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Layered protection: Lipscomb’s new ID guidelines aim to boost safety
Lipscomb University is introducing a new ID protocol starting in January to enhance campus safety and security. Under the updated guidelines, all students, faculty and staff must visibly wear their official Lipscomb photo ID while on campus, with additional measures for building access after hours. On Monday the bi-weekly McQueen’s Memo contained the announcement of the new security protocol. Lipscomb ID’s must be visible, and access to academic buildings will be limited to key card access past 10 p.m. Chief of Lipscomb Security Mark Shafer, who was appointed in August, said this is just a part of a multilayer protection plan. “We’re concerned in the security department with protection, of…
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Security Lieutenant Edlao Finds Community and Faith on the Pickleball Court
The snap of pickleball paddles is not the first sound you’d associate with campus security, yet for Jacy Edlao, a respected Lipscomb security officer, it’s the sound of community, faith, and connection. Born in Hawaii and drawn to Tennessee by a divine call, it was on Lipscomb’s pickleball courts where Edlao’s passion for service found an unexpected yet fitting arena. Edlao was born in Hawaii when he felt the Lord calling him to move to Tennessee. He sold a pest control company that he owned just before Covid began and left for Tennessee in 2021. Edlao has a passion for law enforcement work and decided on a career in college security…
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No outside dates at Lipscomb SGA formal, citing security and budget
Once again, Lipscomb’s policy prohibits students from bringing outside dates to the Student Government Association’s annual student formal. The decision is rooted in security concerns and budgeting. Last year’s, dance floor beneath the Lipscomb University Student Body Formal sign. Photo courtesy of Kristi Jones. The Student Government Association’s President Janeyah Anderson, a junior double majoring in Law, Justice and Society and Urban Development and Policy from Hendersonville, TN provided insight into the rationale behind this decision by highlighting SGA’s core mission. Anderson explained, “The purpose of SGA is to enhance the student experience.” She elaborated on the financial considerations that influenced the policy, pointing out, “The SGA budget is sourced…
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Lipscomb’s security improves campus safety
Just months before the anniversary of the Covenant school shooting, Lipscomb Security is brainstorming ways to keep themselves and others safe. Stop the Bleed first aid classes are just some of the new offerings from Lipscomb security to make the campus safer for everybody. Lipscomb’s Captain Chris Warner will teach the safety awareness classes. Jeffrey Dale, chief of security, said, “That class basically is a situational awareness class. We’ll talk about stuff that we have here on campus, the Lipscomb Ready App, and all the services we provide. Then it’s about what do you do when you find yourself off campus?” The class discusses topics on how to keep yourself…
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Cyber Warfare
You walk into a room with eight hacked computers. Where do you even begin to detect the issue? This is the job of the Lipscomb cyber security team which consists of eight members and four alternates. Cybersecurity professionals are responsible for ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information in all forms. So, students on the cybersecurity team compete for a vigorous six hours to see who can detect vulnerabilities on computers the quickest. According to Associate Professor in the College of Computing Dr. Chris Simmons, it’s almost like a checklist in your mind; the difference between the first and last can be less than a second. “You have six…
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Jeff Dale: From the Bureau to the Bisons
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be on an FBI SWAT team and hunt down violent offenders for a living? Well, Lipscomb’s new chief of security Jeff Dale has been there and done that. After graduating from Lipscomb University with a degree in accounting in 1988, he went on to become an FBI agent, retiring after a 20-plus-year career in October of 2002. Dale was prepared to stay retired until he received a call from President Candice McQueen at the beginning of the year saying Lipscomb needed a new chief of security and that he was at the top of her list! Dale began his FBI…
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Lipscomb security staying proactive
After the March 27th incident at Covenant, people have been talking about security. What does security look like at Lipscomb University- both at the upper and lower school? What protocols do we have in place to protect us? Former FBI Agent and current Chief of Security for both the upper and lower schools, Jeff Dale, speaks about how old protocols are being reinforced and how new protocols are on the horizon. Lipscomb has increased their patrolling and Dale has retrained the security department on effective patrolling. The active shooter training for Lipscomb faculty and staff has always been required, but Dale says he plans to roll the training out to…
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Is it “times up” for TikTok?
In March of this year, Tennessee state lawmakers passed a bill banning the use of TikTok on wifi networks run by public universities and colleges. Republican Gov. Bill Lee is expected to sign the bill. In December, passed separate legislation to block TikTok from government-owned devices. Tennessee is one of at least 25 states to ban TikTok on government-owned devices due to fears surrounding the app being a national security threat. Dr. Ken Mayer is a cybersecurity expert and professor in Lipscomb’s School of Computing. He breaks down how the ban would take place and bigger conversations that spur from it. The ban would not be able to remove the…
