by Madeline Smith | Sep 25, 2012 | Opinion
After copious amounts of peer pressure I finally succumbed to getting a Twitter account, one of the most popular trends in social networking. I was surprised and delighted to discover I enjoy that I can pick and choose whose thoughts I read, and they are limited to only 140 characters, sparing me a paragraph-length thought that ended up only being a “repost” like on Facebook. My relationship with Twitter seemed perfect! I could say witty thoughts, read silly comments and stay connected with my friends. Everything seemed perfect until now. Campaign season is going to cause me to break up with Twitter. Gone are the inspirational Bible verses and ironic song lyrics. Gone are the “total frat moves” and Instagrams. Now my feed is all about who should or should not win the upcoming election. I am fine with reading about a sweet thing your boyfriend did. I enjoy seeing a picture of a cute kitten! But please spare me your thoughts on politics, whether I agree with them or not! I understand that the Internet seems like a great place to express your thoughts, but why turn something fun and casual into something so serious? Why Twitter? Letting out your political thoughts on Twitter is not going to change people’s vote. You do not have enough room to persuade anyone! All that is changing is my decision to follow you! And deep, intellectual thought is not going to spring forth from a 140-character tweet! I just wish people could turn back to the old Twitter, where they just talked about their lives and put up pictures. I enjoy knowing about...
by Clay Smith | Apr 18, 2012 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s “now that you ask…” series ended with dialogue from a member of the same family that the series started with earlier this semester – the Haslam family. Gov. Bill Haslam opened up the series, and on Tuesday, April 17, the series ended for the semester with his wife and Tennessee’s First Lady, Crissy Haslam. The dialogue was moderated by Tom Ingram, leader-in-residence for the Andrews Institue for Civic Leadership at Lipcomb. First Lady Haslam recounted her experiences growing up in Tennessee, being the wife of a mayor and then governor and working to affect change in the communities that she has been a part of. Mrs.Haslam, who is one of the state’s leading advocates for better education, attended an all girls school growing up. She said benefitted from the school’s format. “Yes, I enjoyed my time there because you had the opportunity to pursue whatever offices you wanted,” Haslam said. “You didn’t have that distraction of having guys there.” After high school, Haslam attended Emory University where she majored in finance and marketing. Ingram asked Haslam how her ambitions in college shifted to bring her to her current position as First Lady of Tennessee. “I had hoped to get a job in busines,s and I pictured myself working my way up in the corporate ladder,” she said. “But none of that really happened; I married Bill at 22 and couldn’t find the job I wanted after college.” After graduating from Emory and marrying Bill Haslam, the couple moved to Knoxville in 1981. The state’s First Lady says life with a politician caused her to change her ambitions. “At...
by Hunter Patterson | Apr 16, 2012 | News Slider
Earlier this semester, Tennessee’s governor, Bill Haslam, jump-started the “now that you ask…” series with Tom Ingram. The governor’s wife, Crissy Haslam, will join Ingram in the next edition of the series, Tuesday, April 17. Tennessee’s First Lady, Crissy Haslam, introduced a three-part initiative that focuses on the interplay between family engagement and literacy improvement in Tennessee. She has been traveling the state to stress the importance of parents as first teachers, parents as education partners, and also to raise awareness for the exponential value of reading at grade level by the third grade. Born in Houston, Texas, Haslam moved with her family to Memphis, Tennessee, when she was 8-years-old. She graduated from Emory University in 1980 with a double major in finance and marketing in the College of Business. Crissy married Bill Haslam and moved to Knoxville in 1981. While working as the assistant director of admissions for UT-Knoxville, she received a Master of Science degree in Education in the program of College Student Personnel. She has served on numerous civic and community boards, and currently serves as chair of the Tennessee Executive Residence Foundation and Commission. The “now that you ask…” conversation series is hosted by Tom Ingram, the man called the “most influential person in Tennessee politics who does not hold elected office.” The series brings Ingram’s bipartisan, common sense approach to government and politics straight to the table with discussions and debates featuring guests from across the business and political worlds. Ingram, founder of The FIRST Group in Washington, D.C. and The Ingram Group in Nashville, was appointed a leader-in-residence at the Andrews Institute for...
by Cory Woodroof | Oct 20, 2011 | News Slider
During a time of great political turmoil, those lucky enough to get the chance to hear from one of the representatives on Capitol Hill get a unique opportunity. On Wednesday night, Lipscomb students, faculty and members of the Nashville community got this distinct chance. Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN) visited Lipscomb for the university’s monthly Pizza and Politics event. Cooper addressed the burning issues facing our country while giving the students a message of urgency concerning their political activism. Dr. Lowry introduced the congressman, even jokingly saying that Rep. Cooper is only democrat he would vote for. Rep. Cooper took the stage and quickly began his opening statements directed at the students and other young people in the audience. Cooper urged the young in the audience to take an active role in politics, even if it meant only voting. Cooper believes that just being an informed voter is an important role for Americans. Cooper, who hosts the largest internship program on Capitol Hill,encouraged students to pursue being informed of the nation’s issues. He firmly believes that the state of the country reflects on the state of its citizens. “America is not going to be number one if you are not number one,” he said. A self-described centrist, Cooper calls for all Americans to become independent thinkers, not just trusting the opinions of such popular news outlets as Fox News and MSNBC. Cooper devoted the rest of his time to address such important issues such as the current state of congress – a system he believes to be broken, health care, and the current pattern of government spending. The audience, diverse...
by Alé Dalton | May 14, 2010 | News Slider
Three gubernatorial candidates spoke to the crowd in Collins Alumni Auditorium at the “Focusing on the Future: 2010 Gubernatorial Forum” hosted by the Nashville Junior Chamber. Cara Kumari, the state Capitol reporter for WSMV, moderated the event. Mayor (Knox.) Bill Haslam, Mike McWherter, and U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp partook in the event. State Representative and Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey was schedule to attend the event but was unable due to an extended Senate session. The candidates answered questions regarding young professional involvement in the future administration, Race to the Top educational funds, TennCare, creation of jobs, the possibility of liquor being sold at supermarkets, and natural disaster relief. The questions were a compilation of submissions via Facebook, Twitter, and directly to the Nashville Junior Chamber. The three candidates took similar stances when it came to making healthcare affordable for the people and the state, and ensuring that young people partook in their future administrations. All equally ensured their utmost dedication to making Tennessee a better place. Differing opinions came with questions regarding education reform and liquor availability in supermarkets. Congressman Wamp made a clear stance by promoting early childhood reading as a means to improve the students’ chances to succeed in the later stages of schooling. Both Mayor Haslam and McWherter focused on educational reform and good utilization of Race to the Top funds. Mayor Haslam and Congressman Wamp both agreed that making liquor available in supermarkets would hurt the local economy and its small business owners. McWherter pleaded a conflict of interest due to his family’s beer distribution business. The evening concluded with a video of the flood’s...
