by Quinn Gorte | Sep 28, 2018 | News Slider
Alex Azar II, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, was the featured speaker at a private event for health care professionals in Shamblin Theater Thursday morning. The “special event” was hosted by the Nashville Health Care Council and was not attended by students. Taking place at 10:30 AM, it displaced MASK Chapel, which was cancelled for the week. After Tennessee governor Bill Haslam gave a brief welcoming address, Azar began his speech by thanking Lipscomb for hosting, and then introduced a piece of “good news” to his audience. “Following President Trump’s election, he took decisive action to stabilize insurance markets and expand choices for American consumers,” Azar said. “This fall, we have seen these efforts begin to bear fruit, in the form of stable premiums and growing choices.” Azar went on to describe the “disastrous results” of the ACA, including the “disappearing choices” it offers citizens. “One of the best things about American healthcare is that we believe if you don’t like your plan, you don’t have to keep it,” Azar said. “It’s the polar opposite of Medicare for All, where, if you don’t like your plan, there’s no way to leave—it’s really the only option out there.” Azar praised Trump’s actions regarding health care reform so far in his presidency. “The president who was supposedly trying to sabotage the ACA has proven better at managing it than the president who wrote the law,” he said. “Under President Trump, premiums are dropping and choices are returning.” The HCC regularly hosts events for their members in an effort to educate, unite, and “inspire global collaboration to improve health care…” according...
by Quinn Gorte | Sep 20, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
It’s the end of a long week of classes and homework. How does live music and discounted coffee sound? Enter Well Friday, the cure to school stresses. Sponsored by Lipscomb and facilitated by the College of Entertainment and the Arts (CEA), Well Friday is a bi-weekly, two-hour time of live music and discounted coffee at The Well coffeeshop on Granny White Pike. This is a perfect time to “treat yo self” and to get “a great deal on lunch…while hearing great music for free,” according to the CEA’s email announcement. The first Well Friday will be held tomorrow from 11 AM to 1 PM. At each Well Friday, Lipscomb offers the first fifty attending students a free coffee, tea, or soda token. After that, The Well will provide a 15% discount on food and drinks to everyone else. Well Friday is a relatively new opportunity for Lipscomb students. “We launched a few test events last May as the semester was ending, but it’s an idea we’ve been working on for a while,” Scott Baker, Director of Marketing and Recruiting at the CEA, said. “[Lipscomb CFO] Danny Taylor really had the initial vision for it. He wanted a special time every now and then that the whole Lipscomb family could get together, away from work and school, and just enjoy each others’ company with good food, drink, and music.” The partnership between the CEA and The Well isn’t new. However, when the Black River Stage, a quaint, conveniently-located performing venue, was built in The Well earlier this year, the relationship between the CEA and The Well reached a new level....
by Quinn Gorte | Sep 20, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Nashville songwriter Tyler Russell has made a lasting impression on his teachers, and not just because of his talents. This Lipscomb alum wants to let God use him to bless others. Russell, a 2015 musical theatre graduate, intentionally chooses to live with joy. Whether it is in his music or while meeting new people, Tyler tries to let God help him to spread joy and love. “Now or Never,” which was released on August 17th on all major music streaming platforms, is Russell’s latest single. While the song isn’t specifically a Christian song, Russell said he and songwriting partner, Alexandria “Zandy” Fitzgerald from The New Respects, placed emphasis on “choosing joy.” “The Bible says there’s a time and a place for everything,” he said. “It’s just important to remind people to dance and have a good time.” Russell recalled his experience at Lipscomb as having a positive and inspirational impact on his songwriting. “The skills that I learned at the (Lipscomb) theatre department taught me so many things that I’m using now with songwriting,” he said. “I got to learn about so many different people’s stories, where people came from and what they go through. “I’m someone who loves to be inspired by what people go through, and I feel like God really puts inspiration through the people around me. I feel like lots of songs came from my time at Lipscomb.” Beki Baker, Chair of Lipscomb’s Theatre Department and one of Tyler’s old professors, was excited to hear Russell’s new single. “The song itself is such a great representation of Tyler,” Baker said. “It’s upbeat, it’s positive and it’s looking for the good things in...
by Quinn Gorte | Sep 14, 2018 | News Slider, Opinion
When you’re gluten-free, one of the main things you’ll miss is a hearty piece of thick, chewy bread. In the gluten-free world, that’s hard to come by. And, if you think it’s hard to find good, thick gluten-free bread at the store, try finding it on a menu. Here’s your remedy: Fido. Located only 10 minutes from campus in Hillsboro Village, Fido offers a refreshing collection of gluten-free snacks, bread, and other treats. Fido also offers a boatload of other vegetarian, vegan, and ethnically-diverse breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack offerings. And, for those of us who are late-risers, good news: Fido serves breakfast all day. If you haven’t already learned this about me, I tend to have a favorite menu item at my preferred dining spots. Fido is no exception. My go-to lunch/dinner item at Fido is their BLT. This BLT comes on a sourdough bread, unless you’re gluten-free, in which case you’ll upgrade to their fabulous, Texas Toast-style gluten-free bread. (I heard they’ve been out of this bread for a couple of weeks and are hoping to get it back in stock soon.) Add on generous offerings of applewood-smoked bacon and the classic fresh lettuce and tomato slices, and you’ve got yourself quite a substantial sandwich. The cherry on top is their aioli, which is very dip-able paired with Fido’s included side of fries or roasted sweet potatoes. (You know this gal loves a good aioli.) One of the best parts of the meal is that it’s filling; it’s not the gluten-free, vegan, and, consequently tasteless $25 meal that leaves you hungry in an hour. For $11 (or...
by Quinn Gorte | Sep 7, 2018 | News Slider, Opinion
The words “healthy” and “affordable” are rarely found next to each other, but Sunflower Cafe challenges the norm by offering $5 vegan quesadillas and other appetizers every week during happy hour. Nestled in the heart of Nashville’s Berry Hill neighborhood, Sunflower is a cozy, vegetarian restaurant. But don’t let the word “vegetarian” stop you from sampling Sunflower’s numerous tasty offerings. If you hear “vegetarian,” and the first thing you picture is unseasoned tofu plopped onto a white plate, it’s time for you to embrace the new season of being a vegan. Welcome to Nashville, where select restaurants are dedicated to making vegan and vegetarian food DELICIOUS. Now, if you’re a fairly health-conscious foodie like me, you love trying new places. But not when it costs $15-$20 per plate – that’s just not realistic for a college student. However, what if I told you Sunflower Cafe offers $5 vegan quesadillas during their 3-6 p.m. happy hour from Monday through Friday? Would you start cartwheeling around your dorm room? Good, I thought so. Keep rejoicing, just as “happy” hour would have you do. Yes, at Sunflower Cafe, you can eat guilt-free without breaking the bank. One of my favorite things about Sunflower is that my non-gluten-free father loves their food. He actually chooses to go to Sunflower sometimes. That, my gluten-free/vegan community, is what we call a win. But back to drooling over Sunflower’s happy hour. You can choose from seven vegan (and mostly gluten-free) appetizers, all of which are $5. I chose my favorite: the filling Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla. Since I’m gluten-free, I subbed a brown rice tortilla in for the traditional flour tortilla (for...
