by Quinn Gorte | Feb 19, 2019 | News Slider
Out of the seven Lipscomb students who were nominated for the Fulbright Scholar Program, all seven have gone on to become semi-finalists. In the past, the highest number of Lipscomb students to achieve Fulbright semi-finalist status in one year was one. This year, all seven nominated Lipscomb students or recent graduates were accepted as semi-finalists into Fulbright, which is a prestigious international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Dr. Paul Prill, Lipscomb’s Fulbright program adviser and director of the Honors College, said this recognition was unusual for “a school like Lipscomb,” since most Fulbright Program finalists come from larger universities, like the University of Michigan and Cornell University. “This is unprecedented for Lipscomb,” Prill said. “It’s really good for Lipscomb to be able to point to the academic success the students are having.” One of the semi-finalists, Lipscomb senior Maribeth Beyer, shared her thoughts on what this means for her and Lipscomb. “We’re not Yale, Harvard [or] Vanderbilt, but we are moving up,” said Beyer, adding, “and any opportunity I have to take Lipscomb further than Nashville is an incredible opportunity for me.” According to Dr. Prill, Fulbright applicants have about a five percent chance of becoming a semi-finalist, and semi-finalists have approximately a 30 to 50 percent chance of becoming a finalist. Once accepted into the program, Fulbright scholars will have the opportunity to live in a country of their choosing, either as an English teaching assistant, a researcher or a student, for approximately one year, depending on the program and grant. Bigger countries, like Spain and Germany, often...
by Quinn Gorte | Jan 29, 2019 | News Slider
The Tennessean’s Vanderbilt beat reporter Adam Sparks came to campus to speak to Lipscomb students about the importance of being flexible and honest in their careers. Lipscomb hosted its first Media Masters of the semester on Tuesday evening, with sophomore journalism major Spencer Boehme interviewing Sparks during the evening. Sparks, a graduate of MTSU, has been a sports writer for 19 years. He has won numerous journalism awards, including National Beat Writer of the Year. Throughout his writing career, he has covered a variety of stories, from reporting on the Titans and the Nashville Sounds to flag football and elementary basketball. Sparks encouraged Lipscomb students to be open to a variety of job opportunities, paid or unpaid. “If you are given an opportunity to work, you say ‘Yes,’” said Sparks, noting that unpaid or low-pay opportunities should not necessarily be looked down upon. “You have to get your foot in the door, [in] some way or some fashion,” Sparks said. Sparks gave an example from his own life, explaining that he often accepted reporting opportunities that were generally looked down upon, an attitude and choice which Sparks said he believes gains reporters respect. He also discussed the importance of work flexibility to non-journalism careers, sharing a story of his friend who wanted to be a loan officer but finally accepted a job as a bank teller, due to his lack of experience, and was later promoted to vice president. “The reason he got there is he finally said, ‘I’ll take whatever bottom position you’re offering me,’” Sparks said. In addition to his career as a professional reporter, Sparks is also...
by Quinn Gorte | Jan 25, 2019 | News Slider, Opinion
When a restaurant has a 25-person line during prime dining hours and a taco-centric menu that contains reasonably limited choices, you know there’s something magical going on in the kitchen. How fitting that today’s Gluten-Free Friday features Mojo’s Tacos, a “fresh and innovative taco shop” that wows me with its “magic charm” meals. Mojo’s Tacos is located in the historic Factory at Franklin, which is prime real estate for a Franklin dining spot. Any restaurant that can afford to open shop in the Factory and actually fill the place, day-in and day-out, has my attention. After you eat at Mojo’s, I think you will understand why it is thriving in the Factory. Shockingly (please note my sarcasm), I have a regular at Mojo’s. I always get the Brisket Taco unless, on tragic days, it’s not available (the wizard must have captured it on those days), in which case I get The Old School without cheese. But the Brisket Taco is a lovely choice: The taco drips with an otherworldly, flavorful juice, the brisket is perfectly moist and rich, and the toppings add a Tinkerbell-style fairy dust on top. Regardless of what you order, if you are sensitive to gluten, make sure you ask for a corn tortilla. The corn tortillas there are soft and flexible, so you won’t feel like you’re missing out on the traditional flour tortilla. Before you jump up to fly after your pixie-dust meal, hold those happy thoughts and remember Mojo’s generous portions: One corn taco stretches about six or so inches in diameter, and Mojo’s does not skimp on the fillings. If you are...
by Quinn Gorte | Jan 19, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Lipscomb’s art professors are encouraging diversity at Lipscomb, specifically through art exhibits in Hutcheson Gallery. “A lot of perspectives can be learned through art,” said Lawrence Matthews, the curator of Hutcheson’s new “Colour Somewhere” exhibit. The collection features art from African-American creators who are from or currently live in Tennessee. Cliff Tierney, Chair of Lipscomb’s Visual Arts program, said he is excited to feature more diverse artwork at Lipscomb. “One of the things that we wanted to make sure we did is have a diverse series of shows for this academic year and from here on out,” Tierney said. “I think it’s important that Lipscomb be more involved with the African-American community…And our part, as a visual arts department, is to do exactly what we’re doing here: exhibit the work of black artists…” The gallery, which was curated by Memphis-based artist and musician Lawrence Matthews, features work from a variety of African-American artists, ranging from about 19 to 38 years old. Lipscomb faculty member Brian Jobe, who was raised in Memphis, shared mutual friends with Matthews. According to Tierney, Matthews had curated a Memphis show the previous year that “went really, really well,” so Jobe recommended Matthews to Lipscomb. “I called him and said, ‘Would you like to put together a show at some point in the academic year?’ and he was on board immediately,” Tierney said. “I trusted him to bring in what he felt would be the best, and there’s a really beautiful variety of work in here.” Matthews, who attended the gallery opening, said he wanted to create an exhibit that represented the artists’ “blackness” or...
by Quinn Gorte | Nov 23, 2018 | News Slider, Opinion
Well-accessorized burgers, tasty fries and a generous lettuce wrap. All this less than two miles from campus. Welcome to Burger Up. With holidays officially here and family coming in town, it’s important to know which nearby restaurants combine great flavor with healthy, allergy-friendly offerings that can please everyone. Remember, Uncle Matt is vegetarian, and Aunt Julie is sensitive to gluten and dairy. Thankfully, Burger Up can serve both Uncle Matt and Aunt Julie something tasty to suit them. One of the main things I like about Burger Up is the variety of burgers they have. There’s the hearty Bison burger, the flavorful Troyathlon or Marathon veggie burgers or the savory Turkey burger, all of which can be ordered with an up-charged gluten-free bun. Or, if you’re on the grain-free route, Burger Up even offers a plentiful wrap of fresh, strong lettuce leaves to sandwich your burger. If you go all in on the gluten and dairy fronts, be adventurous and try the Ramsey Pimento Cheese burger, or the Byrd, which combines fried chicken, white cheddar cheese and truffle aioli. Ordering a side of truffle fries is the cherry on top. My regular order is Burger Up’s turkey burger. Since it automatically comes without cheese, I appreciate not having to worry about paying for something I can’t eat. The burger is topped with mayo and caramelized onions, which really makes the meal. The burger is decently filling, even without the bun, especially if you get a side. The pre-tax/gratuity total for the lettuce-wrapped turkey burger, which comes with fries, ends up being $11, which is quite reasonable for a nice 12...
