Engineering students to build bridge on campus

Students in the College of Engineering plan to construct a bridge on campus in just a few weeks. This prototype bridge will be built in the quad outside the Hughes Center, and the parts will be shipped to Honduras and rebuilt during a mission trip this spring. Once in Honduras, the bridge will allow grade school students to safely cross a highway on their school campus. According to Kerry Patterson, associate professor of engineering, the road will become the main access to a new port facility and will likely become busier in the future, making the bridge more needed. The team of student volunteers, co-led by alumni Luke Burris and Ethan Johnson, will have the parts manufactured in America. But for now, construction of the prototype is being held off until approval from the Honduran government. “Once we have approval, it will be about 4-5 weeks before we will be ready to build the bridge on campus,” Patterson said. Construction of the campus bridge should begin in February. The campus bridge will be over 100 feet long and one to two feet off the ground, but the official bridge will be 4 feet wide and nearly 8 feet tall to allow traffic to pass under it. Between 15 and 20 students will travel to Honduras to construct the bridge. The project will be done in partnership with Honduras Outreach Inc., a non-profit mission...

Non-contact NFL builds gridiron friendships for fantasy players

Lipscomb students are, like millions of fantasy football combatants across the country, gearing up for the playoffs. Many opt to join a random league, but plenty also partake in a private league with people they know, and that play has the added benefit of helping players bond. For Lipscomb senior Tyler Summers, joining a league with his friends has been the most fun way to participate. “I love fantasy football,” Summers, a Bible major, said. “It’s always fun being in a league with the guys so that you can talk trash to them all week.” Summers is in three fantasy football leagues and enjoys the sense of community that comes with each one. “I’m in a league with people from Smyrna Church of Christ where I interned for two years and two different Lipscomb leagues,” Summers said. “It’s great having a group of guys that you can have some friendly competition with and exchange some smack talk leading up to the game.” Many enjoy the community a league tends to bring. However, each game must have one winner and one loser. Lipscomb senior Ethan Johnson has been on the losing end of a lot of his fantasy football games. “Both of my teams suck,” Johnson said. “I’m an engineering major; you would think I’d eventually devise a winning team, but that hasn’t happened for me this year.” Johnson is in two leagues. In one league, he has a record of 3-9 and is in 13th place out of 14 teams. In his other league he is 4-8, but is in last place out of eight teams. “This just hasn’t been...

‘Coffee House’ provides hearty brew of student music

Lipscomb University is filled with students with poetic voices and passions to perform. And that’s what inspired the  Student Government Association to establish the Coffee House series. After students arrive at Lipscomb, they discover this unique “study break” opportunity. Every Thursday night starting at 10:30, a student, or a group, performs for an audience of fellow students. Their set lasts for about an hour, and the entertainers have the freedom to play original songs, covers or a combination of the two. The student performers provide the entertainment and SGA provides the coffee. The event is held in the Starbucks on campus. During the hourlong performances, SGA picks up the tab for the students’ drinks. However, if they want to enjoy a free drink they are limited to a tall-sized coffee, hot chocolate or caramel apple spice. The SGA created Coffee House for a number of different reasons. They wanted to provide a free outlet for students to express themselves, but also wanted to encourage on-campus community and support for fellow students. Sophomore Brandon Carver has attended many of the events and will be performing with a friend later in the semester. He with many other students, regularly attend Coffee House because of the inviting atmosphere. “I go to Coffee House to support my fellow Lipscomb students,” he said. “I love the casual, easygoing atmosphere and listening to good music. You can’t refuse free coffee either.” Zach Brantley, a junior at Lipscomb, performed at Coffee House recently with two other students, Lincoln Mick and Ethan Johnson. Brantley always has been involved in music, but Lipscomb has provided him with the opportunity to bring his talents to...