NEWS
A6/Liberty Champion
NOVEMBER 12, 2013
breaking through
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
CONSTRUCTION — President Jerry Falwell, Jr. (right) and Charles Spence (left) break down the last barrier between Liberty University and Wards Road Nov. 11. According to Spence, the tunnel is set to be completed at the beginning of the spring 2014 semester.
‘LU’ trademarked Lipscomb relinquishes their ‘LU’ logo Sophia Hahn shahn3@liberty.edu
The interlocking L and U logo was the center of a legal issue between Liberty University and Lipscomb University when Lipscomb started using the “LU” combination in their logo in 2011. “The issue was not only about the closeness of the logo, but about the use of the letters ‘LU’ in connection with higher education,” David Corry, Liberty’s general counsel, said. “Liberty University has the exclusive trademark on that.” Lipscomb, a private Christian university located in Nashville, Tenn., designed the new logo when they came across a need for a shorter graphic, according to Deby Samuels, vice president of Lipscomb’s Communications and Marketing. They conducted a trademark search, which came back clear at the time. Liberty later discovered Lipscomb’s similar logo in December 2012, Corry said. Upon noticing the improper use of the “LU,” Liberty sent a letter to Lipscomb, which began a cordial discussion. “We explained that we needed to police the unauthorized use of our trademarks or risk losing trademark protection,” Corry said. “We offered a free license for Lipscomb to use ‘LU’ in certain ways and with certain colors and negotiated the terms of that over several months.” According to Ronald Kennedy, the senior vice president of marketing, the interlocking L and U logo officially became the trademark of Liberty March 1, 2013. “There were multiple university marks that were refined to modernize the brand without straying too far from the brand equity the university had already established with their logos,” Kennedy said. President Jerry Falwell, Jr. stated in his brand update announcement on Liberty’s website why the enhanced “LU” design is important to distinguishing Liberty from
other schools. “Because other universities could also claim ‘LU’ as their initials, we opted to emphasize our name over our monogram,” Falwell said. “Now, in light of our explosive growth and expanding national prominence, we feel it is time to adopt the custom of other major universities in allowing our initials to speak for themselves … When people hear of ‘LU,’ they will think of Liberty University.” Samuels explained that if the situation was based solely around the use of the logo design, it would have been adjusted much more quickly. According to Corry, Lipscomb decided to discontinue any further use of the logo “LU,” which was an acceptable resolution for Liberty. “Where we can, we have eliminated it immediately, such as on websites and other quick-to-fix locations,” Samuels said. “On things such as wearables, Liberty has agreed to let us sell through on those.” Although Lipscomb cannot present their ideas for their new logo design yet, they do know that it will not be based on the letters “LU,” according to Samuels. “We are simply using our athletic ‘Lipscomb’ logo at the moment,” Samuels said. “The ‘LU’ format was not the majority player in our athletic identity graphics.” According to Samuels, Lipscomb’s brand has been “Lipscomb” for more than 122 years, and they have barely ever referred to themselves as “LU.” “Lipscomb University is bigger than a logo and is a name and an institution that is unique,” Samuels said. However, according to Samuels, several of their supporters are disappointed and do not understand how the letters can be trademarked. “But our Christian mission here is much bigger, much richer and much more exciting than spending time trying to figure this one out,” Samuels said. “We move on.” HAHN is the news editor.
Photo Provided
VIDEO — Students are now able to get hands-on experience to help them with their future careers.
LFSN offers opportunities
The broadcasting program now has a studio for students to use Katey Roshetko kroshetko@liberty.edu
The student-broadcasting program at Liberty University has been growing rapidly over the past three years. Currently, students broadcast up to eight or nine games a week, covering sports like hockey, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball, softball and more. With crews as small as 10 or as large as 20, multiple cameras, replay and graphics capabilities, student broadcasting has come a long way. Jordan Bolt is the unit production manager for Liberty Flames Sports Network, teaching workshops and crewing sporting events. He said he is all too familiar with the less glamorous broadcasting days under the supervision of Dan Crutchfield. In 2012, only soccer, baseball, softball and basketball were regularly streamed online. “Back then, we only
had one little Tri-caster (switcher board) and three little (handheld) Sony cameras,” Bolt said. “Max on a production may have been four to five people, if that.” One of those select few was Sam Farnsworth, a senior broadcasting major and an active member in the Club Sports broadcasting team. He said he also remembers the pre-glory days before the Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) was established as a full-production operating network. “Basically, our entire production fit into the back of (Dan Crutchfield’s) car,” Farnsworth said. “One time, we were at a soccer game, and the fluid in our really cheap tripods froze so we couldn’t pan left or right. We also had to edit in all of the graphics during post-production. Nothing was added live.” According to Bolt, productions were drastically improved between 2011 and 2012 when
Liberty and the Big South bought new cameras, equipment and an HD truck for students to learn how to operate. The truck allowed more sports to be aired because the control room was no longer in a single set location. It could travel wherever the event was taking place. “Looking back at the time when we didn’t have the equipment we have now, it definitely was not real broadcast,” Farnsworth said. “But it was a good starting point to get plugged in because you got a sense of what a broadcast could look like with the right technology.” The opportunities for students interested in broadcasting, both behind and in front of the camera, grow exponentially every semester, Bolt said. For anyone interested in a digital media career, student broadcasting is where to start, no experience necessary. “There are always op-
portunities for people with no experience at all to come in and start,” Bolt said. “It’s our job to train them. So I say bring ‘em on.” According to Bolt, students are able to get their hands on the equipment and learn how productions work. They are taught everything from wrapping cable and operating cameras to higher up control room jobs like directing and producing. “Every position is available for students, you just have to work for it,” Bolt said. As Bolt reflected on making the decision to enter into a broadcasting career, he said he wished he had known just how hard it was going to be. “It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of dedication,” Bolt said.
Continued online at LibertyChampion. com