Court of Criminal Appeals held on campus

Court of Criminal Appeals held on campus

On Wednesday, Tennesse’s Court of Criminal Appeals came to campus to hold three separate appeals cases. Collins Alumni Auditorium transformed into a real courtroom for a few hours while cases were heard.  The clerk opened by telling the audience that the Court was grateful for the opportunity to hold court at Lipscomb University. Although the Court of Appeals usually hears cases in specific courtrooms in Jackson, Knoxville and Nashville, they also travel in order to be more accessible to other members of the communities.  The Court of Appeals differs from the court dealings one usually sees on television. Whereas typically both sides present their full case, call witnesses, and present evidence, none of that happens in a court of appeals. In fact, there is not even a decision made at the conclusion.  A case goes to the Court of Appeals after it has already received a ruling from a trial court. Instead of seeking a ruling, the appellant, or the person bringing the case, is asking for something to be corrected.  Most of the lawyers on Wednesday were seeking a new trial for their client, proposing that something went wrong the first time.  The Court of Appeals also differs by instead of having just one judge, there are several, who have all been appointed to their position.  Judges John Everett Williams, Timothy L. Easter and Jill Bartee Ayers presided over the court. It began promptly at 9 am with the clerk announcing the judges and stating the common “Oyez, oyez, oyez.”  The first case, State Of Tennessee V. Vana Mustafa, dealt with a 17-year-old convicted of first-degree murder that...
GALLERY: SGA Spring Concert features Johnnyswim

GALLERY: SGA Spring Concert features Johnnyswim

Lipscomb’s SGA put on the annual spring concert Saturday night, featuring the headliner, Johnnyswim. The couple, Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano formed their duo in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. During the concert, the indie-folk duo introduced their new album Moonlight and shared stories of their journey in the music industry, as well as Ramirez’ experience as a Nashville resident and former Trevecca student. Sudano shared the couple’s love story, followed by Ramirez serenading her with a song on their new album titled “Amanda.” After the song, Sudano shared the first time Ramirez saw her. “That’s the woman I’m going to marry,” Ramirez said, remembering the first time he saw Sudano. He added that his previous girlfriend broke up with him “on the spot.” The couple closed the concert by entering the crowd and standing on the chairs in the center of Collins Alumni Auditorium amidst the crowd of students....
Lipscomb honors Shirley Boone, wife of Pat Boone, in memorial service

Lipscomb honors Shirley Boone, wife of Pat Boone, in memorial service

On Thursday, the Lipscomb community hosted a memorial service in celebration of the life of Shirley Boone, the wife of Pat Boone and daughter of Red Foley, and the positive spiritual impact she had on others. The memorial, held in Collins Alumni Auditorium, was beautiful and respectful, with just the right amount of happy to outweigh the sad. Julia Gooch, a childhood friend, recounted the story of how she introduced Mr. and Mrs. Boone when they were only young teenagers. “Their eyes just sparked,” Gooch said. “They were so in love.” The service was filled with testimony after testimony of the impact Shirley Boone had made on the world and of what an amazing woman she was. “She excelled at everything she tried, and even things she didn’t try for,” her nephew Grant Boone said. “Jesus was revealed in Shirley,” her friend Landon Saunders said. Many recounted how, even in her later years and towards the end, Mrs. Boone never stopped trying to help and minister to others. “There was no retirement for Shirley Boone,” Rhonda Lowry, the wife of Lipscomb’s president, said. “She did ministry from a chair.” There were several musical portions of the service, with songs sang by Michel W. Smith and Nicole Mullen, among others, as well as a few video and photo montages of moments from her life. However, the most touching moment came when her four daughters, Cherry, Lindy, Debby and Laury sang a song together for their mother. Singing was just a part of being Boone, and the daughters were no exception. “What a gift she gave us,” Debby said. “Harmonizing taught...

Small club Kappa Chi wins big at Greek Life Appreciation Awards

Everyone loves a good underdog story, and Greek life members were lucky enough to witness one at the Greek Life Appreciation Ceremony. The ceremony for the 13 social clubs on campus was to honor the achievements of Greek life over the past school year and to crown this year’s boy and girl club of the year. “The event was to celebrate all the accomplishments in Greek life and all the work ICC and Sam Parnell have put into the Lipscomb Community,” Sam Smith, Dean of Student Life, said. “We wanted to celebrate the service, social events, relationships, and drug and alcohol awareness events social clubs have participated in this year.” The winner for the male social club of the year was Theta Psi, a fairly new club on campus, and the winner of the female club of the year was Kappa Chi. Kappa Chi seemed like the underdog of the competition, being one of the smallest clubs on campus, but the club insists this is the recognition they deserve. “The competition was stiff,” Melissa Pinhal, a Lipscomb senior and president of Kappa Chi, said. “”I feel for every girl in the club it’s a lot of validation. [As a smaller club], we don’t get recognized, so to get recognized is great and gives us a goal for next year.” Kappa Chi was the winner out of seven female social clubs, most of which are quadruple the size of it. “It’s unbelievable that our little club is doing such big things,” Kappa Chi senior Whitney North said. “It’s the highest honor us sisters could get, and it’s great that out of everyone...

“Anchored” spreads truth with Ellie Holcomb, Raechel Myers, Hannah Brencher

The women of Lipscomb learned what it meant to anchor themselves Monday night in Collins Alumni Auditorium.  Campus Ministry hosted the event “Anchored,” featuring singer/songwriter Ellie Holcomb; creator of She Reads Truth, Raechel Myers; and blogger and author of “If You Find This Letter,” Hannah Brencher. “Tonight is about anchoring ourselves to the truth of who God is and who God says we are,” said Caroline Morris, campus minister for women’s ministry. “When we do that, we begin to feel the freedom that we are destined for when we anchor ourselves to truth.” As each of the three guests told their stories, they revealed the truths they anchored themselves to in order to gain the freedom Morris described. After graduating college and moving to New York City, Brencher began leaving love letters around the city for people to find as a means of dealing with her depression. As Brencher struggled through her fear of being alone, she said she began to find God’s purpose for her life by anchoring herself in love. “I am learning that whatever you feed will grow, whether it is lies or truth,” Brencher said. “I’m either going to choose to be rooted in love or I’m going to choose to be rooted in fear, and I don’t want to be rooted in fear anymore.” Myers discussed the hardship of losing a child and clinging to God during rough times. She said that in this season of her life is when she realized that there is no truth but God’s truth. “The reality is I found God in the valley and I found God on the mountaintop, but...