by Becca Risley | Sep 12, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
For millions of the world’s poorest people, violence is an urgent and everyday threat. For the International Justice Mission (IJM), it is the reason hundreds of lawyers, investigators, social workers, community activists and other professionals gather in nearly 20 developing communities worldwide. IJM partnered with Lipscomb University, HumanDocs and Different Drummer to bring the third annual Justice Film Festival to Nashville Sept. 11-12. The festival featured films from well-known and emerging filmmakers who move to inspire the community and live out justice in a broken world. Offices for IJM are located in Africa, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia. The poor in these communities are particularly vulnerable because their justice systems – the police, the courts and the laws – don’t protect them from violence. “Four billion people worldwide live outside the law,” IJM director of mobilization Wayne Barnard said. “That is, 4 billion people live in a context where there is no 911. And if there were a 911 and you dialed it, no one would answer.” IJM operates under four main goals: rescuing victims, restoring survivors, bringing criminals to justice and strengthening the justice systems. “For poor people in the developing world, violence is relentless so we’re committed to being even more relentless,” Barnard said. “We rescue individuals one by one. That’s where our work starts, but that’s not where it ends.” The mission was born as an idea in 1995 when founder Gary Haugen returned from leading an investigation of the Rwanda Genocide. “Gary was working at that time with the U.S. Department of Justice and he was challenged by the reality of injustice in the...
by Brianna Langley | Sep 11, 2015 | News Slider
Nashville Public Library’s Andrea Blackman brought a piece of Nashville’s civil rights history to Lipscomb for MASK breakout chapel last week. MASK stands for Multicultural Awareness, Skills and Knowledge and is Lipscomb’s new special interest chapel. Blackman serves as the manager of the special collections division for Nashville Public Library and specializes in the library’s civil rights collection. Over the past 13 years, she has gathered and created an extensive collection of images, newspaper articles, primary documents and buttons that students and segregationist parents wore. “The relevance of the civil rights movement is so ingrained here in Nashville,” said Sylvia Braden, Lipscomb University coordinator for international student services. “That’s a history that our community may not know much about, even for people who grow up here. We felt that might really resonate with our students.” The library is now home to one of the largest collections of oral histories pertaining to the 1960’s civil rights movements, including over 200 interviews with participants of those movements that have been tediously conducted and transcribed. “One thing I did want to do on the front end was make sure that every teacher and educator knew that this material was here and that it’s available for free,” Blackman said. “We continue to have public programs and conversations around current civil rights issues.” Blackman worked alongside a team of librarians, historians, activists, local freedom writers, a private donor and an architect to create a physical space within the library, known as the Civil Rights Room. “The room itself is designed to capture Nashville in the 1960s, but we’ve left this circular lunch counter open in the middle...
by Andrew Trent | Sep 10, 2015 | News Slider
Nashville voters elected Megan Barry as the first woman mayor Thursday after a runoff against David Fox. “Tonight, we started a new chapter for Nashville,” Barry said, according to The Tennessean, thanking her supporters, voters and the city of Nashville in her acceptance speech. “Today, you went to the polls, and you elected the first woman mayor.” Barry was seen as the far-left liberal in the race. She took a more liberal approach on economic issues and believed that Nashville should spend more money on its roads and other forms of transportation, claiming that Nashville is growing and therefore needs more transportation available. “A city that thrives is a city that moves,” Barry said. She was also more vocal on social issues, especially in regards to homosexuality. Fox was more of a conservative-moderate throughout the election. He focused primarily on conservative economic issues, specifically reducing taxes and debt. He also focused on his plans to be tough on crime, something Barry discussed but did not emphasize. The growth of Nashville and the economy are two issues likely to affect students, as several alumni remain in the Nashville area after graduation. “It is important because most likely whoever gets elected is going to be in office for eight years,” professor of political science Dr. Marc Schwerdt said, adding that the new mayor will bring about important change for the alumni that stay in the city. Additionally, if the economic systems and facilities are not taken care of, traffic could slow down the commute for professors and off-campus students. “I’m expecting Megan Barry to keep in check with social-community issues that breach any standard of life,” sophomore...
by Becca Risley | Sep 10, 2015 | News Slider
In remembrance of the 70th Anniversary of World War II, several gathered Thursday evening in Lipscomb’s Stowe Hall to dedicate a forgotten chapter of Tennessee’s history. Almost 400 letters written by German prisoners of war to their Tennessee second family were translated and are now archived at Beaman Library. “These letters are not a story of war,” history professor Dr. Tim Johnson said. “This is the story of amazing reconciliation — a story where if you take away the hate and the politics of war, you find a story of human beings talking and conversing with one another, finding relationships.” Speakers at the “From Foe to Friend” event included Johnson, German professor Dr. Charlie McVey, sophomore German exchange student Ines Konschewitz and Curtis Peters, the man who donated the letters. Late in the 1980s, Peters’ sister-in-law, Lynn Pettus, discovered the letters stuffed away in an old Corn Flakes box in a closet of their family home. “I first thought they were love letters,” Pettus said, remembering her great aunt’s love affair from years prior. “Low and behold, they were in a different language and we later discovered they were from the German prisoners who were here during the war.” Many of the POWs worked on property owned by the James Henry Stribling and Brock families. The men cut timber and plowed fields, growing closer with the Brocks as they shared cold milk together in the heat of several afternoons. Each letter sent after the war detailed the lives of the former prisoners. The men would write to the Brocks, thanking them for their hospitality and sharing stories of life in...
by Lyndi Locke | Sep 8, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Italian fashion has always been highly respected in the fashion world. After all, some of the world’s most sought-after designers come from Italy, including Dolce and Gabbana, Armani and Gucci. Because of its importance, Lipscomb University’s fashion department decided to highlight the culture by hosting an Italian fashion exhibit in Beaman Library. Rustic gold frames with black and white pictures serve as a backdrop for the event so visitors can see the evolution of Italian fashion. Mannequins are clothed in tailored, elegant outfits that were designed and made in Italy. “We were inspired by the Frist Center, which has been hosting an Italian fashion exhibit,”said junior Becca Dean, an entrepreneurship and fashion merchandising major from Findlay, Ohio. “We decided to put our own spin on the idea.” Clothing stores from Green Hills including Gus Meyer and The Oxford Shop were able to lend pieces such as dresses, menswear and outerwear for the display. “Italian fashion has amazing quality,” said junior Sydney Carpenter, a fashion merchandising major from Brownstown, Michigan. “Designers use rich fabrics like suede and leather, which makes their clothing stand out from others.” One piece in particular embodies the essence of Italian fashion—a jacket from designer Nikky. “The basting stitch, which is often removed from clothing, is left in the side vents,” Dean said. “This method is very much Italian style. It serves as the designer’s trademark.” Other stand-out pieces from the exhibit include a tie made of fine Italian silk, a linen pocket square and even a cape that was purchased in Italy by a fashion student. Quality is an important factor in Italian fashion and craftsmanship is also key. “I would like students...
by Erin Turner | Sep 8, 2015 | News Slider
The Lipscomb community is mourning after Jared Eubanks died Monday, Sept. 7, after a lengthy illness. Eubanks was a senior nursing major from Hendersonville, Tenn. He lived in High Rise and was a member of the men’s social club Sigma Iota Delta. Eubanks’ wish was to become a nurse so that he could help others, according to Beth Youngblood, executive associate dean of nursing. As Eubanks’ health declined over recent weeks, School of Nursing officials “pinned” him with a nursing pin and white coat that all graduating nurses receive prior to graduation. Lipscomb University representatives, including Youngblood, Provost Craig Bledsoe, President’s Executive Assistant Jim Thomas, nursing professor Lindsey Waddell, along with others, gathered by his bedside for the ceremony. “You are going to see your goal through,” Youngblood said to Eubanks at the pinning ceremony. “How you’ve handled your illness and worked so hard through it all inspires us all. You have taught us with your strength, faith and courage, and that will be lived out in your classmates for years to come.” In remembrance of Eubanks, a cross where students can place notes of encouragement is located in the lobby of the nursing building. Eubanks’ family will be presented with the cross, and at the next pinning ceremony, there will be a special remembrance of Eubanks, Youngblood said. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, and a memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11. Both will be at Hendersonville church of...
