by Erin Turner | Jan 5, 2015 | News Slider
For junior Ashley Arledge, Alpha Zeta is more than just a social club. Arledge, the club’s president, hopes the club will be something different for girls on campus. “We want to be a different club,” said Arledge. “We’ve decided to call our Pledge Week ‘Declaration Week.’ We want our girls to feel empowered by saying they are declaring to the campus that they are a part of Alpha Zeta.” The new social club was founded just today, and the idea stemmed from Arledge’s first experience with Greek Life at Lipscomb. She knew she wanted to be a part of a social club when she began college, but finding a place that she fit in was harder than expected. “I was looking for more out of college than an education, but to be able to experience that collegiate experience with wonderful Christian people.” After going to the rush fair, open rushes and a few closed rushes, Arledge didn’t feel a connection to any of the social clubs. “I knew I wanted to integrate myself into Lipscomb Campus Life, but I didn’t feel there was a place that I fit. And I think there are other girls on campus that feel the same way.” Since that very moment, Alpha Zeta has been in the works. Arledge first brought up the idea to Laurie Sain, Fanning’s head resident, then began working with Dean of Student Life Sam Smith and Sewell head resident Sam Parnell during the drafting of the constitution. The founding members presented the club’s overview to the head of Greek Life and it was approved for charter. Although forming the...
by Madeline Smith | Sep 5, 2014 | News Slider
If sleep-deprived, goofily-dressed students are running around Lipscomb, do not worry, it just means Pledge Week has started. Bid Night kicked off the pledging process Thursday night in Alumni Auditorium. Pledges, or “new member orientees,” were introduced on stage in front of all of Greek life and many other members of the Lipscomb student body. “It was definitely nerve-wracking getting up on stage in front of everyone,” said Nola Mullican, a pledge of Delta Sigma who had to “grr” when she introduced herself as part of the process. The pledges of the various social clubs cheered and chanted in the auditorium, waiting to be called on to the stage to be formally introduced into Greek Life. Each club president announced the number of pledges they were taking, and then allowed the pledges to introduce themselves. Many of the female clubs had their pledges sing a song and do a dance number, while the male clubs took a more serious approach to introductions, but there were a few exceptions. New male social club Theta Psi had their pledges perform a stomp routine, and female club Kappa Chi had their pledges do their best runway walk while introducing themselves. Male club Sigma Omega Sigma had their pledges hold a garden gnome as they belted their introductions to the crowd. One spectacle that was missed at this semester’s Bid Night was male club Delta Tau’s skits that are usually performed by pledges. “This year is a little different because we decided not to take pledges,” said Blake Mitchell, a member of Delta Tau. “I missed seeing our guys up on stage, but...
by Logan Butts | Feb 11, 2014 | News Slider
For the 2014 spring semester, Greek life on Lipscomb’s campus will be in the midst of a redefining stage. In the continuation of a process that started during the 2013 fall semester, both the campus life and Greek life teams are coming together to make Lipscomb a better place. The campaign to redefine Lipscomb’s social clubs has been spearheaded by Sam Smith, the associate dean of campus life, and Sam Parnell, the head of Greek life. Together, along with the International Code Council, they spent all of last semester fine-tuning the new club definition into the version seen today. “We’ve gone through a redefining stage of what Greek life is and what it means to be a part of Greek life,” Smith said. “What we’ve tried to do is we’ve tried to stage the setting for Greek life to be viewed in a positive light. This is the most powerful organization on campus. We want students to see it for how powerful and how good it is and really impact the reputation that it had by redefining what it will mean to be a part of Greek life.” One of the main goals of the redefinition process is to erase any lingering effects of what Smith called “a nationwide bad stigma” when people think of Greek life for any college, including Lipscomb. The plan is to highlight all of the positive aspects of Greek life, as well as to show what it can bring to the Lipscomb community, including non-Greek students. “I think nationwide there’s a bad stigma with Greek life,” Smith said. “They’re the frats – the sororities...
by Janice Ng | Feb 1, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
In the second installment of Lumination News for the 2014 spring semester, Caitlin Selle and Aaron Schmelzer are behind the news desk to update you about campus Greek life and how the local community celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Martin Baker fills you in on the week’s top world news headlines, Savanna Schubert gives the scoop on all things entertainment, Sarah McGee gives you the weather forecast and Sydney Poe brings you up to speed with sports. Be sure to stay tuned for future newscasts published every Friday here on...
by Bridgette Begle | Oct 31, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
Campus ministry came together before the semester started to find a way to work with “two groups of people that are smaller to campus but also contain a lot of leaders,” according to Lauren King, a campus ministry intern. Once a month, athletes and social clubs will have a designated Thursday for a breakout chapel specifically for them. However, these chapels are not limited to just these groups; anyone can go to either chapel. King is a sophomore member of Pi Delta who also works with the campus ministry staff. King and the rest of the ministry team wanted to give athletes and those in Greek life the opportunity to learn and grow together in a chapel-like setting. Junior Erin Gupton, a member of Phi Sigma, said she loves the idea of the new Greek chapel. She said she wants people to feel welcome and not like socials clubs are private. “I hate when Greek life comes across as exclusive because that is not the point,” Gupton said. There have been three Greek life breakout chapels so far this semester, and they’ve been going very well, according to King and Gupton. The idea is to include multiple clubs in each devotional, Gupton said, explaining that one club will lead the singing, one will lead the prayer, one will do the message and so on. Athletes are also breaking in a new breakout chapel this semester. Those who have attended athlete’s chapel have now heard from two different speakers. The first was Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson and second was Brent High the associate athletic director for spiritual formation. It has been...
