SouthernAccent The student voice since 1926 Collegedale, Tennessee Thursday, April 7, 2016 Vol. 71, Issue 20
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STUDENTS EXPERIENCE VOTING IRREGULARITIES
SEE NEWS PAGE 5
Sierra emilaire
IT’S THE CLIMB
STAFF WRITER
On Super Tuesday (March 1), Southern Adventist University students in the American National and State Government class encountered difficulties and inconsistencies when trying to vote in Tennessee primary elections due to photo ID requirements. Nine out of the 15 students enrolled in history and political studies associate professor Kris Erskine’s government class that went to vote in the primaries experienced irregular voting procedures. All but one of these students went to vote at the Collegedale City Hall. Four of the students produced out-of-state licenses and were not permitted to vote. Two of the students were not given the option of returning with a passport and none of the students involved were offered provisional ballots. “Here I am a 21-year-old college student attending a private university who wasn’t able to vote,” said Natalia Pena, senior management major. “People make it seem like voting is easy, and if you wanted to, you could, yet I couldn’t.” Two students were allowed to vote without showing any ID. “It didn’t look like anyone around me was being asked, [for ID] either, and it was my first time voting, so I didn’t question it,” said Hannah Odenthal, junior psychology major. “I thought it was really unfortunate that people in the same situation as me weren’t allowed to vote when I was.” Two out-of-state voters were asked for ID, presented their out-of-state ID and were still permitted to vote. One student went to the Bradley County precinct to vote and offered to show ID. Continued on page 3
The Filipino booth serves food to the attendees of Asian Night. Photo by Mario Ezra
360 DEGREES OF ASIAN NIGHT hannah Jobe STAFF WRITER
On April 2, Asian Club tried something new with their annual cultural festival. Instead of using the main stage, a stage was constructed out of platforms in the middle of the Iles P.E. Center. In previous years, the Asian Night performance was held on the stage with chairs and bleachers set up for people to sit and watch the show. This year, because the stage was set in the middle of the gym, students and visi-
tors got a 360-degree view of the show. Rhidge Garcia, freshman theology major, and Liezel Cornejo, freshman nursing major, served as emcees for “The Lights of Asia: A Cultural Festival.” Garcia said, “It was stressful, but it was very fun. I got to let my comedic side go wild.” Students representing China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, the Pacific Islands and Indonesia performed skits and cultural dances.
Attendees had the option of sitting in the bleachers on the south side of the gym or standing around the perimeter of the stage. Jonathan Tangunan, Asian Club vice president and junior biology major, played a big part in the setup change because the vice president of Asian Club always organizes Asian Night, said Laurie Stankavich, English associate professor and Asian Club sponsor. The decision to place the
STAFF WRITER
Student Association (SA) Senate started a temporary shuttle service, free of charge, for Southern Village residents as of March 28 until the end of the semester. The shuttle leaves the Village to Wright Hall at 7:40 a.m. Monday through Friday, and another shuttle leaves Wright Hall back to the Village at 5:10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Times are subject to change, and tentative plans are being made for more stops along the promenade. Transportation Services
rented out one of their biggest golf carts as the shuttle vehicle at around $180 per week. Senators volunteered as drivers, and though they are not paid, they are getting Senate points. Greg Manestar, SA executive vice president and senior management major, explained that this shuttle service idea was something Southern has considered for years. “This is just to show the university that there’s actually people that want a shuttle service. And that it [could] be feasible. It is a proof of concept for the university,” said Manestar. For years, Village residents
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#EXPOSE THE ELEPHANT: DIVORCE
Continued on page 4
SHUTTLE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR VILLAGE RESIDENTS Shaina rantung
SEE OPINION PAGE 7
without cars have been struggling with the distance. Lexie Center, senior public relations major, is one of them. “I chose to live in the Village,” said Center. “I knew the pros and cons of living farther away from campus. But obviously when it’s raining [it’s hard to walk].” The project was proposed and carried out by Senators Vance Gentry, sophomore business administration major; Abigail Jansen, sophomore global policy and service studies major; and Victor DeRose, sophomore marketing major. Continued on page 4
SEE LIFESTYLE PAGE 8
THE CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS: NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK
SEE SPORTS PAGE 9
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