by Hunter Patterson | Nov 2, 2010 | News Slider, Opinion
On a night during which many voters expressed disapproval for the Obama administration and the Democrats, Tennessee became one of many states from around the country to elect a Republican governor. And voters in the Volunteer State didn’t have to wait long to find out all the pre-election prognostications were correct: By 7:28 p.m. the Associated Press declared Bill Haslam the winner. Republican Haslam, mayor of Knoxville, and Democrat Mike McWherter, a Jackson businessman and the son of former Gov. Ned McWherter, sought to succeed outgoing Gov. Phil Bredesen. With nearly half of the precincts having reported, Haslam controlled about 70 percent of the vote. During his victory speech Haslam — who had spent a part of the evening chairing the Knoxville City Council, one of his mayoral duties — expressed excitement about the tasks at hand. “I am looking forward to working with Gov. Bredesen–we are starting as early as (Wednesday),” Haslam said. “It is my duty to make certain that Tennessee continues to move forward. While it’s time to celebrate the victory, we must not forget that we face some major social issues.” It also appears that Tennessee has approved a constitutional guarantee to hunt and fish. Much like what other Southern states have done — South Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas — Tennessee will now have the right to hunt and fish implanted into the state’s constitution. While it does not change the law, it prevents from hunting and fishing from being outlawed without changing the constitution. Several participants from COMMA volunteered at the News Channel 4 studios Tuesday night. The COMMA students (members of the Communication Majors and Minors Association) answered phone calls from all around the state to...
by Hunter Moss | Nov 2, 2010 | News Slider
On Monday night, COMMA (Communication Majors and Minors Association) students had their November meeting featuring Gregg Morton, President of AT&T in Tennessee. He spoke on the future of telecommunications locally in the state and nationwide. Morton agreed with common thinking, stating that personal landline telephones are diminishing in American households. “About 30 percent of Americans have cut the cord completely with traditional land-line telephones and have wireless only in their home,” Morton said. Please upgrade your browser Students raised interesting questions about how technology is converging on a various platforms. “The convergence of the three screens (computer, smart phone and television) will continue to be technologically evident,” says Morton. “Consumers will still hold preference for mobility.” The executive reiterated that AT&T provides a strong wireless and broadband service to consumers. Morton emphasized that Tennessee receives the most capital investment from AT&T than any other state in the United States. AT&T is committed to provide network availability for the entire state. He concluded his remarks, saying the future will offer emerging devices with technological advances. For example, pill bottles could notify individuals to take their medications and a dog collar might soon contain a tracking chip, making owners aware of their pet’s location. Being a South Carolina native, Morton graduated from Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science. The 31-year AT&T veteran is highly involved in the Nashville community, as he is a board member of the Nashville Symphony and chairman of Tennessee Chamber of Commerce. In his role at AT&T, Morton works closely with community leaders and state policymakers to bring the best new technology to consumers. He...
by Rachel Carden | Nov 1, 2010 | News Slider
Lipscomb student Thomas Rhett Akins, a junior communications major from Valdosta, Ga., will soon see his name printed on Jason Aldean’s new CD, “My Kind of Party.” Akins’ song, “I Ain’t Ready to Quit,” was cut for the cd and is listed as number seven right after the title song. Akins collaborated with two other writers on this song, and this is his first cut since signing with EMI Publishing in Nashville. Akins is the son of legendary country music singer Rhett Akins who continues to write music today. Check out “I Ain’t Ready to Quit” in stores and on iTunes tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 2. Please upgrade your...
by Amy Estepp | Nov 1, 2010 | News Slider
A university that has received plenty of praise for other environmentally friendly efforts finally put into effect a campus-wide recycling program last week. Students and faculty are expressing satisfaction with what they’ve seen in the first week of the expanded — and expanding — program. Click here to see a video feature on the new recycling program. “I actually recycled for the first time last night,” said Kirk Averitt, a junior music major from Decatur, Ala. “Adding this to our already LEED certified buildings will make us more sustainable.” In fact, before the recycling was put into place, there were already plenty of green initiatives, like geothermal buildings, bike racks and tray-less dining here. But students pushed hard for recycling. Before recycling was introduced, many students would take their recyclables to the drop-off located at Hillsboro High School, just a few blocks from campus. Now Lipscomb students simply must take their recyclables down the hall of their residence halls. Jackson Sprayberry, student body president and Lipscomb senior, said that because so many students made the university aware of how important recycling is to them, the administration could not ignore the need for a recycling program. Scott McDowell, vice president for student development and dean of campus life, heard that need from the students. “Jackson resurrected [the issue of recycling] with a sense of urgency,” McDowell said. “Also, I had one of my freshman students, Ellie Stimax, who brought it back to me with urgency.” After 14 months of active pursuit for recycling from the SGA, receptacles were ordered on Oct. 20 and were in place three days later. Located in every residential hall, the bins are...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Oct 29, 2010 | News Slider
After exhausting all other avenues and waiting for a year and two months for recycling to hit Lipscomb, students decided on another route. Rumor had it that students were organizing a protest aimed at raising awareness to the need for recycling on Lipscomb’s campus. In response to that, Scott McDowell, vice president for student development and dean of campus life, and Jackson Sprayberry, SGA president, worked together to expedite the implementation of a recycling program in residence halls. This program has been a topic of discussion between campus life and SGA over the past year. But the fact that students were organizing a protest showed their passion about recycling and a commitment to making a recycling initiative successful on campus. Watch below for more. Click here for another story on Lipscomb’s new recycling program. Please upgrade your...
by Hunter Patterson | Oct 28, 2010 | News Slider
On Thursday, Nov. 4th, Lipscomb University’s Career Development Center will host the 2010 Job and Internship Expo. The exposition will provide students an opportunity to network with employers representing a large selection of organizations. Opportunities from summer internships to full-time positions will be available. Interested students should sign up to attend either the 1:30 or 2:30 expo in Ezell 301. To sign up, log in at Lipscomb.experience.com, click on “Job Fair” under the calendar section on the left side of the homepage, and select and sign up for the time slot that fits your schedule best. Please upgrade your...
