by Lindsey Nance | Nov 19, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb already carried some hardware heading into Friday night’s matchup against No. 5 USC Upstate in the semifinal of the ASUN Conference Tournament in Allen Arena. The Bisons lived up to those expectations once again with a 3-0 sweep of USC Upstate. “A lot of it was just building the culture we wanted,” Lipscomb head coach Brandon Rosenthal said. “It is about the program as a whole.” The No. 1-seeded Bisons headed into Friday’s match with a number of recent accolades. Rosenthal was named Coach of the Year for the 3rd time along with multiple accolades for his players. Carlyle Nusbaum took the title of ASUN Player of the Year and unanimous First Team All-Conference selection; Kayla Ostrom received the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year for volleyball and a member of the All-Academic Team, and Taylor Racich, Brittany Thomas, Lauren Anderson, Morgan Elmore and Maddie Phillips received the honor of being Second Team All-ASUN selections. “We have put ourselves in a great position,” Rosenthal said. “If you look at the last five or six weeks, we have worked really hard to really find our identity.” After a grueling 5-set match last night, USC Upstate appeared to be out of gas and out of luck. This ASUN semi-final game was an elimination game, and the Bisons conquered the Spartans easily in three sets. The win allows the Bisons to clinch their fourth straight year in the ASUN championship game. Tonight’s starters, Anderson, Nusbaum, Phillips, Katie Bradley, Morgan Elmore, Chloe Rogers and Brittany Thomas played most of the night and put up scores of 25-19, 25-15 and 25-18. The first set...
by Myckelle Williams | Nov 18, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Loving is a historical-drama film directed and written by Jeff Nichols. It stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga as Richard and Mildred Loving, who were the plaintiffs in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, the landmark trial that invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage. The film was released in theatres on November 4, 2016, by Focus Features. Loving follows the courtship and marriage of Mildred Jeter, a black woman, with Richard Loving, a white man. Mildred becomes pregnant and they travel to D.C. to marry in secret. However, the two are soon discovered and arrested, each sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958, because their interracial marriage violated the state’s anti-miscegenation laws. They are able to get probation if they agree to leave the state of Virginia for 25 years. Exiled to Washington, D.C., they sue the state of Virginia in a series of proceedings leading to the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Loving v. Virginia, which holds that laws prohibiting interracial marriage are unconstitutional. Director Nichols was able to tell the story of the Loving family as accurately as possible by relying on Nancy Buirski’s documentary The Loving Story (2011), which captured many details of the private lives of the Loving couple. The film was extremely poignant in its portrayal of the couple, who defied all odds to maintain their home and family. There was always a breathtakingly suspenseful undercurrent. The movie led the audience through one challenge after another as the couple fought to love and stay married, despite the fear and hatred that they endured daily. Edgerton’s performance was powerful. Determined but thoughtful and quiet,...
by Brooke Dorris | Nov 18, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, J.K. Rowling takes us to the magical, wizarding world of Harry Potter once more, but in a new, fantastic (pun-intended) way. The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander, played by Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, has just arrived in New York City — but not unnoticed, of course. Having a suitcase full of magical beasts, a No-Maj (American for Muggle) and an underlining evil surrounding the city, this movie really put out all of the stops to be an absolute joy to Potterheads everywhere. Within the Harry Potter Universe, Newt Scamander’s book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was first published in 1927 and became a massive bestseller in the wizard world. It eventually became an approved textbook at Hogwarts, and Harry Potter even used it for his classes. Remember Chocolate Frogs and their cards? Well, Newt Scamander has a card of his own, which of course is a huge honor. There are even more references to the original series throughout the movie. At one point, it is revealed that Newt is greatly favored by Albus Dumbledore, and he even tried to prevent Newt’s expulsion from Hogwarts. In the very beginning of the movie, it is revealed that Gellert Grindelwald is causing mass chaos across the world . . . but especially in America. However, he has yet to be found. Maybe at some point over the next few movies, we will finally see the famous duel between him and Albus Dumbledore. That is one of three story-lines in Fantastic Beasts, but don’t worry, it’s not hard to follow. What’s so...
by Anna Rogers | Nov 18, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
The Contemporary Music Program is a fairly new department. Since its start just last year, the department has nearly tripled in size. Because of this, the department split into three ensembles to perform their fall concerts on different days in different locations. The first group performed Nov. 7 in the Flatt Amphitheater. They showcased a lot of talent from the freshmen new to the program. The second group’s performance took place Monday night on the steps of Collins Alumni Auditorium. The final group performed in the Collins Auditorium Thursday night. All of the students thought it went extremely well. “It went better than we were all thinking,” sophomore Jacalyn Thompson said. “You do these things with all this adrenaline thinking about all the things you have to do, but as soon as you’re on stage, everyone comes together with the same mindset that we’re gonna make this the best show that we can.” The nights not only showcased the talent that each group possesses, but also the sense of community they felt after doing what they love together. “I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to come together with my best friends and play music,” Thompson said. Sophomore Freddy Schuler agreed, saying that the final night of music brought each group together as a community and as a department. “There was some good energy that mixed beautifully together. I think it all kind of culminated during the last song.” The group thanked Director of Contemporary Music, Charlie Peacock, for his direction. “We have phenomenal leaders who prepared us very well,” Thompson said. “They’re really great people to work with.” After the final performance, the...
by Charissa Ricker | Nov 17, 2016 | News Slider
Christopher Galbreath took home the win at the Kittrell Pitch competion Wednesday night in Stowe Hall. The Kittrell Pitch Competition, funded by alumni, Marty Kittrell, allows business and entrepreneurship students to gain experience by showcasing business ideas in front of future investors for cash prizes. The panel of judges included business owners, entrepreneurs, partners of the business program and alumni of Lipscomb. Students Hope Bridges, Michael Oruma, Christopher Galbreath, Hannah Kraebel, Becca Dean and Michaela Lee all pitched a unique business idea they had created and researched. Each presentation explained in detail the product/service and how the business solved a common problem. Each student also showed the target market for their business, the marketing strategy, potential competitors, a projected timeline for the business and the expected sales. After each pitch, the judges had the opportunity to ask questions gaining more depth about the businesses. Hope Bridges was first to present and introduced her product “Crock Creations,” a fast and easy way for working families and students to make healthy meals. Next, Michael Oruma shared his business, “David’s Harp” a music/event venue and recording studio based in his home country Nigeria. Michael shared his passion for music and how he strives to allow kids in Nigeria to feel that hunger for passion. “I want to give opportunities to young kids and musicians,” Oruma said. “My goal is to make the world a better place, and for me, that starts at home in Nigeria.” Galbreath showcased his handmade coffee mugs that are part of his business, “Life Made Ceramics.” Christopher sells his coffee mugs to students at Lipscomb and has partnered with...
by Anna Rogers | Nov 17, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
For decades, Bison basketball has been the most popular sport on Lipscomb’s campus. However, in recent years, attendance at games has dropped, especially students’ attendance. With the way technology has advanced, there are now reasons for students to not attend games, so Lipscomb athletics Director of Marketing Garner Goode believes. “It’s always a challenge to get students to come to games,” Goode said. “It’s a challenge to get anyone to come to games, really. With the world of ESPN and social media, it makes it really easy to stay at home.” Goode and his team are tasked with the challenge of getting people to go games rather than to watch them from home or their dorms. “Some of the main features we try to focus on are items that would get people to games. Goode works to get various sponsors of items from outside Lipscomb to bring new ideas for giveaways, including Pancoast Benefits. This year’s promotional giveaways range from posters and magnets to bobbleheads depicting Lipscomb’s mascot and Lipscomb founder David Lipscomb, to various t-shirts, including one completely in Spanish. “We love working with Pancoast. They always want to push the envelope a little bit further. That’s kind of how we got to the idea of the bobbleheads. And the SGA (Student Government Association) has been great working with us as well. They’re actually sponsoring another bobblehead. “We’ve got some things that is focused on community engagement and ways to plug into the community. We’ve got a shirt this year that is completely in Spanish we’re going to give away on Latino Heritage night that’s coming up on December first.” Lipscomb...
