by Jonathan Corley | Apr 20, 2011 | News Slider
A small group of seven Lipscomb military veterans will travel this summer to Ghana to provide aid and relief to citizens in the West African state. The team will be working with Mobile Medical Disaster Relief (MMDR) and the Touch a Life foundation to help a local Lake Volta orphanage — which houses children saved from child slavery — to provide inoculations. They also will be identifying local villagers in desperate need of life-saving surgery to repair hernias. The students will be working in the area to help prevent children from being sold into dangerous labor in the future. Susannah Leonard, Air Force veteran and Lipscomb senior in the Yellow Ribbbon program is excited to be going on the trip. “I am just happy to be taking a part in a mission that could potentially change the lives of so many children,” Leonard said. “In the military you are always working to change the world for the better, but I think this trip will make it a more personal and spiritual experience. “The conditions many of these children have been forced to work in are just terrible. Many of them never survive the life-threatening work on the lake, and while we are there we want to do what we can to prevent this tragedy.” It will be the first Lipscomb University mission for the Campus Veterans Organization (CVO) which is comprised of veterans who have a history of serving and sacrificing for those in need of help. Each veteran’s experience is unique, some having traveled to the inhospitable terrain of the Middle East, others to the urban areas of Asia...
by Kelsey Durnin | Apr 20, 2011 | News Slider
One thing is clear after Monday night’s presidential debate, which was also the first ever live production from the Mullican TV Studio: Jackson Sprayberry has set very high standards for both candidates. This year’s presidential candidates are current SGA vice president Daniel Wakefield, a rising senior and Biology/Pre-Med major from Columbia, Tenn., as well as current SGA secretary Kirk Averitt, a rising Senior and Music Education major from Decatur, Ala. Wakefield has been part of SGA for three years, working two as a senator and one as vice president. During this time he has been able to learn more in-depth leadership skills. He has also had the opportunity to speak with people of influence and to have “conversations of weight” which encourage him to pursue active roles in SGA. “There’s an element of pride and satisfaction in working with the administration to make changes happen,” Wakefield said. “There are a lot of things I’ve been able to accomplish in SGA.” Averitt has been a part of SGA for two years, one year as a senator and one as secretary. He has enjoyed seeing the progress made over the past year, particularly in events such as Paint the Herd and in policy changes such as more lenient open dorms hours. “[Lipscomb] is a great school to be a student at and this is a great city to be a student in,” Averitt said. “We have a lot of outlets here.” Wakefield’s approach to this position is centered on networking. “[Sprayberry] has vision, focus and a unique ability to get people fired up,” Wakefield said. “I want to continue that.” Wakefield...
by Crystal Davis | Apr 20, 2011 | News Slider
After Monday night’s debate, hanging fliers around campus and lots of campaigning, the time has come to elect your Student Government Association for next school year. The elections began at midnight Tuesday, April 19, and will continue for the next 24 hours. The SGA candidate list, excluding the senate positions, is as follows: President- Kirk Averitt and Daniel Wakefield Vice-President- Alé Dalton and Amy Estepp Treasurer- Patrick Grace and Leah Raich Secretary- Kenneth Coca and Thomas Whisenant Jackson Sprayberry, the 2010-2011 SGA President had many great things to say about the candidates. “From what I know of each of the candidates, they bring a vast array of experiences and qualifications that would allow them to serve in the executive council of SGA in an effective manner,” Sprayberry said. Sprayberry doesn’t think that any candidate is favored to win by a landslide. “SGA elections are an interesting breed of elections,” Sprayberry said. “Those that appear to be a front-runner may not be the one who actually wins. At this point, I’m not sure there is a clear front-runner in any race.” One of the main issues that Sprayberry said would be a focus each candidate is the continued commitment “of creating community for all of our students through planning events, the shaping of university policies, and by making capital investments across campus.” When emails went out across campus urging students to place an intent-to-run form in the SGA elections, they emphasized the SGA’s ability to take affect the lives of students on campus. “I feel students are looking to elect individuals who will continue to unashamedly and persistently express student concerns to the administration,” Sprayberry said. Alé Dalton,...
by Cooper Torrez | Apr 19, 2011 | News Slider
On Wednesday, April 20th at 8 p.m, SGA will be sponsoring a concert in Shamblin Theater to benefit the writing center. Daniel and the Lion, a band from Wisconsin, is the opening act, stopping in for their second of three trips on their Fall 2011 tour. The main act, John Paul Roney in the Boom Forest, is self-described as “Beach Boys meet Depeche Mode.” “The event is a benefit concert for the writing center, not just to raise funds for the program but also to raise awareness of what they do,” said Ale Dalton, event coordinator. “A lot of people have this misconception that the writing center is a remedial service for students who don’t like writing.” That is not the case, however. Students shouldn’t feel the need to utilize the writing center only because they produce low-quality papers. It’s actually the opposite of that. “The truth is that some of the best students on campus go to the writing center to better their work,” Dalton said. “The students who serve as writing consultants are some of the brightest people I’ve met on campus and they’re genuinely passionate about helping students better their work. The actual writing center is like a lounge instead of a classroom, comfy couches are everywhere and it’s a really neat place.” This event is not about the writing, though. It is about getting the word out about the Writing Center and hearing some good music as well. “It’s going to be an incredible event full of good music and good fun, so come out for a night of good music with your friends,” Dalton...
by Ashlan Williams | Apr 19, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Freshman Oliver Strecker was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Conference First Team on Tuesday. The second semester transfer from Auburn University is the first Bison to ever receive first-team honors. Freshman David Salazar also received honors, earning a spot on the A-Sun’s All-Freshman team. Head coach Andrew Harris said both players were well deserving of their honors. “Both Oliver Strecker and David Salazar deserve a tremendous amount of credit this year,” Harris said. “They were both put in difficult situations as freshmen but, obviously, have shown great strength competing in one of the strongest tennis conferences in the country.” Strecker, who is originally from Gemmingen, Germany, finished the season 11-6 overall, 5-5 in the A-Sun, spending the entire season at the No. 1 spot. “Oliver has been playing No. 1 singles since the beginning of the spring,” Harris said. “He transferred here from Auburn, which has been helpful for him this year, because he has seen the competition at this level and understands what it takes to be successful. “We are looking for even stronger things from him next season stepping more into a leadership role. This summer and next fall will be critical for his development.” Spending time at both No. 2 and No. 3, Salazar posted a 9-8 overall record and finished 6-4 in the A-Sun. “Salazar has been playing primarily between No. 2 and No. 3 singles this spring and has been a great warrior on the court,” Harris said. “Everyone I talk to says they enjoy watching Salazar compete and the way he fights for every point. He is a true grinder in the tennis...
