by Schyler Jones | Nov 9, 2020 | News Slider, Politics
As millions across the country celebrated the results from the presidential election, much of the focus was on Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Harris will be the first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president of the United States. Harris, the daughter of immigrants, is no stranger to breaking barriers. Her mother, who came to the U.S. from India at the age of 19, used to tell her, “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.” Harris promised in her victory speech on Saturday to follow those wise words. Speaking directly to the children of our country, she said, “Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you every step of the way.” For women, especially women of color in the U.S., her election is personal. Shaniya Pleasant, a senior biology major, explained why representation matters to her. “I think that having a Black vice president elect is so important because I finally get to see someone who looks like me, who loves me, and wants the best for us in office for once,” Pleasant said. “It’s so vital because representation matters on all levels. And today a Black and South Asian woman is our country’s first female vice president elect, and that simply makes my heart swell.” Sarah Feldman, a junior nursing major, had similar thoughts. “In society today, women are viewed as less than, and from the time children are born they are taught to fit into...
by Schyler Jones | Nov 3, 2020 | News, News Slider
Vandals who tried to destroy the Black Student Union’s message on the Lipscomb bison only succeeded in angering that organization and making it more determined to get its message across. “Honestly, I was ticked off, but not surprised,” said BSU Vice President and Chaplain Trey Phillips. Saturday afternoon, the BSU painted the bison in celebration of the “Educate, Empower, and Elevate” event they held the previous Thursday. They originally planned to paint the bison the day of the event but had to postpone due to rain. BSU’s president, Dorie Harrison, made sure they followed all protocols required to rightfully paint the bison. She went through both Student Life and their sponsor, Asa Bailey, to get permission. When the BSU finished painting the bison, they wrote the time 3:30 p.m. on the back. This was done to comply with a new rule that was put in place last year. It ensures no one could mistakenly paint over the bison within the 24-hour time period in which the approved painting is required to stay on. They had originally painted the bison black, with a raised fist and the acronyms “BSU” and “BLM” below it. On Sunday morning, however, Phillips woke up to find someone had defaced the bison. “BLM” had been marked out and rewritten at the top, with what appeared to be the letter “F” in front of it. “When we got done painting it the first time, I expected the resistance, but you know, it still angered me when I saw that someone did it,” Phillips explained. Phillips sent a picture of the defaced bison to the BSU GroupMe, trying...
by Schyler Jones | Oct 28, 2020 | News, News Slider, Politics
Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the United States Supreme Court on Monday, becoming the fifth woman to serve on the Supreme Court. The proceedings were more controversial than usual as this vote now gives the Supreme Court a 6-3 conservative majority. Three of these justices have now been appointed by Trump. A primary source of contention came from the vote taking place so close to Election Day. Although the Constitution allows such a vote, the issue was one of precedent. In 2016, Republican senators refused to consider President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland after Antonin Scalia’s death because the election was nine months out. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, who refused to consider Garland in 2016, has currently been a driving force to get Barrett confirmed only weeks before the election. McConnell claimed this time is different because the Senate and Presidency are currently held by the same party. Barret was confirmed in a 52-48 vote that was almost entirely split down party lines (with the exception of Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine). Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called it “one of the darkest days in the 231-year history of the United States.” Schumer feels that the Nov. 3 election, in which millions of Americans have already voted, should have been the determining factor in who names a new Supreme Court justice. After her swearing-in ceremony by Justice Clarence Thomas, Barrett stated, “It is the job of a judge to resist her policy preferences…The oath that I have solemnly taken tonight means at its core that I will do my job without any fear or favor and that...
by Schyler Jones | Oct 5, 2020 | News, News Slider, Opinion
With the presidential election less than a month away, those who have the opportunity to vote need to understand the power they hold. We were all taught about voting to some extent in school, but with everything else going on, why does it really matter? Heleena Kabtimer, a junior International Business Management major, said, “As a person of color and a woman, there’s so many times when voting in our history has not been provided to someone like me. Now that I can use my voice to vote in elections, all those people didn’t fight for me to not use it.” Suffrage is a privilege, a time when people get to use their voice to stand up for what they believe in. Concerning people who choose not to vote, Jessica Heffington, a senior Accounting major, claims she understands people choose not to vote for various reasons, but said, “If you choose not to, then you can’t be mad at the outcome.” Both Kabtimer and Heffington admit they did not vote when they first turned eighteen. The main reason was that it wasn’t a presidential election year. Local elections don’t garner nearly as much attention as federal elections, but looking back Kabtimer wishes she understood that local elections are actually just as important as federal elections. “Every town, city, and state is different and those who live there should have a say in what affects them every day,” Heffington said. A common obstacle to first-time voters is not knowing how the voting process works. Kiana Rafiei, a junior Psychology major, thinks schools need to better prepare students to go out...
by Schyler Jones | Sep 27, 2020 | News Slider, Politics
Many of us feel the weight of the upcoming election, and hopefully each of us will go out and exercise our right to vote. Many people, though, may not know where to start or how the voting process works. With a pandemic as yet another obstacle, it’s important to plan now for your vote. If you’re not yet registered to vote, most states allow you to register online with your social security number and driver’s license. The voter registration card will be mailed to you within 30 days. You must be registered to vote within 30 days of an election, so this would need to be done by October 5. Each state’s laws are different, but the ways you can get your vote counted are through mail-in voting, early in-person voting, or voting on election day. Voting by mail (also known as “absentee voting”) is an extra popular option this year amid COVID-19 concerns. In Tennessee, residents can vote by mail if they have an excuse. Some accepted excuses include being a full-time student outside of your county, being the caretaker of an ill person, or having an underlying medical condition. COVID-19 concerns do not fall under acceptable excuses in the state of Tennessee. To vote by mail, you must submit the request to your local county election commission office. Tennesseans must make that request by October 27 and return the ballot by November 3 at 8pm. The ballots can be returned by mail, or in some cases delivered in-person. Some people have claimed that voting by mail is unsafe and could lead to fraud, but many senior intelligence officials explain...
