Status - March 2021

STATUS

March 2021 | Issue 01 1

Table of Contents Page 3...An Editorial Note Page 5...Diversity & Inclusion Committee Page 6...Diversity & Inclusion @ SWAU Page 7...More Similar than Different Page 8...Black Lives Matter Page 11...Intramurals Page 13...The Spread Page 14...COVID19 Page 16...Status21 Word Search

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An Editorial Note

Pursuing My Dream

Throughout my teen years, and now adulthood, I have pursued my dream of a better future by setting certain goals that I felt I had to accomplish in a specific order. While many of my friends were out partying, dating, getting married and raising families, I was studying for school, working for my various employers, and sharpening my talents and skills for improving my life. I was raised with the mindset that I should prepare for the future while living each day as if it might be my last. I decided that my life’s dream would be one that could be achieved even if it should only be fully realized once I reached my heavenly home.

Now some of you may ask, “What is that dream that you pursue with such purpose and drive, Aletia?” I’ll tell you. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved helping others. So I decided that my ultimate dream in life would be to live for Jesus and help others live happier lives.

Cliché, I know. But it worked. No matter where I was, who I was with, or what I was doing, I always had a mission in mind, and that mission was to help others and bring joy to their lives.

Although I switched from pursuing a career in the health field to pursuing a career in education, I was able to keep my dream alive, because I knew that I would still be helping to improve the lives of countless children with whom I came into contact. Like a dog after a bone, I’ve stubbornly pushed forward towards earning a college degree since I wanted to be the best teacher that I could be. Not for my own pride or glory, but for the sake of those whose moldable minds I would be molding and shaping during those critical elementary years of their education. So focused have I been on earning my degree in elementary education, I have had to purposefully involve myself in social activities such as brass ensemble just to ensure I would interact with other people outside of my work and school environment. But I do not regret it one bit.

Now that I’m in my final year of college, I can look back at the memories I established with the friends I have made with fond nostalgia.

Looking back, I know that I have made a positive impact on a few lives, and I know that going forward, I can continue to pursue my dream of helping others live happier lives.

By Aletia Thornton

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4

Diversity & Inclusion Committee

June 5, 2020 is a day I will never forget. The president of SWAU, Dr. Ken Shaw, in light of the racial tension happening in our country, called together minority faculty and staff in order to ask, “How is Southwestern Adventist University doing when it comes to race relations?”

The one-hour scheduled meeting turned into an almost two-and-ahalf hour long gathering of heartfelt conversation. President Shaw and Dr. Donna Berkner, Academic VP, heard our stories and empathized with our struggles. In my fifteen-year career, this was the first time that an organizational entity was willing to not only hear our stories, but also to do something about it.

From that meeting, Dr. Shaw created an Ad Hoc Committee for Diversity and Inclusion that would later become a standing committee.

This committee, now chaired by Ana Patterson, had six actionable objectives:

1. Create a Standing Committee for Diversity and Inclusion — accomplished.

2. Provide diversity training during colloquium for faculty and staff — accomplished.

3. Host an assembly — accomplished and ongoing.

4. Implement changes to the existing curriculum — accomplished and ongoing.

5. Develop an institutional statement on our identity as a Diverse and Inclusive campus —ongoing.

6. Design service opportunities that highlight equity and inclusion of underserved communities — accomplished and ongoing.

I believe intentionality is the theme of the committee. For instance, instead of taking MLK day off like many schools, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, supported by administration, faculty/staff, and the student body, moved forward with an informative, purposeful program that would heighten the significance of the day. The committee will continue with a sense of intentionality for Black History Month, and with the intent for all to learn and understand.

The committee yearns for the school to not be color blind, but instead, as we learned from our training this summer, to see color and love it! Even more so, we see color and we embrace it!

By Pastor Buster Swoopes

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An Opinion on

Diversity and Inclusion at SWAU

By Haille Hughes

I have been a student at Southwestern Adventist University since 2018.

Before I was a student here, I visited the school as a high school student.

Even when I was younger, I felt that I would most likely go to Southwestern.

Southwestern has students that come from all over the globe. That is one of the things that makes this school so special.

During my freshman year I was friends with a big group of girls that were from all over the world. I have never been so aware of all the different cultures and traditions. My high school experience was mostly diverse, but there were very few black people. I went to a very small school in Tulsa, a blessing to be the one to make things different.

At Southwestern, however, there are samples of more cultures than those I grew up around. Growing up, I was around predominantly Hispanics and white people but the great things about that is that I learned a lot of Spanish and how to make a lot of different foods. When I came to Southwestern, I learned more about other places. There are people of all ethnic groups, shapes, and sizes. Because everyone is always included, we have that special touch of everything being so different.

Something beautiful that comes with including everyone is the variety of languages you are exposed to at SWAU. Here at Southwestern Adventist University, we have a vespers on Friday nights to bring in the Sabbath.

One special vespers specifically celebrates where everyone is from. Those who would like can walk and carry their national flag down the aisle to represent their home. At the end of this service, something fascinating happens. We have prayer, but not just any prayer. There are at least seven people upfront with a microphone ready to pray right after the person before them, in their language. Praying over everyone and each prayer was to God and God heard each prayer and understood it. There are so many different native tongues and tribal languages that people don’t even know exists. That is the beauty of being different but inclusive.

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My Experience in Diversity/Inclusion

More Similar than Different

By Valerie Pichot

In the spring of 2000, I was born in Conakry, the capital city of Guinea, located on the west coast of Africa. My parents were missionaries there at the time and I spent the first five years of my life surrounded by people who looked nothing like me.

By the time I was 11 years old, I had spent five years in Guinea and six in Colorado.

In 2011 my family moved halfway across the United States from Colorado to Maryland, where I attended Sligo Adventist School from sixth to eighth grade. At Sligo I found myself once again, surrounded by people who looked nothing like me—a white sheep amongst a herd of black ones. For the first time in my life, I understood what it meant to be rejected for being different.

After learning that I was born in Guinea, my classmates would often tell me, “you’re not white, Valerie, you’re black.” My teachers were no different. Whenever my language arts teacher would get the chance, she would tell my entire class “Valerie’s more African than any one of us here.”

At first, I was happy they were including me. It felt good to be associated with Africa, a place that held sentimental value for me. However, as time went on these types of comments began to bother me because what they were saying wasn’t true. I was not black and I was not African by blood. I was white.

As I have grown older, the significance of these events has become clearer to me. For most of my classmates, I was their first white friend they had ever had; and while they accepted me as a friend, they did so without acknowledging the color of my skin.

Looking back, it’s no wonder my classmates didn’t know how to properly accept me.

No one had ever taught them how. They had only been taught to see the differences between white and black people, rather than the similarities.

At times I am afraid that this experience has made me bitter. I am afraid it has made me feel ashamed of my own skin. But always, I am grateful for it,as I have become more empathetic because of it.

In a 2009 Supreme Court nomination hearing, United States Senator Jeff Sessions said, “empathy for one party is always prejudice against another.”

I strongly disagree. True empathy does not have bias. It is not prejudiced. It does not discriminate. It stands in everyone’s shoes just the same.

In the end, we are more than the choices our ancestors made. We are more than the descendants of slaves or slave owners. We are human beings and we are infinitely more similar than we are different.

This picture was taken in 2004 in Bendugu, a small village in Sierra Leone near the border of Guinea. While my family was living in Guinea, we traveled to Bendugu about two times a year to work with the people there. In this photograph, my mother is homeschooling my siblings and me in the shade outside 7 while the local children watched.

An Opinion on

Black Lives Matter Anonymous

Black Lives Matter is not just a slogan. These are three words that have been repeated countless times in the past year. Yet somehow, some still do not understand the true meaning of these words. Black Lives Matter is simply a driving force that helps other people understand, acknowledge, and respect the fact that black lives matter. The slogan is a result of years of racial injustice faced by African Americans all around the country.

The new digital age exposed the extent to which black lives are disrespected. How many more videos and news of African American lives dying in the hands of law-enforcement officers are we supposed to watch?

I, like many others, know that this topic took a toll on my mental health. I am reminded of the beginning of quarantine when we heard of the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery. I felt like I was mourning their deaths every single day. The month of March and April were burdensome. I would wake up thinking of my family and my friends, thinking what If they were stopped by the police today? Will they make it home? I was on an emotional rollercoaster of what-ifs. These deaths and the deaths of many other innocent African Americans affected me negatively. This is the reason that the slogan Black Lives Matter is more than just a slogan. It represents me, my family, and my friends. I think to myself, “how can others not get it”? It is a simple thing that is requested, to be treated equally. Not better, but equally.

Black Lives Matter does not only apply to the justice system. There are disparities in the healthcare and educational systems as well. There is still much work to be done to improve each of these systems. We all have to ask ourselves what we are going to do about this pandemic of racial injustice. I will be a nurse that will advocate for my African American mothers to ensure that they get quality care. What will you do?

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An Opinion on

January 6th vs. January 20th Anonymous

January 6, 2021 was a day that I did not expect. In hindsight, being someone who was up to date on national news and was aware that the election results were being confirmed that day, it should have been expected. I remember sitting in my father’s office, watching the news footage of the insurrection and thinking how far we have fallen, and just how foolish we must look to the rest of the world. January 6th was the day I was most embarrassed of my country; but January 20th was one of the days I was the proudest.

January 6th was a day of hatred, anger, and misinformation. The people, who attacked the Capitol, were spurred on by false information spouted by the President and spread through social media channels. They were angry, believing that the November election had been “stolen” and they wanted to stop the certification of the electoral votes however they could. These people, primarily white, cared only for themselves and their agenda.

In contrast, January 20th was about our nation as a whole. It was about continuing on with the tradition of a peaceful transition of power that had become inherent to our democracy. It was about the first step in a new era, one that filled many with hope and relief.

January 20th was also beautifully diverse. The white supremacy shown on January 6th was replaced by the swearing-in to office the first black and south Asian female Vice President, Amanda Gorman; the first National Youth Poet, Laureate, a black woman, shared a moving poem that encouraged us to continue seeking justice as well as be a light in the darkness.

While January 20th was not the solution to all our problems, I can’t help, but feel it was a step in the right direction.

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10

Intramurals

By Singbawi Sing

"Aaaieeeeee!!!" my good friend screamed. Her scream was one of excitement and accomplishment, not of fear. She had just hit a strike! That's what they call it when all the bowling pins are knocked down. But that's not the only thing that ended up getting knocked down, but perhaps, my friend wished it were. You see, we were nearing the end of our time bowling and my friend wanted to make sure that she went out with a blast. She mustered the strength that she wished she had. Staring at the pins with smoldering intensity, she swung her arms to throw a bowling ball that was about half her weight. Then I blinked and saw her sprawled out on the lane. “How did she get there,” I wondered? Seeing that she still had the ball in her hand, I imagined she was trying to use it like a hammer to hit the pins and slipped midway.

Whether or not that is what really happened, we may never know. All I can say for certain is, that day, my friend was able to fulfill her wish in going out with a blast!

Having so much fun, she wanted to try the indoor soccer intramurals next. She found us, a ragtag bunch to be on her team. We went to the gym, intending to win. When we arrived, we found out that the rules they were using came from a different planet. Because of this, we had to relearn the rules.

Okay, I have to admit, this was not true, but it sure was a good excuse. So while we were out there, she had this “let’s win this thing!” type of spirit. She was trying to look intimidating, but regardless of how scary she was trying to portray herself, she ended up making herself that much cuter. We accidentally tripped her once, and being the protective captain that she was, she attacked the ground as if a goblin was about to burst out of it and terrorize us. I will forever be thankful for her heroic sacrifice. I was, and still am touched.

Anyhow, these games were fun, but man oh man! This next one takes the cake. We had a new set of players for our game, which was volleyball. Into our next battleground we went, confident, just like our fearless leader. Overall, we played about six times over a few days. During the games, it seemed like the winner kept changing; sometimes we won, and sometimes they lost. Or was it the other way around? Hmmm… Well, like flipping a coin which makes no difference whether it lands heads or tails. It matters not how it is worded, only that we won one round, and they won the next. It’s good to change the winners like that to make sure no one loses heart. Our captain was the most ecstatic person on the court. I believe I saw her jump twice her height once. I heard resounding exclamations of enjoyment and satisfaction as we exited the gymnasium.

It could very well be due to the charismatic presence of our fearless captain, I may be biased, but just look at that face… isn’t that the cutest potato you’ve ever seen? :)

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The Spread Anonymous

Covid-19. A thief, an enemy, a storm, and a virus.

Making its official debut and public appearance around November 2019 in Wuhan, China. Soon, it quickly took over the stages of the world.

With questions floating in the air of matters such as “ if not now, when,” leaving others with the doubtful and painful questions of why.

In this time we live in I realized a virus is a virus. It spreads.

It infects, and could possibly kill.

As I looked around I realized there was another virus spreading of concern.

Maybe before the virus, we thought we were protecting ourselves and others by wearing the masks we’ve created while hoping others won’t catch on to the parts of us we know they’ll probably eventually get sick of.

We complain about the quarantine when some of us have been quarantined in our minds. Pushing, avoiding, ignoring, and isolating ourselves from others or issues. Some of us quarantine out of personal fears.

Yet we’re comfortable standing ever so closely to comfort and complacency.

We wash our hands and disinfect for 20 sec, but does that truly make someone's life clean? I guess it’s a small percent of one’s surface.

Though no matter how hard one thinks that these precautions will prevent the spread of the imperfect areas of their life, there will still be those who come in contact and will catch it. They’ll catch on to the things that don’t make you feel okay.

When you feel your days are longer.

When you feel life is getting a bit hard to breathe. Maybe there'll be a medicine, pain reliever, or remedy. Or maybe there might be something that makes you feel worse.

Just as a virus spreads, our lives are just as contagious.

I have yet to see when happiness, peace, and love becomes a spread as well.

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How I Explain the Pandemic to My Past Self

By Caroline Torres

*Doorbell rings*Why am I always having visitors when I just want to be left alone?

ME: *Grunts* I’ll be there in a minnnnuuuutttteee… *opens the door*

FUTURE ME: Hello! I have this urgent message for you from the future. You need to spend as much time with your friends as you can right now, you won’t regret it in 2020.

ME: mhmmm, Hey! can you leave?

FUTURE ME: No, no, Listen! Something really bad is going to hit the world! Like it’s going to be so bad, that people are going to be fighting over toilet paper!

ME: Zombie Apocalypse! Oh No! The Walking Dead!!!

FUTURE ME: *Tries not to laugh* Ummmm… not really, but that’s not as far-fetched as you may think.

Have you by any chance seen the 2016 Australian film called Cooped Up? ME: *yawns* Look, I have things I need to do, I’m busy. I’ll watch your so-called Aussie film as soon as you leave.

FUTURE ME: Okay, okay, absolutely! Just a quick question, what day is today?

ME: December 31st, 2019. It’s New Year’s Eve, I’m going with my friends to celebrate, and we’ll be travelling together this coming week. I’m busy packing and…

FUTURE ME: No, Travelling! That’s not a good idea. You’ll get exposed to too many people.

ME: Exposed? What? What’s wrong with you? *points* What’s with the mask?

FUTURE ME: Where are you going to travel?

ME: Uhhhh… Japan? I have some family there I want to see.

FUTURE ME: Cancel it! You know what? Just cancel ALL of your travel plans for 2020. Just do it. You don’t understand what I’m saying now, but you will later, just cancel.

ME: No! Never! I’m supposed to go to Cameroon for an internship in the summer of 2020. You think I’m going to cancel that?! Absolutely not! Especially under the advice of… who are you again?

FUTURE ME: *sighs* You don’t get it, do you?! I’m from January 2021, I’ve lived through 2020, I know what is going to happen, why don’t you just listen to me?

ME: Okayyyy...?

FUTURE ME: Stay home. Keep your immune system strong.

ME: Is there going to be some disease going around? Like, as if I’m not already taking care of myself? Am I going to get sick or something?

FUTURE ME: Uh… Let’s just say, you’ll survive; but many other people won’t be as fortunate. Let’s play a game. I’ll say a word, you tell me what comes to mind.

ME: *is annoyed* Fiiiiiine... If it’ll make you leave sooner.

FUTURE ME: Corona ME: Oh! Isn’t that a type of beer?

FUTURE ME: Flattening the Curve ME: Uhhhhh, people trying to prove the earth is flat?

FUTURE ME: Social-distancing ME: A safe haven for introverts like me!

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FUTURE ME: COVID19 ME: Uhhh…That’s not even a word.

FUTURE ME: Murder hornets.

ME: A sci-fi movie creature? Or maybe the name of a criminal gang?

FUTURE ME: ZOOM ME: To look at something more closely?

FUTURE ME: Beirut.

ME: Wait… what? Just get to the point!

FUTURE ME: SARS ME: A really dangerous virus that killed a lot of people in 2003...but wait- you’re not being clear with me. Tell me right now! What’s going to happen?

FUTURE ME: Fine. Let’s just say, that something really really bad is going to come out of China and...um... well, it will turn the world upside down, mess-up the economy, and upend everyone’s lives.

You’re going to have to shelter in home. You’ll get very sick and live; but over 2 million will die.

There’s going to be rumors of World War III. There’s going to be peaceful protests, violent riots, and political backlash. Many famous people are going to die. The stock markets are going to crash.

Many will lose their jobs. There will be a shortage of toilet paper. There will be devastating explosions, wildfires, earthquakes, locust plagues, and…

ME: That sounds like a movie. You’re not serious are you?

FUTURE ME: I wish I could say it was a movie, but it's not. Its reality.

ME: That… oh no, 2020 sounds awful!

FUTURE ME: *grins* Just stay at home, wash your hands, wear a mask, you know what?! Go ahead, buy several face masks for yourself before the clock strikes 12 AM. There will even be a shortage of those too. And stay as far away from China as you can.

ME: *sighs* So I can’t go to Japan?

FUTURE ME: No. Don’t do it.

ME: Is anything good going to happen in 2020?

FUTURE ME: Sure! The environment will be very happy, since there will be a lot less pollution in 2020.

Also, you know Shakira? She’s going to be performing during the half-time of the Super Bowl.

Hmmm… What else… Ah yes! You will finally have a good excuse for wanting to stay home and your friends won’t be bugging you anymore about you staying inside “too much”!

ME: That’s really nice!

FUTURE ME: You’ll even have more than enough time to catch up on all of your favorite anime too!

ME: Now that’s something I can look forward to, hehe!

FUTURE ME: Just think of 2020 as the year you are actually allowed to be lazy.

ME: That’s nice and all, but is the world going to be okay?

FUTURE ME: As of January 2021, the world has not ended yet. Humans will learn to survive although many will say this was a horrible year. 2021 has a slightly more positive outlook than 2020!

ME: So there won’t be a nuclear war?

FUTURE ME: Nope, at least not in 2020! Anyways, I’ll have to go back to the future, to January 2021, but I hope you’ll heed my words and take my advice!

ME: You’re finally leaving!

FUTURE ME: *disappears* ME: *shuts the door* Huh, well that was weird…but anyway, Yaaaaay! I’m finally by myself again!!!

I still wants to go to Japan.

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Name: ___________________________________

Date: ______________

STATUS21 Z Y U D K H F O F B N O I T A M R O F S N A R T

Y M U M D D L X D I S I N F E C T E Q H O O E M

F U J G G N I H C A E T P G R P U D E P O O C B

OPINION

F C J A T P Q G V D O Q K O G A Z O Z S G K O L

X C U U P P N N X S E I G E A T L C Y Z A W G O

I H S J G A G K Y N K B J W O M V I N B L B D Z

NURSE

DISINFECT CULTURES

H E C S N U N B D Z K S U E W R Q G F O S C L E

JAPAN

SPREAD

P R E O E A E M A E R D I R S X Z Z L P P H A E

J C R W R F B S D O O F N U E N O O N D G H C O

JUSTICE

SWOOPES

INAUGURATION

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O Z I B A A U T U V L H G S A C U E N I R I B R

STRIKE

COOPEDUP PURSUE

N E T X S C N R I K M F W O P U Y P M I F A I K

I O D A N S E P O O W S E T T J C O R W N E K L

C B U R R E O P K J N V A L H W I C P G I D L I

E Q O X M W W C F T K T Z U C T L N U R S E I N

I J W A E R V S U Y X U C C A F C C M K C N V T

B C D I V E R S I T Y J N R S Q A O W O C G E R

G W A T E R L Q L A S A U Y S T C U V P T L S A

QUARANTINE

CAPITOL

L Z S J I V P F F T U D Q A P E E V T N L S A U

V A B C R B T U M A W A C I Z C C L X I B T T R

CORONA

INTRAMURALS

ATTACK

DIVERSITY

BLACKLIVESMATTER

B S E Y T F W L N O C K T I Z I E N H O O V T A

A A X Z S O W I N O O O L H M K Y H U N K B E L

MLKJR

COLORADO

TEACHING

DREAM

R F X L K K Q Q M J B G A K T A D U V I D U M M

K V R O B Y H S J F L Z D A E R P S K T H M R S

M U I A X I B M L K J R J V N V W A T D N I C S

ZOOM

GUINEA SNOWDAYS SIMILAR

TRANSFORMATION

WATER

BOWLING