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LCU freshman receives top speaking honors at Arkansas Debate Tournament

By LC News staff FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (LC News) – Hannah Miller, a freshman from Iowa, received top speaker honors at the inaugural University of Arkansas Fayetteville Fisticuffs Debate Tournament over the weekend. The online tournament was held March 4-6 and included competitors from 24 universities and colleges across the nation. “This is only Hannah’s third debate competition to complete in,” LCU Debate Coach Brian Manuel said. “We have seen Hannah grow in her confidence each round that she competes. Her personality really shines through when she debates, and she is a joy to coach. This award is well-deserved.” LCU fielded a team of nine members. The team now turns its attention to the national competition April 8-11 at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. … [Read more...]

Kennedy discusses additional support for Ukraine with President Zelenskyy

By Office of Sen. John Kennedy MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) released the following statement following a phone call March 5 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I just got off a conference call with President Zelenskyy. He has pilots, but he needs planes. His pilots aren’t trained to fly American planes, but European countries have planes that Ukrainian pilots can fly. “President Zelenskyy said these European countries are waiting on the okay from the United States to loan him the planes. I made sure that President Zelenskyy knew he had my support, but I think they are all waiting to hear from the Biden administration. We need to help Ukraine now with the planes it needs, for God’s sake. This will not involve U.S. planes, pilots or troops.” … [Read more...]

Kennedy raises concern over threat to religious freedom in Finland

By Office of Sen. John Kennedy WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. John Kennedy has urged Ambassador-at-Large in the Office of International Religious Freedom, Rashad Hussain, and Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Ian Campbell, the current leading U.S. diplomat in Finland, to closely examine the Finnish government’s criminal prosecutions of Rev. Dr. Pohjola and Dr. Räsänen for expressing their religious beliefs. “The origins and circumstances of the criminal prosecution against Rev. Dr. Pohjola and Dr. Räsänen are clear: these Christians are on trial for their faith—which is, apparently, incompatible with Finnish law.  Even more concerning, Rev. Dr. Pohjola is a Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, and Dr. Päivi Räsänen is a Member of the Finnish Parliament. If these Finnish leaders are unable to engage in freedom of speech and the free exercise of their Christian faith, what ultimately protects ordinary people exercising their faith in Finland and elsewhere from similar abuses of power at the hands of intolerant governments?” Kennedy wrote in a letter to Hussain and Campbell. Kennedy noted Congress’s 1998 passage of the International Religious Freedom Act, which establishes an annual report on international … [Read more...]

LCU hosts area band competition March 10-11

PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews) -- Louisiana Christian University will host 16 middle and high school bands competing in the the Louisiana Music Educators’ Association District 2 Large Ensemble Performance Assessment March 10-11. This is the first in-person iteration of LEPA held in the district since 2019 due to COVID restrictions. The bands, from Rapides and surrounding parishes, will perform for and receive feedback from expert music educators on their bands’ performance abilities based on their performances of three pieces of prepared repertoire, chosen from a prescribed list, as well as a separate performance of music previously unknown to them. LEPA takes place in all nine districts of LMEA; similar events are held in nearly every state in America, said Joshua Davis, LCU director of bands and assistant professor of music.   … [Read more...]

Two LCU students participating in Student Scholars Forum in Shreveport

PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews) - Two Louisiana Christian University English majors, Bethany Nichols, a junior from Boyce, and Samantha Ray, a sophomore from Pineville, have had their papers accepted into the 7th Annual LSUS Regional Student Scholars Forum to be held March 11 in Shreveport. The forum is open to both undergraduate and graduate students across Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas to submit research and creative work from business, education, science and math, and social sciences. “The English faculty encouraged all junior and senior English majors and minors to submit an abstract for a paper written for one of their recent English classes,” said Jeannie Gauthier, chair of the Division of Language and Literature. “Both Bethany and Samantha are stellar students.” Nichols’ paper is titled “Benefits of Colonialism in Kipling’s India,” while Ray’s paper “A&P: A Clash Between Decades” deals with the hostility between the generations as conservative 1950s gives way to a tumultuous 1960s in Updike’s work. Before transferring to LCU in spring 2022, Ray had two essays published in the 2020 Jongleur, the LSUA literary magazine. … [Read more...]