by Kailey Schuyler | Apr 10, 2020 | COVID-19, News, News Slider
Around 700 students have completed their moveout process amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but some are left wondering when they will be able to receive their belongings from on-campus housing. President Lowry answered this question in a virtual meeting with the Lipscomb community. “We’re inviting you to come back in an orderly way to get those belongings, but we also are committing that if for some reason that’s impossible we will have them packed,” said President Lowry. “We will have our people supervise that packing. We will have professional people doing it, and we’ll store that until there’s some reasonable way to get to you.” As or what will happen if both students have their belongings remaining in the room, President Lowry offered a solution of video calling the students to determine who’s stuff is who’s. “Laurie Sain said we will just get an iPhone, and we’ll just have the student on the other end of this. We’ll show the TV, and they’ll tell us who owns the TV, and we’ll separate that into the right packaging requirements,” says President Lowry. Students have mixed reviews on how Lipscomb handled this crisis. “I think Lipscomb handled it the best they could,” says senior biology major Kyra Drobny. “I talked to Laurie about getting permission to stay the week after spring break. She was accomodating with my plans, and was really quick about answering any questions I had.” Other students believe that Lipscomb could have handled the crisis more smoothly. “I think they could have been more timely about making decisions and informing students on future plans,” said senior fashion design major...
by Ashley Bingham | Apr 10, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, COVID-19, News, News Slider
The COVID-19 pandemic proved fatal for one of Lipscomb’s storied spring traditions: Singarama. It would have been the 57th edition of the show — which was scheduled for April 2-2 — for which students and their clubs work hard to stage. The fact that all that work — preparations, rehearsals, etc. — had been put in and the show was folded before its premiere troubled many students. “Hearing that Singarama was canceled was the thing that was probably hardest for me to process, just because that’s what I was most looking forward to for senior year,” said Hannah Jones, who was choreographer for “Short Sighted,” one of the three performances, all set around the theme of “20/20 vision.” The other two were titled “The Eye of The Hurricane” and “A Fresh Pair of Eyes.” Although the shows could not be performed, they were staged together for one night only, so all involved got the opportunity to see what they had been working toward. That staging in Collins came the Thursday before spring break, which also turned out — because of the virus — to be the final day of on-campus classes. “Singarama is really about community,” said senior Ally Whiting, assistant director of “Short Sighted. “It’s worth it for the community no matter what happens. “The reason I continue to be a part of the creative team is just getting to build relationships with people, because you definitely get to know people that you would not have known otherwise,” she said, adding that the one-night staging was both “goofy” and “fun.” She said the relationships made during Singarama “are...
by Taylor McKnight | Apr 9, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, COVID-19, News Slider
COVID-19 has pretty much eliminated the month of June for music festival goers in Middle Tennessee and around the country. And the rest of the summer is in question as well. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, the massive four-day celebration of all forms of music and entertainment had been scheduled to take place June 11-14 down at The Farm in Manchester. But this year, because of the pandemic, the festival was moved to September 24-27, in hopes the virus will have run its course by then. Tickets for the festival, which generally reaches near-sellout (80,000 or so proportions), will be honored for September’s new date. “Please continue to radiate positivity through this uncharted time in our world. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you on The Farm (the pastureland where the annual festivities are held) this fall,” reads a message posted on the festival’s web site. Even more disastrous to Nashville economy and for fans of country music is the news that the annual CMA Fest was canceled completely for this summer, ending a 48-year run. “As the world is still greatly affected by the spread of COVID-19, we cannot in good conscience risk the health and well-being of our fans, artists, staff and country music community,” is the statement from the Country Music Association. More than 40,000 fans annually attend each of the four nights’ “big concerts” in Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. But there are many other fans who come to the city and fill up hotel rooms and honky-tonks for affiliated activities —...
by Tia Calvin | Apr 7, 2020 | COVID-19, News Slider, Travel
Junior Savannah Rolston searches for words to describe her disappointment when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of Lipscomb mission trips, including her own anticipated return to Equador. “Disappointed is not a strong enough word. I was devastated. All this time and energy our team has invested into this trip and these kids over there, for it to be gone just like that,” said Rolston. She said she was looking forward to returning to Ecuador during her second year with Lipscomb missions to serve a local children’s home, Hacienda of Hope. Now, like many other Lipscomb students, she is met with the fact that her mission work has been halted indefinitely. “At first, I was in shock. There’s no way they can just cancel our trip like this,” says Rolston. “But then borders were closing, countries were being locked down, big events were being canceled and I realized it was for the best that they just called it off.” In early March, Lipscomb’s missions and the Office of the President canceled all school-sponsored and non-essential travel due to the spread of the coronavirus. These restrictions ended more than eight international mission trips that were scheduled for spring break, including travel to Japan, Honduras, and El Salvador. The university noted its decision to cancel was based on guidelines provided by the CDC. Out of an abundance of caution, the university asked that anyone arriving from countries on the CDC’s Level 2 and 3 health warning lists or from a country that restricts travel, must self-quarantine. “On campus, we are working on a continuous basis to proactively anticipate whatever might...
by Mckenzi Harris | Apr 4, 2020 | COVID-19, News Slider
Lipscomb University will be refunding, via credit or refund, spring semester room-and-board fees on-campus residents and their parents already had paid before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the campus to close, according to President Randy Lowry. Those same students — who had left their belongings in their dorm rooms before leaving for the extended spring break that turned into the full closure of the campus for the semester — also will be able to reunite with their belongings. Lowry detailed these solutions Thursday in a live video with the Lipscomb Community. “We think already, it cost a school like Lipscomb, 5… 6… 8… $10 million, and that’s before we even get into next fall,” said Lowry of the losses due to the COVID shutdown. About 1,500 people were planning to return to campus living for the rest of the semester at the time the university instructed students that, because of the pandemic, they were not to come back this spring. As of Sunday, April 5, there 327,253 cases and 9,302 deaths associated with COVID-19 across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are 3,321 confirmed cases and 43 deaths in Tennessee, according to those CDC numbers. While Lipscomb classes have transitioned to on-line learning this spring and for the summer, there are an awful lot of empty beds and dorm rooms on the Green Hills campus. 2020-2021 undergraduate room and board costs are listed on Lipscomb’s website at $13,380 a year, $6,690 a semester. Lowry knows students and parents are concerned about the money they spent on the room and board they are...
by Kailey Schuyler | Apr 2, 2020 | COVID-19, News Slider, Uncategorized
President L. Randolph Lowry informed the entire Lipscomb Community, during a Live Virtual Conversation, that graduation will be held virtually for May Commencement. This came after an email from the Graduation Office was sent to all May and August Graduates informing them that all graduation activities will be held online. “I am sorry to announce that we will not have a traditional graduation in May,” said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry. “We simply don’t believe that we will be allowed, even, to have that kind of crowd on campus.” All events concerning graduation will be moved to virtual meetings. This includes: baccalaureate, college, and department celebrations, and conferring of degrees. Virtual baccalaureate will take place on Friday, May 1 for a final time of worship with Lipscomb for the seniors. College and department celebrations will have virtual celebrations. The graduate office email states, “Since we cannot be together in person in May for our usual dinners and celebrations, each college and department will plan a virtual celebration for you and your classmates,”. The email also touched on the conferring of degrees, stating, ” We will virtually confer your degrees as planned on May 2. Many of you have jobs and graduate school plans following graduation and we know it is very important for you to have your degrees,”. Those who plan to complete their degrees in May or August do have a chance to participate in an on-campus commencement. “We are going to invite everyone who completes their degree work in May or everyone who completes it in August to join us in December. Actually the 19th of December, where...
