The future is now for Casey Alexander and his new Bisons basketball squad

The past couple of seasons in Lipscomb basketball can be summed up in one word: change. In the past two years, the university has seen two coaching changes in two of its biggest sports programs. In 2012, former Lady Bisons basketball coach Frank Bennett transitioned into a role as an associate athletic director for the school, and former University of Central Florida assistant Greg Brown took on the role as head coach for the team. In April, longtime Bisons basketball coach Scott Sanderson resigned, and, in May, former Belmont assistant and Stetson coach Casey Alexander returned to Nashville to become the next coach of the Bisons. Alexander may be new to don the purple and gold, but he’s no stranger to town, having been a standout player and coach for the Bruins during his time with Rick Byrd’s legendary program (the two will meet again in tonight’s first installment of this year’s Battle of the Boulevard series). After leaving Belmont, he spent two seasons as the head coach for the Stetson Hatters before making the move to the other side of the boulevard as Lipscomb’s new coach. After spending the summer and fall semester getting acquainted with the team, Alexander is getting ready to begin his era of Bisons basketball. Alexander says that the transition into his new role at Lipscomb, on both a personal and professional level, was as smooth as it could be. “It’s been very easy,” Alexander said. “It’s a place that I was so familiar with and knew a lot about, and knew that it was the kind of place that I wanted to be,...
Lipscomb’s executive chef tops Belmont counterpart in “Battle of the Chefs”

Lipscomb’s executive chef tops Belmont counterpart in “Battle of the Chefs”

While the first Battle of the Boulevard has yet to tip off, one battle has already been won.  For the first time in a while, Lipscomb and Belmont’s chef clashed in the Battle of the Chefs on Thursday in the Bison Cafe. Lipscomb’s Executive Chef Anthony Bates won the competition, defeating Belmont’s executive chef William Finnegan by a slim margin. The event was held the day before the Bisons and the Bruins play in Allen Arena in the first Battle of the Boulevard this season. James Perry, Sodexo’s District Marketing Manager, said that the event is more of a friendly contest. “It’s meant to [be] a friendly competition between the chefs,” Perry said. “It’s meant to educate people that these are professional chefs.” Perry said that “Battle of the Chefs” is a normal thing for Sodexo accounts, which both Lipscomb and Belmont are. “Belmont and Lipscomb, both Sodexo accounts, have been doing this for years; we just brought it back,” Perry said.               Photo credit: Whitney...

Lipscomb president Randy Lowry speaks of past, present and future at ‘Now That You Ask…’ conversation

Lipscomb president Randy Lowry sat down with Tom Ingram for the newest installment of the “Now That You Ask…” series Tuesday night, shedding light on his time as president of the university.  President Lowry is the 17th president of the school. He has been the president for the past seven years, and in his tenure, student enrollment has increased by 82%. Before coming to Lipscomb, Lowry had only visited once before. “I had heard of it, but I really didn’t know much about it,” Lowry said. Since Lowry became the president at Lipscomb, there have been many changes to the way things are done. Lowry was asked how he has succeeded in making so many changes to the institution. “Well, enrollment had been down for several years, the budget had been adjusted for each of those years, and what I think we found was a community that was really hungry for a new future, a new level of engagement, a sense of success,” Lowry said. “So, a little bit of hunger gives you the opportunity as a leader to move things fairly quickly.” Lowry went on to talk about some of the changes he is the most proud of and what else there is to do at Lipscomb. “I’m proud of our engagement with the community. When I arrived it seemed to me we were a little comfortable in Green Hills and a little removed from whatever was going on in the life of the city,” Lowry said. “People encouraged me to engage, and the city has been so responsive to us.” Lowry said that while he believes that...

Bison Week looks to unite student body before Friday’s Battle of the Boulevard

Bison Week is once again upon us, leading us up to the biggest game of the season: the Battle of the Boulevard. “Bison week is an opportunity for students to build up the excitement for one of Lipscomb’s most epic events: Battle of the Boulevard,” said Stampede president TJ Ojehomon. Here’s a look at what you can look forward to this week. Monday: The HoopapaLUza pep rally will take place in Allen Arena at 9 p.m. The event will feature the Lipscomb Bisons basketball team and many prizes will be given out. The pep rally is also important for students because it’s where you can get your tickets to Friday’s Lipscomb vs. Belmont game. Tuesday: Movie night will start at 7 p.m. in Zebi’s lounge. They will be showing V for Vendetta, since it’s conveniently November the 5th. Wednesday:  Wednesday Night We Eat will start in High Rise at 10 p.m. This week’s event will feature music from DJ Cottrill and also a push cart derby that starts at 11 p.m. Barbeque pork sandwiches will be served. Thursday: The annual Running of the Bison will start in Bison Square at 9 p.m. It’s a Lipscomb tradition that goes back many years to lead up to the final event. Friday: The Battle of the Boulevard will tip-off in Allen Arena at 6 p.m. Don’t forget to get your student ticket Monday night at HoopapaLUza. “Like any athlete will tell you, before you play any game, you’ve got to warm-up. You’ve got to practice. You’ve got to get prepared,” said Ojehomon. “That’s what Bison Week is. It’s the warm-up to cheer...

Highly anticipated events return to campus

As October comes to an end, Halloween isn’t the only thing on the mind of Lipscomb students. Many highly anticipated events are returning this fall and promise to bring even more fun and excitement. Paint the Herd returned Friday, Oct. 25, in it’s fourth year under the sponsorship of the Lipscomb Student Government Association. Student Activities Director Louis Nelms said Paint the Herd started his junior year in 2010 at Lipscomb University, and it has been a hit every year since. “It’s one of Lipscomb’s bigger events,” Nelms said. “There is always several hundreds of people there. It’s going to be one students talk about for a while. It’s one that students look forward to all year.” “It’s fun, it’s this Friday, and it’s going to be a blast,” he added. Paint the Herd isn’t the only exciting event that has been planned. The always popular annual dodge ball tournament put on by Campus Ministry is also just around the corner. This years ninth annual tournament is comes back to campus on the first of November in Bison Square. “It started off as just a goofy event for people to dress up around Halloween and play dodge ball and it sort of evolved into this massive celebration of what I think is the Lipscomb culture,” Nelms said. “I always tell people there is two ways to win dodge ball. One, you can win the actual tournament and you take a trophy home, but no one remembers you. Two, you can have the best costume and everyone remembers you.” If getting paint on your body or getting hit by dodge...