by Julie Shrewsbury | Nov 10, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s Lady Bisons cross-country team, which for a couple of weeks has been able to savor the A-Sun championship, now must turn the page and be ready for Saturday’s NCAA South Regional at the Harry Pritchett Course in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Regardless, they take a load of pride into the event. After the A-Sun title race, coach Bill Taylor had a big smile on his face. “We’ve had the best four weeks of practice I’ve ever seen. I gave each of them a plan to be successful and they followed it,” he said. Of course they didn’t have any time to slack off that work. Still, while they are moving on, these young women can reflect on their winning experience of that day of A-Sun glory. “Remember your ‘I wills,’ remember the sweat and tears you have put into this season. Remember your teammates and most of all remember to believe in yourself, because if you do that you are capable of anything.” This was what Amanda Twigg, a junior history education major from Cumberland, Md., said to a few of her teammates minutes before the 2011 A-Sun cross-country conference championship race started. Moments later the runners were off, running a race they will never forget. That Saturday morning, on their home Vaughn’s Gap course at Percy Warner Park, they won the 2011 Atlantic Sun title, with an accumulated score of 53 points, defeating defending champion North Florida by 16 points. Lipscomb was the only school to place six runners in the top 20 finishers. This is the first time A-Sun conference title for the Lady Bisons cross-country team. Sophomore...
by Hunter Patterson | Nov 10, 2011 | News Slider
Teachers certified through Lipscomb are fairing well in their positions according to the latest state report card. Ranked third below Teach for America Memphis and Teach for America Nashville, Lipscomb graduates outshone more traditional colleges throughout the state. For the last four years, the state has done a report card on teacher preparation programs across the state. The state looks at those teachers’ impact on their particular students. The report looks at students’ scores on standardized tests – TCAP here in Tennessee – to see how much, if any, the students improved because of a graduate’s teaching ability. Once that is done, the results are then linked to the university that the teacher came from. “The connection is between the teacher prep program and how many of your graduates have some kind of statistically positive impact on students,” said Dr. Candice McQueen, dean of the education department at Lipscomb. Now a law within the state, the schools must report their “completers” to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. That means that everyone who graduates with a teaching degree must be reported to the commission so the reports can be filed. Lipscomb is fortunate enough to report several graduates as well. McQueen says the school’s placement rates are usually 95 percent or above. However, because of last year’s budget cuts, that rate was closer to 80 percent, which was still fairly high for the area. “We have school districts that really love our graduates,” McQueen said. “They will call us and recruit them, in a sense.” For this particular report, though, the state only looks at students that are in public...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 9, 2011 | News Slider
Dr. Roderick Hart, dean of the College of Communications at the University of Texas at Austin, stopped by this month’s Pizza and Politics event to discuss one of the nation’s most polarizing, controversial public figures in the past few years. After an introduction by Dr. Norma Burgess, Lipscomb’s Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Craig Carroll, the dean of Communication and Journalism department, Dr. Hart walked on-stage to address the central theme of the evening. “Why are we still talking about Sarah Palin?” he asked. Dr. Hart began by stating that he enjoys being a college professor because he has an abundance of questions. One of these questions involves the desire to understand the national hype that follows Palin wherever she goes. Hart stated that he has no preference for Palin either way, but he has become captivated by her mannerisms and public acclaim/disapproval. Hart believes that Palin truly has become an American icon. “This is a woman who has captured the public imagination of the United States”, Dr. Hart said, even making a humorous comparison to Palin being a mix between Mitt Romney and Johnny Depp in the public eye. Dr. Hart showed a poll taken in late May of this year, revealing that 97% of Americans are at least aware of her existence. Hart zeroes in on the aspect of Palin being a “bi-polar entity”- a sort of love her/hate her personality. Hart believes that there is no middle ground in the debate. Those who love her, Hart explains, will focus on her down-to-earth, “real” sounding message. Those who hate her will likely...
by Emily Snell | Nov 8, 2011 | News Slider
A bus accident killed one Abilene Christian University student and left at least a dozen passengers injured Nov. 4 when the driver lost control on a curve, crashing the bus into a concrete culvert, causing it to roll and eject several students. ACU, Lipscomb’s sister school in Abilene, Texas, annually sends agriculture students to serve at a children’s home in Medina, a town about 230 miles from the university. The bus was carrying 12 students, three faculty and one faculty member’s wife. Anabel Reid, a 19-year-old student, was killed in the crash. Monday afternoon, Nov. 7, the ACU Optimist reported that two people were still in critical condition, three others were listed in good condition and three more were in fair condition. Seven had been treated and released. Several members of the Lipscomb faculty have ties to ACU and responded with heartfelt concern for the community. Kent Gallaher, chair of Lipscomb’s Department of Biology, taught at ACU from 2004 to 2008. He and ACU Professor Emmett Miller started the annual trip to Medina Children’s Home. “My dear friend Emmett Miller experienced major head trauma and a broken arm,” Gallaher said. “His wife, Pat, was very badly injured and, as of this morning, continues to be in a coma. “I’ve been in close contact with folks in Texas since Friday evening. It makes my heart ache,” he continued. “The annual Medina trip was something that Emmett and I did together. If I were still teaching there, I too would have been on that bus.” Lipscomb’s Jackie Halstead, associate director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality, worked at ACU for 12...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 8, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
Hello faithful Redbox Report readers! The report has returned after a brief hiatus to fill you in on everything Redbox. As we are full way into the fall season (and Thanksgiving closer than we’d think), here is a film to consider and a film to avoid at all costs. I’m also going to share my thoughts on the recent price raise of DVD rentals. So, without further ado… CARS 2 (G, 120 minutes- featuring the voice talents of Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Emily Mortimer and Michael Caine) *BLU-RAY OPTION RECOMMENDED Admittedly, I was not the biggest fan of Cars 2. So, you’re probably wondering…Why am I recommending that you give this film a go? It’s not all terrible. I went with a group of friends to see the film its opening night, and the unanimous opinion was somewhat positive. I had high hopes for the film -being a gigantic Pixar advocate- but I considered the film a rare misstep that will hopefully fade into time with the studio’s feature releases. In retrospect, I was more disappointed in the film than I am to dismiss it. It’s not a bad film, just a poor example of excellence from the folks at Pixar. Due to my fearful bias, I’m making the rare decision to recommend you make your own mind up on the film solely to not ruin your personal view of Pixar. Rent Cars 2 if you have not already viewed the film, and feel free to share your thoughts/criticisms in the comment section. GREEN LANTERN (PG-13, 116 minutes- featuring Ryan Reynolds) Here’s something green that...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 8, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
For a while there, all signs were pointing for Herman Cain to finally establish himself as the clear front-runner in the GOP primary race. Cain, the dynamic former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and hopeful Republican presidential candidate, came out of nowhere a few months ago and successfully became a contender in the already crowded race for the nomination. Cain’s straight-forward frankness, no-nonsense approach to national issues and lively personality has earned the favor of voters across the nation. I dare you to find someone who hasn’t heard of the “9-9-9” tax plan. Cain even recently topped fellow competitor Mitt Romney in a Rasmussen poll 26% to 23%, finally giving himself the edge in a race that has seen the rise and fall of many candidates. Cain seemed unstoppable, but, out of nowhere, a claim of sexual harassment against the candidate came to surface. A second woman came forward with the same allegations shortly after. Two more women followed suit. If anything can outright kill a run for president, it’s four allegations of sexual harassment. If it were just one, many would be quick to write the claims off as a smear campaign. Four is a different story. Whether this scandal will halt the Cain train in its tracks or present only a minor speed bump is yet to be seen, but if history repeats itself, scandals of a sexual nature and politics usually don’t mix. If this is the end for Herman Cain’s rise to power, I’m afraid that things aren’t looking well for the Republican Party. Cain is not the only person running for the nomination, though. Mitt...
