We’ll miss you, David Howard!

Nearly 54 years ago, a confused and fascinated hoard of students, faculty and news reporters gazed at the multi-colored smoke billowing from the old chemistry building. Among them was a freshmen named David Howard, who you may know now as Beaman’s periodicals librarian. That event, which marked the beginning of his decades at Lipscomb, has stuck in the mind of Howard ever since. Howard grew up in a small town in southern Illinois and was brought to Lipscomb mainly through the influence of a 5th grade teacher who had also attended here. His visit in July of 1957 sealed his decision to attend school here rather than at Harding. “There’s hardly anything for me that is pre-Lipscomb,” Howard said. “[My teacher] was always so happy about my decision to go here.” Howard graduated in 1961 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in German. He then left Nashville for a little over a year to take classes back home in Southern Illinois University’s sociology graduate program. During the summer of 1962, Dr. Mack Craig convinced Howard to return to Nashville and Lipscomb as a German professor while also taking graduate classes at Vanderbilt. In 1972, after obtaining a library science graduate degree from Peabody and again at the request of Dr. Craig, Howard began his 39 years as the periodicals librarian. However, for the first three years he was also still teaching German fulltime until Dr. Charles McVey took over. Over the course of his 49 years in the library, Howard has witnessed the evolution of the library as well as the campus as a whole. “[The Library]...

Gene Policinski speaks on technology, its pros and cons

Technology has made it increasingly easy for anyone to access information about almost anyone, creating a continual struggle between liberty and security. However, as technologies progress, the privacies invaded have moved beyond security and are now used as marketing tools and unwarranted surveillance. “The internet is about as private as a bus stop,” said Gene Policinski, vice president and executive director for the First Amendment Center. The internet causes everyone who is “plugged in” to be very easily interconnected, whether it is via social networking sites, Google searches or the tracking behind the scenes available to the government and marketers. However, this surveillance is not limited to your personal computer. “Gaze tracking” is a method supermarkets use to watch their customers’ shopping habits, which helps to develop purchasing trends that lead to more effective marketing. These cameras are capable of not only facial recognition, but also 360-degree views of shoppers that even monitor posture and walking. “You can be pulled up anywhere these databases are in action,” Policinski said. Policinski believes we have come full circle from the time of the village green, and are now in the age of the village screen. But this creates problems in dealing with the flow of information. “We walk away from the ‘fence.’ It’s an old-fashioned solution to a high-tech problem,” Policinski said. “[In the past,] how did we handle the gossip, the defamation? Did we confront it? Did we use more speech as an antidote? We have some low-tech solutions at hand.” However, no matter how we handle the issues of technology, the accessibility of information created by it still crosses...

Averitt v. Wakefield: Who should be your president?

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...

Mobile food trucks take Nashville by storm

Buying a sandwich from someone selling food out of their truck seems pretty shady to some people. But the mobile food industry is sweeping over Nashville, and the idea seems to be sticking. As of last Saturday the city has 13 food trucks, carts and vendors serving a variety of foods in many different locations. Barbie Burgers, The Grilled Cheeserie and other mobile food trucks have adapted a concept similar to that of an ice cream truck, and they use social networks to communicate with their customers. Every time a truck moves to a new location people are notified by status updates on each company’s Twitter and/or Facebook, along with an estimated time the truck will remain there. So far, this unity between mobile food trucks and social media has proved increasingly successful. Eden Luquire, a sophomore psychology major from Weaverville, N.C., can attest to their success as a loyal customer. “I follow The Grilled Cheeserie on Twitter and make it a point to stop by when they are close,” Luquire said. “It’s a really interesting concept, and very accessible.” The Grilled Cheeserie began running a truck in the Green Hills area on April 1, which began what the Cheeserie successfully deemed National Grilled Cheese Month. According to their Twitter, day three of Grilled Cheese Month resulted in over 300 grilled cheeses sold in three hours. Although The Grilled Cheeserie’s main menu item is obvious, customers will also find other types of melts and sandwiches sold at the truck. In addition, their daily Twitter updates announce what kind of pudding they will be serving that day as well as any other...

Operation Yellow Ribbon: Success

The second annual Operation Yellow Ribbon was a huge success! The event featured General Tommy Franks as keynote speaker and performances by Charlie Daniels, Wynonna Judd, The Grascals and Montgomery Gentry. Charlie Daniels was honored by being appointed a colonel.  The whole event was hosted by GAC’s Storme Warren. Prior to the show, veteran students and other VIP guests had the opportunity to meet with Gen. Franks and Daniels as well as the performers: Montgomery Gentry, The Grascals and Wynonna Judd. The Grascals’ banjo player Kristin Benson and guitarist Terry Eldredge were excited for the opportunity to show support for troops and veterans. “This is a worthwhile event we’re proud to be a part of,” says Benson. The Grascals played two songs including their cover of The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville.” “It’s great, anyway you can honor them,” Eldredge said, a bit choked up. “They dodge bullets for us. Anybody who does that deserves to be honored.” Daniels has always been a notoriously patriotic supporter of the military and its veterans, and has performed at both Operation Yellow Ribbon events at Lipscomb. This year he played a new song asking everyone to pray for the troops. He also played the Charlie Daniels Band classic, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” with accompaniment from The Grascals. “There is a Santa Claus and his name isn’t St. Nick, its St. Charlie Daniels,” said Eldredge. To add to the night’s excitement, David Hughes announced Lipscomb’s new partnership with Sentinels of Freedom, a program which awards scholarships to qualifying veterans who were severely injured in the line of duty. The first student...