Government shutdown hits record for longest in history — here’s how it could affect Lipscomb

Government shutdown hits record for longest in history — here’s how it could affect Lipscomb

On Friday at midnight, the government shutdown beat the record for the longest government shutdown in history with an unprecedented 22 days. The shutdown has now been 23 days in total, beginning on Dec. 22 and in response to President Donald Trump’s demand that Congress include $5.7 billion for “the wall” along the southern border. Trump is adamant the wall is needed to keep undocumented immigrants from entering the U.S. illegally. Democrats now have control of the U.S. House and do not agree with Trump and Republicans that a wall is necessary, rather citing it as being unessential and too expensive. The shutdown is affecting many federal agencies, among those the FDA, which has postponed and halted some inspections. Vandalism has overtaken national parks, and scientific research has been stalled to an extent. Due to the shutdown, many federal workers are not getting paid. But how does the shutdown affect universities, and private universities — like Lipscomb — in particular? Lipscomb receives $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a fiscal year, so being a private university doesn’t make Lipscomb exempt from the effects of the shutdown. This sum largely comes from students’ financial aid, grants used for scientific research, stipends for undergraduate and graduate students and community outreach, such as the suicide prevention grant Lipscomb had for the counseling center and the federal grant that helps support the IDEAL program. But Tiffany Summers, Lipscomb’s director of student aid, said there really isn’t any reason for Lipscomb students to worry about the status of their financial aid due to the shutdown, at least right now. “There’s not any issues with...

Lumination Newscast, Oct. 3, 2013

In the sixth week of the 2013-2014 school year, Savanna Schubert and Carter Sanderson are behind the news desk to update you about what is happening on campus and around the Nashville community. Alex Walker fills you in on the week’s top world news headlines, Kelly Dean give the scoop on all things with Nashville entertainment, Aaron Schmelzer gives you the weather forecast and Kage Sanderson brings you up to speed with sports. This week’s newscast remembers the lives of two from the Lipscomb community, tells you what you need to know about the government shutdown, shows highlights from a on-campus fundraiser and tells you the latest names added to the Dove Awards lineup. We also show you what you missed with Dave Barnes took over Collins Alumni Auditorium, celebrate Google’s fifteenth birthday and share students opinions on a new blog going around campus. Be sure to stay tuned for future newscasts published every Friday here on...