LIVE UPDATES: Lipscomb extends online instruction for rest of spring semester, cancels commencement and closes dorms

LIVE UPDATES: Lipscomb extends online instruction for rest of spring semester, cancels commencement and closes dorms

MARCH 18, 2020 Following the White House’s recommendation that gatherings of 10 or more people be canceled or postponed, Lipscomb University officials made the decision to extend online instruction for the rest of the spring semester in the wake of growing concern over the coronavirus.  “This difficult and unprecedented decision – one being faced by colleges and universities throughout the country – was made with the health, wellbeing and safety of our students, faculty and staff in mind,” said President Lowry in an email sent Wednesday afternoon. Commencement has been canceled for spring 2020 graduates and the dorms are sending students home. Click here to read the rest of the story.  MARCH 15, 2020 Thanks to concerns over the coronavirus, the week after spring break this year will be one unlike any Lipscomb has ever experienced. The university announced the following for the week of March 23-27: Undergraduate students will have an extended week of spring break. Graduate classes will resume; programs will determine the format. Faculty will report to campus to transition classes to a remote teaching and learning environment. In a presentation to faculty and staff on Thursday, President Randy Lowry said that “‘closing’ is not a very good word for this.” “We are open and will at some level stay open because we have certain kinds of needs we need to meet for our students,” Lowry said. Click here to read the full story. MARCH 12, 2020 Lipscomb University has announced an extended spring break running until March 27th for undergraduate students. The information was delivered in an email to the Lipscomb community from the office of...
New commuter lounge receives mixed reviews

New commuter lounge receives mixed reviews

It’s been a week since fall classes started and students are already experiencing changes on Lipscomb’s campus. That includes a new commuter lounge in the Bennett Campus Center. Lipscomb has offered commuters a space for them to work on projects and relax in between classes, but that space has been moved from the Elam Hall basement and into the heart of campus. SGA president Sierra Sparks said the new location will help commuter students connect with the rest of the student body. “Change is something students can adjust to,” Sparks said. “Commuters (need) to feel like they’re a part of things and connect with other students who hang out at the Student Center.” According to Director of Student Involvement Louis Nelms, one of the main reasons the lounge was moved was because the previous location was separate from the rest of the campus. “Moving it to the (Student Center) gave the commuters an opportunity to not feel isolated,” he said. Nelms added that it will give students more “exposure to (residential) students and what’s happening on campus and make them feel like a priority.” Students have already offered their feedback on the new location. Some students have given their appreciation for the effort and the attention given to commuters, while the change has been a hard adjustment for others. The move from Elam, a quiet place with couches and lockers, to a more crowded area has been cause for concern for some students. “It’s more like a study room,” Biology major Tiya Souki said. Other students agreed that the space doesn’t feel like a lounge and believe it needs...

SAB hosts first ever Swing in the Square

For the first time at Lipscomb, the Student Activities Board hosted a Swing in the Square event for students on Friday evening in Bison Square. While this function is new to campus, other similar events such as Theta Xi’s Full Moon Festival have been held in the past. “This is an event that we talked about doing in the spring,” said Louis Nelms, director of student activities. “Theta Xi, when they did Full Moon Festival, sort of opened the door to some of this stuff.” After approval, Nelms and his team began planning to make the night a safe, enjoyable time for all. “We had to have a place to swing, we had to have lights, we had to have music, and so we just decided to put this all together and thought how do we make this better, and that’s what happened,” Nelms said. Junior Josh Cottrill served as the DJ, incorporating big band music and more popular electric pop. “I’m mostly excited for the atmosphere and the liveliness that’s going to happen tonight,” Cottrill said. “I’m excited to see what comes about.” Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. Students were instructed on proper swing dancing technique by theater professor Leigh Anne Ervin. After showing students some simple dance moves, Ervin stepped aside to let students show off some of their own moves. “It’s a lot of fun because everyone’s making a fool of themselves and dancing,” said sophomore Samantha Gwinn. Whether students had some background in swing dancing or were completely new to the style, Swing in the Square easily allowed students to join in community and learn. “You get to...

SAB debuts new weekly event Tuesday Night Treats

Tuesday nights on Lipscomb’s campus have gotten tastier, as the Student Activities Board announced and has already held a new event called “Tuesday Night Treats”, or TNT. The event, as Director of Student Activities Louis Nelms said, is SAB’s weekly event, held every Tuesday night from nine to ten and will feature a variety of food choices.” Nelms said that SAB was looking for new ideas for the upcoming school year when someone mentioned hosting a weekly event. SAB looked at other weekly events hosted on campus: Coffeehouse, Wednesday Night We Eat, Wednesday Night Devo, and found something doable that hopefully, as Nelms mentioned, would not create as much conflict with other events on campus or in the area—thus Tuesday Night Treats. Nelms also said that the future is bright for TNT. He hopes to partner with others for the event, whether it be a social club promoting a fundraiser, a Lipscomb sports team promoting a game or a local church. Tuesday Night Treats will be in its second week on Aug. 26, and if you want to check out the menu ahead of time visit lipscombsab.com. Under the TNT events, the menu will be...

Highly anticipated events return to campus

As October comes to an end, Halloween isn’t the only thing on the mind of Lipscomb students. Many highly anticipated events are returning this fall and promise to bring even more fun and excitement. Paint the Herd returned Friday, Oct. 25, in it’s fourth year under the sponsorship of the Lipscomb Student Government Association. Student Activities Director Louis Nelms said Paint the Herd started his junior year in 2010 at Lipscomb University, and it has been a hit every year since. “It’s one of Lipscomb’s bigger events,” Nelms said. “There is always several hundreds of people there. It’s going to be one students talk about for a while. It’s one that students look forward to all year.” “It’s fun, it’s this Friday, and it’s going to be a blast,” he added. Paint the Herd isn’t the only exciting event that has been planned. The always popular annual dodge ball tournament put on by Campus Ministry is also just around the corner. This years ninth annual tournament is comes back to campus on the first of November in Bison Square. “It started off as just a goofy event for people to dress up around Halloween and play dodge ball and it sort of evolved into this massive celebration of what I think is the Lipscomb culture,” Nelms said. “I always tell people there is two ways to win dodge ball. One, you can win the actual tournament and you take a trophy home, but no one remembers you. Two, you can have the best costume and everyone remembers you.” If getting paint on your body or getting hit by dodge...