by Anna Sawyer | Oct 2, 2020 | News, News Slider
The fall semester here at Lipscomb has been a unique transition for everyone. This change has been a new experience for both students and professors in which many classes have been constructed to accommodate for those learning remotely. Due to the pandemic, a virtual approach has been shown to become the norm within education; Lipscomb has been working especially hard to regulate safety guidelines both on and off-campus. It has already been a month since Lipscomb has returned to campus, and this year has proven to be a new experience for everyone. Lipscomb is running on the “Lipscomb Flex” model for hybrid learning. With the student life team actively working on creating events for this year’s student experience, many events have been open to students on campus and remote. “It’s kind of hard to get involved because a lot of the stuff is on campus,” said Brianna Benkley, a Lipscomb freshman commercial music major who is currently remote in Massachusetts. With many on-campus events, it is difficult for students like Brianna to get involved, but there have been many opportunities for remote students to still participate. For Freshmen Orientation, the Lipscomb QuestWeek team provided freshmen with fun and entertaining videos and zoom meetings that allowed students to still have a warm welcome to the semester. “I still feel like part of the community even though I’m far away.” With The Gathering and Breakout Chapels moving to virtual and small group options, Lipscomb continues to encourage the positive spiritual formation of its students. Breakout Chapels have still allowed remote students to interact with other students through Zoom meetings. There have...
by Schyler Jones | Sep 27, 2020 | News Slider, Politics
Many of us feel the weight of the upcoming election, and hopefully each of us will go out and exercise our right to vote. Many people, though, may not know where to start or how the voting process works. With a pandemic as yet another obstacle, it’s important to plan now for your vote. If you’re not yet registered to vote, most states allow you to register online with your social security number and driver’s license. The voter registration card will be mailed to you within 30 days. You must be registered to vote within 30 days of an election, so this would need to be done by October 5. Each state’s laws are different, but the ways you can get your vote counted are through mail-in voting, early in-person voting, or voting on election day. Voting by mail (also known as “absentee voting”) is an extra popular option this year amid COVID-19 concerns. In Tennessee, residents can vote by mail if they have an excuse. Some accepted excuses include being a full-time student outside of your county, being the caretaker of an ill person, or having an underlying medical condition. COVID-19 concerns do not fall under acceptable excuses in the state of Tennessee. To vote by mail, you must submit the request to your local county election commission office. Tennesseans must make that request by October 27 and return the ballot by November 3 at 8pm. The ballots can be returned by mail, or in some cases delivered in-person. Some people have claimed that voting by mail is unsafe and could lead to fraud, but many senior intelligence officials explain...
by Nick Ingold | Sep 26, 2020 | Galleries, News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Academy Mustangs took the field Friday night against the Franklin Road Academy Panthers in what was only the third game of the year for the Panthers. Overall, the Mustangs defeated the Panthers in a 61-0 win. Coach Dilfer was very proud of his team for the win and how they’ve dealt with this unusual season. “I’m proud of them, I’m proud of their week of preparation, I’m proud of how they are handling the chaos in the world around them, and I’m proud of them buying in, every single day, to getting better.” The Mustangs came charging out of the gate with an emphasis on the run game and a touchdown on the first drive from Quarterback Luther Richesson. A forced fumble from Senior Zach Larkin lead to great field position and allowed Lipscomb to run in their second touchdown of the night for the early 13-0 lead. The Panthers seemed rattled after the first two drives and running back Jeffery Vercher was forced to take some time off the field with what appeared to be a tweaked ankle. With Vercher off the field, FRA opened up the passing game which resulted in an interception return for a touchdown by Safety Jaden Lyles of Lipscomb Academy. Despite Vercher returning, Lipscomb Academy continued to find the end zone. The Mustang defense wreaked havoc and provided great field position throughout the first half. Linebackers Eli Miller and Braeden Ford each forced a fumble and Running Back Alex Broome ran the ball for 3 touchdowns by the end of the second quarter, resulting in a 54-0 half-time lead for Lipscomb...
by Taylor McKnight | Sep 24, 2020 | COVID-19, News Slider
Lipscomb University is promoting ways to stay safe, not only during this pandemic but with flu season approaching as well. Lipscomb is hosting the Bison Flu Fest, which will give all students the opportunity to get a flu shot right on campus. In efforts to keep the campus open, and all students safe, Lipscomb is making this a FREE event, and students do not need insurance in order to participate. The Bison Flu Fest has been coordinated by Lipscomb’s chapter of American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists and Lipscomb University Health Services. This will be a two-day clinic at the Allen Arena concourse. Starting Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24, from 9 a.m.-5 pm. There will also be an additional date for Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. It will be a drive-through flu shot clinic right in front of Allen Arena where Lipscomb Pharmacy students will be administering the shots. ...
by Kathryn Farris | Sep 23, 2020 | News, News Slider
So far, this year has consisted of a local tornado, wildfires burning up the west coast and the southeast facing an unprecedented number of hurricanes. However, extreme weather events like these are not predicted to disappear when the clock strikes midnight this new year’s, they just might be becoming the new normal. “Climate change is happening; we are seeing the effects now, and we can anticipate that the effects will continue into the future and likely become more severe,” said Emily Jones, Director of the Institute of Sustainable Practice at Lipscomb. Jones said, “What we know is that the Earth’s atmosphere moderates and plays a huge role in climate and that the earth does go through cycles of warmer and cooler periods based on a host of different factors,” “Carbon dioxide, methane and a handful of other manmade or human released substances in the atmosphere contribute to warming.” According to NASA, the planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century. “This doesn’t mean that warming is equally spread out across the globe,” says Jones “Sometimes that means some places are wetter than usual or drier than they were historically… the phrase climate change is more broad than global warming because global warming is talking about one change to climate and climate change encompasses other changes like changes in weather patterns.” These changes in weather patterns are demonstrated by what’s been occurring this year. On the west coast, higher temperatures have dried out vegetation, creating the perfect breeding ground for massive wildfires and making them harder to contain. “With regard to hurricanes,...
by Kathryn Farris | Sep 12, 2020 | News, News Slider
In recent months, the United States Postal Service has found itself becoming deeply politicized ahead of November’s election. Amid a global pandemic, the USPS is critical in order to handle the expected record number of mail-in ballots. Last month, United States President Donald Trump expressed opposition to funding an additional $25 billion in aid to the postal service, citing fears over fraud from mail-in voting. Despite Washington battles, the bipartisan agency is still held in high regard with the public (a Pew Research survey in April found that 91% of Americans have a favorable view of the Postal Service). The USPS’s critical role takes shape in communities across the country, including here on Lipscomb’s campus. “The post office is a vital part to keeping us connected,” said Ronnie Farris, postmaster at the Lipscomb post office. Farris has been involved with the Lipscomb office for nearly 40 years, starting first as a student worker and evolving over time just as the postal service has. “You know, it’s just, it’s changed so much…I always have been asking this question, ‘what’s next?’ What is the next thing we need to be doing that we need to be aware of to serve our community?” These changes took shape this spring when coronavirus concerns shut down the campus. “We never closed. We were here…we still had packages coming in, we still have mail going out there, all these other functions were still happening.” Similar to other campus institutions, the postal office adapted by installing plexiglass to pick up windows, enacting mandatory temperature checks for employees, and using a whole bunch of hand sanitizer. “What we’re trying to do...
