by Emily Snell | Sep 20, 2012 | News Slider
A former student, who was wanted for an on-campus burglary that took place in February, was arrested on campus Thursday morning. Around 10 a.m., Lipscomb Security recognized Shaun Immanuel Saunders, 27, thanks to a “be on the lookout” alert related to his previous offense. Hunter Patterson, a May graduate who happened to be on campus, witnessed the event. “I was in the amphitheater and saw two Lipscomb security guards escorting a restrained individual across campus,” he said. “They were about to go through the square, it looked like.” Saunders was turned over to Metro Police officers soon after. His bond was set at $25,000. According to an affidavit from Metro Police, Saunders had not attended Lipscomb for a year prior to the burglary. The report said surveillance video from Feb. 16 showed Saunders in the student center and then showed him in a classroom, stealing an iMac computer. He also appeared on surveillance video with the iMac and a flat screen TV near the loading dock, where he was putting the items in a silver vehicle. This is the second arrest that Metro Police, with help from campus security, has made on campus within the past seven days, including a man who was arrested on campus Saturday afternoon for public intoxication. Brad Wyatt, director of security, said in his five years at Lipscomb, campus security has never needed to call Metro onto campus for an arrest prior to this week. Continue to follow Lumination as this story develops. Sydney Poe, Nicolette Carney and Cory Woodroof contributed to this...
by Emily Snell | Sep 20, 2012 | News Slider
Heightened unrest in the Middle East — including a deadly attack on a U.S. ambassador and three other staff members in Libya last week — is being blamed by many on a short anti-Islamic film, which was posted on the Internet a few months ago. But some Lipscomb professors say the 14-minute film is just an excuse. “I think it becomes a convenient handle for people to seize upon, both in the Middle East and in America,” said Dr. Howard Miller, visiting professor of history. “It’s a way of minimizing the failure of our government to address this problem.” Miller earned his doctorate in medieval studies at Yale and served four years in the military as an Arabic translator. He teaches classes about Islam and Christianity, as well as history and politics of the Middle East. Miller said blaming the film for the violence is an easy out for some leaders. “It allows the rulers in Egypt, the rulers in Libya to kind of slough off their own responsibility,” he said. “If you believe government is a responsibility to set conditions for economic success, then by any token, the Egyptian government has failed … So, in a sense [the film] becomes a clever pretext for rioting,” Dr. Tom Seals, assistant professor of Bible, agreed, saying he thinks Islam, as a religion, is not really what is sparking the violence. “I think most of it is behind the cloak of a radical Islamic belief,” he said, “but I think it’s more political than it is religious. People desiring to promote their agenda, their lifestyles.” Seals is the faculty sponsor for...
by Nicci Carney | Sep 17, 2012 | News Slider
With the death of MTSU student Jacob Nunley due to an aggressive case of bacterial meningitis, Lipscomb Health Services are on alert to make sure students are protected from this illness. Just a day after Nunley’s death was announced, the Lipscomb student body received an email regarding meningitis vaccination information, encouraging students to take the vaccine seriously as well as pay attention to symptoms and risk factors of the illness. Lipscomb’s Nurse Practitioner Bethany Massey said the risk for contracting meningitis is very high in college, especially for freshmen. “Bacterial meningitis has an increase in incidents between college freshmen,” she said. “Our biggest concern is for the ages 16-21 because the risk factors are high within the age group—from sharing drinks, food and kissing.” Every day tasks like keeping your hands clean can be important in preventing this serious, and sometimes fatal illness. Massey said the vaccine will decrease the chances of getting meningitis. “[The vaccine] is the best way to prevent from getting the bacterial form of meningitis,” she said. “Washing your hands is important, but the vaccine is your best protection.” The vaccine is available in the health center for $120, and local health services around Nashville should carry the vaccine as well. Massey said students should be aware of the symptoms that are related to the illness: High fever Severe headache Stiff neck Vomiting or nausea Confusion Seizures Sleepiness Sensitivity to the light No appetite Skin rash (in the cases of viral and meningococcal) For more information regarding the vaccine, visit the Health Center in the lower level of Elam or send an email to healthservices@lipscomb.edu....
by Emily Snell | Sep 17, 2012 | News Slider
A man was arrested on campus Saturday afternoon because he had been “drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, eating mushrooms and taking acid.” Lipscomb’s Director of Security Brad Wyatt said the man, Jacob David Steele–who is not a Lipscomb student–drove his vehicle on to campus property and parked in a university parking garage. The man was charged with public intoxication, Wyatt said. “There was a Sodexo employee who observed this guy, and he let us know,” Wyatt said. According to an incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department, Lipscomb Security and Safety requested that Metro police send an officer. When police arrived, Steele was in handcuffs and leg restraints and “was slurring his words and was incoherent at times.” Steele told officers that he had been using the illegal substances previously mentioned. The report said Steele was “a danger to himself and others” and was taken into custody “without incident.” Wyatt said Lipscomb’s general policy is to call Metro police if an arrest needs to be made. “We can detain somebody,” he said, “but if somebody needs to be arrested, we’re going to call...
by Brianne Welch | Sep 17, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
The Lady Bisons softball team volunteered to work with the Boys and Girls Club at their annual fall picnic Saturday. This was the first year the softball team has worked with the Boys and Girls Club. The team assisted with a variety of activities including arts and crafts, face painting, hula hooping, kick ball and many other outdoor games. “We wanted to do something different this year,” said Head Coach Kristen Ryman. “We wanted to work with a different organization.” Ryman said the Boys and Girls Club is a great organization, especially since it gives older people the opportunity to mentor a younger generation. “It makes you realize there are people out there that are always looking up to people like us,” Ryman said. The girls on the team said they had a great time being around the kids and getting to play games with them. “It was good to just be a kid for a day ourselves and, at the same time, do something for them,” said junior Bridgette Begle. Begle and several other girls said they enjoyed face painting with the kids. Sophomore Gracey Aguirre was the celebrity of the day, doing the majority of the face painting. “My favorite painting was this little shark I did for this little kid,” Aguirre said. “He was having a blast with it, and I truly enjoyed it all.” Several team members said it was easy to connect with the kids by playing games with them. “I loved working with one little boy who loved to hula hoop,” said junior Kristen Sturdivant. “It was really fun getting to hang out with...
by Brianne Welch | Sep 14, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb men’s golf hired a new coach, Will Brewer, a Lipscomb alum and NAIA Hall of Famer, to bring fresh leadership to the team this season. Coach Brewer is a Lipscomb graduate and was a golfer during college. Brewer was a three-time NAIA All American, the NAIA National Champion in 1976 and is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame. The current golfers said they feel they’re benefitting from being coached by a Lipscomb legend. “It’s beneficial for us because he knows what it is like to be in our situation,” said junior golfer Dustin Wilder. “He knows what it takes to succeed at the college level.” Comparing last season to the current season, the golfers said they are excited and anxious for what a new coach with a new plan can bring to the table. “It’ll take a little bit of time for Coach Brewer to really get his system implemented,” said junior golfer Ryan Terry. “As far as the ways a coach can help a team, this year we’ll definitely improve a lot more than last year just because we’ll have someone who can solely devote his time to our team.” In past years, Buddy Harston was the head coach of both the women’s and men’s golf teams. One coach dividing his time equally between two teams can be challenging for the coach as well as the players, Terry said. “It is difficult for one guy to coach two teams,” he said. “Things have been going a lot better just because we have had one coach that has been able to devote himself to just one team,...
