Susan Jellissen’s (Political Science) article, “Islamic Resurgence in Turkey: The Mavi Marmara Incident as its Statement,” appeared as a chapter in an edited book, Drawing a Line in the Sea: The Gaza Flotilla Incident and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (edited by Thomas Copeland, Alethia Cook, and Lisa McCartan), which was published by Lexington Press 2011.
Belmont Introduces Missionaries In Residence Program
Belmont University recently welcomed new Missionaries in Residence Scott and Julie Bradford, coordinators of Baptist missionary work for an eight country region in West Africa. The Bradfords are working as missionaries in residence at Belmont for the fall semester before returning to their home in Burkina Faso, Africa with their three children.
With an office in University Ministries, they are connecting with students throughout the semester to answer their questions on how to get plugged into global missions.
In addition, the Bradfords are working with Belmont faculty and staff to increase involvement in missions to Africa. This past summer Belmont inaugurated a physical therapy trip to Ghana, one of the eight countries the family works with, to assist children in getting prosthetic limbs.
The Bradfords have come to Belmont to “connect with students, minister to their needs and help them along the way as they seek how and where they may serve God,” Julie said.
Vice President of Spiritual Development Todd Lake said, “We know that God is on mission to redeem the world, and Missionaries in Residence remind us that this is a worldwide task that calls all of us to find our place as part of the answer to the Lord’s prayer, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.’”
Author Encourages Students to UseTheir Resources to Aid the Poor
Efrem Smith, author and founder of the Sanctuary Covenant Church and Community Development Corporation, spoke in Belmont’s Chapel this morning on “No More Orphans,” expressing his passion to inspire today’s generation to use their resources to aid the poor.
Commenting on the biblical example of “the least of these” found in Matthew 25, Smith said, “Jesus is giving his listeners pictures of what he’s been proclaiming and practicing while walking the earth… His life is to be an embodiment of the Kingdom of God, to show the value system of the Kingdom of God on earth.”
He continued by advocating for those present to have a similar sense of justice and generosity, noting the example Martin Luther King offered of the “beloved community,” the hoped for time when unconditional love was a present reality.
“We are resourced people,” Smith said. “You may not feel like it as a college student, but you could be more resourced than you think. Your gifts, talents and abilities are resources as is your time.”
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. The event was co-sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Development and the Social Entrepreneurship program.
SIFE Students Start ‘Spring Back’ Business to Recycle Mattresses, Create Jobs
Belmont SIFE team partners with Belmont Church’s ‘Isaiah 58’ ministry on program to employ formerly incarcerated and homeless
Jan. 18, 2012 Update: Spring Back Recycling made national news with this story on NPR.
In partnership with the Isaiah 58 ministry at Belmont Church, the Belmont University Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team is making a difference in the lives of a group of Nashville’s homeless and formerly incarcerated via a rather unusual means—recycling mattresses.
The non-profit, Spring Back Recycling, launched “Spring Back Nashville” just over six months ago and already more than 1,700 mattresses have been disassembled and recycled. The Belmont SIFE students spent a full year developing the business model for Spring Back, analyzing operations, accounting, marketing, legal contracts and safety procedures. Belmont Church’s Isaiah 58 ministry thereafter partnered with the team, providing an available facility, equipment, as well as an eager and capable workforce for the start-up business. Isaiah 58’s School of Life ministry is a residential program that helps formerly incarcerated men get back on their feet. With Spring Back Nashville, the men are disassembling old mattresses into scrap metal, cotton and foam—more than 85 percent of each mattress can be fully recycled.
Dr. John Gonas, associate professor of finance and SIFE advisor at Belmont, said, “I’m amazed that the Belmont students have created such a sustainable, scalable and economically viable business that blesses the community with a solid employment opportunity while simultaneously keeping so much recyclable waste out of landfills.”
Ron Harness, who works with the Isaiah 58 ministry at Belmont Church, added, “Due to an extensive life change, I’ve needed to start over both personally and professionally. Spring Back has given me the ideal opportunity to begin rebuilding my life with steady income, growth in education, relationships through students, faculty and co-workers, and confidence of person by being able to express my talents and strengths both individually and corporately. I am truly blessed to be a recipient of kindnesses and generosities shared by Belmont’s College of Business Administration, SIFE and Spring Back.”
Belmont Introduces WeCar as Alternative Transportation Option
Sarah Bouse bummed rides to the grocery store from her friends until she discovered a car-sharing program that covers gas and keeps her from circling Belmont parking garages.
“In the past when I needed to go somewhere, I used other people’s cars or I would say to my friends, ‘hey, if you are going to Target, let me know,’” said Bouse, a junior from Indianapolis, Ind., studying classical performance, pedagogy and Spanish. She signed up for WeCar in August and uses a Toyota Prius twice a week to get around Nashville for service learning projects and to observe piano lessons to fulfill requirements for class. “With the classes I have this semester, it is beneficial to not have to bug other people for rides, especially when they would have to go out of the way to take me places like Mount Juliet.”
Parked in reserved spaces between Wright Hall and Whitten Soccer Field, the Toyota Prius and a Mini Cooper are available to all Belmont employees and students aged 18 and older. Membership along with low hourly and daily rates includes gas, maintenance, roadside assistance, travel up to 200 miles and a reserved parking spot. Students between 18 and 20 must have their own liability insurance, and WeCar provides insurance for members 21 and older.
“Our partnership with WeCar strengthens our commitment to provide the Belmont University community with flexible, environmentally-friendly transportation options,” said Vice President for Administration and University Counsel Jason Rogers. “We are committed to a variety of strong sustainability programs and look forward to working with WeCar to further develop the university’s car sharing initiative and provide our students, staff and faculty with a solution that best matches their needs.”
The University has offered a membership-based car sharing program to the campus community since 2008 and switched to Enterprise-owned WeCar in August. Through Career Services, WeCar is offering a Belmont student a paid internship to help with promotions of the membership-based car sharing program around campus.
Belmont Launches Online Spiritual Formation Program
Belmont University has launched Monvee across campus, an online spiritual formation program devoted to assisting students in creating a customized way to plan their spiritual growth. The university is a part of a beta testing group, one of five schools, to test the typically church-wide program on college campuses.
The program begins with an assessment where students can find out more about how they best learn, how they best experience God and the things that might inhibit that growth. Ultimately, the program then provides them with an opportunity to create a roadmap based on the outcomes from that assessment.
The program also recommends books, videos, ways to connect with others on campus and more resources where participants can choose to commit specific amounts of time daily. It allows students to consider their own schedules and workloads to decide what might work best. The schedule can even be downloaded to a smart phone.
Associate University Minister and Director of Spiritual Formation Christy Ridings said, “Monvee is a resource, a tool we can use to engage with students regarding their own spiritual growth while in college.”
As Belmont looks toward Vision 2015, a five-year plan the university has developed, Monvee is one of the ways in which the community hopes to continue to think in new and innovative ways to “increase evidence of Christian character.”
Belmont Student Wins US Collegiate Skating Championship
Belmont University freshman, Alicia Hsu, won the Gold Medal and a $5,000 prize at the US Collegiate Championships for figure skating this summer.
Competing against 27 other women skaters, the basic skills instructor from Hendersonville won the competition by a narrow margin of 1.62 points.
In an interview with Skating magazine Hsu said, “In overlooking my accomplishment, I feel I’ve gained a new level of confidence in my skating. It feels really good to know that my training and hard work has paid off. Also, I’m thrilled that I had the chance to represent my school, Belmont University. I’m so excited to begin this new page of my life.”
For more information about the US Collegiate Championships click here and for more information about Hsu’s win click here.
Greeks, Athletes Pioneer Community Halloween Night
Belmont Greeks and athletes brought trick-or-treat fun to an area that hadn’t seen an organized Halloween celebration in several years with the first Edgehill Family Halloween Sports Night on Oct. 29 at E.S. Rose Park.
“The last time we did a Halloween party in the community was over 16 years ago. We had a lot of people to come out, but the problem was that we couldn’t get a lot of volunteers from the residents, and at that time we weren’t doing partnerships with students. This year was a pleasant change. I like the fact that we are partnering with students for them to volunteer and help out with different events because everything goes like clockwork,” said Edgehill Family Resource Center Director Brenda Morrow.
Phi Delta Theta and Phi Mu spearheaded the Halloween night as their community service event with 130 student volunteers. They partnered with the Edgehill Rose Park Walking Club and the Easley Community Center.
“Belmont students were excellent and always asking us if we needed anything. They set up booths and passed out fruit and candy and did face painting so the kids enjoyed Halloween. I think the grown people had more fun than the children because I saw adults walking around with costumes and door prizes,” said Edgehill resident Sandra Chandler.
“It was amazing and a huge success. It was a positive experience to have a night to play and face paint and color with the kids and give them free candy. This was the start of something really good, and we want to make it an annual event,” said Brock Fuller, social chair and chaplain for Phi Delta Theta.
Belmont Best Buddies Chapter Hosts Event at Centennial Park
The Best Buddies Chapter at Belmont University hosted an event on Oct. 22 to welcome new members. Best Buddies is an international organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships between persons with and without disabilities. This is the second year for the Belmont Chapter. Best Buddies officers, Cait Walker (President, sport science major) and Azad Karim (Membership Coordinator, biology major) with faculty advisor, education Department Chair Sally Barton-Arwood, welcomed our newest Belmont and community buddies at Centennial Park. The group participated in the annual Buddy Walk sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee.
Littlejohn to Present at Confucius Institute Lecture Series
Director Asian Studies Program and philosophy Professor Ronnie Littlejohn will present a lecture on Nov. 14 at the University of South Flordia Confucius Institute Lecture Series. His talk will explore the topic of Daoism and Sustainability. Daoism or Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao, which is everything that exists, the origin of everything. Littlejohn’s presentation introduces themes from the classical Daoist texts and then turns to little known sectarian religious texts and beliefs of Daoism which give evidence of the great importance of the environment.
