by Travis Byrd | Dec 19, 2013 | Uncategorized
Finals week has come to an end, which can only mean one thing. Christmas is here! Lipscomb students have spent countless hours over the last week studying for finals. Now, they can take some much needed time off to recuperate. “I am so glad finals are over,” said sophomore Cory Sanders. “I can’t wait to go home and be with my family. I will probably get some duck hunting in, too.” This is a special time of year when Lipscomb students get an extended break to relax and be with family, as home is a long way from Nashville for many students. “I am from Pennsylvania, so it is important for me to be at home for Christmas,” said senior Micah Fleming. “I will be spending a lot of time with my family, which will be nice since I don’t see them much anymore.” Christmas is viewed in many different ways. Some see it as the time they get to open presents and be with family. This Christmas, however, will not include presents for one Lipscomb student. “This year my family has decided not to give each other presents,” said senior Karley Harris. “We have decided to take a family trip instead. “I think this is a great way to spend Christmas, because it allows us to relax and be surrounded with the people we love.” What would Christmas be without traditions? A lot of families will put up the tree and string Christmas lights on their houses, but some students have unique traditions. “My mom started this tradition when I was young. We make a birthday cake and sing...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Nov 29, 2013 | Uncategorized
Now in his eighth year at Lipscomb University, Director of Vocal and Choral Activities Dr. Gary Wilson hasn’t always been an educator in the Volunteer State. Originally from Texas, Wilson started his teaching career in Little Rock, Ark., where he stayed for 13 years. He left to pursue teaching at the collegiate level. “[I] thoroughly loved my job there, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with it,” Wilson said. “There’s some music that I knew I was capable of teaching and conducting that my high school students were not capable of learning and performing, and so I really wanted to get to the collegiate level, but I didn’t have a doctoral degree.” He explained that, in the choral profession, there are many people with doctorates, and there is typically only one choral director at a small university. Thus, there is plenty of competition for the title of choral director. To earn his doctoral degree, Wilson traveled to York College in York, Neb., a Church of Christ university. Wilson taught full time and studied there during his tenure. Wilson said that he learned valuable lessons during his time at York. “For one thing, I had to learn how to drive on the snow. I grew up in Texas, [so after] a half inch, we pretty much shut things down,” Wilson said with a laugh. Along with driving in snowy weather, Wilson learned organization and focusing skills. “I probably learned how to be more organized than I have ever in my entire life, and how to be very, very focused on what has be done today, and what can be put off until...
by Logan Butts | Nov 21, 2013 | Uncategorized
Fifty years since the assassination of John F. Kennedy – a trauma that sparked the first “wall-to-wall” television news coverage, so generations captivated by the young president and his family could view the events – the cruel reality still resonates with those who lived through it. Similar to how most people who are alive today know exactly where they were when the events of 9/11 occurred, anyone who lived during President Kennedy’s assassination knows exactly where they were when the news was broke to them early in the afternoon of Nov. 22, 1963. “I was in Madison Street Elementary School in the first grade class,” said Mark McGee, Lipscomb Athletics media relations director and adjunct professor. “And our teacher, Mrs. Beachboard, came into the class and told us that the president had been killed.” “I remember exactly where I was,” said Alan Griggs, associate professor and chair of the department of communications and journalism. “I was in the seventh grade, and I was in a civics classroom. We were being taught by Mr. Basset, the civics teacher. All of the sudden, the door opens, and in comes the assistant principle with a very worried look on his face saying that the president had been shot. We were all just stunned.” For the next four days, Americans sat glued to their televisions watching all the events unfold. From the assassination of the President on Friday to Jack Ruby’s shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald on Sunday and Kennedy’s funeral on Monday, all of America saw the events unfold in their living room, right in front of their eyes. “It took over TV,” McGee said. “I...
by Brianne Welch | Nov 21, 2013 | Sports
After sitting out of basketball for a season, Lipscomb redshirt sophomore Ashley Southern is back on the court and making a statement. Originally from Tuscumbia, Ala., Southern began playing recreation basketball at the age of 6 at the request of her best friend. “She begged me to play with her, so I played. Her dad was the coach,” Southern said. “I was terrible. I scored for the other team.” Southern has come a long way since those rec ball days. She played basketball and volleyball in high school and received many accolades including three-time All-State, All-County, All-Area and All-Region selections for basketball. Southern also scored 2,267 career points in high school. Southern received the Atlantic Sun Newcomer of the Week award earlier this season and is already a top scorer and rebounder for the Lady Bisons, with more than 50 points and 48 rebounds. Even so, Southern doesn’t like to talk about her individual achievements. “I’m not one of these people that really cares about personal awards,” Southern said. “Like, honestly, I just want us to win some games.” Southern is a redshirt sophomore because she transferred into Lipscomb from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga last season, and, through NCAA rules, was required to sit out for the 2012-13 season. “When I got to Chattanooga it was just a whole different atmosphere than what I thought it was going to be, and I wasn’t happy,” Southern said. “Lipscomb recruited me out of high school, so I got in touch with Coach Bennett and decided to transfer here.” Former Lady Bison head coach Frank Bennett originally recruited Southern to...
by Ariel Jones | Nov 6, 2013 | Uncategorized
Brittany Barker is not your average student here at Lipscomb University. She has many talents and aspirations and has put those talents into good use during her time here. A graphic design major, Barker has used her graphing design skills outside of the classroom through her involvement with Lipscomb’s Theatre Department. Barker has been associated with productions like Hairspray, Les Misérables and other shows on campus. She is currently set to graduate this fall and seeks to embark on the next chapter of her life after college. Soon after graduation, Barker plans to get her master’s degree in graphic design and have a teaching internship as well. One thing to know about Barker is that she’s a devoted Disney World fan. As a matter of fact, one of her posts on Facebook reads, “NOTHING like Disney,” when she shared a link on her wall about a “fake Disney World” that she had seen online. Barker isn’t only a fan of the Disney franchise. She hopes to join the company, putting her major graphic design to work. “I see myself owning my own business and working at Disney, designing cool logos for them,” Barker said when asked to peek into her future five years from now. Friendships are important to Barker, but the most important relationship she worked on while at Lipscomb was her faith with Jesus Christ. She says her walk with Jesus hasn’t changed much since coming to Lipscomb, but something did change. “My walk with Jesus hasn’t much changed since first coming to Lipscomb University, but my faith has grown stronger since being here,” Barker said. “Lipscomb has helped me...
