by Savannah Stewart | Sep 9, 2017 | News Slider
On Friday September 8, Lipscomb social clubs gathered together to share in the excitement of accepting new members. As the clubs celebrated new friendships with face paint and crazy cheers, Bid Night did not disappoint the Lipscomb community. Senior Stephen Hemmerly loves Bid Night for its community and energy. “Everyone is set apart but unified,” said Hemmerly. “We are celebrating having new people that are coming into the system that’s given us so much.” Hemmerly joined his social club, Sigma Iota Delta, because of the people he looked up to that were a part of the club. “The guys in this club were doing amazing and incredible things on campus,” Hemmerly said. As a senior, Hemmerly loves the privilege of being a role model to the incoming underclassmen in his club. He says, “We love them and are really, really proud of the guys we take and pledge.” All ages were welcomed to Bid Night. Freshman Molly Joseph walked in feeling a flood of emotions. “It makes my heart beat really fast because I am overwhelmed, but I’m also excited for next year,” said Joseph. The girls’ clubs love to dress up and add face paint and glitter to this fun evening. Katie Holliday, a senior in Gamma Lambda, loves this exciting time. “Seeing all the clubs coming together to celebrate new members is so awesome, because we love the opportunity to make them feel loved and welcomed into Greek Life at Lipscomb,” Holliday said. Holliday loves the beauty of the bonds and friendships that come out of the weeks to come post-Bid Night. The night was filled with excitement and friendship. Hemmerly, Joseph and Holliday all experienced this in different ways from each of their unique perspectives. As each pledge member got on stage...
by Anna Rogers | Sep 9, 2017 | News Slider
In response to President Trump’s announced plan to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Lipscomb University’s Office of Intercultural Development believed it necessary to confront the controversy. In Thursday’s Multicultural Awareness, Skills and Knowledge, or MASK, chapel, Assistant Dean of Intercultural Development, Lisa Steele, addressed the overwhelming audience in Ezell Chapel. “DREAMers,” she said, referring to the student-recipients of DACA, “are just like you. They’re fellow human beings.” She went on to explain what DACA is and some of its limitations. DACA is an immigration policy brought forth by the Obama administration that grants children of undocumented immigrants the opportunity to pursue an education, free from the fear of deportation. It grants recipients protection, temporary licenses and social security cards so that the students can drive and hold down jobs. “They still have to pay taxes,” Steele said, confronting a common misconception. “Many people ask, ‘Why don’t they just apply for citizenship,'” Steele said. “They would love to, but there is no path to get there through DACA.” There are currently 800,000 DREAMers in the United States. Steele passed the microphone to some DREAMers enrolled at Lipscomb University in hopes that hearing their stories would help the campus sympathize. “When you put a face to a story,” she said, “it changes everything. DREAMers are some of the bravest and most courageous students I know.” One such student is Juan Gonzalez. Gonzalez is currently enrolled in his fifth year at Lipscomb University. He graduated in May with an undergrad degree in Law, Justice and Society. He runs on the track and cross country team, which provides some of...
by LeBron Hill | Sep 3, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Lipscomb students and alumni gathered in Shamblin theatre on Friday for the College of Entertainment and Arts’ first speaker of the year. Film and TV writer Allan Heinberg has written for films and TV shows, such as “Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Wonder Woman.” He’s also written comics for both DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment. Heinberg started the night talking about his upbringing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, being both Jewish and openly gay. After graduating high school, he soon realized that Tulsa was not the place for him, so he attended Yale University to study acting. While at Yale, Heinberg was active in his craft. He auditioned for and performing in many shows, but he felt his true passion was writing. After graduating from Yale, the “Wonder Woman” writer spent 10 years on Broadway performing. In that time, he experienced the woes of being an actor while starring in “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.” Soon after that, he decided that acting wasn’t for him. After appearing in two other plays, he decided to reevaluate his career. It was then that the GLAAD Media Award winning writer chose to transition to behind-the-scenes and become a writer. During the Friday night event, he analyzed some scenes from “The Catch” and “Wonder Woman.” He explained that his style of writing is based on realistic relationships. He gave an example of that in a scene from “The Catch.” Heinberg conveyed how the characters’ relationship between each other affects the tension in the scene. Relationships being his focus, Heinberg told the audience that his message in the movie was not action but connection. He then credited his years of acting for helping his ability to write the best stories...
by Hannah Pipher | Sep 2, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb Women’s Volleyball (2-1) got off to a good start this past weekend as the team opened its season in Allen Area with a 3-0 win against ETSU (0-1). While ETSU was a strong opponent, the Bisons held their own throughout the match, never getting further than three points behind. Junior Carlyle Nusbaum, the reigning ASUN Player of the Year, led the team with fifteen out of the fifty-five kills during the three sets. Nusbaum also collected her first double-double of the season with ten digs in addition to her fifteen kills. Freshman Alyssa Zwolensky, Ashley Maher and Megan Kuper had the opportunity to join the team on the floor during the third set of the ETSU match. Out of the three freshman, Kuper made her first career kill. “I was definitely nervous because it was my first collegiate game, but I was smiling the whole time because I was so happy that I was in that situation,” Kuper said. “I just kept telling myself ‘Don’t let the nerves get to you and play your game’.” Head coach Brandon Rosenthal was pleased with his team’s performance, noting that the freshman especially put forth a strong first outing. “I am really impressed with how all three of [the freshman] handled that opportunity,” Rosenthal said. “I think what I was impressed about the most with our freshman play was their ability to get into the game and perform at a level that is expectant of them.” On Saturday, the Bisons took on Wichita State (1-0) where they were overcome 3-0. The first set remained close between the Bisons and Shockers as...
by Jade Spilka | Sep 2, 2017 | News Slider
To some Lipscomb students, the affects of Hurricane Harvey are much more personal than rainfall in Nashville. Hurricane Harvey and its effect on Texas have garnered the attention and sympathy of people worldwide. “I come from a really big family, and most of them live in Houston,” said Allan Hooker, a Houston native. “I would say our biggest struggle would be making sure the people that we know, love and care about are safe. “The people of Houston are always so kind and great,” Hooker said, adding, “They don’t deserve this, but maybe God is allowing this to happen to further His kingdom. The best advice I can give to anyone who is affected by this is to trust in the Lord.” Texas is a state known for being rooted in family and community, but Hurricane Harvey has left Texas residents aching to be reunited with their families during this devastating time. Hooker has kept in contact with his family throughout the week with phone calls and FaceTime. Maritza Munoz, a junior and another Houston native, said it is hard to focus in class while people back home are struggling. “I’m looking at the stuff online, so then for me to get off my phone and go to class here in Nashville is just weird because I feel like part of me is in a different state,” Munoz said. Munoz’s father is currently staying in a hotel after his apartment was flooded with over two feet of water. She explained that despite the loss of some of his material possessions, he is still in good spirits. Junior Arden Whitehurst...
by Lorena Coleman | Sep 1, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Lipscomb students exhibited a variety of reactions to pop star Taylor Swift’s new single, “Look What You Made Me Do.” Swift dropped the single at midnight August 25, informing her followers via social media that “Look What You Made Me Do” would be the first single off her upcoming album titled “Reputation.” The announcement sent waves of excitement and anticipation through Swift’s fans across the internet as well as in the conversations across campus. Sophomore Lexi Cummings from the Contemporary Music program said “Look What You Made Me Do” is much darker and repetitive than Swift’s traditional sound. “I think that she is perhaps mocking the traditional pop song mold,” Cummings stated, “or maybe trying to re-create her persona once again.” The single is the latest tune by the songstress since her album “1989” was released three years ago this November. Other than a collaboration in 2016 with Zayn on “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” and a Super Bowl party performance, Swift went off the grid, working on her sixth studio album and plotting her return to the spotlight. While Cummings heard the single when it was first released, she said she liked it better after seeing the music video. “While the beginning definitely had me startled, I feel like she definitely created a vibe that went well with the persona she was trying to portray. You can definitely tell that the song is a lashing out however, mostly at Kanye, though I’d argue it’s aimed at a general ‘haters’ crowd as well.” “Look What You Made Me Do” is quite a direction change for Swift, who got her start in country music and is...
