by Kathryn Farris | Jan 20, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Gloomy skies and flooded sidewalks didn’t stop the crowds from gathering at Governor Bill Lee’s inauguration on Saturday. The inauguration was moved indoors to the War Memorial Auditorium after concerns over inclement weather. The new location caused problems due to the limited capacity of the auditorium, and some ticketholders were turned away from seats they had already reserved. Austin Travis, a freshman political science and history major at Lipscomb, was one of those attending the inauguration. Travis said he voted for Lee because of his stances on criminal justice reform and his goals in improving vocational and technical education. Travis noted that he is optimistic for Lee’s upcoming term, but he also expressed concern for Lee’s transition from the business world to politics. “He can’t just tell someone to do something and it gets done anymore,” Travis said. “He’s got to get those proposals approved by the General Assembly, and he has to make sure he never oversteps his bounds as governor. But he’s a smart guy; I think he’ll adapt fairly quickly.” Inauguration attendee Ed Elam spoke about his trust in the new governor. Elam said he voted for Lee because of his integrity and values. “I am expecting some transparency [from Lee],” Elam said. “My experience and knowledge with him is that he looks at everyone as Tennesseans. He promotes inclusiveness not divisiveness. I expect him to pull everyone together.” Tennessean Adam Smith had more personal motivations when he was in the voting booth. Smith met Lee seven years ago through the Y-CAP program, an outreach organization that serves teens. Lee became a mentor for Smith. “He saw a...
by Russell Vannozzi | Jan 18, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer will soon be on Lipscomb Academy’s payroll. Dilfer was named the Mustangs’ next head football coach at a press conference Friday afternoon. “This is a calling,” Dilfer said. “When God does something this weird in your life, you never doubt it. This isn’t a career move.” Dilfer said he was attracted to the “sense of community” at Lipscomb, and the timing just happened to be right. Former Lipscomb coach Scott Tillman resigned in November after finishing with a 2-9 record in 2018. “There’s a lot that we loved about [coming to Lipscomb],” Dilfer said. A former first-round pick out of Fresno State in 1994, Dilfer spent time as a starter and backup for five NFL teams — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. The highlight of Dilfer’s NFL career came when he helped the Baltimore Ravens defeat the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. The 6-foot-4 California native appeared in 130 career games and threw for 20,518 yards and 113 touchdowns over his 14-season career. “The people that have had a football journey like mine understand that the game part of it is awesome,” Dilfer said. “But it’s what it does to your soul, your core, and the people you play with that is so much bigger than what happens between the lines.” After his retirement in 2007, Dilfer joined the NFL Network as an analyst. He eventually signed a contract with ESPN in 2010 and served as a backup announcer for Monday Night Football. However, Dilfer was a victim of ESPN’s mass layoff...
by Kathryn Farris | Jan 7, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday morning that clemency will be granted to Cyntoia Brown. Brown is a Nashville woman who has spent 15 years behind bars for a murder she committed at age 16. She is expected to be released on parole on Aug. 7, 2019. The conditions of her parole say that she will have to attend regular counseling sessions, work with at-risk youth and maintain a job. Haslam’s decision to grant Brown clemency comes after a year of mounting pressure from activists, celebrities and Tennessee legislators. “This decision comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case,” Haslam said in a statement. “Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life. “Transformation should be accompanied by hope. So, I am commuting Ms. Brown’s sentence, subject to certain conditions.” In 2015, Brown earned an associate’s degree through Lipscomb University’s LIFE program, which brings traditional and non-traditional students together for classes at the Tennessee Prison for Women. She issued a statement thanking both the Tennessee Department of Corrections and Lipscomb for the opportunity. “I want to thank those at the Tennessee Department of Corrections who saw something in me worth salvaging, especially Ms. Connie Seabrooks for allowing me to participate in the Lipscomb LIFE Program,” Brown said. “It changed my life. I am also grateful to those at the Tennessee Department...
by McKenzie Utley | Dec 12, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Global learning has confirmed that the Chile study abroad program will be ending, with a new study abroad location in Costa Rica taking its place. The Chile program began in January 2014, and students studying abroad in Spring 2019 will be the last group to participate in this program. Part of the reason for the location switch is because the program director and his family will be moving back to the United States from Chile. “There are a number of reasons for us to move back to the US,” program director Zane Perkins said. “The main one is family. It is time for us to be closer to family (our parents) and because of Naomi (Aug. ’18) and Isaac (Aug. ’19) starting college we wanted to be close. Also, it is time for our kids to be closer to their family and get to know them. Aging parents also made us consider being closer to them.” Due to the change, Global Learning worked to find another program location in Latin America. “When Global Learning found out that he (Perkins) would no longer be able to direct the Santiago program, our office took the opportunity to reevaluate the Santiago program and investigate other location options within Latin America,” said Bethany Grant, Global Learning program manager. “We found that Costa Rica offers a wealth of opportunities, and it is actually the top destination in Latin America for US students studying abroad.” Starting in the Fall of 2019, Lipscomb students will get the opportunity to study in Costa Rica. This has just recently been decided by global learning and approved by President Randy...
by Kailey Schuyler | Dec 7, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Construction will begin next spring on a new parking garage to be located behind the Fields Engineering Center on the north side of campus, university spokesperson Kim Chaudoin said. Set to provide approximately 300 parking spots, the new structure was announced at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. “We’ve known forever that parking is obviously a challenge on any university campus,” Chaudoin said. “This is part of a gift that was given earlier in the spring. A very generous donor, they were anonymous, gave a $22 million gift.” “Part of the gift was for the College of Business, and part of that is also for the parking structure. So, we have the funding now, and we were able to move on some plans we have been wanting to move on for some time, and so we are really excited about that.” It is unknown whether any of these spots will be reserved for faculty and staff. The exact date of breaking ground is not yet known. “When they start construction, the little gravel lot that has about twenty spots will be the only thing impacted,” Chaudoin...
by Cole Gray | Nov 13, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
A 59-year old man reportedly walked into High Rise early Tuesday morning, stole a wallet from a student’s dorm room and was apprehended by Metro Police. The man, identified as Alexander Baxter, is not a student, Metro Police said. University spokesperson Kim Chaudoin issued the following statement to Lumination Network via email. “The safety and security of our students is a top priority. As such, we have a number of measures in place to try to make the campus as safe as possible. In this instance those measures helped us quickly respond to the situation, alert the Metro Nashville Police Department and to apprehend the suspect without physical harm to any student. In addition to the safety measures the university has in place, it is also important for students to remember to practice good personal safety and awareness by locking their dorm room doors and not propping open outside doors leading into the dorm.” This story is developing. This story has been updated to add Chaudoin’s...
