by Brianne Welch | Feb 13, 2013 | News Slider
Student workers who receive federal work-study funds just learned their pay is going to decrease to below minimum wage. Lipscomb was required to pay Federal Work Study students $7.25 an hour prior to last week’s change that takes them down to $6.85 per hour, according to Janice Cato, human resources assistant. The wage was slashed due to the high number of students eligible to receive the funds, she said. “Because the FWS is used up for those eligible students, their pay rates need to be changed to the regular student pay rate of $6.85 an hour,” Cato said. While $6.85 is below minimum wage, “LU has been approved by the Department of Labor to pay student workers sub-minimum wage,” Cato said. The students will be able to keep the jobs they have as of right now, but may eventually have to leave their jobs if their pay remains that low. Tuesday night in his State of the Union message, President Obama promised to work to raise minimum wage to $9 an hour. Some students have said they are unhappy with both the pay cut as well as the way the university informed them of the change. “I don’t think the way it was handled was very ethical,” said work-study scholar Kelly Dean. “All we got was a one-sentence email that said ‘you are no longer required for Federal Work Study as of this date.’” Dean goes on to say that the email gave no explanation to the students as to why their pay was decreasing. “I definitely think it is going to affect a lot of students who have FWS,” Dean said. Another...
by Brynn Watkins | Feb 13, 2013 | News Slider
Lipscomb students were thrilled when it was announced in January that the famed Swedish retailer H&M is planning to open a location in Nashville at the Opry Mills mall. H&M, a european mega-brand, is a favorite among fashionistas and draws a lot of crowds with its trendy clothing for men, women and children. The company increased its footprint in the world of fashion by regularly partnering with iconic fashion brands such as Marni and Versace and offering versions of their clothing at an affordable price. According to the chain’s website, the Opry Mills location will be the first H&M store in Tennessee and is set to open in June or July of this year. Students have been waiting for an H&M to come to Nashville for a long time and were very excited when they heard the news. Senior Kathryn McKinley expressed her excitement on having a new store that is high on trends and low on budget. “I can’t wait for H&M to be here! They have so many selections on a college student budget,” McKinley said. Senior Katie Underwood said she’s excited that Nashville is becoming so prevalent and present in the fashion industry. “Nashville is growing as an iconic fashion city, and adding an H&M will bring so much more option and affordable personality to this city,” Underwood said. “Living on a college budget, I couldn’t be any more excited for the newest addition to Opry Mills!” For information on H&M and its Nashville location...
by Erika Thornsberry | Feb 12, 2013 | News Slider
On Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in Alumni Auditorium, the Lipscomb’s Theatre Department will be opening their performance of the childhood favorite, James and the Giant Peach. The children’s production will be coming to life in a unique fashion, as the stage will be designed like a giant pop-up book. The department decided to put on this particular show last spring. To ensure the performance’s success, everyone has been working to prepare since they got back to the university after Christmas Break. Deb Holloway, the director of the show, has been thinking/dreaming about this production for about 9 months. She said that the show’s goal is to benefit those in the audience, as well as those on stage. “Our first goal is to entertain children, which includes special school performances February 14 and 15 at 10:00 a.m., and our second goal is to train our students, whether it’s performing or working in the technical aspects.” Holloway said. “I think Jesus sets the example of wanting children to come to Him, and that’s what we are trying to do also.” Holloway noted that the play reaches a wide audience, whether it be families with small children or students right here on campus. “James and the Giant Peach will be a great presentation for the entire family to enjoy, but it also will be appreciated by college kids,” Holloway said. “James and the Giant Peach was a great choice since not only is it a very popular play, but it also is a story and movie that college age kids grew up with.” Taylor Browning, a theatre major, is the mother and the second...
by Cory Woodroof | Feb 8, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
The men’s basketball team (now 9-14) ended a three-game losing streak with a soaring 76-58 win over the Northern Kentucky Norse (8-12) Friday night in Allen Arena. The team net their fourth conference win of the season. For most of the first half, it was all Lipscomb. Senior Deonte Alexander put the Bisons up 5-0 in the first two minutes of the game and continued to be a major factor throughout. The Bisons maintained a solid lead during the first, heading into halftime up by nine. After the break in action, the Bisons refused to let up. Leading by double-digits for most of the game’s second half, Lipscomb emerged victorious through strong offensive and defensive performances. Alexander led in scoring with 22, while sophomores Martin and Malcolm Smith both had 11. Freshman Stephen Hurt had nine points and a team-leading 10 rebounds. Junior Khion Sankey said he believes that the Bisons breaking the Norse’s four-game win streak was a large indicator of the team’s hard work invested during practice and recent games. Despite the big win, Sankey said that there is still work to be done, as the team hosts A-Sun rival Stetson on Thursday, Feb. 14. “We just took it to [the Norse] today,” Sankey said. “We can be happy today, but we can’t be too happy. It was only one game. So, we’ve got to keep going forward – keep practicing...
by Cory Woodroof | Feb 8, 2013 | News Slider
SGA President Patrick Grace has confirmed a few major developments for Lipscomb students, including a potential breakthrough in the long-awaited possibility of off-campus dining. To start, Grace confirmed that there will indeed be a spring concert taking place this semester. “We have a spring concert. It should be in the middle of March,” Grace said. “We’ve got a band kind of in agreement in principle.” Grace says that SGA will make an announcement next week as to who will be playing as soon as it’s set in stone. The spring concert has long been a successful tradition at Lipscomb, with singer-songwriter Mat Kearney headlining the show last spring. Alongside the spring concert, the SGA will help sponsor a new edition of Tokens, a show founded by campus’ Dr. Lee Camp on March 7 in Alumni Auditorium. SGA is planning to release tickets for free to the student body. Grace described the show as “sort of a theological, variety, folk music radio broadcast.” SGA will be holding auditions for a student act to play during the show on Friday, Feb. 15, in the afternoon. The tryouts will be held in Ward Hall. “I’m looking forward to [the auditions] because we’ve got some real talent on campus,” Grace said. Off-campus meal plan in negotiations, could be ready for fall semester The SGA president said he and Dr. Scott McDowell,Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Campus Life, have been in negotiations with Sodexo and human resources to potentially create a plan that would allow for Lipscomb students to use their dining plan at off-campus locations. Grace said he has a level...
