by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 9, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb women’s basketball coach Greg Brown will not return next season, the school’s athletic department announced Friday afternoon. The news follows a disappointing season in which the Lady Bisons went 4-25 and lost 19 games in a row from mid-November to early February. The team missed the ASUN tournament for the first time since 2013. “I appreciate the effort, care for our student athletes, conscientiousness and work on behalf of our school that Greg, [and assistants] Hannah [Phillips], Aaron [Holland], Clay [Crothers] and Kelsey [Gregory] have given this year and during the rest of their time with us,” Lipscomb athletic director Philip Hutcheson said in a release. Brown compiled a 44-161 overall record in his seven seasons at Lipscomb. His best campaign came in 2017-18, when Lipscomb went 12-19 and beat USC Upstate in the ASUN Quarterfinals. Senior Loren Cagle led that team with 17.2 points and won ASUN Player of the Year honors. Brown is a 1993 Lipscomb graduate and began his coaching career as a student assistant under legendary Lipscomb men’s basketball coach Don Meyer. He eventually worked as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach under Pat Summit at Tennessee in the early 2000s. In 2012, Lipscomb hired him away from Central Florida, where he was the associate head coach. “Greg is as good [of] a person, husband, father, co-worker and friend as you are likely to find,” Hutcheson said. “All of his assistants are all quality and talented people too, and I appreciate everything about them as well.” Hutcheson will immediately begin the search for a new coach. Phillips will continue to work with the...
by Kathryn Farris | Jan 20, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Gloomy skies and flooded sidewalks didn’t stop the crowds from gathering at Governor Bill Lee’s inauguration on Saturday. The inauguration was moved indoors to the War Memorial Auditorium after concerns over inclement weather. The new location caused problems due to the limited capacity of the auditorium, and some ticketholders were turned away from seats they had already reserved. Austin Travis, a freshman political science and history major at Lipscomb, was one of those attending the inauguration. Travis said he voted for Lee because of his stances on criminal justice reform and his goals in improving vocational and technical education. Travis noted that he is optimistic for Lee’s upcoming term, but he also expressed concern for Lee’s transition from the business world to politics. “He can’t just tell someone to do something and it gets done anymore,” Travis said. “He’s got to get those proposals approved by the General Assembly, and he has to make sure he never oversteps his bounds as governor. But he’s a smart guy; I think he’ll adapt fairly quickly.” Inauguration attendee Ed Elam spoke about his trust in the new governor. Elam said he voted for Lee because of his integrity and values. “I am expecting some transparency [from Lee],” Elam said. “My experience and knowledge with him is that he looks at everyone as Tennesseans. He promotes inclusiveness not divisiveness. I expect him to pull everyone together.” Tennessean Adam Smith had more personal motivations when he was in the voting booth. Smith met Lee seven years ago through the Y-CAP program, an outreach organization that serves teens. Lee became a mentor for Smith. “He saw a...
by Erin Franklin | Jan 13, 2019 | News Slider
On Friday at midnight, the government shutdown beat the record for the longest government shutdown in history with an unprecedented 22 days. The shutdown has now been 23 days in total, beginning on Dec. 22 and in response to President Donald Trump’s demand that Congress include $5.7 billion for “the wall” along the southern border. Trump is adamant the wall is needed to keep undocumented immigrants from entering the U.S. illegally. Democrats now have control of the U.S. House and do not agree with Trump and Republicans that a wall is necessary, rather citing it as being unessential and too expensive. The shutdown is affecting many federal agencies, among those the FDA, which has postponed and halted some inspections. Vandalism has overtaken national parks, and scientific research has been stalled to an extent. Due to the shutdown, many federal workers are not getting paid. But how does the shutdown affect universities, and private universities — like Lipscomb — in particular? Lipscomb receives $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a fiscal year, so being a private university doesn’t make Lipscomb exempt from the effects of the shutdown. This sum largely comes from students’ financial aid, grants used for scientific research, stipends for undergraduate and graduate students and community outreach, such as the suicide prevention grant Lipscomb had for the counseling center and the federal grant that helps support the IDEAL program. But Tiffany Summers, Lipscomb’s director of student aid, said there really isn’t any reason for Lipscomb students to worry about the status of their financial aid due to the shutdown, at least right now. “There’s not any issues with...
by Kathryn Farris | Jan 7, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday morning that clemency will be granted to Cyntoia Brown. Brown is a Nashville woman who has spent 15 years behind bars for a murder she committed at age 16. She is expected to be released on parole on Aug. 7, 2019. The conditions of her parole say that she will have to attend regular counseling sessions, work with at-risk youth and maintain a job. Haslam’s decision to grant Brown clemency comes after a year of mounting pressure from activists, celebrities and Tennessee legislators. “This decision comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case,” Haslam said in a statement. “Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life. “Transformation should be accompanied by hope. So, I am commuting Ms. Brown’s sentence, subject to certain conditions.” In 2015, Brown earned an associate’s degree through Lipscomb University’s LIFE program, which brings traditional and non-traditional students together for classes at the Tennessee Prison for Women. She issued a statement thanking both the Tennessee Department of Corrections and Lipscomb for the opportunity. “I want to thank those at the Tennessee Department of Corrections who saw something in me worth salvaging, especially Ms. Connie Seabrooks for allowing me to participate in the Lipscomb LIFE Program,” Brown said. “It changed my life. I am also grateful to those at the Tennessee Department...
by Cole Gray | Nov 7, 2018 | News Slider
Republicans swept Tennessee’s major races Tuesday, capping a contentious midterm campaign season with a victory. Marsha Blackburn (R) will become the state’s first female senator after being declared the winner over Phil Bredesen (D), the former two-term governor of Tennessee. Blackburn campaigned on her support of President Trump, immigration restriction and tax cuts. It was the most expensive Senate race in history. “Thank you for believing in me, and for hearing our message, and for giving me your vote, and for allowing me to be the first woman ever elected to the Senate from Tennessee,” Blackburn said. “Just imagine this, it is a conservative woman to boot!” In his concession speech, Bredesen encouraged young voters to “stay engaged and never, ever, ever give up.” Bill Lee was voted Tennessee’s next governor, handily defeating Democratic nominee and former Nashville mayor Karl Dean. The Franklin business owner focused on rural issues, such as expanding broadband access to rural communities. “Tennessee can not only be a place that leads in this region, but Tennessee can be a place that leads in America,” Lee said in his victory speech. “I believe all Tennesseans have more that unites us than divides us.” Dean served as Nashville’s mayor from 2007 to 2015 and was facing an uphill battle as a Democratic candidate in a traditionally red state. “I’m too old to cry and it hurts too much to laugh,” Dean said in his concession speech. “Tennesseans have made a great choice for our next governor,” current governor Bill Haslam said in a statement. “Bill Lee is a man with strong character and love for our...
