Lipscomb alum describes Nashville’s massive, peaceful protest of deadly police tactics, Floyd killing

Lipscomb alum describes Nashville’s massive, peaceful protest of deadly police tactics, Floyd killing

Lipscomb alum Cedric Duncan said there was a great motivation for the 10,000-plus protesters who marched through the streets of Nashville in a rally supporting change after the death of George Floyd. “If you just talk the talk, nothing changes,” said Duncan, who was among those who began the trek at Bicentennial Mall, through downtown Nashville to the Tennessee Capitol and back in an orderly and peaceful procession. Much of downtown was boarded up as merchants feared a repeat of the violence that occurred after a peaceful protest last Saturday. But the crowd, which appeared to include at least as many white people as blacks people, was peaceful. The march planned by high school students occurred on the same day that Minneapolis — where Floyd was killed by police May 25, when one officer held his neck to the pavement by kneeling on it for more than eight minutes — was celebrated by the Rev. Al Sharpton and others, including Floyd’s family and children. Floyd’s pleas of “I can’t breathe” went ignored and he died. His final cries were for his mother. The officer has been charged with second-degree murder and three other officers who assisted in the fatal encounter also have been charged. The tragic incident and graphic video of Floyd dying stirred up protests nationwide, in which Floyd’s death was lamented and used as an illustration of  general police action against black men in particular, though black women also have been victims. “For me, it was more of marching for change in the culture of policing,” said  Duncan, of the massive gathering Thursday in Nashville. In addition...

Power Rangers come out on top in ‘Jolly Dodger’ dodgeball tournament

The Power Rangers rarely, if ever, have been defeated by their opposition, and Friday night was no different…kind of. In the annual Lipscomb dodgeball tournament (this year’s theme being the pirate-influenced “Jolly Dodger”), Team “Power Rangers” defeated “Lipscomb Volleyball” in an epic championship held in the Fanning Hall courtyard Friday night. Senior Ben Ashley explained what was going through his head during the final one-on-one showdown. “Honestly, I was just thinking, ‘This is the end, this is it. But after it’s all over, I’m still going to have a blast because we’re all friends’,” Ashley said. Part of the show included the teams’ theme and costumes. Sophomore Cedric Duncan explains how they came up with the idea for Power Rangers. “We had several ideas at first,” Duncan said. “Husband Housewives was the original one, but decided to go with the Power Rangers.” Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. En route to their championship, they beat the defending champions, “Team Belmont.” “Everybody wanted us to beat them, so it felt  great to come out on top,” Duncan added. However, the fun didn’t stop there. Since it was Halloween, students had the chance to win $100 for the best costume. Via crowd vote, the winner was a student dressed as Batman. While the competition was fierce, many teams like the Power Rangers were in the tournament to have fun and entertain the crowd. “We had a plan up until the second round, but we weren’t thinking in terms of championship,” Ashley said. “We just wanted to put on a good show.” Carousel photo and gallery credit: Erin...

Annual talent show showcases some of Lipscomb’s best

April Fool’s Day usually calls for a plethora of pranks and jokes. Lipscomb’s annual talent show, entitled Shenanigans, was no joke, though. Held in Shamblin Theatre on Tuesday evening, this free event showcased a variety of students’ talents, ranging from singer-songwriters to dancers. The event was hosted by Kappa Iota Theta and sponsored by SGA. President of Kappa Iota Theta and junior Mariah Lester served as the evening’s emcee. To Lester, the talent show is important to bring more community to Lipscomb. “We hope the talent will bring more of a student engagement for the whole student body,” Lester said. “It’s open to all students, all majors, anyone can participate, and anyone can come. “We open it up to the whole Lipscomb community to support and experience. It’s our job to showcase the students. This is our family. Look what they can do.” Before the show’s intermission, duo sophomore Cedric Duncan and sophomore Samantha Seifert performed the Rihanna and Mikky Ekko song “Stay.” “When I get on stage, all my nerves go away,” Duncan said.“Just like last year, it’s a lot of good competition this year.” The first and second place winners, who received a $100 and $50 prize respectively, were freshmen Rodra Allen, who sang a cover song, and Anna Bray, who performed an Irish dance. “I was super nervous; my hands were so shaky,” Allen said. “I was going to snap my fingers, but I couldn’t even do that.” Allen says she plans to put her prize to good use. “Me and my friends are going on a road trip, and before, I was kind of wondering...

Singarama act “Stop” aims to tell humorous, surprising story of crime, love

The cast and crew of “Stop”, one of the three segments in the 51st installment of Singarama, have been working together almost every day and night for over a month. With only a few days remaining until one of the biggest events on Lipscomb’s campus, the members of “Stop” are anxiously awaiting opening night. The overall theme of Singarama this year is “Singarama’s On Fire” and the individual segments of the show are titled “Stop,” “Drop” and “Roll.” The first of the three shows, “Stop,” will be put on by Delta Omega, Delta Xi, Phi Nu, Sigma Omega Sigma, Theta Psi and friends. “Stop” revolves around Rick and Louis, two crossing guards, who encounter an unexpected theft while on their morning shift. The theft causes the two guards to embark on a twist-filled mission for justice and love. “Throughout the story, they are going from place to place and finding different clues, trying to figure out who stole from the jewelry store,” show director Makenzie Kanyuh said. Kanyuh has participated in Singarama all three years that she has been at Lipscomb, but this is the first time she has held the position of director, a position that she says has both its perks and problems. “I’m just really excited to see it all come together,” Kanyuh said. “As director, it’s so much fun, but it’s really stressful to see it all piece-by-piece and have some holes still in it as you’re a week away. There are always holes when you’re a week away. That’s just the nature of it. Seeing it all come together is what I’m most looking forward to.” Rick and Louis,...