Candidates speak out on ideas at SGA Presidential Debate

From water bottle stations, to the cost of summer tuition at Lipscomb, the 2015-2016 Student Government Association candidates covered a variety of topics at the Presidential Debate Monday night in Shamblin Theater. Moderator Madeline Smith opened up the night by asking the senatorial candidates funny questions that were Tweeted out by audience members. Vice Presidential candidates Ezra Fritz, Lauren Gardiner, Hannah Passamonte, Jackson Smith and David Villacorta took the stage to share their ideas for the coming school year. The presidential portion of the debate began with a series of questions. Q: “If you could implement one major policy change at Lipscomb what would it be? A: Presidential candidate Julia Allen said she would change the way that tuition works. “I would like to see fixed tuition — for Lipscomb students to be able to stay for all four years,” Allen said. A: Presidential candidate Margaret Rox said she would also like to see a tuition lock for current students. “If we can’t have a tuition lock, I would at least like to see people’s scholarship increase with the tuition,” Rox said. While tuition increases each each, Rox said that scholarships don’t. She said that it would be more fair for scholarships to follow the same trend as rising tuition. A: Presidential candidate Jordan Beale said she is passionate about Lipscomb’s community, and she said she believes housing is a big part of the community. “I’d really like to see some greater opportunities for upperclassmen here on campus — maybe have more open dorm hours, a little bit more autonomy on those choices, a little bit more openness to moving off campus,” Beale said. Q: “What...

SGA debate set for Monday evening, elections begin Tuesday

The Student Government Association Presidential Debate is set for Monday, April 6 at 5 p.m. in Shamblin Theater. Elections will be held on Tuesday, April 7 in Bennett Campus Center. Students will be able to vote for executive positions and senators from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Runoffs will be held Thursday, April 9. Students will only be able to vote for the senators in their class. Five senators are chosen for each class. Elections for Senator-at-large will be held Tuesday, April 14. To ask the presidential candidates questions, students can Tweet using the hashtag “LUdebate.” The following students are candidates in the 2015-2016 SGA election: President: Julia Allen Jordan Beale Margaret Rox Vice President: Ezra Fritz Lauren Gardiner Hannah Passamonte Jackson Smith David Villacorta Secretary: Jamie Keiser Treasurer: Adrian Ricketts Senior Senator: Zach Clemens Stephen D. Grady Brennan Johnson Cole Meador Anne-Claire Smith Kendall Young  Junior Senator: Anna Cannone Philip Grimsley Caroline Hensley Carter Hilliard Grant Mathis Megan Neuenschwander Katie Scholl Sophomore Senator: Sinney Chan Brandon Cunningham Matt Gibson Luis Hernandez Destiny S. Mhishi Megan Roberts Alleah Thompson Grayson Webber Senator-at-large: Rachael Langston Caleb...

Fall fiesta celebrates Hispanic heritage

A fall festival held in Shamblin Theater on Wednesday celebrated all things Latino. The event, organized by the Lipscomb chapter of Futuro, included dancing, karaoke and plenty of Hispanic food. “Fall Fiesta has been our biggest campus-wide event,”  junior education major Adriana Leon said. “It gives Futuro a way to make itself known on campus. It’s just one of the most exciting things.” Sophomore nursing major Jocelyne Lopez was also involved in the planning. “I was in charge of catering, so I called restaurants and had to go pick food up. I got Puerto Rican food, Mexican food and Central American food. Just a variety of Latino food!” Lipscomb students lined up for the food, which included dishes like horchata, flan, mocha tres leches cake and Jarritos Mexican soda. Attendees also had the opportunity to hit a piñata and take pictures at the photo booth. Sophomore financial management major David Villacorta said the event was in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sep. 15 to Oct. 15. “I’m from Tegucigalpa, Honduras,” Villacorta said. “I feel really proud about being Hispanic. I’m proud of being what I am and I’m proud of celebrating this.” Lopez pointed out how exciting this kind of event is for the Hispanic culture. “I think it’s really special and great for us to be able to do this on campus,” Lopez said, “That way we can share our culture with others.” The students in Futuro hope to have another big celebration in the spring and will also be involved in other cultural events like Lipscomb’s International fashion show. “Especially at a school like Lipscomb, where...