Southern Accent

04/22/2024

The American Red Cross Club at Southern Adventist University has organized a blood drive for Friday April 26th. The event will be held in the Presidential Banquet Room in Wright Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to club president Perla Catalan, junior health science major, and club secretary Angel Hernandez, junior finance major.

The club, which partners with the American Red Cross to host blood drives on campus, holds a blood drive each semester open to everyone, which Catalan shared in an email with the Accent. She added that donors must wait a few months between each donation.

Catalan believes it is important to hold blood drives where student donors do not have to leave campus to participate, offering them the opportunity to help their community.

“I think not a lot of people know about blood donations,” she said. “ … It’s so helpful, and there is such a big need for blood.”

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Emma Boughman The American Red Cross Club at Southern Adventist University has organized a blood drive for Friday […]

04/22/2024

Since Spring Break, Southern Adventist University students and faculty have experienced a change when logging into their Southern accounts, as the institution has removed the multi-factor authentication requirement for logins.

Southern changed to a different authentication system over the break, according to Derek Sherbondy, associate director of Information Technology.

Multi-factor authentication is still required to log into MyAccess, the university’s online portal, but only on a new device or if the “remember me” option is not selected. According to Sherbondy, the device will remember the user for up to 90 days.

Chloe Smith, sophomore public relations major, expressed relief at the reduced authentication burden.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Lia Colon Since Spring Break, Southern Adventist University students and faculty have experienced a change when logging into […]

04/21/2024

I started my time at the Accent as a shy, scared kid who had no idea what he was doing. Even my (now ex) best friend, the Oxford comma, was taken away from me.

Over time, I got more comfortable and started learning the ropes; the core parts of my job became more familiar, and I started to see how important journalism was to this campus and this community.

Watching community members and professors pick up copies of the Accent and hearing students talk about the stories in the paper was so exciting to me once I started working for the paper. It made me realize that all the effort and time we poured into stories really did matter.

The appreciation I have for journalism has only grown during my time at the Accent, where I’ve had the pleasure of watching the two previous Accent editors, Alana Crosby and Amanda Blake, diligently strive to create a newspaper that serves as a voice for Southern’s students and community. Their example, along with the guidance of Accent adviser Alva James-Johnson, has been and continues to be invaluable in my efforts to better understand what it means to be a journalist and a leader.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Matthew Orquia I started my time at the Accent as a shy, scared kid who had no idea […]

04/21/2024

The Accent is hiring, and you should apply,” my sister told me. She sent an Instagram story posted by the student newspaper to prove her claim.

I asked why I should join. I didn’t know what the “Southern Accent” was. “If you’re majoring in journalism,” she said, “working for the Accent would help you gain experience.”

“That’s a rare valid point by my sister,” I thought.

It was the summer of 2020. Soon, I would be a freshman at Southern Adventist University. At the time, I was bored from weeks of a COVID-19-induced quarantine and unfulfilled from a senior year I concluded by pressing “Leave Meeting” on Zoom. So, I applied to work as a reporter for the Accent. “It might be fun,” I thought.

Paola Mora Zepeda, then editor-in-chief, hired me, trusting me to report accurately and ethically despite my limited experience. I jumped into the deep end; I did a hard thing. I learned how to think like my audience, work hard under tight deadlines, get both sides of the story and make tough phone calls despite my innate aversion to speaking on the phone as a member of Generation Z.

By the fall of 2021, I was news editor for the Accent. A year later, I became managing editor, and that spring, I applied for and attained the editor-in-chief position. Who needs sleep their senior year, right?

Eighty-five articles and 79 issues later, here I am — ready to be done, admittedly — but also experienced, fulfilled and anchored to the greatest source of strength there is: hope in Jesus.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Amanda Blake The Accent is hiring, and you should apply,” my sister told me. She sent an Instagram […]

04/19/2024

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CORRECTION: The original version of this story stated that Collegedale’s new park rules apply to The Commons. This was an error the Accent corrected soon after learning of it. We are committed to accuracy and apologize for this mistake.
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At a March 25 Collegedale City Commission workshop meeting, city officials discussed new regulations governing park usage. In response to the growing popularity of Collegedale’s parks and concerns over potential misuse, the decision to implement these rules comes as part of ongoing efforts to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for all park visitors.

The affected parks and greenways include Imagination Station, Collegedale Dog Park, Veterans Memorial Park, the Greenway, Thatcher Switch Recreational Area, Nature Nook and the recently built Little Debbie Park.

City officials cited the need for formalized rules to address various issues and ensure the preservation of park facilities.

According to City Manager Wayon Hines, “We did not have a formalized set of rules, though most folks had an expectation that the rules we passed would be followed.”

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Htet Myint At a March 25 Collegedale City Commission workshop meeting, city officials discussed new regulations governing park […]

04/19/2024

The EYA choir, which began as a spontaneous suggestion within Jhoan Ogando’s friend group his freshman year, has blossomed into an active ministry on campus.

Ogando, sophomore graphic design major, said that EYA stands for “esperanza y amistad,” the Spanish words for hope and friendship. He decided to create a choir that embodied those two ideals.

“I wanted to make a different community, where I welcomed everyone,” he said. “I realized there wasn’t a Latino choir [on campus] where we sing in Spanish.”

Auditions are not required. To those who want to join but are worried because they don’t speak Spanish, Ogando says, “I don’t care. Come.”

Although many of the songs contain parts sung in English, Ogando takes time during practice to review the pronunciation of parts sung in Spanish with everyone, without separating fluent speakers from non-Spanish speakers.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Eliana Morales The EYA choir, which began as a spontaneous suggestion within Jhoan Ogando’s friend group his freshman […]

04/18/2024

In two weeks, Southern Adventist University students will pack their bags and begin leaving Collegedale for summer break. Although the university campus might grow quieter as spring winds down, the city will not.

Since the Accent is not regularly active during the summer, the student newspaper researched and contacted local event organizers to learn more about what is happening in the City of Collegedale in the upcoming months.

Library Events

In a phone interview with the Accent, Collegedale Public Library assistant director Sarah Richardson described the library’s upcoming events.

Next week, the library will organize two activities related to Earth Day. First, it plans to partner with Collegedale’s Parks and Recreation Department on Monday to perform a park cleanup. On Tuesday, the library will host an Earth Day origami workshop. These events can be viewed on the library’s online calendar.

Several of the institution’s May events, however, have not yet appeared on the calendar. One such activity, family bingo, is scheduled for May 7 in the Collegedale Municipal Building’s West Room.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Amanda Blake In two weeks, Southern Adventist University students will pack their bags and begin leaving Collegedale for […]

04/18/2024

Naw Lawn Dumhpya, a man known for crafting the sushi offered at the Village Market at Southern Adventist University, passed away in his home on April 3 at the age of 62.

Born in Njang Yang, Myanmar, Dumphya immigrated to the United States and has lived in Ooltewah since 2006, according to his obituary posted on Heritage Funeral Home’s website. He was a member of the Tennessee Kachin Baptist Church in Nashville.

Since 2010, Dumhpya had been an independent contractor for the Village Market, operating his business, Lawn Village Market, which offered Southern students and community members a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan sushi, according to Nick Johnson, assistant store manager of the Village Market.

Several staff from the Village Market took time off from work April 8 to attend the memorial service for Dumhpya, held at Heritage Funeral Home in Chattanooga, according to Johnson. He said Dumphya will be deeply missed by the Village Market family.

Written by: Gabriella Grundy Naw Lawn Dumhpya, a man known for crafting the sushi offered at the Village Market at […]

04/17/2024

Due to current safety and capacity issues caused by the growth of the City of Collegedale and the communities of Ooltewah and Apison, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is building a multimillion-dollar road expansion from I-75 to East Brainerd Road, according to the TDOT website. The expansion will cover approximately 6.2 miles, with the current section under construction set to be finished next year.

According to the TDOT website, the project is divided into four sections: I-75 to Old Lee Highway, Old Lee Highway to Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane and Layton Lane to East Brainerd Road.

Two sections from I-75 to Ooltewah-Ringgold Road were completed in 2012 and 2017, costing $7.9 million and $24.2 million, respectively. The section from Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane is currently under construction, with an estimated cost of $97.5 million and a completion date of June 2025. The section from Layton Lane to East Brainerd Road is under development, with preliminary engineering close to completion.

Future Expansion

Rae Anne Bradley, the regional communications officer for TDOT, stated in an email to the Accent that the East Brainerd Road plans are ready to acquire Right-of-Way (ROW) when funding for all remaining phases is available.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Hayden Kobza Due to current safety and capacity issues caused by the growth of the City of Collegedale […]

04/17/2024

Southern Adventist University’s continued growth has raised questions about how the university will adapt its campus to accommodate an influx of new students expected to join the student body.

While discussing enrollment projections at the Feb. 29 faculty town hall meeting, University President Ken Shaw said Southern anticipates a freshman enrollment for Fall 2024 that is higher than originally budgeted. The university budgeted for 730 freshmen and will have beds available for 750, but projected enrollment is now closer to 800.

However, according to Ryan Harrell, website and analytics manager at Southern, the university’s ability to predict enrollment has been impacted by what’s happening with the college application process in the federal arena.

“Unfortunately, due to delays in federal financial aid applications (FAFSA) this year, we have a pretty low degree of certainty on our enrollment projections for this coming fall at this point of the year,” he wrote in an email to the Accent. “The changes in the federal financial aid system are a huge unknown in terms of how it will impact student decision making.”

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Htet Myint & Gabriella Grundy Htet Myint & Gabriella Grundy Southern Adventist University’s continued growth has raised questions […]

04/17/2024

On the evening of April 10, Regal Cinema Theatre at Hamilton Place was full of enthusiastic attendees for the Chattanooga preview screening of the movie, “The Hopeful.” The film tells the story of the Seventh-day Adventist church’s beginnings, starting with the preachings of William Miller and then depicting the story of Ellen G. White and the spread of Adventism overseas by John N. Andrews.

The film’s preview included a red carpet, photographers, Southern students and staff, representatives from Hope Studios, the film’s investors and its Emmy Award-winning director, Kyle Portbury. The pre-premiere was held in Chattanooga due to the majority of investors being from this area.

While describing his motivation for creating “The Hopeful,” Portbury, himself a Seventh-day Adventist, said he wanted to share stories about the 19th-century pioneers of Adventism in a way that brought them to life and made them relatable, even to those watching in the 21st century.

“People always try to say, ‘We don’t want to get stuck in the past,’” he said. “Well, it’s not about getting stuck in the past. It’s about understanding that the things they were grappling with, the stuff that they doubted and the arguments they had with their spouses are all the same arguments that we’re having today.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Amy Mejias On the evening of April 10, Regal Cinema Theatre at Hamilton Place was full of enthusiastic […]

04/17/2024

Issue 23 is out now!

Highlights include:

*Chattanooga theater pre-premieres 'The Hopeful': Sharing Adventism's story with a modern audience
*Southern faces enrollment and housing uncertainties
*Beloved sushi chef for VM passes away
*EYA choir grows into active ministry
*Letter from the incoming editor: Less shy, still scared
. . and in our Collegedale News section:

*Apison Pike expansion continues: An updated look at the multimillion-dollar TDOT project
*What to do in Collegedale this summer
*City implements new park rules

All of this and more in Issue 23 of the 79th volume of the Southern Accent. Link in bio.

04/15/2024

Dylan Van Zant does not consider himself a baker. In fact, until very recently, the most he ever did in the kitchen was “cook a quesadilla.” But during Christmas break, the 19-year-old business administration major wanted to learn more skills and not fill his time with video games. So, he reasoned, “I’m going to learn how to bake bread because you’re going to use that for the rest of your life.”

Van Zant found recipes on Pinterest, rolled up his sleeves and went to work. At first, it proved somewhat of a disaster. Describing that time, he laughed, saying he had “a lot of failed attempts. The bread was not breading.”

“There was one that was edible, but only part of it was,” he recalled recently in an interview with the Accent. “ … Another one was not edible. Another one was super hard. … It was like a rock. And there [was] another one. I think some of the parchment paper got mixed into it. … It didn’t look appealing to me to try and cut out all the parchment.”

Despite these setbacks, Van Zant did not stop, and he eventually got the hang of it.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Heidi Burke Dylan Van Zant does not consider himself a baker. In fact, until very recently, the most […]

04/14/2024

Southern Adventist University’s Applied Technology auto program is offering the community free vehicle inspections on Sunday, April 14, from 1-4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Samaritan Center.

Dale Walters and Steven Oskins, instructors of the applied technology auto program, will be assisting the students performing the vehicle inspections.

According to Emiko Miyagi, the university’s auto services manager, Southern Auto Care offers these free car inspections twice each year, in April and October, weather permitting. Miyagi said, “April is National Car Care Month. We feel people need to know the importance of properly maintaining vehicles.”

The car inspection event is important because it provides students in the program an opportunity to interact with customers, according to Miyagi. The event gives these students on-the-job experience that goes beyond the classroom.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Nyah Jackson Southern Adventist University’s Applied Technology auto program is offering the community free vehicle inspections on Sunday, […]

04/12/2024

Returning to Southern Adventist University after months of service overseas often presents student missionaries with various challenges that can affect their social and academic lives and even their emotional health.

Eliana Hounslow, sophomore nursing major, shared her experience of returning to Southern after her time of service. Hounslow served at Kendu Bay Adventist Hospital in Kenya from September to December of 2023.

Emily Schneider, junior biology major, also shared her experiences of returning to Southern after being a student missionary. Schneider served in Palau for ten months as a third-grade teacher at an elementary school.

Hounslow initially went to Kenya to help at a physical therapy clinic. However, she also spent a week in the maternity ward at a local hospital, helping mothers through labor and assisting with C-sections.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Lucas Bueno Returning to Southern Adventist University after months of service overseas often presents student missionaries with various […]

04/11/2024

Nationally renowned author Karen Swallow Prior visited Southern Adventist University’s campus last week. Prior is the author of “On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books,” and her writing has been featured in esteemed publications like The Atlantic and The New York Times.

On Wednesday evening, she spoke about conversion of faith and evangelical Christianity at Southern Scholars' second annual Benjamin McArthur Endowed Lecture Series. The next day, she was the plenary speaker for the university’s first Illuminate Conference, an art and faith symposium that took place on campus Thursday and Friday.

Ella Quijada, a sophomore psychology major and Southern Scholar, attended Prior’s Wednesday session, which delved into the evangelical movement and how it continues to affect American culture and religion. At least 100 people attended the lecture, according to Quijada, who said she especially enjoyed the Q&A session.

“I got to know her a little bit better,” said Quijada, who wrote an article about the lecture for Spectrum magazine, in an interview with the Accent.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Emma Boughman Nationally renowned author Karen Swallow Prior visited Southern Adventist University’s campus last week. Prior is the […]

04/10/2024

In March 2023, the President’s Cabinet approved a bear mascot for Southern Adventist University, an initiative proposed by Student Association (SA) earlier that school year. This year’s SA introduced the mascot, a black bear dressed in a green Southern T-shirt, to the student body at events in the fall.

Since then, the bear has appeared at more events, administration has created a task force to promote the new mascot, and individuals on campus have expressed opposing opinions about its implementation, with many voicing that they prefer the duck, considered the unofficial mascot of Southern before the bear was introduced. The duck has been the inspiration for such Southern traditions as the School of Health and Kinesiology's Duck Walk and the Accent's "Find Kevin" And "Ask Kevin" newspaper features.

Mascot Task Force

According to Justin Moore, associate vice president for Financial Administration, University President Ken Shaw recently asked him to chair a task force to promote the bear on campus. He stated that the task force is made up of five people, including himself.

“The goal of our task force is to come up with ideas and a plan to further integrate the bear all over campus,” he said.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Lesieli Savelio and Alissa Flores In March 2023, the President’s Cabinet approved a bear mascot for Southern Adventist […]

04/10/2024

Issue 22 is out now!

Highlights include:

*Ruffling feathers and spawning a task force: What is the bear mascot up to?
*Karen Swallow Prior speaks at Southern
*Returned SMs share challenges of navigating life after missions
*Auto program to provide free vehicle inspections
*Student finds fresh hobby in baking bread

All of this and more in Issue 22 of the 79th volume of the Southern Accent. Link in bio.

04/08/2024

The Student Senate and Student Association have been working on updating the lighting around campus, as promised. Dain Ochoa, senior physical therapist assistant major and SA executive vice president, oversees this project.

In messaging the Accent, Ochoa said that during his campaign last year, while putting up flyers, he realized how dark the campus was. The project’s goal is to install LED bulbs in all light posts on campus to increase safety.

Dennis Clifford, director of building systems, and Marty Hamilton, senior vice president for Financial Administration, have been helping Senate complete this project. In an email to the Accent, Hamilton explained that he oversees campus building operations, while Clifford oversees lighting and electricians for the installation process. All work has been done in-house so that they can stretch the allocated funds, according to Hamilton.

Hamilton said the project had been a goal for many years but couldn’t be funded properly. However in 2023, Senate voted to fund the project, which helped get it started.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Emma Boughman The Student Senate and Student Association have been working on updating the lighting around campus, as […]

04/07/2024

The Gym-Masters were nationally recognized in the spring issue of Kinesiology Today, a journal published by the American Kinesiology Association (AKA), of which the School of Health and Kinesiology is a member.

According to Gym-Masters head coach Craig Johnson, it was a surprise when Kinesiology Today reached out for an interview. He said the writer contacted him because she had researched Gym-Masters online and was curious to know more about the team’s ministry and mission.

Judy Sloan, dean of the School of Health and Kinesiology, said the article created awareness for more than just Gym-Masters.

“[The AKA] actually didn’t know about how the Adventist Church has a … K-12 school system,” she said. “It was not only good PR for Gym-Masters and Southern, but for the Adventist Church as a whole.”

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Eliana Morales The Gym-Masters were nationally recognized in the spring issue of Kinesiology Today, a journal published by […]

04/05/2024

Hamilton County commissioners recently approved the development of a 447-unit senior-living community in Ooltewah. Despite dissent from neighbors, the legislative panel voted 7-3 to rezone the area surrounding the development and voted 10-0 to approve a conceptual design.

Thrive Senior Living, an Atlanta company, will build the community on the former Brooks Dairy Farm at 9101 Amos Road, property running along Snow Hill Road, near Ooltewah High School. At commission meetings over the past couple months, neighbors who opposed the project expressed concern about dangerous traffic in the area.

On March 28, County Mayor Weston Wamp announced that improving Snow Hill Road is one of 11 projects to be financed by a new county fund, which represents the county’s largest ever capital investment into road infrastructure.

At a March 13 commission meeting, John Konvalinka, a local attorney who spoke for more than 40 residents who opposed the Thrive development, said Snow Hill Road needs to be widened. If it isn’t, building the community would result in “a traffic nightmare.”

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Amanda Blake Hamilton County commissioners recently approved the development of a 447-unit senior-living community in Ooltewah. Despite dissent […]

04/05/2024

When the local Easter pageant, SonRise, started on Southern Adventist University’s campus 28 years ago, it attracted around 2,000 people, according to Ed Wright, who served as senior pastor of the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists at the time.

On Saturday, the annual tradition continued, this time drawing more than four times the amount of individuals who attended the first pageant. SonRise staffers counted 8,146 tickets at this year’s SonRise finale, a resurrection scene recurring throughout the day in Iles P.E. Center.

SonRise is an interactive experience that takes visitors through the final moments of Christ’s time on Earth. Saturday’s event was the 27th such Easter production put on by the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists and the university. The entire program is free of charge, though tickets are required.

SonRise debuted on April 6, 1996, as an evangelistic effort to share the gospel with community members. The production was first directed and inspired by then student Heather Aasheim Hilliard who envisioned staging an Easter pageant similar to one she saw at an Adventist Conference.

Wright returned this year as director of the production. In an interview with the Accent, he reminisced about how it all started.

Wright said, “[Heather] came up to me at that spring concert and just said, ‘Hey, I [have] this idea. What do you think?’”

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Anaya Parker When the local Easter pageant, SonRise, started on Southern Adventist University’s campus 28 years ago, it […]

04/04/2024

The City of Collegedale’s municipal government has launched a new social media campaign focused on transparency. The first Facebook post using the hashtag was posted Feb. 6 and included a video of the previous night’s commission meeting.

Three days later, the city began consistently using the hashtag on several posts, including its weekly wrap-up and commission meeting minutes posts. The city’s Instagram page, , has fewer posts than its page, and none appear to mention transparency or transparent government.

According to Jamie Heath, assistant chief of police for the Collegedale Police Department (CPD), the city’s move toward more transparency started when Jack Sapp was appointed CPD chief of police three years ago.

“His administration immediately began sharing more, getting the agency’s information out as efficiently as possible across multiple platforms,” he stated in an email to the Accent. “Continued news releases were a top priority. From daily reports to quarterly and annual reports, Chief Sapp’s leadership of transparency has set an intentional standard of community partnership that everyone has come to expect.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Amy Mejias The City of Collegedale’s municipal government has launched a new social media campaign focused on transparency. […]

04/04/2024

“Southern Matrimonial College” has been a parody used for Southern Adventist University over the years, likely due to high expectations of finding a spouse during one’s time on campus. In some cases, students even marry before they graduate.

In the United States, about 7 percent of all college undergraduates are married, according to an article by Campus Explorer, while about 3 percent of Southern undergraduates are married, according to Chris Hansen, director of institutional research and planning.

However, for students whose parents work for Adventist institutions, marrying before finishing a bachelor’s degree may not be worth the loss of subsidized tuition.
According to the North American Divison’s (NAD) 2023 Remuneration Scale,

“Dependent children of full-time denominational employees (as defined by the NAD Tuition Assistance Policy) who are attending denominationally owned and operated schools [can receive] up to 70% of tuition and required fees for dormitory students, and 35% of tuition and required fees for non-dormitory students.”

When students receiving subsidies get married, they no longer qualify for this benefit.

Read the full story on our website. Link below.

Written by: Gabriella Grundy “Southern Matrimonial College” has been a parody used for Southern Adventist University over the years, likely […]