Lipscomb ‘trying to do the right thing’ with free vaccine clinic

Lipscomb ‘trying to do the right thing’ with free vaccine clinic

It was just weeks ago when Lipscomb Health Services announced they would be hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for faculty, staff, and students. However, in true COVID-era fashion, those plans were slightly altered. “We got word through the CDC through the state of Tennessee Department of Health and Metro Health Department that the CDC and the ACIP decided to halt the administration of that vaccine until they looked at some other data,” said Dr. Kevin Eidson, Director of Health and Wellness. “So we will know more once that data is released and the guidance comes out.” Upon receiving this information, the University Health Services decided to seek other options for vaccinating the Lipscomb community. “In the interim we were able to acquire another vaccine through the state and we will be giving the Moderna vaccine…The good thing about that vaccine is we are able to give you the first vaccine, we are going to give you a card, and then you can get the second dose of the same vaccine at a different location if you need to. We’re trying to do the right thing for our community in being able to protect the community as best as we can,” said Dr. Eidson. The vaccination clinic will now be held on Wednesday, April 28 and will provide the first-dose of the Moderna vaccine for any current Lipscomb Academy or Lipscomb University faculty and staff, and university students ages 18 and over. Three hundred doses will be available on a first-come first-serve basis. Lumination will continue to update you on COVID vaccinations and the fall ‘return to...
BREAKING: Lipscomb lifts outdoor mask mandate

BREAKING: Lipscomb lifts outdoor mask mandate

Lipscomb students no longer must wear face masks when outside, in public spaces. The university’s new COVID-19 mask policy was announced in an email to students. However, students are encouraged to remain distant from each other and wear masks if they’re interacting with people outside of their household, according to the email. This update came as a response to Metro Public Health Department’s own policy update with the same change. Metro’s full update can be found here.  There were other policy changes included in Lipscomb’s announcement, such as that masks can be taken off when indoors and alone or when eating or drinking. To read Lipscomb’s mask policy in full you can access it here.  Lumination will continue to update you with any future COVID-19 policy...
Students describe a school year ‘turned on its head’ by COVID-19

Students describe a school year ‘turned on its head’ by COVID-19

Lipscomb journalist-in-residence Tim Ghianni, an adjunct professor, asked his multimedia storytelling class to describe what it has been like to spend a year studying under the specter of COVID-19. Here are the tales from those who submitted them:   ‘Unsatisfying’ year for a hands-on learner In the last year, the world has been turned on its head. Over 12 months of COVID …. Everything that was important a year ago does not seem to have the same weight as it did.  Everything is different, including schools. I don’t think I would have ever imagined having to be online for classes by force. And it has been the worst. As a hands-on learner, this could not be more unsatisfying for me.  I feel like I have learned nothing in the last year. What sucks, even more, is that there are a lot of teachers that don’t realize how much kids are struggling with this new way of learning.  Many continue to teach as if nothing has changed and that online is the same as being in the classroom. But there are also teachers struggling to feel like they are making a difference in students by this kind of learning.  It almost seems that college was a waste of time because I feel that my collegiate education was taken by COVID. In hindsight, this is small compared to people who have lost loved ones due to this virus. But, any way you look at it has not been great. Mariah Wilson    Opportunities lost due to COVID Going to college during a pandemic has been a very challenging experience for me....
BREAKING: Lipscomb halts J&J vaccine clinic following rare clotting cases, reschedules with Moderna

BREAKING: Lipscomb halts J&J vaccine clinic following rare clotting cases, reschedules with Moderna

Lipscomb’s one-day Johnson & Johnson vaccination clinic was rescheduled and adjusted following the temporary pause on the vaccine’s distribution. Six cases of blood clotting were found in J&J recipients out of the more than 7 million distributed doses. “The use of this vaccine is ‘paused’ for now. This is because the safety systems that make sure vaccines are safe received a small number of reports of a rare and severe type of blood clot happening in people who got this vaccine,” said the CDC in their report. The campus vaccination event is now set to take place Wednesday, April 28. The first half of the 2-dose Moderna vaccine will be distributed for free to Lipscomb faculty and staff and university students ages 18 and over. “Simply take the vaccine card that you will receive at the Lipscomb clinic with you when you go for your second dose and show the healthcare provider,” said Dr. Kevin Eidson, director of health and wellness. “Additional COVID-19 vaccine clinics may be held in the future if there is sufficient demand and more does are made available to Lipscomb.” Lumination will continue to keep you updated on Lipscomb’s vaccine...
All adults 16+ eligible for Covid-19 vaccine in Tennessee by April 5

All adults 16+ eligible for Covid-19 vaccine in Tennessee by April 5

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced last week that the Covid-19 vaccine will be available for anyone over the age of 16 by April 5.  People over the age of 16 are currently able to register for the vaccine in most Tennessee counties with the exception of Davidson and Hamilton counties where the minimum age remains at 55.  Under Davidson county’s current eligibility guidelines, people over the age of 16 with high-risk health conditions such as severe asthma or diabetes can register to receive the vaccine.  To find out if you are eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, you can take the screening questionnaire on Tennessee’s official Covid-19 website. When you are eligible, you can register for a vaccination appointment through the Tennessee Department of Health or other vaccination centers such as your local pharmacy.    Update: As of March 31, all Davidson County residents 16 and older are eligible to register to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Appointments are available for the next two weeks at the Music City Center in Nashville and can be scheduled online or by calling 615-862-7777.   Lumination will continue to provide information about Covid-19 vaccinations as it becomes...
Lipscomb Security Officer Maurice Conner dies after brief battle with COVID-19

Lipscomb Security Officer Maurice Conner dies after brief battle with COVID-19

The COVID death of a man of the cloth who also was a longtime security officer and helping hand to students hit the university, which already had suffered two losses to this plague, hard. “It is with great sadness that I share the news of another loss in the Lipscomb family,” read an email from President Randy Lowry sent out to the Lipscomb community on Thursday afternoon.  Lowry went on to explain that the Lipscomb Security veteran and minister at the 19th Avenue Church of Christ in Springfield, Tennessee, Maurice J. Conner, had died of COVID-19, marking the third loss in the Lipscomb community in the past six weeks.  Conner started at Lipscomb as a student and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1981. Shortly after graduating, he joined Lipscomb’s security team in 1983 and while serving the security team also earned his master of arts in Bible in 2000. Lowry shared how respected and loved Conner was among the Lipscomb community due to the “wisdom, compassion, and joyful nature,” that Conner brought to his job every day. “The deep and profound respect and love the security team has for Maurice was obvious as they relayed stories about shared work experiences, his humorous radio calls to dispatch to report on weather conditions during the third shift and their lively conversations about faith, theology and life,” said Lowry. “In addition to being a dedicated security officer, Maurice was also a minister and mentor to his colleagues through the years.” “He was definitely gentle, caring, and very devout,” said security colleague Alex Ryan. “He had clearly done a lot...