by Danielle Boyd | Mar 12, 2012 | News Slider
Neely Williams, an adjunct professor in the department of Communication and Journalism, is a long time community leader, educator, minister and activist for non-violence in youth engagement. Williams, who has been formally involved with the Nashville community for nearly 30 years, said her journey into community outreach began through participation in Vacation Bible School at a local church where four young men spoke about living with HIV/AIDS. As a part of the men’s presentation, “the Red Cross was there, inviting people from the community to get trained and be advocates and spokespersons about the disease,” Williams said. It was 1985, during the height of learning about HIV/AIDs. Williams stepped out into the inner city of the Nashville community to educate people on the disease. “I call this my formal step into the community because I have always been involved in nursing homes and wherever there was a need,” Williams said. Even at an early age, Williams had a heart for helping people and uniting cultures. “I like to say I built my first coalition on the Kindergarten playground,” she said, “because I am innately a person that says everybody should play and get an opportunity to have the ball. And I spent a lot of days trying to make sure those who were not chosen got a chance to play anyway.” Deciding to go back to school to obtain a degree at Vanderbilt University, Williams became trained as a chaplain, which furthered her community outreach with the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church. Since 1996, Williams has worked directly and indirectly with the outreach ministries of the Metropolitan Church in the north Nashville community....
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 Hunter Patterson | Mar 9, 2012 | News Slider
Announced to campus school students Friday morning, the campus school will be renamed Lipscomb Academy. The change will take effect on June 1. Rumored for more than a year, the name change became official with an email from university president Randy Lowry. The reasons behind the change as Lowry put it, “the campus school has grown so much in quality, reputation and capability over the past few years, that it has already become a school of exceptional accomplishment at the highest levels and has earned the “academy” moniker, one generally reserved for top-tier independent schools.” The rest of letter reads as follows: Celebrate! will take place in Allen Arena Saturday night with 600 members of the Lipscomb community planning to attend, and I am excited to be involved in this milestone event in the history of Lipscomb. I wanted to share this letter from President Lowry as advance notification of information that will be shared with those who are attending. We want everyone in the Lipscomb family to be aware even if you are not able to attend. A similar letter is being mailed to families, alumni, and friends of Lipscomb today. I am announcing it to students today, and a press release will be sent to the media following the event. -Mike Hammond Headmaster Dr. Lowry’s Letter: It is my pleasure to share with you advanced notification of a milestone in the David Lipscomb Campus School’s more than 120-year history: On June 1, 2012, its name will change to Lipscomb Academy. This has been a very carefully considered decision and is the result of many months of research and...
by Cory Woodroof | Mar 9, 2012 | News Slider
Around 3:30 Friday morning, students living in High Rise awoke to another evacuation. The High Rise dormitory was evacuated for a second time, sparking disbelief and frustration among residents of the hall. Emergency vehicles were quick to respond to the scene. The possible cause for the evacuation lies once again in the dorm’s boiler room. Sophomore biology major Brennan McNeil was one of the first people to spot the hazard. “I was the first one down in the electrical room,” McNeil said. “There was smoke coming out of the main conduit in the back – white smoke. It smelled like a fire – a chemical. So, campus security came up, we met them in the lobby. They declared that we needed to be on alert. We called the fire department. At that point, we decided that it was best to evacuate everybody.” From Kim Chaudoin, Lipscomb’s director of corporate communication: Work to repair the line began at about 5 a.m. this morning. Emergency generators for affected areas are in transit to campus. At this point, it is not known if this is related to yesterday’s water line incident. The university is in the process of bringing in outside contractors to thoroughly review all utility issues that might be related. During the evacuation, many students noticed the smell of smoke while they were exiting the dormitory. “It smelled like smoke in the stairwells,” RA Adam Sain said. “About 3:15 this morning, a breaker blew in a substation that we have here on campus,” Chaudoin said. “It kind of threw a surge through the line, and there’s a conduit that’s near the...
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...
