Lumination Newscast, Oct. 3, 2014

It’s the first week of October, and Gemikal Prude and Brianne Welch are behind the anchor’s desk, bringing you the latest national and local news. In Alabama, universities’ campus security have been getting surplus military equipment. Lumination’s Madeline Smith finds out why the universities are able to receive this equipment, and how Lipscomb is affected. Reports have also shown that public school student homelessness around the nation has risen for the past school year. Reporter Travis Byrd brings the issue closer to home, finding out how Nashville public schools are responding to the reports. The Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards are coming back to Lipscomb’s Allen Arena for the second year. We show you who and what to expect for the ceremony. Here at Lipscomb, the new College of Entertainment and the Arts has students interested. Cory Woodroof gives you a look at what the college will encompass. By now you’ve probably heard of Destiny, the fantasy video game that has gamers hooked. Gemikal Prude does some digging to see what the appeal is for students. A new documentary, “In Plain Sight,” has been released. The film, which brings to light the issue of human trafficking, hits close to home, with Nashville being one the cities mentioned. Lumination’s Carly Bergthold tells more about how Nashville is affected, and gives tips on how you can better avoid becoming a victim. Erika Thornsberry gives world news headlines, Travis Byrd brings you the weather, Sarah McGee keeps you hooked on all things entertainment, and Jesica Parsley provides updates on Lipscomb sports and postseason baseball. Do you have story ideas? An event you...

Professors advocate to end modern slavery

Nearly 2 million children are exploited each year in the global sex industry. Statistics like this are “staggering” says Dr. Randy Spivey, academic director of Lipscomb’s Institute for Law, Justice and Society. Jan. 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and people across the United States are recognizing those innocent men, women and children who are bought and sold into slavery worldwide. Studies show that 27 million people are enslaved today. Spivey, who taught a course last semester about human trafficking, said the U.S. is one of the greatest consumers of the “product” of modern slavery. Spivey noted that a police officer that took his class used the information he gained during the semester to recognize a human trafficking incident, rescuing a woman who had been held captive for a year and who had been transported across several states. Dr. Cayce Watson, assistant professor of social work, also teaches students about human trafficking so they are prepared if they encounter it in their careers. “Part of social work’s core values is to fight for social justice,” Watson said. “Human trafficking happens everywhere and nowhere. Everywhere because it’s happening and nowhere because people don’t talk about it.” Please upgrade your browser “Some folks have a notion that it happens far away, that it doesn’t happen here,” Watson said. “But we’re kind of a hotbed for that because of our interstates and being close to Atlanta.” According to a 2011 report by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 85% of counties in Tennessee reported at least one case of human trafficking within the past 2 years. “You have to be able to recognize...