Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s “Director of New and Indigenous Americans” finally became a U.S. citizen on Thursday after living in the country for apparently many years.
O’Connell posted the news to X that the Nashville government staffer, Jacky Gomez, was naturalized.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Tuesday hosted an event to teach citizens how to respond in the event that they encounter a mass shooter.
“TBI is partnering with other sponsors in presenting this event to offer attendees information on how to increase emergency preparedness, understand critical response, and implement actions that increase survivability,” the law enforcement agency said on its Facebook page. “A TBI special agent will be among the panelists available following the seminar to answer questions.”
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Lipscomb University announced on Friday that Dr. Candice McQueen, former commissioner of education for Tennessee, will serve as the school’s new president.
McQueen, who previously served as the school’s dean of the university’s College of Education, will be the first woman to lead the 130-year-old institution.
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Lipscomb University appears to have removed free access to their session featuring “How to Be Antiracist” author Ibram Kendi. The anti-racist thought leader is slated to appear as a guest speaker during the university’s Christian Scholars Conference this week.
Last Wednesday, The Tennessee Star registered with Lipscomb University for a link to Kendi’s webinar. The university made it clear that the session was open to the public. Following reporting from The Star on the event, the university closed the signup form. We never received the link that was promised.
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According to Lipscomb University, whiteness shapes spirituality and anti-racism is necessary for salvation. These were topics lectured to students in two mandatory small-group sessions – weekly occurrences called “Breakouts” – offered this past spring semester.
Lipscomb University requires students to select one Breakout at the beginning of the semester. Once a student chooses their Breakout, they must remain in that group for the entire semester.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Christina Botteri welcomed Tennessee star investigative report Corinne Murdock to the newsmakers line to discuss her findings in regards to Lipscomb University’s Christian Scholar Conference to feature premier speaker on racism, Ibram Kendi.
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Lipscomb University, a self-proclaimed Christian institution, chose “How to Be Antiracist” author Ibram Kendi as a featured speaker for its 2021 Christian Scholars Conference (CSC). The Tennessee Star reached out for more details to CSC Chair David Fleer, Lipscomb University spokespersons, Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry, and Lipscomb University Board of Trustees Chair David Solomon. None of them responded by press time.
After The Star reached out to each of those individuals, Lipscomb University completely scrubbed the original contents of its CSC page. An archived version of the website from Tuesday shows that the original CSC page was largely dedicated to Kendi’s appearance as a featured guest speaker. It also included positive remarks from Fleer about Kendi.
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It wasn’t enough that elements of the radical Left polluted our colleges and universities with its outrageously leftist political views and slanted curriculums. And it wasn’t enough that the Left went full bore in its rampant sexualization of our children and the targeting of their values, which Steve Feazel and I wrote about in Abduction: How Liberalism Steals Our Children’s Hearts and Minds (2016). Now they have taken aim at younger kids, in private school as well as public.
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Tennessee is a unique state, not only because we have the greatest citizens, but because of our geography. We border eight states. That can be an advantage and a disadvantage at times. When economic times are good, people want to relocate to our state. When economic times are difficult, it allows residents to move to a neighboring state and pursue more money in their chosen occupation. In education, we lose teachers to our border states on a regular basis.
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Dear Tennessee Star, Lipscomb University, how proud Nashville should be of this fine academic institution. Here is my story. On Sunday, the 28th of October, a group of wondrous young students came to my home and proceeded to clean my yard, cut my grass, pressure clean my house and seal my deck. They asked for absolutely nothing in return, and in the process, brought tears to my eyes, joy into my heart, and a profound renewal of my faith in young people of our country. This was a result of contacting a good friend, Ken Nelson, Jr., and requesting his help in finding someone to seal my deck which was getting weather-worn. Previous attempts to find people were fruitless and discouraging. As a wheelchair-bound 100% disabled veteran, I simply must rely upon others for these things. Upon Ken’s recommendation, I contacted David Callahan, a Lipscomb student, and he came out. A fellow Marine veteran, he looked over my deck and he explained that he attended Lipscomb University, a Civil Engineering major, and there was a program of volunteer outreach that the ASCE Chapter supports. After discussing it with his fellow students, they expressed enthusiasm for volunteering to seal my deck.…
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Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry apologized Friday for cotton stalk centerpieces that offended some African-American students invited to his home Thursday for a dinner to promote diversity on campus. “The content of the centerpieces was offensive, and I could have handled the situation with more sensitivity,” Lowry said in an email to the Lipscomb community that the school shared on Facebook. “I sincerely apologize for the discomfort, anger or disappointment we caused and solicit your forgiveness.” Lipscomb is a private Christian liberal arts school in Nashville affiliated with the conservative Churches of Christ. One student who attended the dinner wrote on Facebook, “We were very offended, and also the meals that were provided resembled many ‘black meals’ they had mac n cheese, collard greens, corn bread etc.” The student’s post included a photo of one of the cotton stalk centerpieces, a type of trendy decor depicted in many varieties on Pinterest. Hobby Lobby is getting slammed by a woman on social media for selling similar decor because “there is nothing decorative about raw cotton” as it represents “a commodity which was gained at the expense of African-American slaves.” In his apology, Lowry said, “I have heard from a number of students who…
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Nashville’s private liberal arts universities weighed in on President Trump’s DACA decision this week, saying ending the program is a mistake. In sentimental, emotional statements, the presidents of Vanderbilt, Belmont, Lipscomb and Trevecca described ending DACA as an offense to the values of their universities. They’re not the only ones reacting negatively. Several hundred protesters condemned Trump during a march Tuesday along West End Avenue organized by immigration activists. However, conservative Tennessee politicians and others are praising Trump or are offering more nuanced reactions. The Trump administration announced Tuesday morning that it would begin winding down the program in March unless Congress acts. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has allowed young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children to obtain temporary permission to live and work in the U.S. if they meet certain criteria. Many are now young adults. There are nearly 800,000 DACA recipients nationwide and more than 8,300 in Tennessee. DACA was started by former President Obama with an executive order, which critics said was an unconstitutional overreach of his authority. Trump made a campaign promise to end DACA but as president had sent mixed signals before his administration announced early Tuesday that it would effectively…
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Lipscomb University on Thursday dedicated a new engineering building designed to usher in a bright future for engineering students. Bright being both literal and metaphorical. “The best thing is we’re not in a basement anymore,” rising junior Azriel Achterbosch told The Tennessee Star. Before construction of the three-story Fields Engineering Center, students took classes in the basements of two other buildings on campus. They were able to move into their new digs in January even though the formal dedication wasn’t until Thursday. In her comments during the dedication ceremony, rising senior Cailey Cline spoke of “the simple joy of seeing the outside world from my lab station.” Though a small Christian liberal arts college, Lipscomb has started to gain recognition for its engineering program. School officials hope the 200-student program will double in size in the new building, which they see as a selling point for prospective students visiting campus. Founded in 1891, the school has offered entry-level engineering courses since 1938, but didn’t begin to offer engineering degree programs until 2000. The school now offers undergraduate programs in civil, electrical and computer, and mechanical engineering. The new building is named for retired ExxonMobil executive Charles Fields and his…
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