by Cory Woodroof | Apr 25, 2014 | News Slider
Metro Police Officer Andrew Nash, a former Yellow Ribbon scholar, was remembered as “a hero” during a memorial service Thursday in the Ezell Center’s Swang Chapel. “Andy was, by all measures, a hero,” said Jim Thomas, the executive assistant to university president Randy Lowry, during the memorial. “One who has given his or her life to something bigger than self – that was Andrew David Nash. A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities – that was Andrew David Nash.” Nash, 30, who graduated from Lipscomb in December 2013, died April 14 of apparent natural causes. “This is a person who had a strong adherence through his faith and through his daily practice of life, of adhering to character and sacrifice,” said Thomas, a professor in the communications department and a veteran himself. Nash had been a member of the Metro Police Department since 2007. He also served the Andrew Jackson Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police as a board member. “Officer Nash was an extremely well-liked and respected officer who was carrying on his father’s fine tradition of service to Nashville and its citizens,” said Chief Steve Anderson in a press release.“The Nashville Police Department is a family. Our hearts are deeply saddened by Andy’s untimely passing.” Nash’s father, Bob Nash, is a retired East Precinct Commander. Nash served in the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007 and served two tours in Iraq. A Yellow Ribbon student, he completed his bachelor’s degree in law, justice and society in December. Randy Spivey, academic director of the institute for law, justice and society, met...
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...
by Emily Snell | Jan 11, 2012 | News Slider
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...
