by Kathryn Farris | Aug 8, 2019 | News Slider
Lipscomb alumna Cyntoia Brown — the subject of debate and outcry about the unfairness of her sentence — was released Wednesday morning from Tennessee Prison for Women. Former Gov. Bill Haslam granted Brown clemency at the close of his term in January of this year. In 2015, Brown, now 31, earned an associate’s degree through Lipscomb’s LIFE program, which brings traditional and non-traditional students together for classes at the Tennessee Prison for Women. In May, she graduated with a bachelor of professional studies degree, majoring in organizational leadership. Brown is a Nashville woman whose case sparked national attention to the human sex-trafficking epidemic, due to the controversy surrounding her sentencing. At age 16, she was convicted of aggravated robbery and first-degree murder. Brown’s defense argued that she was forced into prostitution after a life of abuse. In her testimony, Brown described being picked up for sex by Johnny Mitchell Allen, a 43-year-old Nashville real estate agent. In her trial, Brown said she believed he was reaching for a gun and intended to do her harm, so she felt threatened and shot and killed Allen in what she says was an act of self-defense. Her age at the time of the sentencing was a hot topic for activists. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles violate Eighth Amendment prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. Brown’s original sentencing was that she will eventually be eligible for parole, but not until she’s 67 years old. Brown has displayed gratitude for the educational opportunity offered by the university and the prison system. “I want to thank those at the Tennessee...
by Cavin Jacobson | Jun 5, 2019 | News Slider
Lipscomb University is ranked No. 13 in the rankings of best online colleges for those with visual disabilities. Auburn University was ranked first on the list. Other schools rated higher than Lipscomb include Florida State University (eighth place) and John Hopkins University (12th place). Notable schools finish below Lipscomb include Northwestern University (19th place) and Stanford University (24th place). The comprehensive list was compiled by the SR Education Group, which based the scores on such factors as Universal Design for Learning being implemented into the website layout. Schools also had to have at least 5 percent of their student bodies comprised of students with disabilities. The main goal of Lipscomb’s online program is to help students use skills they have already developed and apply them to the learning experience and help the students get to where they want to be in their lives. Lipscomb’s online programs have only been available to students since 2017. Just last year, Lipscomb’s online interface was redesigned and upgraded to better help with the education of the students and to help prospective students discover the information they needed in a concise manner. All 38 of the colleges listed can be found at 2019 Best Visual Disability-Friendly Online Colleges. Lipscomb University offers over 16 different online degree programs for undergraduate and graduate study. Prospective students can find out more information by visiting https://www.lipscomb.edu/online. The list was published by the website Guide to Online Schools, which has been helping prospective students find a good college fit since 2004. SR Education Group started the website in order to educate students on colleges that they could thrive in...
by Grant Ledgister | May 22, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Due to the academic successes of its athletes, all of Lipscomb’s sports programs have escaped classroom-related penalties from the NCAA for the 12th straight year. The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is a system put in place by the NCAA to help measure whether Division I schools are ensuring their student-athletes are doing well academically. First enforced in 2003, APR is a statistic that tracks the “eligibility” and “retention” of athletic programs and their athletes nationwide. APR is calculated by giving one point per student-athlete in a given athletic program that is receiving financial aid for athletics, and another point if those students remain above the mandated academic thresholds. These points are added up, then divided by points possible, and finally multiplied by 1,000 to get the program’s total APR score. Programs with low APR scores will be penalized, with the first penalty being a limitation on practice time (16 hours over five days instead of 20 over 6). The NCAA also averages out the APR scores from the past four years to see if the program meets the minimum 930 standards it has set, and if the program does not, it is in danger of receiving a ban from participation in championship games. “It correlates an athlete’s ability to do the coursework,” said Lipscomb Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson. “A system that has some standards as opposed to not having any is probably the better approach,” In a year that saw 12 programs across 20 schools receive penalties, all of Lipscomb’s programs received scores high enough to avoid the one of their own. Men’s and women’s golf received the highest...
by Grant Ledgister | May 19, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb was eliminated from the NCAA Tuscaloosa regional tournament Saturday by falling 10-1 to Arizona State. It was the second loss to Arizona State, which dropped Lipscomb into the losers’ bracket by winning 4-3 Friday. The Lady Bisons played two games Saturday, both games cut short due to the run rule, but only the first one — a victory over Alabama State — came out in Lipscomb’s favor, with a 14-0 lead after five innings enough to send the Lady Hornets packing. The scoring started early in the first elimination game Saturday against Alabama State. In the second inning, Sarah Higgins was walked, advanced to third off of a Jordan Fortel grounder that got popped into the air, and then scored on the next batter. Khayla Green then hit a single to drive Fortel to third, and with a bases-loaded walk, two batters later scored her. Alabama State then made a pitching change, but it didn’t help things for the Lady Hornets. A grounder from Graysen Gladden scored two to make it 4-0. Peyton Ward hit a line drive over a third that bounced off the wall. The hit scored two runners to make the score 6-0. A couple of batters later, the bases were loaded again. Jenna Pealor hit a grand slam, her eighth home run of the season, that increased the Lady Bisons’ lead to 10-0. Lipscomb added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the game ended in the top of the next inning due to the run-ahead rule. The win set up a rematch with Arizona State University, which lost to...
by Grant Ledgister | May 19, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The Lady Bisons made it close but ultimately couldn’t overcome the Arizona State Sun Devils, losing 4-3 in the opening round of the Tuscaloosa Regional tournament and road to the Women’s College World Series. Lipscomb fell to Arizona State, a team with a high-powered offense, solid pitching, and strong defense. Pitching and the outfield were the most important aspects of the game for either team through the first two innings. In the first inning, Lipscomb’s first two batters struck out before a popout ended the inning. Amy Vetula was able to record all three of the outs for Lipscomb’s defense. In the second inning, things play balanced out. Arizona State’s defense got two of the three outs (including a barehanded catch and throw from Jade Gortarez to first), while Lipscomb’s Mandy Jordan earned a strikeout and Destinee Brewer chased down a long shot to end the inning. Cielo Meza struck out four through four innings of play for the Sun Devils and only allowed two runners to reach base. A Sarah Higgins double followed by a home run from Jenna Pealor put the Lady Bisons up 2-0 in the fourth inning. The Sun Devils would respond quickly. Kindra Hackbarth hit a double in the bottom of the same inning. Two batters later, Gortarez hit an RBI single that cut Lipscomb’s lead to one and cut its momentum. Lipscomb had a chance to extend the lead in the fifth inning but couldn’t capitalize on it. A tag-out at second and a foul-out ended any chance of the Lady Bisons scoring in the fifth. Arizona State has the third-ranked offense in...
