by Kathryn Farris | Sep 12, 2020 | News, News Slider
In recent months, the United States Postal Service has found itself becoming deeply politicized ahead of November’s election. Amid a global pandemic, the USPS is critical in order to handle the expected record number of mail-in ballots. Last month, United States President Donald Trump expressed opposition to funding an additional $25 billion in aid to the postal service, citing fears over fraud from mail-in voting. Despite Washington battles, the bipartisan agency is still held in high regard with the public (a Pew Research survey in April found that 91% of Americans have a favorable view of the Postal Service). The USPS’s critical role takes shape in communities across the country, including here on Lipscomb’s campus. “The post office is a vital part to keeping us connected,” said Ronnie Farris, postmaster at the Lipscomb post office. Farris has been involved with the Lipscomb office for nearly 40 years, starting first as a student worker and evolving over time just as the postal service has. “You know, it’s just, it’s changed so much…I always have been asking this question, ‘what’s next?’ What is the next thing we need to be doing that we need to be aware of to serve our community?” These changes took shape this spring when coronavirus concerns shut down the campus. “We never closed. We were here…we still had packages coming in, we still have mail going out there, all these other functions were still happening.” Similar to other campus institutions, the postal office adapted by installing plexiglass to pick up windows, enacting mandatory temperature checks for employees, and using a whole bunch of hand sanitizer. “What we’re trying to do...
by Kathryn Farris | Sep 12, 2020 | News, News Slider
Lipscomb students, with families trying to survive the firestorm consuming the West Coast, anxiously await word from home while also watching news reports about the most-extensive wildfire carnage in history. The West Coast, from down near Los Angeles all the way up into Washington State, is on fire, forcing states of emergency to be declared in the big cities as wildfires incinerate whole towns, flames lick at the edges of urban areas and skies turn orange/yellow as fire and smoke pollution filters out the sun. “There’s really hazardous air quality, smoke everywhere, ash on all the cars,” said Sophie Corwin, a Lipscomb nursing major from Salem, Oregon. “My sister says it smells like a campfire no matter where you go and feels like you’re coughing up ash.” The flames are not the only safety concern for regions affected, air quality from smoke settling in valleys has created hazardous conditions that are only expected to worsen. The areas around Corwin’s hometown are under advisory for these conditions. “It’s tough, because I keep calling my family…. It’s hard to see everything being affected by it and just seeing pictures. It’s just completely insane. … I just like feel like I wish I could be there with them,” said Corwin. “My family camps every year.… We had a reservation for this year but it got canceled for COVID, and so my grandpa hopped on (the computer) and made sure to get it for next year because we all wanted to go camping…. They emailed him and sent a refund because literally everything was destroyed,” Corwin said. “It was terrible, I cried, and I was like, out...
by Hannah Cron | Sep 10, 2020 | News, News Slider
While 2020 has brought many unforeseen changes to life at Lipscomb, it has also brought new beginnings. Later this fall, Lipscomb will celebrate the opening of the new Lanier Center for Archaeology. The Lanier Center comes to Lipscomb University from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas and brings with it two world-renowned biblical archaeology experts, Dr. Steven Ortiz and Dr. Tom Davis. “We thought it was a really great fit with our mission, being a Christian institution, having archaeology as part of that is really the evidence of what we’ve been reading about in the Bible and what we’ve been studying about. To really be able to dig into that, metaphorically and literally, is an exciting thing for us,” said Dr. Kim Chaudoin, assistant vice president of Public Relations and Communication. As a part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Lanier Center will offer master’s and doctorate degrees as well as a vast library of archaeological resources and artifacts. There are also plans to expand with an undergraduate program in the future. “Most of what we have is a study collection to be used by students. If you take an archaeology class with me, we are in the classroom, but we will also come to the Lanier Center and study the actual artifacts,” said Ortiz. Not only will there be new programs of study, but also opportunities for students to participate in archaeological digs. These trips will be open to all students, not just those studying archaeology. “We have trips all over the Middle East, mostly Israel and Cyprus. We have one project in Egypt, and...
by Mckenzi Harris | Aug 27, 2020 | COVID-19, News, News Slider
Lipscomb’s weekly COVID tracker indicates that seven of the 56 people tested last week by the campus health center were positive cases. None resulted in hospitalization. The New York Times College Tracker reported Wednesday that Lipscomb has had 60 cases of COVID-19, though that number is a bit deceiving, according to a university spokesperson. The Times had not contacted Lipscomb for its numbers, Kim Chaudoin, assistant vice president, public relations and communications, told Lumination Network. “We do not have 60 active cases of COVID,” Chaudoin said. “Because colleges report data differently, and because cases continued to emerge, even in the months when most campuses were closed, the Times is counting all reported cases since the start of the pandemic.” Chaudoin said she updates the campus COVID stats each Monday morning. The current page states that 37 Lipscomb students are in quarantine/isolation. That figure does not refer to the number of positive COVID cases, Chaudoin said. “Nor should the 37 number be construed to assume positive cases,” she said. “It refers to the number of students in either isolation (they have tested positive) or quarantine (they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive).” She added that the number of positive tests recorded each week is a combined total that includes academic and university employees and students. Chaudoin said that of the Times‘ cumulative number of 60 positive cases, 48 of those were from March 25 through Aug. 8, and 31 of that number were outside vendors working on-site in May. The week of Aug. 8 had five positive cases; adding the current listing of seven brings the total to 60 since...
by Taylor McKnight | Aug 26, 2020 | News, News Slider
Students have the chance to choose between virtual and in-person learning this semester, but because of COVID concerns, chapel will be online only. On the pre-COVID years, students typically would be preparing on Tuesday mornings to attend chapel with their friends. Now, students need to check their computers instead. The Gathering, the large chapel that takes place at 10:55 every Tuesday morning in Allen Arena, is virtual for the fall semester out of health and safety concerns. Beginning this week, students have the opportunity to watch chapel from their laptops or phones on Tuesday mornings. Lipscomb will track chapel attendance by iAttended, which is an app every student will check into before watching a chapel service. Senior education major Jill Sanders says she understands, but that she will still miss the in-person environment. “It will be interesting,” Sanders said. “I really wish I could just go into the stadium (Allen Arena), but I get it.” Every student is required to attend at least 80 percent of chapels for the semester. The Gathering will be pre-recorded videos. Students will need to watch these videos within one week of the chapel itself. The app also tracks when a person watches a video and how long they have watched the video. Josiah Jordan, a senior, said he also misses the old environment. “Although I miss seeing everyone in person at the gathering, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to hear from several people within the Lipscomb community.” The first virtual chapel was Tuesday morning via iAttended, where students were greeted by Al Sturgeon, who discussed how The Gathering will look this semester. “Every...
by Connor Owens | Aug 20, 2020 | News, News Slider
The Lipscomb Academy football program will not have as many changes as it did a season ago, but there are some noticeable differences. Coming off of a transformation season with a new coach, the Mustangs are facing a season no one expected. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Metro schools will not be allowed to compete until after Labor Day, causing the Mustangs to make a sudden schedule change. Instead of hosting the Glencliff Colts to open year two under Trent Dilfer, the program was forced to drop the Colts and will now travel to Brentwood Academy to open the 2020 campaign. “Cody White [Brentwood Academy’s head football coach] and BA had the same situation where they had an opening,” Dilfer said. “We scrimmaged last year and talked about playing each other in future years. BA had an opening week one, so it was a natural fit.” When asked about the level of competition BA will bring his team, Dilfer said, “My goal is to build a premier program in Tennessee and one day the country. So, you have to play teams better than you, teams that have ‘been there done that’, and you have to play the standard. I’d say BA is the standard. They’ve done it all as a school and as a football program as well as anybody.” Another major change for the Mustang football program is the installment of their new turf field. “I don’t think our challenges are any greater than everyone else,” Dilfer said. “I think how our turf fits into those challenges has to do with timelines, which I think we’re good...
