Gospel Music’s return to the mainstream
Gospel Music’s return to the mainstream
Lipscomb Softball rebuilds team bond
Lipscomb Softball rebuilds team bond
Graduate Spotlight: Trey Phillips reflects on four years of ‘breaking out of my shell’
Graduate Spotlight: Trey Phillips reflects on four years of ‘breaking out of my shell’
Therapy dogs boost spirits amidst finals
Therapy dogs boost spirits amidst finals
The impact of on-campus jobs
The impact of on-campus jobs
Lipscomb’s LIFE Program: what is it?
Lipscomb’s LIFE Program: what is it?
Lipscomb focuses on student services, safety during final days of winter storm, in-person classes set to resume Monday
As multiple rounds of winter storms hit the Nashville area this week, Lipscomb extended remote learning through Friday. However, rising temperatures and clear skies allowed the university to announce a return to in-person classes starting Monday. “I want to encourage you to hang in there as we continue to wait out this winter storm,” said Vice President of Student Life Al Sturgeon in an email to students earlier this week. “There are multiple frontline heroes here for you, including security officers, residence life staff, food services staff and service operations workers that are all here to make sure you are safe, warm and fed.” As snow and ice fell, Lipscomb dining services shut down everything except Bison Café and Starbucks. Both places have expanded operation hours to serve the resulting increased need. The COVID pandemic added another set of challenges to the icy, snowy, cold week. As students crowded indoors to keep warm, Sturgeon reminded them to take virus precautions in terms of social distancing, especially: “Please do your best to spread out as best you can to prevent a dramatic increase in virus transmission after the winter storm that would threaten our ability to function as a residential community.” To overcome the concerns of treacherous travel to doctors’s offices and other facilities, Lipscomb increased medical staff on campus. This includes the 24-hour availability of medical assessments and treatments. “Being able to offer these enhanced medical services during this time of inclement weather will allow our students to receive increased care and medical assessments on campus rather than requiring transport to a local medical facility,” read a university email....
How Lipscomb is creating an all-day event for its donors and students
“One Goal. One Day. One Herd.” This tagline sums up the main idea of Lipscomb’s third ever Day of Giving. On Feb. 25 all members of the Lipscomb community will have the opportunity to come together and raise money for the school in an all-day event. “We have 20 colleges, schools, and departments participating, each with their own matching–challenge gift,” said Rebecca Bennie, assistant director of Annual Giving and member of the Day of Giving team. There is hope that many will take part. “If we have 2,710 donors…we will unlock a $75,000 gift to the university,” said Bennie. In this case, each donor would represent each undergraduate student. The Day of Giving team will be set up in the student center with snacks and balloons during the day monitoring the donations and celebrating when goals are achieved. If you want to stay up to date throughout the day you can watch the continuous live stream. It will be put on by the School of Communication & Journalism, starting at 8:30 a.m. and running until midnight. To watch the live stream or to find out more information about Lipscomb’s Day of Giving, you can go to lipscomb.edu/dayofgiving. “The president will have a special announcement on the live stream at 7:30 p.m. CST,” Bennie said. Since the first two previous events raised over $1.3 million, there is optimism for this year as well. One of the primary areas of focus is the Lipscomb Opportunity Scholarship Fund (LOSF). “The LOSF was created in response to COVID-19 to make sure prospective students who suffered a financial setback do not forgo a Lipscomb education...
Lipscomb alum, former Nashville sheriff, Hank Hillin dies at 90
On Feb. 10 Hank Hillin passed away at 90 years old. Hillin was a Lipscomb graduate and player on the basketball team who went on to accomplish much. After graduating, Hillin taught and coached at Hillsboro High School, served in the U.S. Army, worked with the FBI, and acted as Sheriff of Davidson County between 1990-1994. The current sheriff of Davidson County announced Hillin’s death on Twitter. https://twitter.com/DaronHall7/status/1361011160468893698 According to The Tennessean’s obituary page for Hillin, “Memorials may be made to Katie Batey Hillin-Theordore David Hillin Memorial Trust Fund c/o Lipscomb University.” Hillin had a great legacy at Lipscomb and a huge impact on the Nashville community. On his guest book page, a friend left a comment about Hillin’s impact. The comment said, “I was very fond of Sheriff Hillin. He was always honest and forthright with me. His family should be proud of his legacy.” Image courtesy of The...
Winter storm moves classes to remote format for entire week
A blanket of ice covered Nashville’s streets and sidewalks Sunday, pushing in-person classes to at least Wednesday, according to the university. In-person learning had been set to resume Tuesday, but the worsening weather conditions changed the plan. The university, in an email, said that this really wasn’t a major setback thanks to all the work that’s been put into remote learning during the pandemic. “Over the last 11 months, remote teaching and learning opportunities have proven to be effective and productive at times when in-person classes are not possible,” reads the university email to students. “We are fortunate to have the experience and technology in place to enable learning to continue during these unforeseen circumstances.” The National Weather Service has placed Nashville/Davidson County and several surrounding counties under a winter storm warning through 6 a.m. Tuesday. The NWS warns of “major to extreme impacts.” Nashville Electric Service reported it is preparing for power outages and is encouraging people to prepare. This includes charging electronics and gathering flashlights with batteries, food and water. More snow and ice are expected overnight Monday, as freezing temperatures are expected to lock-in current conditions. The following campus amenities and nearby businesses are closed as of Monday: Lipscomb Units: Lipscomb Dining Units (excluding Bison Café, Starbucks and Bisons on the Go) Beaman Library Group Fitness Classes at the Student Activity Center Lipscomb Campus Store Local Businesses: The Well (all Nashville Locations) Kroger and Publix (Nashville locations closing early Monday, expected to reopen Tuesday) Baja Burrito Frothy Monkey Hattie B’s Hot Chicken Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint The Mall at Green Hills Chick-fil-a Melrose/Music City Trader Joe’s (Green Hills and White...
Gallery: Snow blankets campus and moves classes fully online on Monday
As the winter storm moves across the country, Nashville began to feel its effects. Saturday night’s cold temperatures caused roads to freeze and made travel difficult, but when the sleet and snow began Sunday, roads began to close, and Nashvillians were encouraged to stay home. The university made the decision to move all classes online for Monday and decisions about subsequent days are pending. Students got out to enjoy the snow with sledding and snow ball fights, while maintenance crews tried to clean the sidewalks and keep campus...
Women’s basketball pounds Panthers in front of next generation
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team dominated Division III LaGrange by a 77-45 scoreline Wednesday morning at Allen Arena. The game welcomed lower school students between kindergarten and 2nd grade from Lipscomb Academy, who took a field trip down Granny White Pike to watch the Bisons play. “That was fun,” assistant coach Chris Sumski said. “It meant a lot. Even [head coach] Lauren [Sumski] got a little bit emotional at the beginning of the game with the kids cheering. Our kids really enjoyed that, we’re really thankful to them today.” With hundreds of Academy students cheering them on, the Bisons left no room for doubt about the result. Lipscomb scored the first ten points, 5 of which came from junior forward Maddie Cook, and they never looked back. Cook, a Belmont transfer led the team in scoring for the second straight game, finishing with 13 on 6-8 shooting from the floor. A combination of balanced offense and stifling defense led the Bisons to full control on the scoreboard and on the court, giving them a 19-4 advantage after one period. The second quarter continued in the same vein, leading the home side to a 41-15 advantage at the midway point. Lipscomb owned the paint over the course of the half, outscoring LaGrange 26-2 and racking up 5 blocks. Senior center Dorie Harrison was responsible for 3 of those blocks and ended with 4. She added 13 points and 4 rebounds to that tally. “Our plan is to play our best basketball every time we step on the court,” Harrison said. “We were just having fun. Everybody was hyping each other...
Men’s basketball continues slide, loses to mid-major mammoth Mocs
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team lost 85-64 to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs Sunday afternoon at Allen Arena in Nashville. Lipscomb loses for the second straight time and drops to 5-4 with the loss, while Chattanooga improves to 7-1. Despite the loss, redshirt freshman forward Jacob Ognacevic continued to pour in points, producing a 23-point outing against the Mocs. Ognacevic, of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, made nine baskets from the floor on the evening and was just one of two players in double figures for Lipscomb. Sophomore guard Greg Jones was the other Bison to finish with over 10 points, racking up 12 on just two field goals. The game started poorly for the home team and only got worse, as Chattanooga dominated early and late on, finding a way to sneak by in the start of the second half as Lipscomb began to make a run. The Bisons cut a 36-16 halftime deficit to a 4-point game just five minutes into the second half, but they were unable to hold on as they were once again torched at the 3-point line. After giving up 94 points to Belmont and allowing 41 3-point attempts, they allowed 12-25 shooting from behind the arc this afternoon. On the other side of the ball, a 38.8% mark from the field is Lipscomb’s worst shooting percentage this season. The Mocs defense rose to the challenge Lipscomb provided and kept the Bisons away from the basket in their home gym. Lipscomb did earn 29 trips to the free throw line, converting on 22 of them. Head coach Lennie Acuff and his Bisons are still...
Women’s basketball beaten by Blue Raiders
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team lost to the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders 84-59 Sunday afternoon at Allen Arena in Nashville. The loss is Lipscomb’s first since February 2020 and breaks a 12-game winning streak at home for the Bisons. A dominant third quarter was the difference-maker for the hot-shooting perennial power, as MTSU earned their second win of the weekend after a double-digit margin of victory versus Mercer Friday night. The Bisons stuck with now 7-1 MTSU in the first half, making multiple late-quarter runs to keep things close after periods 1 and 2. The halftime lead for the Blue Raiders was just 32-27 in a game that the Bisons never led, but kept within a possession multiple times in the first half of play. In the second half, a energy-sapping full-court press from MTSU’s stingy defense took its toll on the Bisons, who would end up committing 26 turnovers in a game where countless passes were intercepted, especially in the backcourt. On the other end of the floor, Lipscomb had no answer for MTSU’s behind-the-arc shooting clinic, as the Blue Raiders rattled in 16 three-pointers. In the second half especially, MTSU’s strong shooting pushed them past a resilient Bisons side, giving them a 10-0 run to start the third quarter. The away side, which brought a sizable contingent of away fans from 45 minutes south in Murfreesboro, got hot again at the end of the period with an 11-0 run to end the 3rd, outscoring Lipscomb 29-12 in that game-securing frame. Leading the way for Lipscomb was a coalition of scorers; four players ended in double figures...
Men’s basketball humiliated by rival Belmont
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team lost 94-65 in a drubbing by archrivals Belmont Thursday night at the Curb Event Center in Nashville. In perhaps the team’s worst display all season, the Bisons were run off the court by the Bruins and beaten on both sides of the court in front of 3,800 fans. The Bisons sorely missed the presence of 4th-year center Ahsan Asadullah; the Atlanta-born post player suffered an injury in November at Tennessee Tech and did not appear for the second straight game. Third-year head coach Lennie Acuff played true freshman forward Grant Osman, hailing from Kimberly, Wisconsin, in his first game of the season. In so doing, Acuff voided Osman’s eligibility for a redshirt season, leading to rumors that Asadullah could be out of action on a longer-term basis than was initially expected. Currently, there is no official timetable for Asadullah’s return. Offensively, two bright spots were Valparaiso transfer Jacob Ognacevic and graduate forward Parker Hazen. Ognacevic, a Sheboygan, Wisconsin-born power forward, put in 32 minutes and scored 20 points on 6-11 shooting, also leading the team in rebounds with 8. Hazen added 15 points and 4 rebounds, going 3 of 4 from the free throw line. In an abysmal defensive showing, the Bisons allowed 41 three-point attempts by Belmont, who converted on 17 of them for 51 points from behind the arc. All told, Belmont shot the ball 25 more times than Lipscomb, and they scored at an effective 49% rate. Leading the way for the home team was JaCobi Wood, who scored 17 on the night. Ben Sheppard, Nick Muszynksi, and Luke Smith each...
Women’s basketball falls just short in Battle of the Boulevard
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team lost a heartbreaking 67-62 decision to the Belmont Bruins in the Battle of the Boulevard Thursday evening at Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee. With the loss, Lipscomb drops to 2-4, with all four of their losses coming away from home. This occasion was a much closer battle than the Bisons’ previous three losses, coming after Lipscomb led 30-23 at halftime. “We’ve had some games where I think we’ve done a little bit of overthinking and a little bit of doubting,” third-year head coach Lauren Sumski said. “We worked really hard to execute our game plan and this is the first time I’ve looked and and thought this was our team,” Sumski said. The Bisons played with a level of intensity and efficiency that hadn’t been seen much before today’s high-pressure environment at Belmont. The Bruins came in as one of the most highly-touted mid-major programs in the country coming off the back of a NCAA Tournament 2nd Round appearance last year. Despite their prowess and home court advantage, though, the Bruins were second best in the first half. Despite 16 points from sophomore guard Tuti Jones, Belmont struggled to make shots, and a balanced Lipscomb attack gave them issues. Down the stretch, though, it was foul trouble that would hamper the Bisons’ chances at the away win. Lipscomb took a 49-48 lead into the fourth quarter, but with four players at four fouls apiece, including three forwards, the Bisons were ill-equipped to deal with Belmont down low. The Bruins went on a 6-0 run midway through the final frame to take a 58-54...
Gallery: Move-in day at Lipscomb
Lipscomb’s campus was busy yesterday as advanced sessions took place, new students moved in and preparations were made for the new school year around campus. Greek life and quest team members were around campus helping the freshman and transfers as they prepared their rooms for a new school year. Each dorm hall had snacks, drinks, photobooths or games, to create a welcoming environment for the new residents. The week only looks to get busier around campus so check back each day for more photos and information on the happenings throughout quest week. ...
CMA Fest on ABC, Television Special
Tune into ABC channel 2 for CMA Fest, “the music event of the summer” hosted by Lipscomb Alums, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini as well as radio host Bobby Bones. Tonight’s television special is sharing performances from the festival artist on the main stage; Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Old Dominion and many others. Make sure you tuned in, and if you’ve missed it, check out our other festival coverage here. Co-managing editor, Erika Plunkett has photos from the festival here. Rain Falls, but CMA Fest still shines with Lipscomb Alums Ballerini and Rhett hosting Nissan stage. Gallery: CMA Fest 2019 daytime festivities overview & The Brady Bunch ...
Lipscomb’s Bison Block Party lights up the night for 15th time
Lipscomb closed out the Summer Celebration conference with the music and fireworks of the 15th annual Bison Block Party. Summer Celebration, previously known as the “Lipscomb Lectures,” is when Lipscomb opens the campus for guest speakers and hundreds of visitors from the community. The celebration started over 90 years ago and is one of Lipscomb’s oldest traditions. Each year since about 2003 Lipscomb has celebrated Independence Day by hosting the free, grand finale Bison Block Party in the Allen Arena Mall. This year’s big finale was June 28. The block party kicks off the Independence Week celebrations by offering the community an evening of food vendors, live music and fun. Lipscomb alumni bands Arcadian Wild, Dave’s Highway, and S. Grant Parker performed as did the Faculty Brass Quintet with Ben Blasko. The full evening was hosted by retired long-time WSMV-TV sports anchor and Christian inspirational speaker Rudy Kalis. The night ended with a free fireworks show set to music from the Faculty Brass Quintet. Check out the following photo gallery from Mckenzi Harris and video from Kathryn Farris. ...
Rain falls, but CMA Fest still shines with Lipscomb alums Ballerini and Rhett hosting Nissan stage
Lipscomb alums Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini were the hosts for CMA Fest’s biggest stage: Nissan Stadium, where country music’s biggest stars performed to four nights to fans from all over the world. Their hosting chores will be showcased again when the highlights of the performances on CMA’s biggest stage will be broadcast by ABC later this summer. While Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley and Brantley Gilbert loaded on the star power, it was rapper Lil Nas X who captured the stage and perhaps the festival itself when he and Billy Ray Cyrus teamed up for their “Old Town Road,” the surprise hit that has topped the charts for more than two months. Lending his able hands to the duo was Keith Urban. Other special guests included rock legend Joan Jett, HARDY, Midland and many others. This was “CMA Fest’s 48th year of connecting fans with Country Music artists” according to the website. The festival fell on a temperamental weekend for weather, and caused delays in both the daytime and nightly shows. Despite the rain coming down multiple evenings. CMA Fest 2019 sold out four straight nightly shows and met capacity crowds throughout the weekend. “Attendees were more engaged than ever before with users of The Official CMA Fest App up 15 percent year-over-year, spending an average of 15 minutes per session during the four days of the festival and scheduling nearly 700,000 events,” according to the CMA. This year’s three-hour primetime television special will air at 7 p.m. August 4 on ABC, Channel 2 in Nashville. In addition to Rhett and Ballerini, that broadcast will include Bobby Bones, host...
CMA Fest 2019 daytime festivities overview & The Brady Bunch
Nashville has been packed all weekend with fans from all over the world attending the city’s biggest music event of the year: CMA Fest. Our editor-in-chief, Mckenzi Harris, and co-managing editor, Erika Plunkett, were there all weekend to cover the events of the festival. This weekend was full of rain, yet the fans showed out every day. Due to the rain, several of the daytime stages were delayed on and off throughout the daytime hours. The Chevy Riverfront stage is the largest daytime stage of the festival and was packed for each performance. The Riverfront stage featured mainly big names: Hunter Hayes, LOCASH, Ashley McBryde and many others. Between the rain delays of the afternoons, the fans indulged themselves in the food trucks as well as checked out the booths in Fan Fair X. The CMA Festival is not all outdoors. There are indoor stages such as the Nashville Acoustic Corner, Close Up Stage, Radio Disney Stage and the HGTV Lodge. The Lodge had a very special theme this year as HGTV used this venue to promote their upcoming series A Very Brady Renovation. Joining the host Susanne Alexander were Susan Olson, Maureen McCormick, and Barry Williams, who played Cindy, Marcia, and Gregg Brady in the 1970s sitcom. The Brady Bunch cast is a part of new series that brought to life the Bradys’ home with the help of many of HGTV’s talents. The interior of the home — which formerly served as the exterior of the television home of the Brady family –has now been completely reconstructed to match the interior shown on the show’s Hollywood soundstage set....
COVID halts 57th annual Singarama, but participants discuss informal staging and the relationships they established
The COVID-19 pandemic proved fatal for one of Lipscomb’s storied spring traditions: Singarama. It would have been the 57th edition of the show — which was scheduled for April 2-2 — for which students and their clubs work hard to stage. The fact that all that work — preparations, rehearsals, etc. — had been put in and the show was folded before its premiere troubled many students. “Hearing that Singarama was canceled was the thing that was probably hardest for me to process, just because that’s what I was most looking forward to for senior year,” said Hannah Jones, who was choreographer for “Short Sighted,” one of the three performances, all set around the theme of “20/20 vision.” The other two were titled “The Eye of The Hurricane” and “A Fresh Pair of Eyes.” Although the shows could not be performed, they were staged together for one night only, so all involved got the opportunity to see what they had been working toward. That staging in Collins came the Thursday before spring break, which also turned out — because of the virus — to be the final day of on-campus classes. “Singarama is really about community,” said senior Ally Whiting, assistant director of “Short Sighted. “It’s worth it for the community no matter what happens. “The reason I continue to be a part of the creative team is just getting to build relationships with people, because you definitely get to know people that you would not have known otherwise,” she said, adding that the one-night staging was both “goofy” and “fun.” She said the relationships made during Singarama “are...
Music gets muffled by COVID-19 pandemic; Festivals, clubs and even Rolling Stones silenced
COVID-19 has pretty much eliminated the month of June for music festival goers in Middle Tennessee and around the country. And the rest of the summer is in question as well. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, the massive four-day celebration of all forms of music and entertainment had been scheduled to take place June 11-14 down at The Farm in Manchester. But this year, because of the pandemic, the festival was moved to September 24-27, in hopes the virus will have run its course by then. Tickets for the festival, which generally reaches near-sellout (80,000 or so proportions), will be honored for September’s new date. “Please continue to radiate positivity through this uncharted time in our world. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you on The Farm (the pastureland where the annual festivities are held) this fall,” reads a message posted on the festival’s web site. Even more disastrous to Nashville economy and for fans of country music is the news that the annual CMA Fest was canceled completely for this summer, ending a 48-year run. “As the world is still greatly affected by the spread of COVID-19, we cannot in good conscience risk the health and well-being of our fans, artists, staff and country music community,” is the statement from the Country Music Association. More than 40,000 fans annually attend each of the four nights’ “big concerts” in Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. But there are many other fans who come to the city and fill up hotel rooms and honky-tonks for affiliated activities —...
Lipscomb CEA announces partnership with Kingdom Story Company at special premiere of I Still Believe
Just before business shutdowns, social distancing guidelines and quarantine mandates began, the Lipscomb College of Entertainment and the Arts community had the opportunity to celebrate the release of the new Christian movie, I Still Believe, with their newly announced partner: Kingdom Story Company. Taking place at the AMC Thoroughbred 20 theater in Franklin, the evening began with guests walking down the red carpet. Jeremy Camp, the real-life inspiration for this story of faith and love, posed with fans for photos alongside his family. The film was shown in Theater 6 which was reserved solely for Lipscomb students and staff. The movie “commercials” included a display of Lipscomb CEA student talent in the form of short films, promotional videos and music videos. Just before the opening credits, Lipscomb’s administration took the stage to announce the partnership between the production company and the CEA. Then, Jon and Andy Erwin and Jeremy Camp took the stage to share more about the film and the process of making it. Many students were on the edge of their seats listening to what these passionate artists had to say. The producers shared their stories of humble beginnings and how blessed they felt for the success they had achieved in the industry. The wisdom which they imparted on all the young, hopeful filmmakers in the room was, “Dream big. Dream bold. Dream impossible.” “I feel like God has anointed this film,” Jeremy Camp said. “There are thousands of stories and the fact that they chose my story is a huge honor.” The film was a heart-warming story of both love and faith that stands strong in...
Henna Night leaves a mark on students experiencing new cultures
As a part of the annual WOW (Welcome to Our World) Week, students organized Henna Night to bring the unique ceremonies and cuisines of Arab, Indian and Middle Eastern cultures to campus. “I want people to know that it’s [henna is] so much more than just decoration,” said Kiana Rafiei, a student organizer for Lipscomb’s Office of Intercultural Development. “Yes, it’s beautiful, but there’s a meaning behind why my culture does this.” During the event, students hired a local henna artist to give interested students the chance to experience the tradition. Henna is a natural flowering plant that is ground into a thick paste and then piped directly on the skin. The wet paste is left on for 15 to 20 minutes until it dries and can be removed, leaving behind a light red or brown tattoo. This temporary body art can last anywhere from a few days to two weeks depending on how dark the stain is. In recent years, henna has evolved into Western fair entertainment and the design, called mehndi, is often mimicked in permanent tattoos. But, as Rafiei noted, the application of henna itself is a deeply rooted art form across many cultures. “I’m Persian, but we do henna as decoration during Eid, the Islamic New Year, as well,” Rafiei said. “It means good luck and prosperity so it’s really important that we apply it with our family. It’s also applied as a pre-wedding tradition in some countries. Usually, the night before a wedding, the bride is given really detailed henna as a symbol of her devotion.” The swirls and swoops of a henna design...