by Emily Snell | May 25, 2012 | News Slider
Geena Davis says the media’s role in reshaping the image of women in society is simple: “If they see it, they can be it.” The problem is that the media is not doing its part in representing women and men equally, Davis says, and when women are portrayed in television and film they, often are sexually provocative or stereotyped characters. Davis, who has embarked on a mission to change that and offer more hope and empowerment for young women in popular culture, brought her message to a gathering at Lipscomb’s Andrews Institute. That institute partnered with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media Thursday for “A League of Their Own,” an event starring the acclaimed actor and also featuring Deborah Taylor Tate and female local media leaders to discuss the role of women and girls on screen. Davis — who starred in movies like A League of Their Own, Beetlejuice, and Thelma & Louise — founded her institute in 2004 after watching children’s entertainment with her daughter and realizing the lack of female characters present in TV programming and family movies. Davis’ institute, which focuses on research, education and advocacy, conducted the largest body of research on gender prevalence in the media and discovered that only 17 percent of characters in family films are women. Davis noted those few female characters often are portrayed in stereotypical or hyper-sexualized ways. It’s not just popular media. Davis said women are not fairly represented in most areas of society, noting that the U.S. ranks 90th on the list of countries that have female representation in government. “It’s astounding,” she said. “The fact is that women...
by Emily Snell | Apr 17, 2012 | News Slider
The Financial Aid Office will host a “Meet the Staff” event Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the courtyard between Crisman and Fanning. The staff will be available to meet students and answer questions and will also have snow cones, food and other items to give away, including a $250 scholarship for textbooks from the Lipscomb bookstore. Tiffany Summers, director of Lipscomb Financial Aid, and Maggie Kersten, assistant director, said the event is designed to give students an opportunity to meet financial aid counselors and to understand the office’s mission and the resources they offer. “We really want students to feel welcome and to know our staff,” Kersten said. Summers and Kersten both said they understand the difficulties of paying for school, and they want to help students. “We want to partner with the family and the students,” Kersten said. “Even if we can’t give them money, we want to give them options.” “We realize and appreciate that it’s a big sacrifice for families, so we take very seriously caring for our students,” she said. “Our doors are open,” Summers said, “and we’re willing to talk and see what we can do to help them.” The Financial Aid Office is located in the basement of Crisman and can be reached via phone at 615.966.1791 or email at financialaid@lipscomb.edu. The Financial Aid Office staff includes: Tiffany Summers, director Jimmy Morris, associate director Maggie Kersten, assistant director Deidra Cummings, financial aid counselor Tamera Spivey, financial aid counselor Donna Taylor, financial aid counselor Julie Lillicrap, receptionist Denise Forgette, technical...
by Emily Snell | Apr 2, 2012 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s chapel office has scheduled daily activities to help students reflect on the last week of Jesus’ life, prior to the celebration of Easter next Sunday. Assistant Campus Minister Keela Evans said the staff wanted to create events that mirror the life of Christ each day of his last week on Earth. “We really wanted to walk through what the week leading up to the cross was,” she said. “We wanted it to be a teaching experience for our students, not just events, but letting them see the week leading up to Easter.” Evans said the campus ministry staff intentionally designed the events to give students an opportunity to experience Jesus. “There are some students on campus that don’t know Jesus at all and don’t believe, and we want to love them and honor them but share the gospel with them,” she said. “We want to really focus on community repentance. It’s not just about my sins, but it’s about us as a community walking toward the cross together.” Evans recognized that students who’ve gone to church their entire lives can find it difficult to deeply engage with annual holidays like Easter. She said she identified with that problem until a few years ago when her perspective changed. “This is the day we celebrate Jesus being absolutely free from the grave, free from death, beating death and being raised and resurrected,” she said, encouraging students to soak in the reality of Easter’s meaning. “It’s more about knowing that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus Christ himself from a murdered death. And now he is living among us, he is living...
by Emily Snell | Mar 9, 2012 | News Slider
“All Hands on Deck,” directed by Morgan Mathis, was announced Saturday night as winner of the sweepstakes competition for the 49th annual Singarama. After winning the music contest Friday night and the staging contest Saturday afternoon, “All Hands on Deck” also won the sweepstakes title for accumulating the most total points throughout the four Singarama performances. The cast was comprised of social clubs Phi Sigma, Tau Phi, Gamma Xi and friends. “We were all really excited,” said Brennan McNeil, sailor in the show. “We are really happy- we put a lot of work in. Winning doesn’t mean it’s the best show; it just reflects all the work we put in.” McNeil’s love interest in the show, Kelly Dean, also said the group’s hard work was what pushed them over the top. “We literally worked day and night on the show,” Dean said. “The hard work and effort paid off because we got the big win.” Some of the show’s songs included “Hard Knock Life,” “I Can Transform Ya,” “Mercy” and “Happy Days.” The group told the story of sailors called upon to rescue a missing ship, but there was a catch – most of the crew had never set sail before. From backwoods country folks to Italian gangsters, the diverse cast kept the audience laughing. There was even a line of dialogue referencing High Rise’s water problems. “The Land of Dreams,” directed by Cayla Cleaver, won Thursday night’s theme contest during the 49th annual Singarama kickoff performance. Cleaver, said she was “extremely surprised” when she found out that her cast won. “My knees almost gave out actually,” she said. “I was...
by Emily Snell | Mar 8, 2012 | News Slider
Soulforce, a group that promotes equality for LGBTQ people, will visit Lipscomb on Monday, March 12. The Soulforce visit was announced briefly at the end of The Gathering on Feb. 28. A March 1 email from SGA President Daniel Wakefield further clarified the event. The email stated that students were invited to attend one of three morning discussion sessions in Ezell chapel, involving panel discussions with representatives from Soulforce and university professors. The email reminded students that seating would be limited. “[Soulforce’s] mission is to bring attention to what they believe are unfair attitudes and policies within religious organizations,” Wakefield’s email said. “As a gracious and loving Christian community, Lipscomb seeks to be open to conversation about issues that may be difficult or sensitive,” the email contintued. “In this spirit, we look forward to meaningful dialogue with the Soulforce visitors and hope they feel that they have been graciously, thoughtfully, and faithfully received.” In a two-part panel discussion led by Dr. Steve Joiner, Lipscomb’s director for the Institute for Conflict Management, Soulforce will explore the justice and ethical issues surrounding the subject of homosexual orientation and homosexual practice. On Monday, the university will have panel discussions at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. for the limited number of students who were able to sign up in the SGA office. The justice issues that the panel will likely discuss include bullying and equal and fair treatment under the law. Lipscomb panelists include Dr. Ken Durham, Dr. Randy Spivey and Dr. Norma Burgess. A second panel will include Dr. Lee Camp, Dr. John Mark Hicks and Dr. Charla Long. Soulforce will supply...
