October 28, 2011

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

A Poetry Slam was among the events hosted by the Tau Nu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. during "Final DSTination: Release of the REDS," a week of events hosted by the sorority. The women also held a voter registration drive and convocations covering women’s issues and financial readiness. Delta Week ends Oct. 29 with The RED Carpet of Horror Halloween Party co-sponsored by the Black Student Association in Beaman Meeting Rooms A&B.

The volleyball team beat Lipscomb 3-1 during a Battle of the Boulevard on Oct. 25. Belmont student-athletes continue to excel off the court and ranked high in the 2011 Graduation Success Rate Report. Read more below.

Ward Belmont hosted a reunion in the Belmont Mansion on Oct. 22.

AFRIZO, a choir from Daystar University in Kenya performed Oct. 28 in the Neely Dining Hall.

BELMONT NEWS

Brueggemann Lectures on God’s Justice for the Poor
Belmont University welcomed noted author and speaker Walter Brueggemann to campus on Oct. 23 for a convocation lecture titled “God’s Justice for the Poor.”

An expert on bringing the insights of the Old Testament to bear on contemporary issues of economic justice, nationalism and militarism through his 75 books, Brueggemann spent the hour engaging students in a discussion on the economic structure of society in Biblical times between the ideals under Pharaoh and the neighborly structure seen in Deuteronomy.

He advocated for a “mixed system” society – one that combines strategies from the capitalistic approach and the neighbor friendly one.

“Jesus thought neighbors related to neighbors related to neighbors could be transformative,” Brueggemann said.

The lecture ended with audience participation as students stood around the room and engaged in a dialogue surrounding the assigned questions regarding the state of the economy and the applicability of these ideals to the system we live in.

Brueggemann’s lecture tied in with the University’s 2011-2012 theme of Wealth and Poverty. This academic year, many academic lectures and programs explore the origins and effects of wealth and poverty as well as the social and ethical implications of each.

Belmont University Named a College of Distinction
Belmont University was again selected for the Colleges of Distinction, a website and college guide profiling more than 220 of America’s best bets in higher education. Belmont has been included on the list since 2007. Based on the opinions of guidance counselors, educators and admissions professionals, Colleges of Distinction honors colleges that excel in four areas of undergraduate education: student engagement in the educational process, great teaching, vibrant learning communities and successful outcomes.

Aside from the academic experience offered at the institutions selected, Colleges of Distinction are also chosen based on their first year program and experimental components of the curriculum. The organization believes institutions should be judged on what they are doing now and the development of their strategic plan, instead of their prestige historically.

Belmont will be profiled on the Colleges of Distinction website and in the official Colleges of Distinction guidebook. The selected Colleges of Distinction schools are found all across the United States.

Student-Athletes Rank High on NCAA Report
Belmont University student-athletes received high marks in the 2011 Graduation Success Rate Report released Tuesday by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Annually among the national standard bearers in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate report – which measures eligibility and retention – Belmont University also ranks among the nation’s best in Graduation Success Rate.

The two-pronged report contained both federal graduation rates, which are based solely on freshman scholarship student-athletes enrolling between 2001 and 2004, and a Graduation Success Rate that takes into account transfers in and out of the institution for the same time period. Both surveys are based on the student-athletes having six years to graduate from the time of their initial enrollment.

Five Belmont programs – men’s basketball, men’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s golf and women’s tennis – not only ranked among the nation’s best and paced the Atlantic Sun Conference in GSR within their respective sports, but had perfect scores of 100 for the reported cohort. Belmont baseball also ranked first in the conference in GSR, with a score of 90. Read more.

Freedom of Speech Week Explores Social Media
Communication Studies Assistant Professor Jason Stahl, Media Studies Associate Professor Sybril Bennett and Public Relations Instructor Kevin Trowbridge sat on a panel in the Massey Boardroom on Oct. 21 to explore the theme “Public Voice & Social Media” as part of Free Speech Week at Belmont.

They discussed social media’s changing importance in the way society communicates, how new responsibilities accompany new channels and tools, social media expansion, privacy freedoms and the place of social media in the classroom.

Bennett talked about the fears of privacy associated with social media and the direction of the future. She emphasized the importance of being “intentional and responsible” with your online brand since “you want to be the one who manages and facilitates it.”

The discussion ended with students’ questions regarding multitasking in the classroom and the role social media can play in enhancing the student experience. Trowbridge said he believes social media has a role in the classroom but content must be engaging because of its nature and the brevity of messages. Students and professors have to “step up their game and actually engage your audience, whether it’s online or face to face,” he said.

Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication Studies Department and the National Communication Association sponsored the week, which also included a viewing of “The King’s Speech.” The final event is a keynote address on “Public Voice in Public Institutions” by Chalsea Millner of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library at 10 a.m. Oct. 31 in the Massey Boardroom.

ACHIEVERS

Click here for stories on the recent accomplishments of Belmont’s students, faculty, staff and alumni. This week highlights include the Best Buddies Chapter, Ronnie Littlejohn, the Speech and Debate team, student members of the American Chemical Society, Ayesha Gaffar, Jordan Holt, Patrick Hurt, Rami Nofal, Mary Lyn Albritton, Cody Cain, Matt Craft, Seth Granda, Kyle Moyer, Stephanie Downing, Abby Henry, David Suell, Chris Goodwin, Amanda Buckner, Steven Gallo, Steven R. Guthrie and Sydney Smith.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Support the Bruins
There are several significant athletic events on and around campus this weekend. Every event is free and open to the public.

Volunteers Needed for Veterans’ Remembrance Day National Roll Call
Belmont University has joined a nationwide grassroots effort to honor American service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade. On Veterans Day— Nov. 11—campus and community volunteers at more than 100 college and universities across the nation will read the names of the 6,200-plus casualties of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), now called Operation New Dawn. Click here to read more.

COMING UP

Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, 6-9 p.m.
Fall Follies
Massey Concert Hall (MPAC)
SAPB brings you the annual comedy show, Fall Follies. Fall Follies is “Saturday Night Live,” Belmont style. There are also performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.

Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, 6-7 p.m.
Musical Theatre Freshman Showcase
Troutt Theater
Belmont University’s School of Music presents the new The Musical Theater freshmen in an annual showcase which includes singing, dancing and acting.

Saturday, Oct. 29, 6 – 9 p.m.
Edgehill Family Halloween Sports Night
Rose Park
Several Belmont University student groups and athletes will help children make costumes and trick-or-treat bags. There also will be treats, prizes, face painting and several sport-related activities including kickball, soccer, basketball and pumpkin bowling.

Monday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m.
Public Voice in Public Institutions
Massey Boardroom
The keynote address of National Freedom of Speech Week features Chalsea Millner of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.

Monday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m.
Wealth, Poverty and the New Testament
Beaman Meeting Rooms A&B
Dr. Judy Skeen, Professor of Religion teaching New Testament, Gospels, Spiritual Formation and Environmental Stewardship, will talk about New Testament views on wealth and poverty.

Monday, Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m.
Oratorio Concert
MPAC

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 7-9 p.m.
First Year Seminar Panel: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Curb Event Center
This Panel Discussion on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Common Book for the First-Year Seminar 2011-2012) will feature the following individuals: David “Sonny” Lacks – a son of Henrietta Lacks whose story is partly told in the common book; Kyle Brothers – pediatrician and specialist on clinical ethics and the ethics of genetic research at Vanderbilt’s Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society; Jennifer Thomas – associate professor of biology at Belmont University, specializing in microbiology, molecular biology, cancer biology and immunology; Moderator: Sybril Bennett – associate professor of journalism at Belmont University. Each member of the panel will speak for a short period, followed by a moderated Q&A session.

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.
No More Orphans
Neely Dining Room
Founder of the Sanctuary Covenant Church and Community Development Corporation, Efrem Smith’s heart for the poor is expressed in his books The Hip-Hop Church and Raising Up Young Heroes, as well as through being a spokesperson for the child sponsorship ministry Compassion International.

Thursday, Nov. 3, 7 and 9 p.m.
Southbound
Curb Cafe

Check the University calendar for other upcoming community and convocation events.
Visit the Belmont Athletics website for information about upcoming athletic events.

BIRTHDAYS

If you notice an incorrect or missing birthday, please e-mail the update to communication@belmont.edu. Happy belated birthday to Lindsay George in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, who celebrated on Oct. 23.

Oct. 28
Katy Wilson, Health Sciences

Oct. 29
Maren Bishop, Nursing
Merrie B. King, Education

Oct. 31
Kelly Moreland Jones, ACIT

Nov. 1
Lori LeBleu, College of Business Administration
Andrea Stover, English

Nov. 2
Al Baugh, Conference Services
Linda Holt, English
Lorraina Scholten, Social Work

Nov. 3
Cheryl Slay, CEMB

Nov. 4
Gerald Phillips, Custodial Services

October 21, 2011

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Professors Sybril Bennett, Jason Stahl and Kevin Trowbridge hold a panel discussion in the Massey Boardroom on Friday morning to explore the theme “Public Voice & Social Media” as part of Free Speech Week at Belmont. Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication Studies Department and the National Communication Association sponsored the week, which also included a viewing of “The King’s Speech.” The final event is a keynote address on “Public Voice in Public Institutions” by Chalsea Millner of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library at 10 a.m. Oct. 31 in the Massey Boardroom.

BELMONT NEWS