by Bailey Burnett | Oct 29, 2019 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
The Turkish invasion of northern Syria has at least one Lipscomb student wondering if she’ll ever be able to visit her Kurdish relatives in the region. Rojeda Merani and her two siblings grew up in Bellevue, the children of Kurdish refugees who had fled the Kurdistan region of Syria. “My whole life it was always, God Bless America,” she said. “America allowed my dad to come over and find a job in Miami,” which opened the door for the opportunities the family now has. She said she is unsure what she feels after President Trump made a deal a couple of weeks ago with Turkey’s president that called for American forces to be withdrawn from a strip of northern Syria, allowing the Turks to launch artillery and air attacks and eventually come in on the ground, forcing the Kurdish occupants to flee. Those Kurds had been America’s allies in the defeat of ISIS, the radical and murderous Islamic State. About 11,000 ISIS troops had been captured by the Kurds and the Americans and were held in prisons in the section Turkey invaded. Many of those ISIS members were able to use the unrest to flee their prisons. Most of Merani’s cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents remained in Syria in the years since her father and some friends sought refuge in the U.S. Because of the U.S. pullout and the Turkish invasion of that part of Syria, those relatives have — like thousands of Syrian Kurds — fled to the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. Kurdistan actually has borders inside Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, but that territory is not...
by Kailey Schuyler | Oct 28, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb volleyball team lost their six-match win streak to Stetson in an intense five-set battle in Allen Arena. The Hatters defeated the Bison’s 3-2. “Our message all week was about how good Stetson is defensive. Even though you know it’s going to happen, they do a fantastic job,” said head coach Brandon Rosenthal. The Bison’s got off to a hot start leading 16-6 early in the first set. The Hatter’s fought back to within two, but the Bison’s pulled out the first set 25-20. Set two started out in a very similar fashion. Lipscomb had the lead 17-10. However, Stetson’s defense wasn’t going to give up easily. A quick surge tied them 17-17. After a hard-fought set, the Hatter’s secured the set 27-25. “Set two was kind of weird. We just couldn’t get it done and unfortunately. I didn’t make a quick enough sub in a couple places, and they beat us down the stretch of set two,” says Rosenthal. After also losing set three the Bison’s made a comeback in Set 4. They made an offensive surge to secure the set 25-23. “Set 4 I thought we did a nice job, again, executing down the stretch wasn’t there, but that was the issue all day for us,” says Rosenthal. Lipscomb got out early in the fifth set leading 4-0. They eventually took kept their lead 10-8, forcing Stetson to call a timeout. After the break, Stetson dominated and won the set 15-13. “We have to learn from this, unfortunately. But, this is a special group and I would imagine we will take it a step further,” says...
by Mckenzi Harris | Oct 27, 2019 | Galleries, News Slider, Sports
Tonight’s game was a story of two penalties but resulted in a 1-0 win for the Bisons against the North Florida Ospreys. Despite the muddy field from the day full of rainy weather, the Bisons played their hardest, pulled out a solid win and gained a spot in the ASUN Tournament. Head Coach Charles Morrow said he is “just really proud of the group and the team tonight.” The first penalty came as Lipscomb junior forward Javier Leija was fouled in the box, allowing senior midfielder Ben Locke to score the first and only goal of the game in the 21st minute off of the penalty kick. The Bisons entered the second half with a 1-0 lead which would remain the same throughout the rest of the game. The second penalty came in the 69th minute from UNF’s senior midfielder Taylor Martin, but the penalty kick was blocked by redshirt-junior goal keeper Luke Wilson. Wilson then blocked a second shot directly after the penalty save and totaled out with five saves during the game, 16 on the season. This win allowed the Bisons to clinch a spot in the ASUN tournament for the 13th consecutive season. The Bisons have won the tournament two years in a row. The Bisons will play at Liberty on November 2nd. Liberty also won tonight 1-0 against Jacksonville tonight. With the win, Liberty will remain in contention for a spot in the ASUN Conference Soccer Championship. “Experience is just really important,” said Morrow, “beyond experience, it’s these guys understanding that you don’t win and lose the season on one game, that the whole season...
by Kathryn Farris | Oct 25, 2019 | Galleries, News Slider
Thursday morning marked the official opening of Lipscomb’s much anticipated George Shinn Center. The new building, which has so far hosted over 4500 people in “pre-opening” events, is called home by portions of the College of Entertainment & the Arts, a welcome center for Admissions and a state-of-the-art event hall. At the dedication ceremony, President Randy Lowry spoke about what he understood to be George Shinn’s motivations for the gift to the university. “George has a life and George has a story, and George wants to spend his life and his wealth helping people live into God’s story,” Lowry said. As for how the College of Entertainment of the Arts fits into that narrative, Lowry said, “There’s a particular college that tells stories all the time…they tell stories in animation, they tell stories in film, they tell stories in theatre and they tell stories over and over again through music and all of the arts. “So, we talked about that idea, we talked about investment in the lives of people who want to tell stories.” Investment is exactly what they made. According to a press release sent out by the university, the project cost $10-$11 million. The center will be offering additional facilities for the fastest-growing college at Lipscomb, with collaborative classrooms, studio space and cinematic editing and viewing studio. Berkley Boglin, a senior commercial music major, spoke at the dedication on behalf of students of the College of Entertainment of the Arts. “We would like to thank you [George Shinn] for the space you have given us to fuel our creativity,” Boglin said. “Whether we’re music students, film...
by Mckenzi Harris | Oct 24, 2019 | Galleries, News Slider, Student Spotlight
The Black Professional Organizational Fair provided Lipscomb students from diverse backgrounds and experiences the chance to get connected early in their chosen fields. Lipscomb’s Office of Intercultural Development and College of Business partnered together to host the fourth annual Black Professional Organizational Fair this past Tuesday. The event featured food from local black-owned businesses and representatives from various black professional organizations ready to meet, network & provide resources to students. Dean of Student Life, Prentice Ashford, pointed out that events like these are important for students to take advantage of, even if you’re nervous about approaching someone in your career field. “The fair is designed for students who are overwhelmed or for those who don’t know how to connect professionally,” Ashford said. “We try to make it intimate and small to where you feel like you can build the confidence to just keep making your way around.” Both local and national societies from a wide variety of fields provided networking opportunities to encourage students to join their organization. Among those in attendance were the National Association of Black Accountants, National Black Nurses Association, and the Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce. However, the connections and partnerships made at the fair shouldn’t stop here. “Make sure you follow up. Students who went to these tables should get their contact information and ask, ‘What would be the most appropriate method to follow up with you?’, Ashford said. Then, actually do that! And utilize the career center and OID on campus so we can hopefully get you ready to make a difference at one of these organizations.” If you have questions or want...
by Erika Plunkett | Oct 24, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
For the first time in the history of Lipscomb basketball, a former Bison played in a regular-season NBA game. Garrison Mathews took the court for the Washington Wizards in their season opener against the Dallas Mavericks. With just under a minute left in the 4th quarter, Wizards coach Scott Brooks brought rookies Mathews and former Virginia Tech standout Justin Robinson in to close out the game for Washington. Mathews signed a two-way contract with the Wizards earlier this summer, which allows him to play in the NBA for 45 days and with the Wizards’ affiliate, the Capital City Go-Gos, for the remainder of the season. In his one minute of playing time, Mathews assisted fellow two-way player, Chris Chiozza, on a three, cutting the Mavericks winning margin to only eight, 108-100. However, Mathews was not the only player to make his NBA debut Wednesday night; across the court, fellow former Bison, Zach Flener, opened the season as a member of Dallas’s player development team. Prior to the game, Mathews and Flener were able to meet to wish each other luck as they both begin their new careers. Continue to follow the Washington Wizards as Garrison continues his NBA career and check back for updates on his career here at Lumination...
