by Schyler Jones | Apr 21, 2021 | News, News Slider, Politics
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin while being arrested. The video of the crime, which showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, spread across the country and caused a pivotal moment for social justice around the world. Countless protests were organized during the summer and beyond to call for justice for Black lives. As his young daughter said at a protest, Floyd “changed the world.” Although Floyd’s murder was witnessed by millions, the actual conviction of Chauvin took 330 days. The jury deliberated for 10 hours over two days. On Tuesday, April 20 at 4:05 CT, Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. George Floyd’s brother, Rodney Floyd, pointed out that, “No family in history ever got this far… this is for everybody that has been in this situation.” Amidst the celebration of accountability and the solemn recognition of the work still left to be done, Lipscomb students shared their reactions. Nina Adams, a senior Spanish major, said, “In May of 2020 I was horrified by Derek Chauvin’s actions. I honestly could not imagine why some would deem it necessary to kneel on another living being’s neck till they passed. When I heard the news of Chauvin‘s verdict, I honestly had mixed emotions. Although I am over the moon that the justice system finally put Chauvin on trial, I believe there’s still a lot of work to be done and major changes. There are cops out there just like Chauvin who are getting away with their actions.” Junior...
by Schyler Jones | Apr 2, 2021 | News, News Slider
Last Wednesday, March 24, Lipscomb’s ACON (Asian Community) club painted the bison to say, “Protect Asian Lives,” following the massacre of 8 women, 6 of whom were of Asian descent, in Atlanta spas on the 16 of March. Sophomore Corporate Management student Cindy Hong is President of ACON and explained why they spray-painted those words: “With the recent massacre that happened in Atlanta, and nationwide there’s been a lot of anti-Asian hate crimes, we just wanted to create awareness and show solidarity and respect to those who lost their lives and give a message to Lipscomb’s student body that there should be zero tolerance to Asian hate. It was also to share a message to other Asian-Americans that we hear them and see them. We shared a picture of the painted bison on our ACON Instagram so that people would know we are a resource and would feel free to DM/come to us.” Wednesday night, though, the bison was painted over to say, “Cookout: This is all that matters.” Hong described how she felt when she found out the bison had been vandalized. “I was kind of shocked but not shocked at the same time because it was something I kind of saw coming but it is still very shocking in a way where I can’t believe someone would do that. Of course I was mad, angered, very sad, I felt like I was being struck.” Many students on campus felt the same way. This is not the first time the bison has been defaced. In 2020, the bison was vandalized twice, first over an LGBTQ+ painting, then over...
by Schyler Jones | Feb 28, 2021 | News, News Slider
Bison Compost is a new initiative that began last fall on Lipscomb’s campus that is seeking to reduce food waste in the cafeteria. So far, 5,072.5 pounds of waste have been diverted from the landfill. That’s equivalent to the weight of a Range Rover. The student leader behind Bison Compost is Isadora Koch, a Junior Environmental Sustainability Science major with an emphasis in Communication and Policy. Koch started Bison Compost as part of a fellowship called Youth Evangelicals for Climate Action that requires that the members complete a sustainability-related project. Koch had learned a lot about composting, and when she saw how much waste there was in the Lipscomb cafeteria, she wanted to help start composting on campus. Koch began by talking with her advisor, Dr. Stutzman, who directed her to Darry Hunstman. Huntsman serves as Executive Chef in the cafeteria and has been a sustainability activist himself. In addition to being a farmer and beekeeper, he also worked at William-Mary College, where they already were composting. Koch shared her vision with him, and he agreed to collaborate with her in getting the composting initiative instated at Lipscomb. The first step was figuring out who to partner with, as on-site composting would be difficult and space-limited. Koch found Compost Nashville, which specializes in organics management. They figured out pricing, and a representative came on campus for assessment. With the help of volunteers, a waste audit was conducted in the cafeteria. Because of the new COVID-19 protocols and the required training, it was decided to start capturing food waste from the food preparation side. “I was actually really surprised to...
by Schyler Jones | Feb 11, 2021 | News
The impeachment trial for former president Donald J. Trump began Tuesday morning. Trump became the first-ever president to be impeached twice when the House of Representatives voted on Jan. 13 to charge him for “incitement of insurrection”. The vote passed 232-197. Now, the trial has moved to the Senate, where senators will vote on whether to convict Trump. A two-thirds vote would be needed to convict, meaning that 17 Republicans would have to vote across party lines. Traditionally, the impeached official would be removed from office if convicted. Since Trump is the first president to be tried after leaving office, many speculate that he could be barred from holding future public offices if convicted. The main concern raised in the trial was regarding the constitutionality of impeaching a public official who is no longer in office. Representative Jamie Raskin, Lead Impeachment Manager, opened the trial by defending the constitutionality. He showed a 13-minute-long video recounting the insurrection at the capitol. It showed both Trump’s speech and the mob as the day unfolded, a reminder of the fear on Jan 6. “If that’s not an impeachable offense, then I don’t know what is,” Raskin stated. Regarding the constitutionality of the trial, he claimed the ability to impeach a president in her or his last few weeks is the most important “because that’s when elections get attacked.” Trump’s lawyers, on the other hand, maintained that impeachment after leaving office is unconstitutional. They claimed that Democrats were set in “seeking to eliminate Donald Trump from the American political scene.” Shortly after 5 p.m. EST Tuesday, the Senate voted 56-44 that the impeachment...
by Schyler Jones | Jan 12, 2021 | News, News Slider
Like the majority of Americans, Lipscomb junior Rachel Pavelich is still shaken by the violent and deadly assault on the Capitol that was aimed at upsetting the confirmation of the electoral college presidential landslide victory of Joe Biden. “It was really disappointing to see our country like that,” said Pavelich, a fashion design major. At least five people, including a Capitol police officer, died as the result of the armed insurrection organized and coordinated by right-wing extremist groups, according to law enforcement and U.S. intelligence. The only thing Pavelich did notice that encouraged her during the insurrection that was incited by President Donald Trump, was the fact that party lines, in many cases, disappeared as the insurrectionists, some armed, pounded on the doors of the House chamber. “It struck me because it’s not about sides. It’s about uniting as Americans and helping each other. I feel like that’s what America is supposed to be.” The insurrection led House Democrats to Monday introduce articles of impeachment against the president. There also is a move afoot to get Vice President Mike Pence to act on the 25th Amendment, which could remove Trump from office immediately. That move was stalled early Monday, but it still could happen. Pence, who stood by his boss throughout the last several years, was a target of the rioters, who had been told by Trump that the vice president let him down by not blocking the confirmation of the electoral college votes that gave Joe Biden the presidency by a landslide. When the rioters stormed the Capitol Wednesday, after being urged by Trump to take action there, a...
