Southern Accent Vol. 78, Issue 6

Southern Accent

LATIN AMERICAN

A 500-home subdivision could soon replace Hidden Hills, community fights to keep it rural

Stay Safe Initiative approved

As part of a Student Associa tion (SA) Senate Stay Safe Initia tive, taking place Oct. 24 to 28, $2,000 worth of pepper spray will be handed out in front of Thatcher Hall, according to Htet Myint, SA executive vice presi dent.

In addition, Campus Safety will be present with a dummy for students to practice proper procedure when using pepper spray as a defense tactic.

“We not only want to give people pepper spray, but we also want to teach them how to use it, because that's a very important thing,” Myint said. “And so, I had a meeting with Campus Safety directors and the associate director, and they were totally on board.”

The land housing Hidden Hills Farm and Saddle Club, location of Southern Adventist Universi ty’s horsemanship class, could be developed into a subdivision with more than 500 single-family homes by EAH Acquisitions, LLC, an Atlanta affiliate of Empire Communities.

Numerous Collegedale residents oppose the plan, including some Southern employees. However, the Collegedale Board of Commis sioners voted unanimously Mon day to approve on first reading two

requests associated with the plans. The commissioners voted 5-0 in favor of rezoning parts of Edg mon Road from Agricultural (AG) to Low Density Single-Family (R-1L) and allowing the application of a Planned Unit Development overlay, subject to conditions.

They are scheduled to make the final decision Oct. 17 during a sec ond reading of the ordinances, which will include time for public comment.

“As part of the agenda, we will

New access road open

Alana Crosby Editor-in-Chief

Corbett Cole, office manager for Campus Safety, sent an email on Sept. 26 informing students and employees that an access road had recently been created by South ern Adventist University along Iles Gym and through the Col legedale church parking lot. The road opened on Oct. 3, according to the email.

Cole wrote that an additional way to reduce traffic on campus is to have Southern Village residents “exit from the South end of South ern Village and onto University Drive” keeping more vehicles off of College Drive East as a result.

“According to estimates, there will be approximately 150 addi tional vehicles on University Drive between 7:45 a.m. and 8 a.m.,” wrote Cole. “Having the two-way traffic route through Iles Drive and the upper church parking lot will hopefully ease congestion and cre ate a smoother flow of traffic.”

Cole added that the additional traffic may be a result of the Apison Pike project.

In an email to the Accent, he

wrote that there have been about a dozen meetings regarding the road closure with multiple involved entities, including South ern Administration, Collegedale Police Department, Collegedale church and Collegedale Academy.

Expenses related to the road include, but are not limited to, signage and striping, according to Cole. These expenses were paid for by Southern, he added.

The mass email announcing the access road also requested that drivers do not turn left while exiting the Collegedale church and turning onto College East Drive.

“This is imperative since the [Ten nessee Department of Transpor tation] Apison Pike road improve ment will be closing College Drive East by the railroad tracks from Oct. 10 to Nov. 6,” Cole wrote.

According to TDOT’s website, the Apison Pike road construc tion is part of a larger project to “reconstruct and widen Apison Pike from Interstate 75 to East Brainerd Road.” The website also states the project will reconstruct and realign about 3.4 miles, and the roadway will be widened from two to five lanes.

have a public hearing where indi viduals will have an opportunity to speak either for or against and ask questions regarding it,” said Mayor Katie Lamb in an interview with the Accent. “After the presentation and public hearing, we will go back into our commission, and the commis sioners will discuss it and have a final vote on it.”

Hidden Hills is a family-run farmstead located at 5900 Edg mon Road, about three miles from Southern’s campus. Tara Hills, an

Students to get debt relief

Kathy Zelidon Reporter

On Aug. 24, President Biden announced during a White House Press conference his adminis tration’s plan to tackle student debt. Collaboration between the presidential branch and the U.S. Department of Education has led to a three-part program called the Biden-Harris Administration’s Stu dent Debt Relief, which aims to end and/or relieve Americans of their student debt.

That same day, the White House published an official statement explaining the reasoning behind the administration’s decision to help borrowers.

“During the campaign, [President Biden] promised to provide student debt relief,” the statement read. “Today, the Biden Administration is following through on that prom ise and providing families breath ing room as they prepare to start repaying loans after the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.”

The White House’s statement also explained that the plan is meant to help Americans transi tion back into regular monthly pay ments. The first part of the relief program is currently taking place. Student loan payments have been paused since March 13, 2020, and the Biden Administration extended the payment suspension until Janu ary of 2023.

The second part of the plan will be provided by the U.S. Depart ment of Education as it grants debt relief to borrowers. According to Federal Student Aid, only individ uals who earn less than $125,000

adjunct professor who teaches Southern’s horsemanship class, wrote in an email to the Accent that she and her husband started Hid den Hills in 2004 on a farm owned by her extended family, a place that has been her home since 1988.

“I’ve experienced all the emo tional gamut associated with a major loss. It’s been an emotional roller coaster ride,” Hills wrote, expressing her reaction to Empire’s proposal. “I think it’s a shame to

$250,000 will benefit from the relief plan. Pell Grant recipients will be eligible to receive up to $20,000 in debt relief, while those who did not have Pell Grants will be eligible for up to $10,000.

In addition to that, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) will be offering borrowers who work for the military, nonprofit organizations, tribal communities and local governments to be for given after making 120 qualifying monthly payments. However, bor rowers must apply by Oct. 31 to apply for relief pay.

According to Federal Student Aid, the third part of the plan will aim to “make the student loan system more manageable for current and future borrowers.” This part of the policy will introduce a new repay ment plan that will cut monthly pay

According to Aron Mariano, SA Parliamentarian, the Stay Safe Initiative was started last year in response to the stalking and sexual assault cases on campus. Myint said that after the incidents last year, he wanted to be proactive about starting the initiative sooner rather than later.

“This year, we kind of upped the ante and made it so that it can reach a wider, much

ments in half for undergraduate loans, allow borrowers to gain debt forgiveness after 10 years, cover borrowers’ monthly interest and raise the amount of what is consid ered discretionary income, which ensures that those who are 225% under the federal poverty line will not be required to make monthly payments.

Amelia Davidson, sophomore psychobiology major, said of Biden in an email to the Accent, “I can’t believe he’s actually doing it, I sort of thought it was going to turn into a situation where he said he was going to, but never follow through. It sounds like it’s going to be really helpful for a lot of people.”

Those who would like to apply can go to the U.S. Department of Education’s subscription page from now until Dec. 31, 2023.

Alana Crosby Editor-in-Chief

Hidden Hills Farm and Saddle Club, location of Southern Adventist University’s horsemanship class, could be developed into a subdivision with more than 500 single-family homes. Monday October 3, 2022 (Photos by: Adam De Lisser)

HIDDEN HILLS

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doom another piece of land to housing. But it’s not mine to make decisions about, and I can hardly blame any landowners, let alone my family, for making choices that best benefit them.”

If Empire’s current proposal is approved, Hidden Hills and the farmland on Edgmon Road will go away, according to Hills. At this time, however, she and her hus band plan to relocate and con tinue running their business. She does not intend to stop Southern’s horsemanship class.

“I love teaching horsemanship for SAU, which I’ve been doing since 2005. It’s one of the classes that sets SAU apart, and I appreciate that the administration has allowed the class to continue,” she wrote. “ … We’ll see what the future holds. In the end, [my husband] and I are just trying to follow the path God is leading us down.”

As explained in detail in a pre vious Accent article, Collegedale’s planning commission met on Sept.12 to discuss Empire’s rezon ing and planned unit development (PUD) requests with the develop er’s representative, MAP Engi neers owner Mike Price, and community members. Video footage of the meeting shows Price explaining development changes, including the elimi nation of townhomes and the reduction of houses from 591 to 512, made in response to com munity concerns. He also dis cussed results of a traffic study conducted by Kimberley-Horn and Associates, Inc. and how developers incorporated those results into their updated plans. Multiple Collegedale residents voiced their concerns at the meet ing, and not one spoke in support of the PUD. Complaints covered mul tiple issues, from traffic conges tion to the potential destruction of the city’s “country” feel. Hills included this concern in her email as well, stating that the “country” feel is what has attracted people to Collegedale for a long time. One resident expressed concern about the local teacher shortage and how additional families could potentially overwhelm schools.

However, the planning com mission members unanimously voted, minus one abstention by

Chairwoman Ruthie Gray, to rec ommend approval for the rezoning and adjusted PUD requests to the Collegedale Board of Commission ers.

One resident who questioned members of the planning commis sion at the Sept. 12 meeting was Eve Knight, administrative assis tant for Academic Administration at Southern. Knight has a horse at Hidden Hills and knows the fam ily that live there. In an email to the Accent, she explained why she opposes the rezoning proposal.

“Approving the zoning change means the PUD will automatically be approved, and the beautiful land we see there now will be devas tated by a crowded development,” she wrote.

Knight referenced the develop er’s revised plan to only construct 1.26 housing units per acre, which is a number, she said, calculated using the property’s total acreage of 408.

“What they are really doing is building on roughly 200 of those acres, so when you do the math, that becomes 2.5 houses squeezed in per acre,” Knight wrote. “I’ve heard the representative say, ‘Peo ple don’t want yards,’ and other such statements, when we all know it’s the developers who love squeez ing houses in like that as it max imizes their profits. I feel like it’s important to speak the truth about what’s happening.”

Attempts by the Accent to reach Price for comment were unsuccess ful. However, during the Sept. 12 meeting, he said Empire intends to create an “upper-scale community” that will still maintain the character of the land.

“People no longer want five acres or an acre. They want someone else to mow the grass, or they want it done quickly so they can spend their weekend doing other things,” he said. “It’s just simply a matter of we are no longer our parents’ generation, if you will, in many ways. It’s different. And so, what we are looking at is conserv ing majority portions of this prop erty, setting it aside. And then, again, putting on smaller lots — absolutely. But, again, that’s the development pattern that we see. This is what people want.”

Knight also has concerns about the timing of Empire’s proposal.

Roughly ten years ago, the land was a part of Hamilton County, and when the landowners attempted to rezone their property, Hamilton’s board denied the change, accord ing to Knight.

“This year, very quietly in June, the owners requested that the land be annexed to Collegedale,” she said. “Immediately after that, in July, they requested the zoning change and the PUD approval. So,

to me, it seems a little odd. How did the owners know that Collegedale government would look favorably on the zoning change and develop ment?”

In response to this statement, Hills confirmed that the farm was recently annexed to Collegedale, a decision made by her family mem

School of Business welcomes new professor from Lebanon

Joelle Akiki Barkanian, orig inally from Lebanon, joined Southern Adventist University’s School of Business and Manage ment as an associate professor this semester.

bers with majority rule.

“The rest of the family didn’t get a vote since it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway,” Hills wrote. “Family politics is complicated.”

Knight emailed about 210 South ern employees she believed to be Collegedale residents asking them to send emails to the city commis sioners saying that they, as Col legedale voters, oppose the zoning change. About 10 of those employ ees told her they emailed the com missioners, she wrote in an email to the Accent, but others may have done so without informing her. She hopes the commissioners will listen to the community and at least add conditions to the proposed development to further decrease the number of homes, but she is not optimistic.

Another individual who spoke at the meeting is Austin Miller, a Cleveland resident who started a petition in opposition to the devel opment titled “Stop the Rezoning & Destruction of 600 Acres of Agri cultural Woodland.” As of Oct. 4, the petition had 3,302 signatures, but, as the planning commis sion members brought up in the meeting, not all these signatures are from Collegedale residents. Miller, however, doesn’t think that fact makes much of a difference.

“I will admit I was a bit flustered with the council’s response to peo ple outside the community sign ing the petition,” Miller wrote via text to the Accent. “I don’t think it makes a difference where you are from because these people have acknowledged what a special place Hidden Hills is.”

After sharing the petition, many people responded and wrote that they had ties to Collegedale, according to Miller. Some are for mer Southern and/or Hidden Hills students, and others have family in the area.

Through email correspondence with the Accent, Vice Mayor Tim Johnon, who sits on the plan ning commission, said he voted to recommend approval because Empire is the company “best fit”

Originally from Lebanon, Bar kanian grew up in the Beqaa Val ley as a Maronite Catholic. While attending a Catholic school, she learned about Middle East Uni versity, an Adventist institution in Beirut, Lebanon, and decided to attend. It was there that she met her husband, Larry. In 2010, after Bible studies, Barkanian converted to Adventism.

“I struggled a lot until my father one day told me, ‘I need you to come with me to church,’” she said, describing her family’s reaction to her conversion.

Barkanian explained that there are few Old Testament Bibles in Lebanon, and her father wanted to ask the priest for one to check what the fourth commandment says about the Sabbath.

“The priest didn’t like it at all,” she said. “[He told my father,] ‘Well, we can't give you the Old Testament. The Old Testament only belongs to the church, and we can’t give it to you. And I hope it was [your daughter’s] neck and not her hand that's broken.’”

to develop the property. He said the company has earned multi ple awards, including 14 Green Builder of the Year awards, and has a good reputation in other cities where it has developed.

Johnson wrote that the PUD will include more than 85 acres of open space for community use.

“Empire is focused on green space for the communities they build in,” he stated. “This is not like many developments where the developer just clear cuts everything, and you just see dirt.

Most of building will be in the open areas. Of course, there will be some elimination of trees.”

Empire plans to invest approx imately $1.7 million to improve Collegedale’s infrastructure in cor respondence with this project, according to Johnson. It will pur chase a new sewer pump station, construct a roundabout in the cen ter of the PUD, expand the bridge on Edgmon Road over Wolftever Creek to three lanes and include sidewalks to their project.

Johnson made multiple state ments in regard to traffic concerns. First, he said traffic caused by the

At the time, Barkanian had broken her hand from walking her dog.

“It was a shock to my father; he wanted to beat him up right there and then,” said Barkanian. “But then he started realizing there was something wrong. So, on our way out, we met another priest, and he told him the same story. However, [this priest] said, ‘If she found her self in this church, you do not need to stop her. You need to let her go because [Adventists] are very good people. They pray a lot.’

“That was it,” she added. “ … Ever since, we didn’t have a problem, but they didn’t want to attend my baptism.”

Barkanian holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a mas ter’s in finance from Middle East University. Before working at Southern, she taught at Middle East University and worked on attaining her Doctorate of Business Adminis tration from Beirut Arab University. This October, she will defend her doctoral dissertation.

On Aug. 4, 2019, Barkanian’s home was destroyed by the mas sive blast in Beirut, Lebanon. During the experience, her then 7-year-old son was standing near a glass door.

“Everything — the glass and

railroad and individuals being redi rected to Lee Highway when a crash occurs on the interstate are factors that have been and will con tinue to be out of the city’s control. Second, he added multiple “things to think about,” such as the large number of remote workers who don’t commute, schools’ differing starting times and the new Apison Pike scheduled for completion in 2024 before the new homes are expected to be completed. He also wrote that Hamilton County is the only body that can address the teacher shortage issue.

Finally, Johnson expressed a need for additional housing in Col legedale.

“Growth is here and facing every community, not just Collegedale,” he wrote. “There is a need for homes in our community. Employ ers are adding jobs, such as VW & McKee, and good paying positions. People are wanting to live close to their employer.”

Collegedale Editor Elsie Pak contributed to this story.

Hurricanes Fiona and Ian impact Southern students' family and friends

Ventura

Hurricanes Fiona and Ian have affected people from different parts of the world, including South ern students' families and friends.

According to an article by CNN, Hurricane Fiona affected parts of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean Islands, Bermuda and Canada.

Fiona was a Category 3 storm with forceful winds up to 125 mph.

Hurricane Ian was a Cate gory 4 hurricane with winds up to 150 mph, according to NBC News. Thus far, Hurricane Ian has affected the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica and Florida.

Southern students shared their

Accent

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stories of how people close to them have been affected.

Madi Esther Rodriguez, senior business administration major, said her relatives in Puerto Rico were affected by Fiona. They live in Tru jillo Alto, she explained, a town located in the Northern Coastal Plain.

“I have a lot of uncles and aunts. I would say almost everybody in my family was affected,” Rodriguez said. “They were all hit. Luckily, they have generators. It took two weeks for the water to come back.”

Rodriguez said after Hurricane Maria in 2017, her family became proactive in preparing for hurri canes.

“My grandmother, she lives in Florida, but she purchased gener ators for some of her brothers and so on,” Rodriguez said. “It just kind of became a domino effect that

cerns about possibly losing a family member and never seeing that per son again. During such hard times, Rodriguez’s grandmother is a bea con of hope.

Editor-in-Chief Alana Crosby

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everyone [thought], ‘Oh, maybe we should prepare because this can happen again.’”

Family members in the states don’t get back to the island as much as they used to, according to Rodri guez, so every hurricane raises con

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Hurricane damage in Canada (Photo courtesy of: Millia Dirksen)

"I think it's a shame to doom another piece of land to housing."

During these hard times, Rodriguez's grandmother is a beacon of hope.

"Growth is here and facing every community, not just Collegedale"

“Something that my grand mother said is that no news is good news. Even when it's scary, some times you just have to have the faith that they're going to be okay,”

STAY SAFE INITIATIVE

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broader scale,” Mariano said.

So far this semester, there have been three incidents involving unknown individuals engaged in suspicious activity on campus, according to Shawn Haas, associate director of Cam pus Safety, in a previous article published by the Accent.

On Thursday, Oct. 27, after three days of handing out pep per spray, Senate will be hosting a panel of Campus Safety offi cers and directors, according to Myint. He said the purpose of the panel is to discuss ways to stay safe on campus, increase a positive image of Campus Safety and give students a chance to ask questions.

“[It’s] just an opportunity for the students to ask some ques tions,” Myint said. “There's a stigma right now against Cam pus Safety because the only interactions that people have with [officers] is usually when they get a ticket. [When] talking to the directors, I realized that, you know, passing on tickets is actually very low priority. [Cam pus Safety’s] number one prior ity is the safety of students.”

The campus security force is also involved in decisions regarding what pepper spray to purchase, according to Myint.

Rodriguez said. “Even now, we still haven't heard from some family. It’s like, ‘Are they okay?’ When you hear from them, you'll hear from them.”

Millia Dirksen, freshman speech pathology major, also shared how her family was affected by Fiona.

She said her grandparents live in a small town near Nova Scotia, Can ada. Major hurricane damage was not expected because Nova Scotia is more of an inward island, and the only thing her grandparents lost was a window.

“We have a house up there,” Dirsken said. “An oak tree fell near the house, and it destroyed the street sign name that we just put in.”

Lexie Chandler, freshman biol ogy major, shared how her family was affected by Ian.

“I've got grandparents in St. Petersburg, Florida, so they were affected more," Chandler said.

Chandler added that her grand parents currently do not have power or [Wi-FI] service.

Soleil Joseph, junior animation major, said people close to her were affected by Ian. Her parents and siblings live in Conway, Florida. As a result of the hurricane, her family lost power, and one of her friends' houses was flooded.

He added that while funds to buy the pepper spray are from Senate’s budget, Campus Safety will be recommending a repu table company to ensure qual ity product.

Senate will buy as much pepper spray as possible, and Myint said that if anyone on campus misses out on get ting pepper spray for any rea son, Senate and Campus Safety will be happy to cooperate with them to provide it.

“Not only was this initiative to encourage people to be more safe on campus, but also to improve the relationship that the students have with the peo ple that keep them safe,” Myint said.

Another safety measure offered on campus is R.A.D. Self Defense classes. The train ing is offered for both men and women, and students can sign up at www.southern.edu/ administration/campus-safety/ yoursafety/rad.

“The greatest tool that you could train or sharpen is your mind. Knowing what to do in dangerous situations will keep you way more safe than a bottle of pepper spray,” Myint said. “So this initiative, I just want to clarify, is not just, ‘Okay, let's give peo ple pepper spray and [let them] figure it out themselves.’ It's [teaching you] what can you do and what should you do.”

NEW BUSINESS PROFESSOR

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the curtains — fell on him. But he wasn’t even scratched,” she said. “But [based on] what I saw in front of me, I didn’t expect him to survive that day.”

That experience, along with fluc tuating prices and inflation, made Barkanian want to find something better for her family.

“That day I said, ‘This is it. We need to find another place to go. The family has to live elsewhere. It is not the right place for kids to grow,’” she said.

Two years later, in May of this year, a friend told her of a job open ing at Southern. She applied and sent her Curriculum Vitae (CV).

“I thought, ‘That’s just it. I’m just sending my CV,’” she said. “But then, two hours later, I received an email back asking me for an inter view. … In a couple of weeks, I sub mitted my papers to a lawyer, and we were right on track to start the journey. However, we had lots of complications with the visa.”

Barkanian’s visa was approved on July 24. The family had six days to pack. On Aug. 1, they arrived in the area in the middle of the night, and on Aug. 2, Barkanian started her new job at Southern. Barkanian teaches principles of macroeconomics and portfolio management. She and her hus

band, Larry, have three kids: 9-yearold James, 6-year-old Peter and 4-year-old Katelyn.

Preston Waters, sophomore marketing major, takes macroeco nomics from Barkanian.

“She’s so nice. She’s very much from the book,” said Waters. “ … She has no grader. She has over 100 people in macroeconomics, and to grade that many papers by herself and have a family of kids that literally just moved here Aug.

1, she’s doing an incredible job.”

Marlyn Antwan, senior political science major, also takes Barka nian’s macroeconomics class.

“Professor Akiki is a great pro fessor, and she shows how much she cares about her students’ success,” Atwan said. “She makes macroeconomics both interest ing and engaging by relating dif ficult concepts to everyday life. I have found her class to be enjoy able and have learned a lot.”

SuCasa church aims for fall construction deadline

Matthew Orquia Staff Writer

The Collegedale Spanish-Ameri can Seventh-day Adventist Church, or SuCasa, hopes to have its new building on College Drive East fin ished by fall 2023, according to Senior Pastor Gamaliel Feliciano.

Groundbreaking for the project occurred on Oct. 11, 2020, and the church initially hoped to be finished with construction by the end of 2021. However, supply-chain prob lems and fluctuating costs have slowed down the project.

“It’s a little bit difficult to make a good prediction because of the changes in materials, production of materials, labor and the prices [that] have been going up because of COVID,” Feliciano said.

The cost for the project was orig inally estimated at $5.5 million, but the projected cost is now around $8 million, according to Feliciano. However, he said the church contin ues to work on ways to save money and spend wisely.

Funding for the project has largely come from donations within the community, according to Feli ciano. He said the church contin ues to receive contributions and will host a dinner for donors and others interested in the project.

The event will be held Oct. 23 at the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists.

According to the SuCasa church project website, the congregation has received a little over $4.6 million in donations. The hope for the new facility is that it will allow the church to offer more services to the com munity.

“We are so limited by the space in our church right now,” Feliciano said. “[We are] in a small church that was built during the '80s, and the vision that we have right now, 40 years later, is different. We want to impact the community. We want to impact the students at Southern,

and we want to develop our pres ence online.”

Some of the new features include a larger sanctuary, a daycare area, an event room, a soccer field, an outdoor worship area and a video recording studio.

“The idea is to have something [for the community] every day of the week in the new building,” Feli ciano said.

SuCasa also aims to use the new building to help further engage with Southern students.

“We are trying to involve the stu dents of the university in a way that they feel like this is home,” said Feli ciano. “We are more concerned

about them growing as Christians, as disciples of Jesus, than having them only on Saturday morning.

“ … The new building will help us to give them the space they need to have conversations, to lead in ser vices for the community,” he con tinued. “ … [The students] are will ing, and we are excited to provide for them in any way.”

Once the building is completed, Feliciano expects that attendance will go up, and the church has a plan for how to keep new attend ees engaged with SuCasa.

“For the whole church, but espe cially for the people that will be added to the church, we want to create a system that allows them to identify their gifts, their ministries, and to put them to work,” he said. “I think that the people will stay at our church if they feel that they have a ministry there, that they have pur pose at SuCasa.”

While church members are excited about the new space, Feli ciano said the ultimate goal is to minister to others.

“The construction of the church is not our goal,” he said. “It’s a tool that God will use to connect [us] with the community, with the stu dents and with the world.”

Touch the Sky to run Collegedale's third annual Apple Festival

Elsie Pak Collegedale

The third annual Collegedale Apple Festival is set to take place on Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Collegedale Commons. There will be a total of 180 vendors at the event, including food, crafts, enter tainment, games and commercial vendors from the larger Hamilton area. This event also comes with free admission and parking.

The Apple Festival is being orga nized by Touch The Sky Events & Promotions, LLC, which was founded by Shannon Wright.

According to Wright, this will be about the 65th event her company has held since the start of her faithbased, family-friendly event busi ness in 2016.

“People love these types of fall fes tivals [when] the fall season is upon us,” said Wright about the inspira tion behind the event. “[There are] apples, cider, décor, food trucks, handmade craft items and much more. What’s not to love?”

Many of the aspects of fall Wright mentioned will be featured at booths located at the Apple Festi val. Other attractions will include pony rides, a petting zoo, inflat

ables, face painting and more.

Wright encourages college stu dents to come out and enjoy the variety of over 20 food trucks that will be at the festival.

The Apple Festival is not the only event that Wright organizes annu ally. She coordinates about 10 events throughout the year, usually in the spring, fall and winter.

“I don’t promote much during the summer,” she said, “as those months are very hot.”

According to Wright’s website, the proceeds made from the events she coordinates go towards sup porting her ministry of offer ing mentoring services free of charge to people who struggle with addiction, abuse, adultery, depression and self-mutilation. She stated in an email to the Accent that the proceeds from the Apple Festival will go to support Surrender Ministries for Women & Resurrected Marriages, as well as the North Cleveland Church of God Middle School Ministry and Elevation High School Ministry.

More information about all upcoming Touch The Sky events this and next year can be found on the company’s website TouchTheS kyEvents.com or on its Facebook page

motions,

Sky

Apple Festival

The SuCasa church during the construction processs. Monday October 3, 2022 (Photo by: Adam De Lisser)

Joelle Akiki Barkanian (Photo courtesy of: Joelle Akiki Barkanian)

LAC Night

Jehlyssa Kennedy and Aly Lopes converse in character during their stage performance. Lopes played the character Elena, who is a cousin of Liliana. October 1, 2022. (Photo by: Adam De Lisser)

Josep Garcia and Sofía Gil perform a salsa dance as various dancers clap around them. Saturday October 1, 2022. (Photo by: Mila Bales)

Students perfom choreographed dance during LAC night. Saturday October 1, 2022. (Photo by: Mila Bales)

Daniel Chibaya, Justice Welch and others perform a reggaeton dance on stage as a finale to the production. Saturday, October 1, 2022. (Photo by: Adam De Lisser)

Zabdi

MENTAL

Embrace belonging: Your relationship with loneliness

Noreen Moise Contributor

is feeling uneasy about being alone.

We all have a relationship with being alone. This may sound paradoxical, yet it is true. When the relationship is healthy, being alone is produc tive and therapeutic. When the relationship is unhealthy, being alone can be a challenging and negative experience.

To understand this better, let’s look into the definition of loneliness. Psychology Today describes loneliness as feeling a logical uneasiness from being or perceiving oneself as being alone or solitary. Loneliness is not merely feeling alone. It

Our relationship with lone liness can be tricky. One can be interacting with others in a room full of people and still feel lonely. Loneliness will make you think you are all alone, and you are alone in being alone.

Loneliness feeds itself with more loneliness.

So how can we change this negative cycle? According to an article published on Sprin gerLink, one way is to mind fully regulate your time spent alone to make it valuable and enjoyable. You do not have to go through being alone mind lessly or defeatedly; you can take charge of these moments.

You can plan for them to be

productive by working on a project or engaging in a fun ac tivity. When alone, you can de cide what you want to do with your time. The next time you feel lonely, try positively chang ing your relationship with being alone and make it a healthy ex perience.

A negative relationship with being alone has more profound implications for mental health than we may realize. According to a research article published in 2021, loneliness is a pre dictor of college student dis tress. College student distress may cause less sleep and more worry. These, in turn, may af fect the student academically, making them feel more alone. This creates yet another cycle

of loneliness and despair.

One way to combat loneli ness is to embrace belonging.

According to Iowa State Univer sity, belonging is the emotional need to be a part of and be ac cepted by members of a group.

In Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs, belonging is the third level of human need.

Loneliness feeds itself with more loneliness.

How can you embrace be longing? The fact that belong ing is a need is part of the first step, which is to under stand that you need to be long. You need to belong to a friend group, a class group or a club. According to another

article published on Springer Link, a sense of school belong ing is good for students’ men tal health, social wellness and academic success.

The next step towards be longing is knowing that it is learnt. Some may seem to be magnets in belonging to groups. However, anyone can be good at belonging after some practice. You can start with making a friend over a common interest. Then, you can join a sports team or art club. There may be some trial and error and awkward mo ments. However, it is worth the effort. So, embrace belonging with open arms and see how to make belonging fit your unique needs and personality.

Return of the NBA: Regular season set to start

Jacob Nevis Sports Editor

October is full of profession al sports, and with this month comes the start to the regular sea son of the NBA. Since the Gold en State Warriors won the NBA championship in June, the NBA season has been on a hiatus, but it’s set to return on Oct. 18.

Like many others, this season is bound to be exciting. Sever al teams are trying to look past last season’s disappointments in the regular season, while other

teams look to pick up right where they left off. After winning last year’s NBA championship, the Golden State Warriors are hoping to bag an other finals win, while the Boston Celtics will try to have a redemp tion year after losing in the finals.

The Celtics coach, Ime Udoka, however, will be suspended for the upcoming season after the team discovered he was violating team guidelines. Joe Mazzulla will serve as the interim head coach

for the season, according to Adri an Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Los Angeles Lakers will try to bounce back from last year’s devastating season. Many fans were disappointed after the team missed the playoffs.

Throughout Lebron James’ career, he has only missed the playoffs four times. And just two years ago, in 2020, he helped the Lakers win the champion ship alongside Anthony Davis. Af

ter that season, the Lakers trad ed Malcom Brogdon for Russell Westbrook. This year, James, Westbrook and Davis will surely aim to lead the team back to the playoffs. The Lakers also traded for guard Patrick Beverley to help them this season.

Some big trades also occurred during the offseason with some superstar players traded to new teams. The Utah Jazz sent cen ter Rudy Gobert to the Minneso

ta Timberwolves and guard Don ovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The new season will also per manently implement the play-in tournaments at the end of the season for teams. The play-in tournaments are played by the 7th and 10th seeds of a respec tive conference.

The regular season is set to end on April 9, 2023, with the playoffs starting on April 15.

Embrace your belonging (Photo by: János Venczák)

OPINION

Letter to the editor: A response to the Sexual Integrity Policy

Karissa Sharley Contributor

Hey, it’s Xavier again, your favorite opinion editor (I don’t care if I’m the only opinion edi tor). This week, Karissa Sharley, junior liberal arts education major, is responding to my previous opinion article about Southern’s updated Sexual In tegrity Policy. Karissa is a good friend of mine, and she’s one of those friends that I like having conversations with. Do I agree with her opinions? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I do not. But, I still value her opinion on this issue and on many others. Karissa really cares, and it is ev ident throughout her thought process. So, my dear readers, please welcome to the stage, Karissa Sharley! (Applause)

As I read Southern’s current Sexual Integrity Policy, I ap preciated the compassionate, thoughtful and biblical tone throughout. It’s obvious to me that a lot of thought went into writing it, and I respect that. The policy is intentional in ac knowledging the complexity that sin has caused in human sexuality and empathizing with students who “face challenges in this area.” To me, this shows that Southern is thinking of sexuality with people in mind, not just as an issue.

The policy lays an important foundation with a reminder that we are called “to love ev eryone in harmony with God’s love for us,” implying that we are to show love and respect to all regardless of their views on sexuality.

I value that Southern’s policy reflects a positive, biblical view of sexuality, distinct from oth er opinions. I respect students

on campus who may have al ternate views of sexuality but who have still chosen to come here and abide by the Christian standards that Southern has chosen to uphold.

I found one of the policy’s statements especially mean ingful: “All humanity is affected

by sin and needs to be renewed by God. Therefore, emotions, feelings, and perceptions are not fully reliable indicators of God’s ideals.” That includes all of us.

Epilogue and Invitation by Xavier Quiles:

Hey again (I do hope the readers aren’t getting tired of me). I really appreciate Karis sa’s thoughts on the matter and her honesty about her premise. Integrity like that is important for fostering further discussions that will lead to better relationships and creat

ing safe spaces for everyone. One thing I want to mention is that you can be a contributor too! Email the Southern Accent at accent@southern.edu or send a message to our Insta gram account, @sauaccent.

Dear reader, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

Look up from your feet and take notice of God’s path

Sadie Elias Contributor

I have a habit of looking down at my feet when I walk. I am casually aware of it, especial ly when hiking in nature. After about five minutes absorbed by the brown shades of the trail beneath my step, I happen to look up and am surprised by the glory of the natural tapestry before me. Recently, I’ve had an epiphany that my poor sense of direction is likely connected to this habit.

As a child riding in my par ent’s car, I couldn’t recall a sin gle detail about the route be cause I never paid attention to the turns of the car or street.

Even now, when walking in new places with other people, I tend to just follow the familiar feet in front of me (and later be of no

use when the group is trying to remember the way back).

On the day I moved into the dorm, my mom and I were walk ing down the hallway, and, as usual, my head was down. I was studying the square pattern of the carpet and mildly concen trating on walking only in ev ery other diagonal square. My mom, a physical therapist, com mented on my downward gaze, suggesting I walk with my head and eyes up to avoid aggravating my neck muscles and to adopt an attitude of greater self-con fidence. It surprised me. I had hardly noticed what I was doing.

Recently, I have been hear ing another voice telling me to look up. When my mind is swirl ing with questions about how I

will complete all the studying I would like to get done — how I can fit in exercise, friendship, sleep or how I can deal with the different struggles that are plaguing me at the moment — I hear Him say, “Look up.” He tells me, “Take notice of the path you are on. Study the people walking around you, see their struggles and bear it with them. See the beautiful colors I have weaved into the people and nature around you. See Me walking in front of you, clearing the way.”

I, like many of you, I suspect, spend too much time looking down at my own feet in many ways. I find myself so caught up with the daily chores, my own worries and just the effort of placing one foot in front of the

other that I suffer spiritual side effects comparable to the phys ical side effects I suffer when I walk looking down.

I miss out on the beautiful scenery, forgetting to drink up the blessings God has placed in my day. I don’t notice who I am walking alongside, forgetting to be truly present for other people and to take the time to give of my self to them and consequently be filled.

I become so entranced with my steps, “right, left, right, left,” I completely lose my sense of di rection, failing to pause to con sider what path I am even walk ing on — What am I even doing with this major? Why am I even going to Southern? For what purpose do I even live?

Sometimes, it is as if I am simply picking up my feet on the world’s treadmill, letting it move me down the path of life rather than moving forward by the light of God’s directions through Christ’s narrow gate.

That is why I am so thankful that people like my mom re mind me to lift my eyes. I am so thankful that God is patient and unwavering to remind me. I am praying I continue to learn to hear and listen to His gentle, chiding voice.

Occasionally, walking down that specific stretch of hallway, the memory of my mom’s words surfaces, and, realizing that I am again looking down at my feet, I smile gently — and look up.

(Photo by: Andrea Piacquadio)

‘Just a fairytale’ and other artistic contributions

Katelynn Webster Contributor

Life is a fairytale; full of rare pixies, mermaid lagoons and houses made of magic amongst the trees. castles in faraway places, buried treasure and tales of adventures in mysterious place–but they never tell you what it takes to build a fairytale. the curses you’ll face, the fire- breathing dragons you’ll battle, the grief so overwhelming that it will be close to impossible to see a light beyond the darkness. Life is not just a fairytale; full of rarity, pools of sweat and tears, and houses made of all your worst nightmares amongst the demons. castles barricaded with thick walls, buried secrets, and tales of bravery in the darkest of places, but they never tell you that this is what it takes to build a fairytale.

For a chance to be featured,

or tag

Kevin Southern Accent Mascot

Dear Kevin:

My roommate leaves dish es in the sink for days. I don’t like confrontation so I end up doing them myself. Help.

Dear Cinderella Roomie: Living with someone who has different standards of cleanli ness is difficult. Communicating directly can solve a lot of prob lems. Maybe your roommate hasn’t realized that leaving dishes in the sink bothers you. When asking them if they can wash their dishes, be direct, but first acknowledge that they are busy and you understand that.

If you are already frustrated about the issue, it may be easy to be sarcastic or passive-ag gressive. Avoid this at all costs.

Say something like, “I know you’ve been really busy, but I would really appreciate it if you could take care of your dishes.”

If this doesn’t mend the prob lem, consider sitting down with your roommate for a serious, respectful discussion on house hold chores and how the state of your living environment af fects you.

Dear Kevin: No one likes my singing. But sometimes I feel I must burst into song. What should I do?

Dear Music Lover: I, myself, have an amazing voice that some do not appre ciate. Never let anyone squelch the songs in your heart. So what if you don’t have absolute pitch? However, for the negative peo ple who do not value the soar ing sounds that emit from your vocal cords, (voice box? I am merely a duck) perhaps let oth er areas of your splendid per sonality shine through for them to appreciate.

Dear Kevin: When will the cafeteria food get better?

Dear Overly Optimistic Stu dent:

As I have never eaten at the cafe before (preferring the fresh cuisine of locally sourced aquat ic plants, insects and a fish or two) I cannot testify to the qual ity of the food nor speculate as to when it will improve. How ever, a trip around campus will reveal several other eateries, which offer many other options.

Congratulations @will.wallace , you found Kevin last week! Your prize is waiting for you in the Student Development

secret place.”

Photo contribution by: Johnathon Merrills

bridgette_saebin bridge(tte) ����

allysonboyce so thankful for sunsets and friends and trees and waffles and muffins and ice cream and cooler weather :)

Bridgette Oh Allyson BoyceB A

johnmkent Policy & Advocacy in D.C.

kkaychay nothing new under the sun

John Kent

Katherine ArroyoJ K

Ismaly Rodriguez

Madi ReinschmidtI M

“Reflect.”

contribution by: Johnathon Merrills

new

south ern.edu/calendar

8:00 p.m. Fall Week of Prayer - Nathan Renner, Collegedale Church

Financial Aid For 2022-23 Available, FAF SA priority deadline November 30

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. National Depres sion Screening Day, Bietz Center 11:00 a.m. Convocation: Fall Week of Prayer - Nathan Renner, Collegedale Church 12:00-2:00 p.m. Meet the Firms and Graduate Studies, Iles PE Center

Payday: Hourly/Students

12:00 p.m. Senior Class Officers Applica tions Due (Academic Administration office, Wright Hall)

7:15 p.m. Sunset 7:30 p.m. Vespers: Fall Week of Prayer, Nathan Renner, Collegedale Church 8:45 p.m. Afterglow, Collegedale Church South Atrium

9:00 a.m. Adoration Worship: David Fergu son, Collegedale Church 9:00 a.m. Connect Worship, Student Park Goliath Wall 11:45 a.m. Renewal Worship: David Fergu son, Collegedale Church 11:45 a.m. Merge Worship, Lynn Wood Chapel

7:00 p.m. Evensong, Collegedale Church 9:00 p.m. 423 Night Market, Collegedale Church Upper Parking Lot

No Field Trips or Tours

7:30 p.m. Wind Symphony Concert, Col legedale Church

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Duck Walk, Walking Track

Columbus Day 12:00 p.m. Sophomore Success, Bietz Cen ter, The Grid

Weekly Birthdays

TODAY |5

Kylee Davis

Dan A Kim Andrew Patton

Danny Schwarzer

Raiden Scott Richard Zhang

Thursday |6

Tony Dorsey

Angie Hill Ben Maxson

Emma Morris Ashley Paik Friday |7

Dariana Badillo Rainel Batista

Sophia T. Couto

Linda Dickson

Sungeun Kim

Karen Kyte-Wilson

Kalyssa Mohns

Lorne Owens

Jorge Pontarelli

Nadia Porras

Oscar Tass Coral Saturday |8

Camden Armstrong Linn Boshers

Marina Brock Perla Catalan Randy Cherena

Bridget Childers

Jocelyn De La Rosa Oris

Tyler Hillebert Lana Ivana Aiko

Merginio

Natasya Napitupulu Andrew Park

Misael Polanco Baez

Ava E. Ramirez

Felicia Sanders Brianna M. Self

Russell Yoon

Sunday |9

Vanisha Yvanna Bonil

la-Downs

Leslie Camarillo Jahir Hernandez

SA Announcements

Amy Ikeda Apollo O. Jayme

Adalmys Rivera-Abreu

Ariana Smith

Michael Vance Philly Walangitan Daniel Yakam

Monday |10

Leondrae T. Brown Lexie Chandler Haley Dugaduga

Sean Duran Perez

Joseph Htoo John Kent

Gigi Lucasin Luke Medlock

Regence Sandy

Cynthia Wen

Tuesday |11

Dylan Blake

Abbie De Fluiter

Sarah Moody

Holly Morrison Jenny Schulte

423 Night Market is this Saturday, Oct. 8 starting at 9 p.m. It will be held in the Collegedale Church parking lot and is open to the community. Come and support your friends, buy a hot cup of apple cider, browse the vintage hoodies, listen to the live bands or just hang out! This is definitely a night you don’t want to miss.

Fest will be held on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 4:30 p.m. by the track.

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Prep for CPA Review.

Students with an MBA Accounting emphasis may take the Wiley CPAexcel review courses for six of their 12 elective hours.