SouthernAccent The student voice since 1926 Collegedale, Tennessee Thursday, September 17, 2015 Vol. 71, Issue 2
THATCHER SHAPES UP
FIREWORKS PHOTO STORY
Jen harvey STAFF WRITER
Thatcher Residence Hall’s new Wellness Club is starting this semester with 67 signed up to take part in the sevenweek health promotion club. The Wellness Club will meet twice a week starting Thursday, Sept. 17. Club Members will participate in a mini health assessment, which will help them get on the right track for monitoring their progress as they participate in the program. Sponsored by Thatcher’s women’s club, Sigma Theta Chi, the Wellness Club will be headed by Susan Pennington, assistant dean of women. Pennington will participate as well and hopes to encourage other participants. Pennington said the purpose of the club is to “provide information for a healthy lifestyle for college life and beyond.” The club will help its members learn more about how to cultivate healthy habits, including weight management, meal ideas, group exercises and overall personal growth. The women’s deans decided to connect with residence students through small groups
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The goal of our club is more than just losing weight or eating right...
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based on a particular interest. Pennington chose to devote her group to promoting healthy living. “I have a passion to educate others about living healthy lifestyles,” said Pennington. “The goal of our club is more than just losing weight or eating right; it’s about helping its members better understand God’s love for them.” Pennington said that she originally believed the group would be rather small. Space for its online signup was Continued on page 4
SEE NEWS PAGE 3
A student examines the potential site of the new Student Life Center. Photo by Matthew Sabino
PROGRESS DELAYED
WHAT’S HAPPENING DOWNTOWN SEE NEWS PAGE 4
ON NEW STUDENT LIFE CENTER RUNNING Sheann Brandon STAFF WRITER
The Southern Accent reported last January that the 68,000 gross square-foot new Student Life Center was scheduled for construction during the 2014 fall semester with doors opening in fall 2016. However, insufficient funding has delayed progress. Plans for the student center have been in motion for the past seven years, said Geovanny Ragsdale, associate vice president of Advancement. The approximate cost of the building is $28 million. Alumni and supporters have donat-
ed $14 million for this project so far. Although the funds raised are insufficient to break ground, the project is not on hold. Ragsdale stated that the university is working on preliminaries, such as redirecting the creek beneath the prospective foundation site. “I used to feel like a new student center would be pretty unconventional,” Natalia Perez, sophomore mass communications major, said. “I mean, we already have one, so why do we need a new one?” Several years ago the university’s strategic planning
committee assessed Southern’s needs. “The important part is that this wasn’t something where someone woke up one morning and said, ‘Hey, let’s have a student center,’” said Ragsdale. Some students have voiced their concern and displeasure with such a large amount of money going into the new student center. “I feel like to a certain extent it is a little bit of a waste of money,” said Silvia Menjivar, senior archaeology major. “I think there are other areas Continued on page 4
MODERN LANGUAGES HOSTS FIRST ACA RETREAT erica King STAFF WRITER
The first Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA) retreat will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26. The retreat starts at 10 a.m. with a bus ride to the Tennessee mountains. ACA is a study abroad program that has locations all over the world. Right now
there are about 25 Southern students studying abroad. The ACA program works with all the Adventist universities. “There is no time like the present,” said interim chair of the Modern Languages department, Adrienne Royo. “Students cannot relate with everyone when they come back. They miss the country they were at. It is time for
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE: ACCENT.SOUTHERN.EDU
WITH GOD
SEE RELIGION PAGE 6
HEALTHY RECIPES
them to come together and share with people who have a commonality.” Kathy Goddard, English professor, will speak at the beginning of the retreat. There will also be time for singing and music, including any songs the students learned while abroad. Students will also break off Continued on page 4
SEE LIFESTYLE PAGE 8
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