationships with God. Nevis is a small island in the West Indies, located in the Caribbean Sea. Combined with neighboring island Saint Kitts, the two form a country called the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Sophomore Amy Hurd described the island as being “full of character,” with an abundance of fresh gardens and markets. She and Freshman Katlyn Council were two of 15 team members who stayed on the island for the week-long trip. Both students agreed that the main purpose of the trip was to build relationships with the people. While Council and Hurd were embarking on the trip for the first time, Council said the Nevis people seemed to recognize the group and looked forward to the team’s coming every year. “Everyone we met was so welcoming and happy to have us there,” Hurd said. “The way they showed Jesus to us was so amazing. They welcomed us with open arms and treated us all like family.” The itinerary was pretty “low-key”, according to Council, who said the team’s days were spent hanging out with children with the goal of building and strengthening relationships. In the evening, the group hosted Vacation Bible School at a local church. The nights began with worship time, followed by class, which was broken up by age group. Council helped with the youngest age group, where children created crafts and then listened to a Bible story. Other tasks throughout the week included helping church members work on various service projects, such as building a...
