Coronavirus (COVID-19) begins to affect Lipscomb study-abroad students

Coronavirus (COVID-19) begins to affect Lipscomb study-abroad students

Lipscomb students studying abroad are feeling the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) as it approaches pandemic levels. After the virus reached areas of Northern Italy, which is reporting 400 confirmed cases, with only three of those cases coming as a result of travels to China, Lipscomb elected to evacuate the study abroad group staying in Florence. These students were moved to the Vienna campus for at least the next month, and then the situation will be reevaluated.  President Randy Lowry said in an email to the Lipscomb community that the university has been monitoring the situation for weeks, and one option would have been to return the students to the U.S. and have them continue their spring classes in an online format. “Unfortunately, this option would also likely be the end of their study abroad experience,” Lowry said in the email. So the university decided upon Vienna. “This option is only possible because, fortunately, none of the Florence students have visited an area or region impacted by the COVID-19 virus,” Lowry said. “Because our students’ safety and well-being are of utmost importance, we would not make this decision if it put our Vienna students at risk by introducing another student population that could be impacted by the virus.” Students affected by this situation expressed gratitude that they are not being sent home, but the abrupt move is causing stress and disrupted plans that had been in place for months. As of right now the Vienna campus, as well as the country of Austria, remains safe with only two cases reported in the entire nation. However, Lipscomb will continue to...

Hong Kong Umbrella Riots hit close to home

A student protest thousands of miles away may seem unconnected to life in Nashville, but for some members of the Lipscomb community, the protest could mean life or death for their beloved city of Hong Kong. Lipscomb graduate Caesar Tang is in the middle of what is being called the Umbrella Riots in Hong Kong. The protest got its name from the umbrellas protesters are using to protect themselves from pepper spray used by the police. “I do not believe it should be called a riot,” said Tang. “A riot would imply violence. The protesters are not retaliating in any way at all. The protest is an expression of desire from the Hong Kong people to have a government that represents them and hears their voices.” The protests began in September 2014 when China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress announced that they would not allow civil nominations and would instead use a committee to choose candidates for elections in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Federation of Students began the protest outside of Hong Kong’s government headquarters. Hong Kong was a colony of the British Empire until 1997, at which point it was handed over to the People’s Republic of China. Hong Kong has kept its political independence from China, making the announcement of proposed electoral reform a blow to Hong Kong citizens. Lipscomb student Hannah Passamonte also has ties to the revolution. Passamonte grew up in Hong Kong and her parents still teach in the city. “I am still in awe at what is happening in Hong Kong right now,” said Passamonte. “I’m praying for the safety...

Hannah Passamonte uses global experience to help those in need

Because Hannah Passamonte grew up in different countries, traveling has become a passion. While traveling is a hobby of hers, it also has given her a mission to take on something bigger than herself: the education of the youth of an impoverished nation. Born in Kentucky, this freshman at Lipscomb University can’t necessarily claim Southern roots. With parents as international teachers, Passamonte has created a share of childhood memories that are very different from most, having grown up in such countries as China, Chile, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Guam. “Answering the question ‘where are you from?’ is always a difficult question for me to answer,” Passamonte said. At the age of one, Passamonte’s  first move out the country was to Guam. When moving, making that transition from schools and a different home can be tough enough, but adding in a culture change can make the adjustment a tough process. Passamonte explained that her family is one of the main reasons she’s been able to make these changes so smoothly. “Moving is always hard, but one thing that really stayed the same throughout our moves was being together,” Passamonte said. “I honestly enjoyed it. It’s something that has been a part of my life throughout my life, so I haven’t really known anything more.” Of all the beautiful variety of countries she lived in, it is hard for her to pick a favorite location. From the tropical island of Guam to the deserts of the Middle East, Passamonte experienced more of the world in her childhood than most people have in their entire lives. When talking about Chile specifically,...

UPDATE: China Experience

“One country, two systems” became real when we arrived in Hong Kong. Practically everything from our surroundings to the spoken languages to the standard of living had drastically changed. DAY FIVE – Sunday, May 23 We left our hotel in Beijing and headed to the airport at 4:30am. We met our new guide, David, at the airport and loaded the bus to head straight for our hotel. We immediately noticed that we were boarding the bus on the “wrong” side. Since Hong Kong was under British control until 1997, European influences can be seen, namely driving on the left side of the road. In addition, the landscape wasn’t what many of us expected. We were surrounded by water and lush, green mountains. Our first stop after dropping our things at the hotel was Victoria’s Peak. Since we were staying on Kowloon Island, we took our first of many 5-minute ferry rides to officially reach Hong Kong. The ride up the mountain was steep and curvy, and the view from the top showed us the skyline in which we’d be spending the next four days (including The Dark Knight building). That night we gathered at the shore to watch the Symphony of Lights across the water. The show occurs every night across the Hong Kong Island skyline and includes synchronized music, lights, and lasers. It’s definitely a spectacle in itself, and all the colors reflecting off the water only make it more spectacular. DAY SIX – Monday, May 24 We began our string of company visits with Prudential Asia. “Pru” is a 160 year-old international retail financial services group headquartered...

China Experience: Students get firsthand look at international business

Our fourteen hour flight to Beijing landed four days ago. Life since then has been everything we never could have imagined… DAY ONE – Wednesday, May 19 Our company visits began with CITIC (China International Trust and Investment Company). CITIC is a state-owned entity with 418 branches in China, Hong Kong, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with total assets valued in excess of $70 billion US. We had a panel presentation and discussion from several Vice-Presidents, CEOs, and Chairmen within the company and its subsidiaries. Lehman Brown, an international accounting firm with over 300 partners in 100 countries, was actually just a few floors up the elevator in the same building. They hosted us for lunch at the Capital Club, an exclusive “member’s only” establishment on the 50th floor. With a wall half-filled with windows, the view of the city was phenomenal.  When we finally stopped taking pictures, Russell Brown, a managing partner of the firm, delivered a presentation concerning the positives and negatives of operating in China and their ability to sustain the current growth numbers. We spent the rest of our night sampling a very interesting selection of dumplings at a local restaurant and enjoying an acrobatic troupe performance. DAY TWO – Thursday, May 20 Our itinerary for Thursday was shifted a bit to accommodate one of the company’s we planned to visit. Consequently, we had an entire day of sightseeing! The morning was filled with pictures in the center of Tiananmen Square and a few hours of meandering about the Forbidden City. Our tour guide Yalin, or “Amanda,” narrated our walk via headsets and...