Welcome to Lipscomb University, where there is no parking

Welcome to Lipscomb University, where there is no parking

DISCLAIMER: This article is the opinion of the author and is not intended to reflect the opinions of Lumination Network. As classes begin ramping up once again, now is a great time to continue the conversation about how ludicrous the parking situation at Lipscomb University is. It really baffles me that Lipscomb, a flourishing school in the Southeast, cannot seem to accommodate its growing student body with an equal number of parking spaces. Instead, it seems like more spots continue to be taken away. I have a couple of examples. Right before the 2017 fall semester began, Patrick Cameron’s parking email at the time stated that the parking garage with the tennis court on top would “now be for Faculty, Staff and Guest use only.” To this day, that has not changed. Okay, so if you get paid to go to Lipscomb, you can park in the garage. That’s great. I’m not sure if they had previously closed off the garage in that manner before, but the point is that I wasn’t going to be able to park there. And then, towards the end of the 2018 spring semester, the Ezell parking lot next to the garage got the axe in favor of the upcoming George Shinn Event Center. If you’re a freshman or a transfer this year, yes, that building they’re working on used to be a parking lot. Again, all this blows my mind. You do have Stokes, which is honestly not that bad. It’s right next to the campus and is a short walk, especially if your first class is in McFarland or Hughes or one...

The Secret Handshake showcases Lipscomb College of Entertainment and the Arts

Stars from “The Secret Handshake” walked down the red carpet in Lipscomb’s Allen Arena for the world premiere of the the movie Wednesday night, but they were joined by many Lipscomb professors, and students, too.  Nashville’s Town Square Pictures and Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts partnered to produce the movie which was filmed entirely in Middle Tennessee. “When I came here seven years ago I never would’ve imagined that we would be launching a movie, a feature film, with another production company, but here we are,” said Mike Fernandez, founding dean of the College of Entertainment & the Arts. The film stars Kevin Sorbo, best known as Hercules, and singer-songwriter Amy Grant, and is directed by Nashville native Howie Klausner. Klausner said his family film that transports movie audiences through a journey of what it takes to be a man brings adventure, laughter and even some tears. He said it’s important to make films that are uplifting and have powerful storytelling. This is something Fernandez said has been the mission of the Lipscomb’s newest college. “We have started a brand new college, a College of Entertainment & the Arts, with a mission, and that mission is: Train independent, entrepreneurial artists to go out and create uplifting content in whatever their artistic talent might be, and to do that with a spirit filled with Christ,” Fernandez said. “I believe in storytelling — I believe storytelling shapes culture, and for us to train young minds who want to go out and tell really powerful stories in the way that Christ would have is an ultimate calling.” During the filming of “The Secret Handshake,” Lipscomb film students had...

Student-led worship service Dwell sees success during spring semester, plans to return in fall

Freshmen Jack Judkins and Tim Newman made the Ezell Center chapel home to a different kind of service during the spring semester. Every Thursday the two held a worship service and prayer time for anyone willing to come. The only catch — there was no chapel credit offered for coming. Judkins said they wanted a place where students could worship and pray together to spend time in the presence of God and fellowship with other believers at Lipscomb. “It’s a really simple time to take a moment out of your week and reflect,” freshman Danny Marsh said. The idea began when a group of freshmen were at The Gathering, a local worship service. Judkins and Newman said they felt God telling them to begin a similar type of service at Lipscomb on the weeks that The Gathering didn’t meet. “The crazy part is that a friend of ours was sitting on the opposite side of the room when God gave her the same idea right around the same time as He did with us,” Judkins said. “We spent a lot of time after that praying and working out the details of organizing our own chapel.” The special chapel service became a meeting place for approximately 30 students on a regular basis. The name of this special worship event — “Dwell” — fits the atmosphere of the place as people come for a stripped-down worship service and prayer time, according to the organizers. Judkins, Newman and the other freshmen leaders who organize each chapel said they are serious and motivated about creating an environment where people can come midweek and be surrounded by the...
Record number of graduates celebrated; updated alma mater led by Pat Boone

Record number of graduates celebrated; updated alma mater led by Pat Boone

A record number of graduates, a 1950s pop icon who rewrote the Lipscomb alma mater and Yellow Ribbon scholars who sacrificed so much were among the highlights Saturday when Lipscomb students were celebrated in the commencement ceremonies in Allen Arena. That icon, Pat Boone, introduced his “new” version of Lipscomb’s alma mater. He led that special part of the ceremony during which over 400 undergraduates crossed the stage to receive their diplomas and jubilant friends and families joined in the celebration. Boone, the original author of Lipscomb’s alma mater, recently made a few changes to the lyrics, but the melody remained the same. He described how he and Don Henley created the original song that he “rebooted” to make more modern this year. “I listened to some of the other college alma maters, and they’re impressive, and some are fight songs,
 and based on my experience here, and knowing what Lipscomb is about, I felt it needed to have an anthem quality,” Boone said. “It needed to have a spiritual quality, because that’s who we are. “Not many colleges around this great United States can say that.” Backed up by four Lipscomb students, Boone led the audience in the updated alma mater. Like others who were toasted during the commencement exercises, Boone worked extra hard to attend the school where his spirituality was nurtured. Long before he became a Hollywood mainstay and resident of Beverly Hills, Boone and his brother worked through the summers so that they could afford going to Lipscomb Academy. His reasoning, likely echoed by all the graduates who were at saluted during the ceremony, was he wanted an education in a Christian context....

Nashville mayor candidates share ideas with Lipscomb community

Lipscomb’s small piece of Nashville was put in sharp focus for the community during the 2015 Mayoral Candidates Forum Tuesday evening in the Ezell Center. The event allowed the seven mayor candidates to answer questions concerning quality of life issues. The event was presented by the Nashville Civic Design Center, a nonprofit organization that focuses on making Nashville a beautiful and functional city for everyone. Lipscomb’s Nelson & Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership hosted the event. The institute — which was built on the legacy of great Nashville leaders — engages leaders in academic and community programs to create broader communities. The institute did just that during this event — with over 200 filled seats with community members and faculty, and two separate rooms for overflow attendees and students. The candidates were asked questions concerning neighborhood design, transportation, pedestrian safety, housing and parks. They also discussed some of what Mayor Karl Dean has done in Nashville already. The candidates who have officially declared their intent to run for mayor are Megan Barry, Charles Robert Bone, David Fox, Bill Freeman, Howard Gentry, Jeremy Kane and Linda Eskind Rebrovick. Sophomore Jay Klein said that allowing the candidates to speak on Lipscomb’s campus was a good way for students to become aware of the city’s issues. “It was a great way to get our students involved in the election process, whether they are able to vote for mayor this upcoming August or if they’re just trying to get involved in politics in general,” Klein said. Political science professor Marc Schwerdt said that students were mostly interested in issues relating to transportation and walkability. “Walkability...