by Erika Thornsberry | Feb 20, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Top 25 is in reach for the Lady Bisons softball team as they moved up to No. 28 in the ESPN.COM/USA softball ranking. With the season just two weeks under way, the Lady Bisons have made their presence known with wins from Virginia Tech, Butler, Iowa, Drake, UAB and No. 15 Baylor. “It’s exciting to be ranked, and it honestly only motivates us that much more to continue to be the best,” senior catcher Rena’ Cothron said. Lipscomb found huge success when they traveled to Waco, Texas this past weekend to play in the Getterman Classic. Against Baylor, the Bisons won 1-0, which bumped the Bears from 14 down to 15. “So far, I think the season has gone great. 8-1 is a great start to a season, but it’s just that, a start,” Cothron said. “Every game we have won so far has been a complete team win. We just have to keep playing our game and take it one day at a time.” Junior Brianne Welch, junior Paige Neely (recently named Atlantic Sun Player of the Week) and sophomore Tanner Sanders made the Getterman Classic All-Tournament team. Welch found success during the tournament, as she had her first career home run against Iowa. “It feels pretty awesome being top 28,” Welch said. “It’s a great feeling to get recognition for the hard work we’ve put in.” Welch had a two run bomb against Iowa, but it was Sanders who was the winning pitcher. She was named A-Sun Pitcher of the Week for her performance in Texas. Junior Gracey Aguirre, who plays right field for the Lady Bisons,...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Nov 29, 2013 | Uncategorized
Now in his eighth year at Lipscomb University, Director of Vocal and Choral Activities Dr. Gary Wilson hasn’t always been an educator in the Volunteer State. Originally from Texas, Wilson started his teaching career in Little Rock, Ark., where he stayed for 13 years. He left to pursue teaching at the collegiate level. “[I] thoroughly loved my job there, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with it,” Wilson said. “There’s some music that I knew I was capable of teaching and conducting that my high school students were not capable of learning and performing, and so I really wanted to get to the collegiate level, but I didn’t have a doctoral degree.” He explained that, in the choral profession, there are many people with doctorates, and there is typically only one choral director at a small university. Thus, there is plenty of competition for the title of choral director. To earn his doctoral degree, Wilson traveled to York College in York, Neb., a Church of Christ university. Wilson taught full time and studied there during his tenure. Wilson said that he learned valuable lessons during his time at York. “For one thing, I had to learn how to drive on the snow. I grew up in Texas, [so after] a half inch, we pretty much shut things down,” Wilson said with a laugh. Along with driving in snowy weather, Wilson learned organization and focusing skills. “I probably learned how to be more organized than I have ever in my entire life, and how to be very, very focused on what has be done today, and what can be put off until...
by Sydney Poe | Nov 21, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
You’ll be hearing more than music through the Lumination Radio airwaves this winter. Lipscomb’s official, student-run radio station has partnered with Lipscomb Athletics to broadcast the Lady Bisons basketball home games for the 2013-2014 season. The broadcast feature a play-by-play commentator, a color commentator and a sideline reporter. The broadcast will also consist of people running audio and providing score updates back in the studio at that the radio station, located at the Ezell Center. “We have a play-by-play commentator, a color commentator, a courtside reporter, as well as in-studio analysis by one or two individuals there as well as an audio engineer for the broadcast,” said Lumination Radio Program Director Thomas Jones. “We’re basically just doing a normal broadcast just like you would see on TV, but for radio.” The broadcast team is made up of volunteers from around the department of communication and journalism at Lipscomb. Some of the volunteers include students Monaih Sam, Brittnay Estes, Jesica Parsley, TJ Ojehomon, Charlie Bateman and Brianne Welch. Jones will be joined by senior admissions recruiter and adjunct communications professor Aaron Burtch, who will help the on-air talent with their duties. Butch has spent time as a sports anchor in Texas and as a broadcast producer for the Detroit Pistons basketball team. Click the ‘Listen Live’ icon to tune into Lady Bisons home basketball...
by Janice Ng | Nov 12, 2013 | News Slider
Journalism is a part of everyday life, whether it be a morning read of the newspaper, a lunchtime checking of social media on smartphones or watching videos right before bed. Maria De Varenne, executive editor and vice president of news at The Tennessean, spoke to communication and journalism students about the professional world and the importance of work ethic at the second annual Media Masters event Monday, Nov. 1,1 at the Ezell Center. A longtime print publication, The Tennessean has adapted to the digital age, serving consumers based on when, how and where they want news and information. “While many people think print is dead, we don’t think they’re right,” De Varenne said. “For the past few years, we also deliver our stories, photos and other content on digital platforms. We deliver more local news and information than any other source in the market.” Since several news outlets also deliver news on digital media, what makes The Tennessean stand out? “Watchdog journalism and community leadership,” De Varenne said. “We not only have the area’s largest news staff, but we dedicate the most time, space and attention to local issues.” Watchdog journalism, or investigative journalism, has won The Tennessean several awards in the past. The publication was a Pulitzer finalist for their coverage of the 2010 Nashville flood. With her current success with The Tennessean (over 900,000 weekly readers), it would be almost impossible to believe that De Varenne didn’t initially plan on a career in journalism. “I had a music scholarship in college, and I took art classes,” De Varenne said. “I signed up for an intro to journalism...
by Crystal Davis | Jan 30, 2012 | News Slider
A case about arson murder was the subject of the first of the HumanDocs film series for this semester, and students were piling in to Ward Hall Wednesday night for the showing of “Incendiary: The Willingham Case.” The case circles around Cameron Todd Willingham who got the raw end of the deal for years, even after death. He was caught in his house one day sleeping as a fire raged through his home. His young daughter and twin babies were also in the house. He woke to the heat of the flames and immediately started searching for his daughter. Willingham said he thought he saw his daughter run outside to her mother, but once Willingham reached his front yard he realized his wife was still running errands and his three children were still inside the house that was now blazing with flames. Neighbors and police officers had to restrain Willingham from running inside the house to save his girls. He was so distraught and desperate to get to his daughters by any means that police officers had to handcuff him, put him on a stretcher and transport him to the local hospital. Willingham suffered minimal burns to his arms, but he never saw his daughters again. They died in the house that day, barricaded by flames. Inexperienced fire investigators said they found evidence of accelerators throughout his home in various areas that led them to believe the fire could have only been caused by arson. Willingham was the lead suspect. Officers and investigators said they made him the prime suspect because people said that Willingham was acting irrational outside the house...
