by Jade Spilka | Jan 31, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Richard Rodgers’ and Oscar Hammerstein’s The King and I is a joyful hit. The prestigious cast consists of Broadway veterans Laura Michelle Kelly and Jose Llana as the lead characters Anna Leonowens and King Mongkut of Saim. Kelly and Llana excel in their dynamic and challenging roles while the supporting cast offers an impressive performance. Their choreography and vocal abilities are unparalleled and keep the audience engaged and uplifted. The 1951-era musical conveys a positive message of female empowerment, a rare narrative in the time of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Anna Leonowens, a Welsh schoolteacher, is hired to teach the favored wives of King Mongkut and their children, including the heir to the Saim throne. King Mongkut is attempting to educate the members of his royal family on proper English and knowledge of the world outside of Saim. This is done as an attempt to westernize the underdeveloped eastern country. Upon Leonowens arrival, she is notified that King Mongkut has backed out of his promise to provide her and her young son with a house, insisting they live within the palace walls. Leonowens reluctantly obliges and begins her duties as governess to the royal children and teacher to their mothers. Her empathetic and kind demeanor gain her favor among all those in the palace, including King Mongkut. King Mongkut is hesitant to admit his need for Leonowens’ help. His misogynistic view of the world hinders him from accepting her valuable insight into the modernization and education of Saim. With time, Leonowens learns to reframe her opinions to make him believe the ideas were his own. She stands up for an...
by Cate Zenzen | Jan 31, 2018 | News Slider
Andrew Forsthoefel has walked over 4,000 miles across America but decided to make a stop at Lipscomb on Tuesday night in Collins Alumni Auditorium. A recent college graduate himself and author of Walking to Listen: 4,000 Miles Across America, One Story At a Time, Forsthoefel spoke to Lipscomb students about how he was once in the same place a lot of students find themselves in — just what exactly should I do after graduation? Forsthoefel said his journey began when a simple thought crossed his mind. “What if I just walked outside my mom’s back door and didn’t stop?” With a backpack equipped with an American flag on one side, and an Earth flag on the other, Forsthoefel started an 11 month trek across the country. Carrying his essentials on his back, along with a mandolin, he presented himself to the world with a sign reading “Walking to listen.” Forsthoefel noted that his beginning thoughts were full of assumptions and anxiety as he became aware that throughout his life he hadn’t been truly alone, so he did not know how he would deal with the solitude and what he would do if he came across danger. Forsthoefel said he had to overcome the fear of approaching strangers and abandon prejudices and stereotypes by asking himself a question. “How can I expect people to trust me with their stories and their truth if I’m not willing to trust them?” Forsthoefel’s journey took him from Philadelphia to New Orleans and then to Half Moon Bay, CA. On the way, he said he met all sorts of people. A question he left the audience with that...
by Anna Rogers | Jan 31, 2018 | News Slider
Tuesday afternoon’s chapel featured David Skidmore, a youth minister at North Boulevard Church of Christ in Murfreesboro. Skidmore kicked off his message by recalling a recent experience in a movie theater that left most of the customers dissatisfied with their purchases at the concession stand. After the customers had already paid, they found out that the soft drink machines were out of every drink except Powerade. He laughed at the experience, and explained that his family has adopted the incident as an inside joke. They will often quote the manager of the theater by passionately yelling, “Look lady, we still have Powerade!” “That’s just become a metaphor in our lives for if everything else is bad,” Skidmore said. “Powerade’s not going to work,” he said, explaining that nobody wants to go to the movie theater to drink a sports beverage. “College is where I spiritually began to struggle,” Skidmore said. He explained that he made a lot of unwise decisions during those four years, and he sees some students doing the same. “I just know there’s hope, because I’m standing up here,” he said. After Skidmore’s college roommate watched him make poor decisions, one day, he told Skidmore, “If you’re the best example of what can happen when the spirit of God gets ahold of a person, I think I’m doing pretty good without him.” Hearing that hurt Skidmore that day, but it still brought him grief to repeat it to the audience. “That day, I said, ‘Okay, everything is going to change,'” he said. “I realized what it was like to stand at a counter and to have...
by Cavin Jacobson | Jan 30, 2018 | News Slider
Ronald Roberts, CEO of DVL Seigenthaler, spoke Monday evening at the College of Communications’ first Media Masters event of the semester. Sophomore strategic communications major Peyton Rodgers interviewed Roberts about his journey, diversity in the workplace and keeping up with the rapidly changing communications climate. “Professional development on the entry level helps you to grow, professional development on the senior level helps you to remain relevant,” Roberts said. The public relations professional said he was one of only a handful of minorities at each media job he worked. Once he arrived at DVL Siegenthaler, he started emphasizing diversity. “If you want to be as successful as you can be, in order to survive and thrive, you have to reach out to as many people as possible,” Roberts said. “It is really important to have that diversity of thought.” After the conversation with Ms. Rodgers, the floor was opened up to the audience for questions. Students asked personal questions about Tiger Woods–a former client of Roberts–and job interview advice. The event was held in the Ezell building where free pizza and soft drinks were offered to those in attendance. The next Media Masters will also take place in Ezell and will be on Tuesday, March 27th at 5 P.M....
by Spencer Boehme | Jan 27, 2018 | News Slider
There’s a new hotel in Nashville, and it can be found on-campus at Lipscomb University. Bison Inn — on the bottom floor of Bison Hall — features nine rooms and service that claims to outdo that of your average hotel. Bodhi Dark is in charge of running the hotel and said the relatively low number of rooms is the key to this service. Dark’s philosophy includes “being available to people all the time,” individualizing service in the process. Guests can enjoy access to many luxuries and necessities, including snacks, microwaves, Keurigs and refrigerators in the hotel. “We have a full continental breakfast that is accessible to people throughout the day,” Dark said. Dark has the credentials as well. “… I’ve worked in hotels for a really long time, since I started college until now, so about six and a half years in total,” he said. This includes the Marriott. Dark does not do it all by himself though. His team of workers includes students, an intern from IDEAL and two former colleagues from the Marriott. Bison Inn is unique in that it forms a section of Lipscomb’s Bison Hall. “Being in a residence hall, guests cross paths with students all the time,” Dark said in a statement. How does the hotel affect those who call Bison Hall home? According to residents, it affects them in the form of lost parking. “The only thing I’m still kind of confused about is we haven’t really been clearly told about the new parking situation,” junior Sarah Baxley said. Senior Rachel Kirsch echoed the same sentiment. “The signs that they put in the parking...
by Tyler Harvey | Jan 25, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
As the 2018 Lipscomb baseball season approaches, two Bisons have been named to the ASUN Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team. Upperclassmen Zeke Dodson and Jake Perry were named to the ASUN Preseason All-Conference team. Third basemen Dodson was voted to the All-ASUN Second Team last year. He led the team in batting average last season, batting .309. Perry smashed 7 home runs last year as a designated hitter. “We are always excited when our players are recognized,” coach Jeff Forehand said about the preseason award. “We are excited about what we’re going to do as a team and they will be a big part of that.” Lipscomb starts its season at home against UNC Ashville on Feb. 16. “We all are looking forward to Feb. 16,” Forehand said. ASUN coaches picked the Bisons to finish sixth in the conference. Forehand said his goals this year are the same. “First pitch strikes, first batter outs, and make the routine plays on defense, on offense [we are focused] on on-base percentage, moving runners over and situational hitting.” “If we can concentrate on what we can control the opponent doesn’t matter.” Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
