by Ellen Butterfield | May 8, 2018 | News Slider, Opinion
Serving with Lipscomb Missions in Guatemala was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my college career. I always expected service and missions work to be physically challenging or difficult, but I was unaware of the incredible experiences that happen working far outside your comfort zone with an incredible team of individuals. The images below were shot on film during our spring break missions trip in Guatemala. Saturday, March 10, 2018. We were already on a bus by 2:31 a.m. this morning. Each member of our team took a pre-packed bag of medical supplies to check and took what we needed for our week abroad in our carry-ons. The first image of our group leaders was taken during our first layover in the airport at about 10 a.m. We didn’t end up in Guatemala until after 3 p.m. that day. 3:19 pm. Our group split into two groups, one of nursing students who went to Clinica Ezell, and one group who went to the mountains in Chichicastenango to work in mobile clinics in rural Guatemala. I was in the Chichicastenango group, so we had an additional multiple-hour bus ride up the mountains. Upon arrival, we enjoyed our first group devotional with the local mission team, and then we went to sleep. Sunday, March 11, 2018. We rode to church in the backs of pickup trucks today, where we got to worship and spend time with the locals. We played ninja with the children at church and got to eat pizza and socialize with our brothers and sisters in Christ. That evening, we returned to our hotel...
by Russell Vannozzi | May 6, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb University’s most decorated athlete in recent memory is taking his game to the next level. One day after receiving his degree during the school’s graduation ceremony at Allen Arena, senior golfer Dawson Armstrong announced via Twitter that he is turning professional. “After much thought, prayer, and conversation with those around me, including (with) coach (Will) Brewer, I have decided to bypass the postseason and turn professional!” Armstrong said in the tweet. Lipscomb was left out of the NCAA tournament field that was announced Wednesday, although Armstrong had qualified as an individual by winning the ASUN crown in late April. The Bisons finished five strokes behind ASUN team champion North Florida, which is bound for an NCAA Regional in Norman, Oklahoma. “This is a very bittersweet decision as I cannot be more proud of the accomplishments and memories made at Lipscomb,” Armstrong said. “I hope to make Lipscomb proud as I begin my pro golf career.” Earlier last month, Armstrong told Lumination Network that he would only bypass the NCAA tournament if the Bisons failed to qualify as a team. The move allows Armstrong to begin his ambitious timeline of qualifying for next year’s PGA Tour. He hopes to do so by participating in several second-tier events and potentially the Web.com Tour playoffs, which grants PGA Tour cards for the top 25 money winners in the final four events. The two-time ASUN individual champion leaves Lipscomb with numerous school records and three NCAA tournament appearances. His amateur career also included victories at the Western Amateur and the Dogwood Invitational in 2015. Armstrong will begin his professional career on Monday...
by Erin Franklin | May 6, 2018 | News Slider
For its 127th session, Lipscomb University celebrated its newest graduates by awarding over 800 degrees, including the first contemporary music degree, in Allen Arena on Saturday afternoon. President Randy Lowry awarded the students with their diplomas and recognized three exceptional students who were graduating: Presley Russell, Tammy Brown and Jazgul Orozova. “Something happens in our lives and we’re touched; we’re motivated, and you just take the initiative to do it,” Lowry said, referring to these special graduates. Orozova, a graduating student who grew up in an orphanage in Moldova, penned a letter, which Lowry read on stage during the ceremony. “For four years, Lipscomb wasn’t just a place I would go to class and chapel; Lipscomb has become my home and my family,” Orozova wrote. “I was welcomed into this community by people who have walked with me, prayed with me and mentored me. I want to go back to Moldova and invest back . . . I want to work with children who think they cannot achieve great things in life because they do not have a mom or a dad. “I want to thank my Lipscomb and Nashville family for giving me a place to belong, a place to learn and grow, to be equipped and to mark this world in my own way.” In addition to these three graduates, Caleb Heronimus, a Management: Entrepreneurship major, received the Stephen Lee Marsh Christian Example Award. The award is presented to the “senior student who plans to pursue a secular vocation and whose Christ-like spirit and behavior while a student at Lipscomb has demonstrated a propensity to continue throughout life...
by Anna Rogers | Apr 30, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
As a school located in the heart of Music City, Lipscomb University started its own contemporary music program in the Fall of 2015, and the program is having its first graduate this year, Jacalyn Thompson. Previously headed by Grammy-award-winning music producer Charlie Peacock, the four-year major takes students down one of two paths: songwriting or producing. Now, another decorated production veteran Brown Bannister has taken the reigns in leading the department. Many students have continued with the program despite the changes, and they are currently finishing up their third year. Senior Jacalyn Thompson stands out among the songwriting students. She came into Lipscomb with some credits, making her Lipscomb’s first graduate in contemporary music, completing the major requirements in three years. “It feels good; it really does,” Thompson said. “I’m excited to blaze this trail.” The idea of graduating before her peers is bittersweet to Thompson. As excited as she is for her future, she said she can’t help but feel nostalgic. “I will have graduated early, but I count myself as the class of 2019,” she said. “It’s a family. If I won a Grammy, I’d totally give them a shoutout.” Thompson will be following in the footsteps of most Lipscomb graduates in the performing arts by hosting a recital in Shamblin Theater on Wednesday, May 2 at 6 p.m. All of the songs will be originals by Thompson. Some will be performed by her friends, most of whom currently attend Lipscomb or have attended at some point in their careers. Thompson noted that her peers in the department are all supportive of each others’ musical endeavors. The...
by Erin Franklin | Apr 27, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Less than 10 days after speaking at Lipscomb’s annual Imagine event, journalist Tom Brokaw has been accused of sexual harassment by two women — former Middle East correspondent Linda Vester, and another woman, who worked as a production assistant in the 1990s. Brokaw released a statement through NBC News concerning the allegations: “I met with Linda Vester on two occasions, both at her request, 23 years ago because she wanted advice with respect to her career at NBC. The meetings were brief, cordial and appropriate, and despite Linda’s allegations, I made no romantic overtures towards her at that time or any other.” University spokesperson Kim Chaudoin spoke on behalf of Lipscomb, stating, “We do not have first-hand knowledge of the allegations against Mr. Brokaw, and will not comment on them.” Vester told Variety and The Washington Post the harassment took place in NBC offices in Denver and New York in the 1990s. The longtime anchor of “Nightly News,” Brokaw reportedly made unwanted advances toward her on two separate occasions. Vester was in her 20s, and stated that the unwanted advances from Brokaw included a forcible attempt to kiss her. According to the Post, the other woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said Brokaw “acted inappropriately toward her in the ’90s, when she was a young production assistant and he was an anchor. He said no such incident happened.” Last Tuesday, on April 17, Brokaw was the featured speaker at Lipscomb’s Imagine event, where a record $23 million gift to the College of Business from an anonymous group of donors was announced. Senior journalism major Lindsey Nance, along with SGA...
by Erin Franklin | Apr 27, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Avengers: Infinity War had a lot of hype to live up to. Ten years in the making gathers a lot of buildup, not only in the story it’s forced to tell, but in the sheer magnitude of characters that must star in such a massive undertaking. With 20+ big-name celebrities such as Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr. and more, the film has a lot of powerful characters to include. One would think this much power all at one time would create a sort of screen-time tug-of-war. While it can seem like a lot at one time, Infinity War triumphantly succeeds in what it had set out to do. Perhaps it’s because the real star isn’t one of these 20+ headliners, but the leading villain, Josh Brolin’s Thanos. One of the biggest qualms about Marvel films has been its lack of dynamic villain characters. Marvel Studios has not yet had a villain as iconic as DC’s The Joker, as Marvel often fails at developing its villains as well as its heroes. DC even had a film dedicated entirely to villains in Suicide Squad, while Marvel’s villains in film still can’t compare to The Joker’s celebrity. While Thanos still doesn’t reach that level, his super-villain character, nonetheless, is developed far beyond the typical Marvel villain. To Thanos, his ideas are noble. Thanos is intent on completing his mission of “killing people to prevent overpopulation,” letting nothing stop him, not even if it means hurting himself in the process. Yet Thanos is far from the brilliant criminal mastermind, with his “success” coming from his sheer power rather than...
