by Erin Turner | Dec 18, 2015 | News Slider
When Lipscomb’s new IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb) program was launched in January 2014, just three students were enrolled. And those three students received their career exploration studies certificates Thursday afternoon in Swang in the inaugural IDEAL commencement ceremony. IDEAL is a two-year certificate program for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Students in the program attend academic and skill-building classes, work daily internships and hang out with peer mentors and the student body. The three IDEAL students A.T. Banks, Rashaad Harrell and Matthew Loveland paved the way for the program, which now has 19 students. “The IDEAL program and especially these three boys play a huge role in our college experience. They are a joy to have on campus,” said Chandler Cooper, senior business major and IDEAL program peer mentor. IDEAL program director Mallory Whitmore said when she first started, she was handed a binder full of paper and given about four months to build the program from scratch. “Sometimes I felt like I was being asked to cut down a forest with a butter knife– there was a lot to do in a very short amount of time to pave the way for this program to be successful,” Whitmore said. “It’s nice to take a step back today and look at how much we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.” Peer mentor Cooper said the IDEAL program has changed Lipscomb’s campus, and most specifically in the student center, where most of the IDEAL students spend their free time. “When they first started on campus no one knew what the IDEAL program was,” Cooper said. “But that...
by Haleigh Ker | Dec 17, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Students have shown a great force of excitement as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” approaches its opening day. During Star Wars week, Lipscomb has had everything from Star Wars-themed shirts in the bookstore to a spray-painted Star Wars Bison. Although many claimed the Star Wars story ended with “Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi,” George Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to The Walt Disney Company, which then proceded with production on the new film in 2013, and a huge casting call that followed. “I’m excited to see if Disney royally messes it up or not,” junior Carson Lassiter said. “I’m excited to see what they do with the villains and the Empire.” Junior Caleb Finley said he was also excited to see where other characters end up. “I’m most excited to see the character development within Han Solo and Princess Leia,” Finley said. “[I’m also excited to] find out the mystery behind where Luke Skywalker ended up.” Speculation is amongst other students as well. For many, it’s part of the fun — guessing what’s going to happen within the story of the new movie. “I hate to ruin this, but Luke is going to be the villain,” junior Phillip Moore said. “Also, no Jar Jar.” Lucas’ Gungan character Jar Jar Binks is mostly despised amongst the fanbase, and the hate for him is voiced on campus as well. A theory by Reddit user Lumpawarroo popped up amongst the Star Wars community. It’s a very detailed theory that supports the idea of Jar Jar Binks being an evil Sith collaborator. Finley said he’s seen the theory. “We obviously already...
by Lauren Borders | Dec 16, 2015 | News Slider, Opinion
The anxious scramble to find a student worker position is a feeling experienced by many college students. On-campus positions, of course, often take precedence over off-campus ones. However, there are a number of off-campus job opportunities affiliated with the Financial Aid Office that offer the same opportunities for federal work study and a chance to make a difference in the Nashville community. One of these places is the Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC), a non-profit housed downtown in First Baptist Church. The CWJC specializes in teaching impoverished women valuable job skills in the hopes of creating a better future for them. The women are placed into classes that teach courses in areas such as GED test preparation, computer skills or conversational English. Tutors in these classes are always needed, and college students have the opportunity to apply for this position and hopefully give back to those who did not have the same educational advantages. The CWJC’s ministry is not limited to adults. The majority of the women involved in the program have children that need to be looked after as well. This is where most college students, including four students from Lipscomb, are employed. The youth in the program range from three months old to about 12. Although the age gap is wide, the basic goal remains the same. The job involves genuinely connecting with the children, building relationships and being a Christ-like example. This is not your usual babysitting job. These kids often come from broken homes and are constantly surrounded by a culture that promotes destructive behaviors. Those who work with this non-profit have the opportunity to have a positive...
by Tanner Allen | Dec 13, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team lost 78-64 to Princeton Saturday evening in Allen Arena, and the game isn’t the only thing the Bisons lost. Just four minutes into the game, Lipscomb’s junior forward Josh Williams went down with a lower body injury. He did not return to the game, and is scheduled to have an MRI in the next few days. “You’re expectations to do things right never changes,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “No matter what is going on. Tonight we had to deal with the emotional stress of Josh’s injury, but that’s something we have to play through.” Williams came into the game leading the Bisons in points per game this season at 14 PPG. He was also selected to the preseason All-Atlantic Sun team before the season started. “Losing Josh was a real blow to our mentality and focus,” said Alexander. “It took us a bit to come out of the fog.” After losing Williams in the first half, Lipscomb’s offense struggled for the remainder of the night. “Our movement was very good offensively, but because of all the injuries we had guys playing extra minutes and fatigue caught up with us as the game went on,” Alexander said. The Bisons have been plagued by injuries all season. David Wishon broke his hand in the game against South Carolina and will be out for a few weeks. Brett Wishon hit his head hard in the second half and will be undergoing concussion tests. Junior guard J.C Hampton stepped up for the Bisons after Williams went down. He led the team with 25 points. Lipscomb will be on the road to...
by Tanner Allen | Dec 11, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb men’s basketball defeated Cumberland 83-53 in Allen Arena Thursday night. It was a game of runs for the Bisons as they went on a 16-0 run in the first half starting just five minutes into the game, bringing the Bisons lead to 27-16. Cumberland slowly started to chip away at the lead before Lipscomb went on another big run, outscoring Cumberland 12-0 in the span of two minutes. “We don’t want to live and die by the run, but it’s always nice when it goes in our favor,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “Our defense played great, and got four blocks, and that was a big part of us going on those runs.” During a timeout in the first half, a video package of John Pierce played. Pierce was a Lipscomb basketball legend who broke the record for most points in a collegiate career. He broke the record against Cumberland 22 years ago. The Bisons and Bulldogs have a deep history, as they played each other 52 times when Lipscomb was in the NAIA. The two teams last met 14 years ago when Lipscomb was making the transition to NCAA Division I. “It was great to play this team again,” junior guard J.C. Hampton said. “There’s a lot of history between our two programs and I was excited to get to add to that history today.” Lipscomb shot a season high 48.4 percent from behind the three point line, making 15 threes. “We shot great today from behind the arc, but we need to develop our game,” Alexander said. “We can’t just be a three point team because that’s not...
by Charlie Bateman | Dec 11, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team lost to Ball State Thursday night 72-60 in Allen Arena. Sophomore Loren Cagle and senior Ashley Southern led the Bisons with 17 points each. “I thought they were both aggressive and very unselfish,” head coach Greg Brown said. “I really liked our effort and intensity. If our team plays like we did tonight, we have a chance to be pretty good this season.” The leading scorer for Ball State was Nathalie Fontaine. Fontaine scored 28 total points total for the team. “She is a tough player,” Brown said. “We knew she was their leading scorer and that is why we tried to be really physical against her as best as we could. She is a senior and played like one against us. “I think our kids responded well. Ball State is a very good team. We controlled the things we could, but our team played really well.” Lipscomb’s next opponent will be TSU at 3 p.m. Sunday at Tennessee State. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
