Thistle Farms Founder Speaks to Students
The Rev. Becca Stevens spoke to students about about the fear of failure during the Belmont and Beyond finale event, The Journey to Success, on April 15 in Neely Dining Hall.
Stevens is the Chaplain at St. Augustine at Vanderbilt University and founder of Magdalene/Thistle Farms. She shared her fears and hopes for a sanctuary to help women recovering from trafficking, prostitution, addiction and life on the streets. Thistle Farms employs over 40 residents who manufacture, market and sell all natural bath and beauty products.
“If you’re on a journey led by your heart, the fears will come again to sit vigil with you at night. But, remember, you are not alone,” she said. “You have to keep going and lay the fears aside.”
Stevens asked students about their vision and encouraged them to walk with their hearts and continue the journey.
She said, “you have a really clear sense of what has happened, assess the present and be wide open when love is coming around the bend.”
She ended her inspirational talk by introducing her son Levi Hummon, Belmont student, who performed a song he wrote, “Leaving the Best Things.
Life Beyond the Tower Event for Graduating Seniors
On the night before our very first classes at Belmont, we all had a special opportunity where we gathered around the Bell Tower to celebrate the start of a new chapter in each of our lives. That tradition is known as the Life Under the Tower event. Now we invite all graduating seniors to a similar event sending them off into the adventure ahead. It’s called Life Beyond the Tower.
While each of our Belmont stories is uniquely our own, our Life Under the Tower brings us together with one another as well as with all those who have experienced this place before and will participate in it after us. In honor of this, we’re inviting our fellow graduating Seniors (and their families or guests) to join us in the amphitheater at the base of the Bell Tower at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, for an event that celebrates the conclusion of our Life Under the Tower and looks toward our upcoming life beyond it!
Several Surface Lots Reserved Saturday for President’s Concert
In preparation for the annual President’s Concert on Saturday, April 20, the Office of Campus Security will be reserving the following surface parking lots for concert attendees: Troutt/McAfee, Leu Center for the Visual Arts, Bunch Library, Hitch Science, Wilson/MPAC alley and the gravel lot between Bernard and Compton. In addition, a number of spaces will be reserve on Belmont Boulevard in front of the Curb Event Center. Ample alternate parking is available this weekend in the Dickens/Horrell, Thrailkill, Baskin, Curb Event Center and North garages.
Thank you for your understanding as we prepare for this special event.
Exam Exercise Opportunities
Take a break from studying for your exams or get away from your office and join us for the exam exercise classes April 25th - April 30th. Choose one of your favorite classes such as Pilates, Zumba, Spin, Cardio Sculpt, or Yoga. As always, don’t forget a bottle of water and your friends.
To see the schedule, click here.
April 27 Marathon to Impact Belmont Campus Access, Parking, Streets
April 27 Marathon to Impact Belmont Campus Access, Parking
The St. Jude Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon returns to Nashville for its 14th year on Saturday, April 27. The event committee has recently informed the University that the race route will require the closure of several streets around Belmont, impacting access to and from the campus that morning as well as street parking Friday and Saturday. In addition, following the bombing of the Boston Marathon on April 15, security is anticipated to be high for this event. Belmont’s Campus Security remains in contact with marathon coordinators and Metro Police to help ensure a safe race in our area.
Numerous streets—including Magnolia, 17th/18th, Portland, Clifton, 12 South, Belmont Blvd. and Wedgewood Ave.—will close at 6 a.m. Saturday morning; no parking will be allowed after 1 a.m. In addition, during the peak of the race, when runners are elbow to elbow, pedestrian access to crossing these streets will be limited. The streets will reopen on a rolling basis as the last runner/walker passes between 9:30-11:15 a.m., depending on the street.
Please be aware of the road closures in our area and plan ahead for an alternate route or added travel time. Residential students and employees who need to leave campus Saturday morning will need to plan ahead and park their vehicles outside the race perimeter Friday evening. Students, faculty and staff coming to Belmont Saturday morning will also need to park outside the perimeter and walk to campus. (Some limited on-street, public parking may be available on Magnolia between 21st and 18th Avenues.) Please refer to the course map and road closure list to plan your routes to and from campus for Saturday morning, April 27.
Construction Reminder: North & Thrailkill Garages Closed This Summer
Both the North (beneath Inman/McWhorter) and Thrailkill Garages will be closed this summer from May 6 through August 16 for construction purposes. During this time, vehicles will be unable to enter or exit the garages. All vehicles should be removed from both garages by 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 5. The Baskin, Curb Event Center and Dickens/Horrell garages will all remain open and available for all employees, summer students and visitors during this time.
Belmont Best Buddies Step it Up at Friendship Walk
The Belmont Chapter of Best Buddies Tennessee participated in the annual Friendship Walk at Centennial Park on April 14. Best Buddies is a student organization where Belmont students form personal, one-on-one friendships with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Best Buddies high school and college chapters from middle Tennessee attended the event. The Belmont Chapter raised over $1,000 for Best Buddies Tennessee. Faculty advisor, Dr. Sally Barton-Arwood, associate professor of education, joined Belmont sophomore and chapter president, Kristin Hinkley, along with approximately 30 student and community members from the Belmont chapter. In addition to fund raising, these walks are an opportunity to be with old friends, make new friends and promote community inclusion. Bruiser also attended the Friendship Walk.
Millennial Author Highlights Generation’s Societal Contributions
Millennial writer, filmmaker and advocate David Burstein spoke to Belmont students, faculty and administrators about how current students in higher education are shaping society as well as how universities are lagging behind in catering to their needs during a Monday convocation lecture.
The term “millennial” is used to describe the more than 80 million people between ages 18 and 33, who grew up sheltered, pressured to achieve and technology savvy.
Millennials have been called entitled, narcissistic, “the worst employees in history,” “trophy kids” and even “the dumbest generation.” Burstein argues the Millennial Generation’s unique blend of civic idealism and savvy pragmatism, combined with their seamless ability to navigate the 21st century world, enables them to address the world’s long-term challenges.
His solution to the negative press surrounding the Millennial Generation is to promote positive generalizations. Some 49 percent of millennials consider themselves entrepreneurs or plan to start a business. Eighty-nine percent of millennials will switch brands based on how company values align with their morals, Burnstein said, which explains the increasing number of Fortune 500 companies with socially responsible business choices.
“It struck me that there is an importance of someone within this generation sharing the perspectives of this generation” Burnstein said. He traveled the country and conducted interviews with millennials for his newly released book, Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World, which examines how the Millennial Generation is impacting politics, business, technology and culture. “We’re not monolithic. We don’t all think the same things and act the same way, but we break things down into generations to see how things are changing in the way people behave.”
He also emphasized the Millennial Generation is the first to have lower salaries than its parents. Car and home ownership, marriage and birth rates are all down within this age group, Burnstein said, because millennials are focused on establishing love, partnerships and relationships within their communities.
“They are focused on living lives of purpose and meaning rather than living a life to exploit as much money as humanly possible,” he said.
Still universities are having a difficult time reaching their Millennial Generation students. For instance, many professors order students to power down laptops and cell phones and assume students are not listening if they are clicking away during class. Instead, Burnstein said professors should use the electronics to engage students through Twitter feeds projected on the wall during class and chat rooms to further the course discussion and draw questions from lectures. He also encouraged faculty to assign “unstructured projects that force (students) to interface with the real world.”
Surgeon Connects Faith, Science to Restore Eyesight
Nashville eye surgeon Dr. Ming Wang shared with students the importance of making connections between their faith and science and how he has used health care as a ministry during convocation Thursday in the Neely Dining Hall.
“We have to confront the controversies of faith and science. It is one of the most important questions in this age of society … so we can move forward in good conscience and with peace of mind when faced with issues society is trying to figure out the answers to,” Wang said.
He told the story of the successes of his amniotic membrane contact lens, for which he has two U.S. patents. Using tissue from fetuses to prevent scarring of the corneas, he has successfully restored eyesight to several people. The procedure is covered by Medicare and insurance companies and has been performed by more than 500 doctors in the United States, he said.
“No matter how difficult things are in our lives, God has a plan for us. He wants us to conduct research to advance medicine and improve the quality of human lives,” Wang said. “But he wants us to do it his way.”
Wang also told students how his adolescence was interrupted by the Chinese Cultural Revolution, during which time many middle and high school students were forced to leave because Chinese colleges closed. Fourteen-year-old Wang stayed in China, studied illegally at a medical school and unsuccessfully tried to make a living as a composer and musician. In 1982, he arrived in the United States with only $50 and a Chinese-American dictionary. He went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has a doctorate in laser physics. Today, Wang is director of the Wang Vision 3D Cataract and LASIK Center and has received international attention for his path-breaking eye surgeries. His nonprofit organization Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration has provided free surgeries for patients from 40 states and 55 countries, and he recently founded the Wang Foundation for Christian Outreach to China.
The School of Occupational Therapy and the Asian Studies Program co-sponsored the convocation lecture.
Coming Up…
Academic Preparation Day
Wednesday, April 24
Pancake Night
Wednesday, April 24 from 9-11 in the Cafeteria
Final Exams
Exams begin April 25 and continue through Tuesday, April 30
The exam schedule can be found on the registrar's site.
Life Beyond the Tower
Thursday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bell Tower
Graduating Seniors are invited to gather at the Bell Tower for the last time as they make final preparations to become alumni of Belmont University. Please join your fellow graduating seniors for a brief ceremony where we will gather at the place where our Belmont story began as we prepare for our Life Beyond the Tower.
Commencement Rehearsal for May Graduates
Friday, May 3
8:30 a.m. – Morning Commencement Rehearsal in the Curb Event Center
College of Business Administration
Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business
11 a.m. – Afternoon Commencement Rehearsal in the Curb Event Center
College of Arts and Sciences
Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing
College of Visual & Performing Arts
University College and Interdisciplinary Studies
School of Religion
Baccalaureate
Friday, May 3 at 2:30 p.m. in the Curb Event Center
Commencement for May Graduates
Saturday, May 4, 2012
Morning Commencement Ceremony: 9:30 a.m. in the Curb Event Center
Afternoon Commencement Ceremony: 2:30 p.m. in the Curb Event Center
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