by Anne Paquin | Dec 27, 2010 | News Slider
Nick Livingston knows the lifestyle of a student is far removed from the way he spent the past eight years before coming to Lipscomb. “I was in places like Iraq when I was your age,” Livingston said.”We were hungry, we ran out of food, bullets; you didn’t know if you would have anything to eat or drink the next day.” Livingston, who is at Lipscomb as a part of the Yellow Ribbon program to attract veterans, spent much of his youth at war. The program brought Livingston, now a sophomore Bible major, to Lipscomb the first year it was in effect in 2009. Veterans are able to come to school with G.I. Bill funding, but it’s not enough to cover Lipscomb costs, so the university picks up the remainder of the tuition. This year the Yellow Ribbon program participants nearly doubled in numbers, bringing more than 60 veterans and their families onto our campus. At 18, Livingston graduated from Cibola High School in Albuquerque, N.M., enlisted and left for basic training on May 30, 2001, months before the events of Sept.11 changed the world. He made a choice to sacrifice his youth because he believed in something. “I wanted to create a better world for my nieces and for my family to live in,” Livingston said. He was trained as an intelligence analyst and counter-terrorism specialist. During his eight year stint, Livingston was deployed on multiple tours, which included being in Korea for a year, Iraq for three years total and Afghanistan for eight months. “I don’t really think there are parallels (between Lipscomb and the Army), because you are coming from...
by Madalyn Chaffin | Dec 23, 2010 | News Slider
While the tree is often already packed up and the Christmas celebrating over by New Year’s here in the U.S., the festive season is just getting started in the Ukraine, according to a Lipscomb student who was born in that former Soviet republic. Christmas is not celebrated in the Ukraine, but they celebrate New Year’s in a way that seems like a mix of both holidays in the U.S., according to sophomore Nataliya Parahuz, who moved to the U.S. from the Ukraine when she was 12. While in the Ukraine, Parahuz and her family celebrated the traditional New Year’s by shooting fireworks at midnight. Every year, the Ukraine president comes on TV and gives a speech to encourage the people for a joyous New Year, just before the bells are rung 12 times, bringing cheers across the country. After the ringing of the bells, Santa comes and puts presents for the children behind the front door, according to Parahuz. The presents are opened up that night instead of having to wait until morning. When her family moved to the States, they celebrated both Christmas on Dec. 25 and Ukrainian New Year’s. “It was awesome getting double presents, but then my parents decided to stop that,” Parahuz said. “Now we get our presents on Christmas and still celebrate New Year’s the same way we did in the Ukraine, just without the...
by Tyler Lallathin | Dec 22, 2010 | News Slider
A big bowl of clam chowder. Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. Piling into the family van and going on a trip. These are just some of the holiday traditions observed by students at Lipscomb University. “We would go on a family trip in place of getting a bunch of gifts,” says Eric Dickerson, a junior law, justice and society major from Huntsville, Ala. “When we put up all the Christmas decorations my family always watches A Charlie Brown Christmas,” says Juleen Stinson, a junior human resources major from Findlay, Ohio. Ah, but then there’s the soup. Or the clam chowder, rather, for Sarah Bailey, a junior marketing major from Philadelphia, Penn. “We all get together on Christmas Eve and eat clam chowder,” Bailey said. Some families, like junior nursing major from Cincinnati, Ohio Leanne Wright, simply enjoy going together to get the “perfect” tree. “We get a real tree, and then have Christmas Day at our house,” Wright said. AnnChristine Johnson, a junior psychology major from Nashville, also enjoys the tree selecting with her family. “We always pick out our tree and decorate it together,” Johnson said. “We always set up a mini-manger scene too.” Emily Nowers can’t think of Christmas without visions of a banjo playing in her head. No it’s not “Deliverance.” It’s the holiday spirit and a family tradition. “My family gathers around in my grandparents’ living room, and my uncles start playing their guitar and banjo,” said Nowers, a junior elementary education major from Nashville. “We all start singing along to Christmas carols, but we also sing some Johnny Cash songs and other favorites. It is a lot...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Dec 21, 2010 | News Slider
She’s a transfer from Belmont who is passionate about her faith and music. We got a chance to sit down one on one with Lindsey Latimer, a student here pursuing a career in the music industry. Watch below for the exclusive interview and a short performance by Lindsay Latimer. Please upgrade your browser Latimer’s music is available for download on iTunes. Go show her some...
by Blake Harper | Dec 20, 2010 | News Slider
At the City of Children, an orphanage in Ensanada, Mexico, Christmas is celebrated pretty much like it is in the United States, according to a Lipscomb student whose parents run the home. Andres Gonzalez, whose parents are directors of the home that takes in abused and neglected children, said that the holiday there is all about love, celebration and the giving of gifts. “I have such great memories of it growing up,” Gonzalez said. “Everyone is like one big family, so that just makes everything all the more special.” He said that on Christmas Eve, each age group has a big party in its individual dormitory, with music, decorations and a big meal including the kids’ favorite foods. On Christmas morning the children file into a big auditorium where they are called up, one-by-one, to receive the gifts given by their sponsors. The children cheer for each other as their names are called and start chants expressing their excitement. He said it is one big party celebrating and letting the children know that God loves them and that they have a family that loves...
by Hunter Moss | Dec 17, 2010 | News Slider
Natural or artificial? This arboreal debate is the big one of the season for families across the United States as they begin their decorating. Parents struggle with this decision. Perhaps by reading this, you might be able to participate in coming up with the answer. Artificial trees have become increasingly popular. According to WiseGeek.com, artificial Christmas trees are cleaner, safer and reusable with a variety of styles. Fake trees don’t lose their needles, so no sweeping every night before bed. Most artificial trees are made with a flame resistant layer. Most importantly, dad can just pull the tree from the the attic, instead of buying a new one as the season begins. Artificial trees come in all forms – large, small and all colors of the rainbow. A major disadvantage of an artificial tree might not surprise you. Prices can be fairly expensive. Wal-Mart’s low price is $18, but the cost can quickly skyrocket to $399. If a “fake” tree is not right for your family, you might want to consider a real old-fashioned Christmas tree. A major advantage is the affordability. Prices range from $20-$50 depending on the height of the tree. Though you have to buy a new tree each year, the adventure of walking through rows of pines and firs, smelling the aromas of the outdoors while sipping hot cider or cocoa and spending time with family and loved ones is a tradition some families look forward to with anticipation. At season’s end, the tree can be recycled and be returned to the environment. For example, many of Nashville’s discarded holiday trees end up as mulch on the many trails at Radnor Lake State...
