America is turning 250 this year, celebrating her semiquincentennial. The word itself is a mouthful, but the country is celebrating her liberty, alongside her birthday. Dr. Tim Johnson has taught history at Lipscomb for 35 years. To close out his final semester with Lipscomb, Johnson gave a speech at Beaman Library’s event honoring America’s 250th anniversary. The topic of his speech? How America’s Founders created something, with the Declaration of Independence, that was powerful, unique and creative, and deserves to be honored and studied to this day. “We tend to look at great events of the past as if they were inevitable,” Johnson explained. “It seems obvious that the colonists would win the Revolution and the Founders’ dream of a new nation would be the obvious result. But it was not inevitable. In fact, it was improbable.” Looking back on the Founders from a 250 year distance, Johnson said that we often pay more attention to what the Founding Fathers did wrong, instead of what they did right. “We have tended of late to focus myopically on their failings and forget what they accomplished. Their shortcomings do not diminish the genius of what they created 250 years ago. We should not forget that, nor should we forget that we have been privileged to live in and to benefit from the product of their labor,” Johnson said. Johnson called the birth of America a combination of creativity and imagination. Perhaps now, that sounds like a stretch, but he explained why it was truly novel for the time. The Founding Fathers were men who knew history, politics and philosophy. They had read many of the great Enlightenment writers at the time, and all of them possessed a solid, classical education. Each one of the men, Johnson said, had been taught not what to think, but rather how to think. In addition, their ideas about how society and government should interact with one another, and be structured, would change politics and the world forever. “These colonists drank deeply from the outpouring of Enlightenment thought that had flowed from the pens of political philosophers of the previous century. Through their reading they were intimately familiar with the idea of a social contract – that implicit agreement between the government and the governed is reciprocal. Individuals will submit to the authority of government, and in return, government will maintain order without usurping its authority,” Johnson explained. The Founding Fathers also believed that humans possessed natural rights. “Liberties are not the grants of King and Parliament,” said John Adams. As England began to oppress more and more of the colonists’ natural rights, the decision was eventually reached that they’d had enough. “250 years ago, our Founding Fathers were grappling with their long-running dispute with the Mother Country, and their solution was to declare their independence and start over. Thus began the American Experiment,” said Johnson. “Winning the Revolution afforded that first generation of Americans an uncommon opportunity to fashion a completely new government. It was a rare meeting of literature and politics as they sought to forge a new government based on what they had read, what they knew about history and what their personal experience had taught them.” Though the start may have been imperfect, its result was the oldest written Constitution in the world, and the shortest. The Founders strove to divide governmental power so that something might always hold it in check. They created the Constitution as a wall to help with that checking, even amongst the divided branches. Patrick Henry said that, “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.” The Founding Fathers also created a system that allowed for individual states to coexist within the greater body of the union. According to Johnson, at the time the Constitution was written, accepted wisdom considered such a system to be impossible. In fact, nearly everything that the Founders set up for the young country was considered improbable at the time, if not downright impossible, Johnson said. Looking back on that today, the outcome seems to be a given, but for them it required an extreme balancing act of wits, knowledge and the willingness to challenge accepted norms. “Renowned Constitutional historian Forrest McDonald said in a graduate seminar [I was in] that you could not find 55 people today whose collective intelligence and wisdom would rise to the level of the 55 Framers of the Constitution. I did not believe it when he said it, but 40 years later, I wonder…,” Johnson said, trailing off with a chuckle. Though the country is celebrating her 250th birthday this year, Johnson called for the American people to remain self-disciplined. He explained that often, it is the countries who are undisciplined that circle through the cycle of tyranny, revolt, liberty, abuse of that liberty, and then tyranny again. Johnson shared how at the close of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, it is said that a woman approached Benjamin Franklin and asked, “What have you given us?” His response, Johnson said, is important even today: “A republic, if you can keep it.” There is much to celebrate this summer, Johnson said. Our forefathers pulled off what many considered to be impossible. They stood up to the greatest imperial power at the time and won. They went from being the underdogs in the fight to the men creating a nation devoted to liberty and equality, from scratch. “250 years ago when 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence, they risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. The outcome of that pivotal event now seems so obvious. It was inevitable that they would succeed and that what they created would endure for 250 years. And that is part of their greatness; they made the improbable seem inevitable,” Johnson said. But the question is, can we keep it?
Starting July 1, 2026, the federal student loan system will change how borrowers repay their loans. While current borrowers will not see the immediate changes, students planning to borrow in the future could face fewer repayment options. “Most pieces are set, but things are still evolving,” said Assistant Director of Special Programs David Bender. “By July 1, that’s when students should expect to see everything set in stone.” For students taking out new federal loans after the changes, there will be two repayment plans. One option is a standard repayment plan with fixed monthly payments. Unlike the traditional 10-year plan, the length of repayment will depend on the total loan amount rather than automatically lasting 10 years. The second option is a new income-based plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP. With RAP, monthly payments are based on income, not loan balance. Repayment can last up to 30 years, and any remaining balance after that period can be forgiven. However, that forgiven amount could be taxed. Some details are still being finalized, Bender said, and students should rely on official federal resources for updates. “StudentAid.gov is still the best resource as far as reading up on all those repayment plans and what’s changing,” he said. For many students, understanding repayment plans and long-term costs feels overwhelming. Amelie Burleson, a sophomore social work major, said tracking her loans has been difficult. “I tried to look on the website to see how much interest I’ve earned, but I wasn’t able to figure out the website,” Burleson said. “So, I kind of just gave up because I was confused.” The uncertainty around repayment makes growing balances feel intimidating. “I know I’m accumulating all this money that’s getting worse and worse every year,” she said. “That freaks me out a little bit for sure.” What this means for current borrowers Borrowers who take out loans before July 1 will not be required to change repayment plans immediately. Current borrowers can stay on their existing plan or switch to RAP when it becomes available. Borrowers enrolled in plans such as Parent PLUS, SAVE, PAYE or ICR may need to switch plans by 2028 as those options end. What this means for graduate students Students planning to attend graduate school after 2026 may face stricter borrowing limits. The Federal Grad PLUS loan program, which allowed students to borrow the full cost of attendance, is being eliminated. Federal loans may no longer cover all graduate school expenses, meaning students may have to rely more on private loans, institutional aid or scholarships. “Anytime you’re taking out a loan, assume that you have to pay back the whole loan,” Bender said. Featured image taken by Jacy Stricker.
The winter storm projected for January 2026 hit Lipscomb’s campus in a far different manner than expected. Though the forecast had called for up to 15 inches of snow, the campus saw only two to three inches. The ice that followed, however, would cause a problem. Clinging to all of the trees and power lines both on campus and around Nashville, the ice wreaked havoc. Tree limbs came crashing down all across campus with crashing thuds and rending cracks. Some smaller trees were even fully uprooted by the weight of the ice. Students were advised to avoid walking underneath trees whenever possible and to stay alert when crossing beneath one. Several of the trees exploded, with booms akin to a cannon being fired. The weight of the ice also yanked down power lines across the city. Lipscomb’s power went out around 11 a.m. Sunday, plunging every building on campus into darkness. Students gathered in the Bennett Campus Center – “the Stu,” to students – as soft alarms rang out through the dark building. The Stu’s permanent generator kicked on within the hour, garnering cheers from the students packed into the cafeteria upstairs and studying area downstairs. The cafeteria and Stu remained packed the entire rest of the day, students filling every chair and sofa in the building. Every power outlet was taken advantage of, many with power strips plugged in, as students charged their electronics. Personal televisions were also brought into the Stu and students put on the AFC football championship game and the Stanley Cup playoffs, cheers – and groans – filling the area known as Zebbie’s Lounge. Some students also brought their own PCs and played video games. Toward the evening, students received word that power would not be returned to campus; therefore, heat would not be working in their dorms. They were encouraged to shelter and sleep in other buildings: women from Fanning, Johnson and Elam in Bennett; women from The Bison and The Village in the nursing building; and men from High Rise and The Village in either Shamblin Theater or Sewell Hall. Sewell, Bennett and the nursing building were the only available options on campus with generators running. Students made the most of their powerless day, playing cards in circles on the floor of the Stu, or tackle football in the Quad beside Beaman Library. Groups of students sat together crocheting, weaving friendship bracelets, knitting and painting. Some started a spontaneous worship night in Shamblin, over a hundred students gathering and sitting on the stage to sing together. Some students chose to remain in their dorms for the night, despite the lack of heat, others chose to camp out in the buildings with generators. One girl even set up a tent in the middle of the Stu, and many of the athletes brought air mattresses and set up camp in Allen. The ice is expected to remain in the area for several days, as temperatures continue to hover below freezing. As of 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Lipscomb University is still without power. Featured image taken by Micah Barkley.
America is turning 250 this year, celebrating her semiquincentennial. The word itself is a mouthful, but the country is celebrating her liberty, alongside her birthday. Dr. Tim Johnson has taught history at Lipscomb for 35 years. To close out his final semester with Lipscomb, Johnson gave a speech at Beaman Library’s event honoring America’s 250th anniversary. The topic of his speech? How America’s Founders created something, with the Declaration of Independence, that was powerful, unique and creative, and deserves to be honored and studied to this day. “We tend to look at great events of the past as if they were inevitable,” Johnson explained. “It seems obvious that the colonists would win the Revolution and the Founders’ dream of a new nation would be the obvious result. But it was not inevitable. In fact, it was improbable.” Looking back on the Founders from a 250 year distance, Johnson said that we often pay more attention to what the Founding Fathers did wrong, instead of what they did right. “We have tended of late to focus myopically on their failings and forget what they accomplished. Their shortcomings do not diminish the genius of what they created 250 years ago. We should not forget that, nor should we forget that we have been privileged to live in and to benefit from the product of their labor,” Johnson said. Johnson called the birth of America a combination of creativity and imagination. Perhaps now, that sounds like a stretch, but he explained why it was truly novel for the time. The Founding Fathers were men who knew history, politics and philosophy. They had read many of the great Enlightenment writers at the time, and all of them possessed a solid, classical education. Each one of the men, Johnson said, had been taught not what to think, but rather how to think. In addition, their ideas about how society and government should interact with one another, and be structured, would change politics and the world forever. “These colonists drank deeply from the outpouring of Enlightenment thought that had flowed from the pens of political philosophers of the previous century. Through their reading they were intimately familiar with the idea of a social contract – that implicit agreement between the government and the governed is reciprocal. Individuals will submit to the authority of government, and in return, government will maintain order without usurping its authority,” Johnson explained. The Founding Fathers also believed that humans possessed natural rights. “Liberties are not the grants of King and Parliament,” said John Adams. As England began to oppress more and more of the colonists’ natural rights, the decision was eventually reached that they’d had enough. “250 years ago, our Founding Fathers were grappling with their long-running dispute with the Mother Country, and their solution was to declare their independence and start over. Thus began the American Experiment,” said Johnson. “Winning the Revolution afforded that first generation of Americans an uncommon opportunity to fashion a completely new government. It was a rare meeting of literature and politics as they sought to forge a new government based on what they had read, what they knew about history and what their personal experience had taught them.” Though the start may have been imperfect, its result was the oldest written Constitution in the world, and the shortest. The Founders strove to divide governmental power so that something might always hold it in check. They created the Constitution as a wall to help with that checking, even amongst the divided branches. Patrick Henry said that, “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.” The Founding Fathers also created a system that allowed for individual states to coexist within the greater body of the union. According to Johnson, at the time the Constitution was written, accepted wisdom considered such a system to be impossible. In fact, nearly everything that the Founders set up for the young country was considered improbable at the time, if not downright impossible, Johnson said. Looking back on that today, the outcome seems to be a given, but for them it required an extreme balancing act of wits, knowledge and the willingness to challenge accepted norms. “Renowned Constitutional historian Forrest McDonald said in a graduate seminar [I was in] that you could not find 55 people today whose collective intelligence and wisdom would rise to the level of the 55 Framers of the Constitution. I did not believe it when he said it, but 40 years later, I wonder…,” Johnson said, trailing off with a chuckle. Though the country is celebrating her 250th birthday this year, Johnson called for the American people to remain self-disciplined. He explained that often, it is the countries who are undisciplined that circle through the cycle of tyranny, revolt, liberty, abuse of that liberty, and then tyranny again. Johnson shared how at the close of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, it is said that a woman approached Benjamin Franklin and asked, “What have you given us?” His response, Johnson said, is important even today: “A republic, if you can keep it.” There is much to celebrate this summer, Johnson said. Our forefathers pulled off what many considered to be impossible. They stood up to the greatest imperial power at the time and won. They went from being the underdogs in the fight to the men creating a nation devoted to liberty and equality, from scratch. “250 years ago when 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence, they risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. The outcome of that pivotal event now seems so obvious. It was inevitable that they would succeed and that what they created would endure for 250 years. And that is part of their greatness; they made the improbable seem inevitable,” Johnson said. But the question is, can we keep it?
Starting July 1, 2026, the federal student loan system will change how borrowers repay their loans. While current borrowers will not see the immediate changes, students planning to borrow in the future could face fewer repayment options. “Most pieces are set, but things are still evolving,” said Assistant Director of Special Programs David Bender. “By July 1, that’s when students should expect to see everything set in stone.” For students taking out new federal loans after the changes, there will be two repayment plans. One option is a standard repayment plan with fixed monthly payments. Unlike the traditional 10-year plan, the length of repayment will depend on the total loan amount rather than automatically lasting 10 years. The second option is a new income-based plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP. With RAP, monthly payments are based on income, not loan balance. Repayment can last up to 30 years, and any remaining balance after that period can be forgiven. However, that forgiven amount could be taxed. Some details are still being finalized, Bender said, and students should rely on official federal resources for updates. “StudentAid.gov is still the best resource as far as reading up on all those repayment plans and what’s changing,” he said. For many students, understanding repayment plans and long-term costs feels overwhelming. Amelie Burleson, a sophomore social work major, said tracking her loans has been difficult. “I tried to look on the website to see how much interest I’ve earned, but I wasn’t able to figure out the website,” Burleson said. “So, I kind of just gave up because I was confused.” The uncertainty around repayment makes growing balances feel intimidating. “I know I’m accumulating all this money that’s getting worse and worse every year,” she said. “That freaks me out a little bit for sure.” What this means for current borrowers Borrowers who take out loans before July 1 will not be required to change repayment plans immediately. Current borrowers can stay on their existing plan or switch to RAP when it becomes available. Borrowers enrolled in plans such as Parent PLUS, SAVE, PAYE or ICR may need to switch plans by 2028 as those options end. What this means for graduate students Students planning to attend graduate school after 2026 may face stricter borrowing limits. The Federal Grad PLUS loan program, which allowed students to borrow the full cost of attendance, is being eliminated. Federal loans may no longer cover all graduate school expenses, meaning students may have to rely more on private loans, institutional aid or scholarships. “Anytime you’re taking out a loan, assume that you have to pay back the whole loan,” Bender said. Featured image taken by Jacy Stricker.
The winter storm projected for January 2026 hit Lipscomb’s campus in a far different manner than expected. Though the forecast had called for up to 15 inches of snow, the campus saw only two to three inches. The ice that followed, however, would cause a problem. Clinging to all of the trees and power lines both on campus and around Nashville, the ice wreaked havoc. Tree limbs came crashing down all across campus with crashing thuds and rending cracks. Some smaller trees were even fully uprooted by the weight of the ice. Students were advised to avoid walking underneath trees whenever possible and to stay alert when crossing beneath one. Several of the trees exploded, with booms akin to a cannon being fired. The weight of the ice also yanked down power lines across the city. Lipscomb’s power went out around 11 a.m. Sunday, plunging every building on campus into darkness. Students gathered in the Bennett Campus Center – “the Stu,” to students – as soft alarms rang out through the dark building. The Stu’s permanent generator kicked on within the hour, garnering cheers from the students packed into the cafeteria upstairs and studying area downstairs. The cafeteria and Stu remained packed the entire rest of the day, students filling every chair and sofa in the building. Every power outlet was taken advantage of, many with power strips plugged in, as students charged their electronics. Personal televisions were also brought into the Stu and students put on the AFC football championship game and the Stanley Cup playoffs, cheers – and groans – filling the area known as Zebbie’s Lounge. Some students also brought their own PCs and played video games. Toward the evening, students received word that power would not be returned to campus; therefore, heat would not be working in their dorms. They were encouraged to shelter and sleep in other buildings: women from Fanning, Johnson and Elam in Bennett; women from The Bison and The Village in the nursing building; and men from High Rise and The Village in either Shamblin Theater or Sewell Hall. Sewell, Bennett and the nursing building were the only available options on campus with generators running. Students made the most of their powerless day, playing cards in circles on the floor of the Stu, or tackle football in the Quad beside Beaman Library. Groups of students sat together crocheting, weaving friendship bracelets, knitting and painting. Some started a spontaneous worship night in Shamblin, over a hundred students gathering and sitting on the stage to sing together. Some students chose to remain in their dorms for the night, despite the lack of heat, others chose to camp out in the buildings with generators. One girl even set up a tent in the middle of the Stu, and many of the athletes brought air mattresses and set up camp in Allen. The ice is expected to remain in the area for several days, as temperatures continue to hover below freezing. As of 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Lipscomb University is still without power. Featured image taken by Micah Barkley.