by Erika Thornsberry | Oct 22, 2014 | News Slider
A new student-led group has made its way into the Lipscomb community, and it got the public’s attention with the painting of the rainbow bison. Painting the Bison is something all students are welcomed to take part in. It’s close to the middle of campus and something that draws people’s attention. The Bison turned many heads when it was painted in all rainbow and read “October 11th, 7p.m. @ Bell Tower.” The reason behind painting the bison rainbow, the students said, was to make a statement on campus and get other students’ attention. “We decided to paint the bison because it has been always a huge symbol of student expression,” sophomore Kat DeVore said. “We thought this was a way to get the word out and get people’s attention because this is something that needs to be talked about.” The students who painted the bison formed a group called “Represent the Rainbow”. The group was formed as a way to discuss gay rights and how to accept and love everyone. Sophomore Josh Yarbrough is the one leading this group. Yarbrough says this group is going to provide a safe place for people to come and discuss these issues. His plans for the group are to meet at “The Well” every Saturday night. “This is a place for people to come and share testimonies, questions and doubts. There are a lot of opinions out there,” Yarbrough said. “I believe until we hear those things and test them against one another’s lives, we will never be able to figure out the best way to love one another.” Yarbrough tried to put...
by Carly Bergthold | Apr 25, 2012 | News Slider
Have you ever wondered how the bells in Allen Bell Tower chime? And no, there’s no tiny man with mallets jumping around from bell to bell. What is in the bell tower is a called a carillon. A carillon is an assortment of various sizes of bells, controlled by a wooden structure similar to a piano. In order for a bell to ring, its corresponding wooden handle is pushed down. Songs can be programmed and produced automatically, though, so no one has to sit in the bell tower staring at his watch, waiting to ring the bells so that students will know chapel is starting. Donna King, Lipscomb’s resident carilloneur, is in charge of playing and recording music for the carillon. Most of the melodies you hear are recorded, but for special events like graduation, King plays live music. “It really makes a difference in the sound,” King says about playing live. When the carillon plays automatically, the bells are struck from the outside rather than the inside, and so the sound loses the nuance of a live performance. King learned how to play the carillon when Allen Bell Tower was built in 1999. Then a Lipscomb piano teacher, she was selected to learn, care for and record melodies on the carillon. “It’s easy to learn the carillon,” King said, “but it’s hard to be good at it. A carillon is a quirky thing.” For those desiring to play better, some universities offer majors in carillon. There are even carillon schools where students’ only option is studying carillon performance. The carillon in Allen Bell Tower is made up of 35...
