Vol. 72, Issue 12 by Southern Accent

Southern Accent

The student voice for 90 years!

Collegedale, Tennessee

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Vol. 72, Issue 12

Service initiative kicks off on MLK Day Sierra emilaire Editor-in-chiEf

A campaign to gather 125,000 hours of community service among Southern Adventist University students, faculty, alumni and affiliates kicked off on Jan. 16 in concurrence with MLK community service day. “When thinking about different ways to celebrate 125 years of Southern’s existence, we thought it would be a great idea,” said Isaac James, director of marketing and university relations. “Service is such a core part of who we are. We wanted to find a way to celebrate through service while including the larger community.” Southern created a website where participants can log their community hours from wherever they are.

To log hours, participants must fill in their name, what they have worked on and how many hours of service they have accumulated. The Christian Ser v ice Department will be involved in this new service initiative in various ways. Dora Desamour, Christian service program director, is in the process of organizing a service project with alumni to encourage involvement in reaching the 125,000 hours. This project is expected to commence in the spring. “It feels great [to be a part of this] because, don’t get me wrong, our staff and faculty volunteer all the time, but now we have a focus,” Desamour said. “It’s a great opportunity to remind us that it’s fun to serve; it’s what God asks of us. People

can certainly go ahead and log what they already do [to serve their communities], but now they’re a part of this process to gather 125,000 hours served among us all.” Students, faculty and volunteers served for nearly 4,000 hours were served on MLK day by students, faculty and volunteers. Students are encouraged to log in their hours for that day toward the collective goal of 125,000 hours. The Christian Ser v ice Department is in the process of sending thank you notes to participants with a direct link to the campaign site. Students who are serving abroad are also encouraged to be a part of reaching this service goal. See SERVICE, page 2

Photo by Heidi Olson Chemistry Club president Olivia Londis prepares a garden for planting at Red Clay Farms on community service day.

Papa John’s increases donation percentage for Southern scholarships PhilliP Warfield contributor

The Papa John’s $6.99 pizza deal has been updated to help finance Southern’s scholarship fund. The half-price discount of a large one-topping pizza remains the same to students and faculty, but the percentage of the profits that go to Southern’s scholar-

ship fund has been upgraded to significantly benefit students. Originally, 10 percent of the money student and faculty spent at Papa John’s went to the fund, but local Papa John’s representative Paul Boccia recently agreed to increase the amount to 15 percent. “I commend the Student Association Senate and SA leadership that initiated the part-

nership with Papa John’s,” said Geovanny Ragsdale, associate vice president for advancement. “This partnership allows students to impact their fellow and future students to benefit from the SA Senate Leadership Endowed Scholarship through the power of their wallet. They get a discount and the corporation makes an additional gift toward the endowment; every-

one wins.” As of December, Papa John’s agreed to retroactively apply the 15 percent increase to purchased items from last semester and give that money to the scholarship fund. The deal assists worthy students financially and provides students with a discount on other select items. The pizza chain has also been gracious to provide side

dishes like breadsticks, garlic knots and cheese sticks for 33 percent off the menu price. “I am excited for the opportunity to work with the community to further empower student education here at Southern,” said Moses Maier, SA president. The meeting was an encouraging moment that allowed for this involvement in the community to grow.”

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Students lead in week of worship Kaitlin Jeanette Colon News editor

The theme of this semester’s student week of prayer is, “Radically Chosen.” The week will focus on the personal stories of people who have chosen to follow God in a world where believing is radical.

The event starts Monday at 7 p.m. in the Collegedale Church. Seven people will speak over five days, with two additional services on Tuesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. Andrew Anobile, assistant chaplain, said there will be several events he hopes students will enjoy this upcoming week. “This is the first time we’ll be

doing a continuing story. Each night will build off the night before, and then the conclusion will be Friday,” Anobile said. They will also be featuring videos from student missionaries each night to show the work that is being done overseas by Southern students. “In years past, the services have run over expected time

limits,” Anobile said. “It isn’t fair to the students, so I’m going to be very strict about running over time. I want to respect the other activities that students have to do.” The aim is to express to students that there is no “one way” to have a relationship with God. “This is about the uniqueness of your walk,” Anobile said.

Cardenas-Gomez learns lessons in Argentina Suny CardenaS-Gomez CoNtributor

Let’s face it, our most significant learning experiences often occur outside the classroom. If it is possible to squeeze a semester’s worth of my personal growth while abroad in Argentina into three lessons, these are it: Saying hi is worth the risk As soon as I arrived on campus, I knew I was in danger of turning the ACA group into my comfort zone. So I took a deep breath and plunged into a sea of strangers.

Introducing myself to a new person was constantly nerve-wracking, but it was also always worth it. Not every “hello” turned into turn into a fabulous friendship, however but many turned into interesting conversations, times to discover a common interest, or just the chance to share a laugh. Fun can be simple Maybe this does not sound groundbreaking, but at Southern my friends and I have spent hours trying to figure out what to do on Saturday night. All the options seemed to involve too much time, money, or a car.

Here in Argentina, my friends and I whip up maté (communal loose leaf tea) and go play Uno in a park. We do not always need a movie, an event, or a meal to entertain us. An interesting conversation and a group game can do that just as well. My friends in Argentina helped me re-discover that good company is what truly makes experiences fun. Take time for kindness I was in Argentina when I received the news that my good friend Whitney had passed away. As I grieved, people who hardly knew me surprised me with their kindness. New

friends made themselves available to me for a talk, a walk, or a chocolate run. When the other Southern students and I hosted a little memorial for Whitney, almost all of the ACA students came to support us. Each gesture of kindness meant the world to me, even if at the time I did not show it. I hope to be that kind of friend to whoever needs it. I suspect Argentina is not done teaching me about life. Once my time here is over, I am excited to continue learning and growing wherever I go next. Once I discovered learning could happen outside of school, the world became my classroom.

Service Continued from page 1

The committee in charge of the celebration of Southern’s 125 years have many programs and events planned throughout this year. Some include making campus more green with 125 trees and shrubs, which will be an opportunity for community involvement. This year’s Giving Day will have a goal of 125,000 dollars, an increase from last November’s goal of 100,000 dollars. Marketing is working on making additions to the website like places to serve in the area and updates on service stories that will also be featured on Southern’s social media pages. “By serving you incorporate the three T’s: time, treasure and talent,” Desamour said. “As you serve an organization in any capacity they’re saving money through your service. If it’s $20 and you serve three hours, you just helped a not-for-profit organization save $60. I hope that people will embrace this opportunity, that they will continue to serve and remember to log those hours in.”

Southern Accent The student voice for 90 years

Sierra Emilaire, Editor-in-Chief Natalia Perez MANAGING EDITOR

Tierra Hayes PHOTO EDITOR

Alexis Hartline OPINION EDITOR

Rachel Brouhard DESIGNER

Fayth Hargrove CIRCULATION MANAGER

Kaitlin Colon NEWS EDITOR

Caleb Begley SPORTS EDITOR

Erica King HUMOR EDITOR

Tia Huff DESIGNER

Jordan Putt SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Hannah Jobe COPY EDITOR

Daniela Ursulenko LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Zach Hagen RELIGION EDITOR

Arthur Harper WEB MANAGER

Daniel Olson STAFF ADVISOR

The Accent encourages readers to write articles and voice their opinion. For questions, comments or article submissions, email accent@southern.edu. For all advertising inquiries, email David Cammack at dcammack@southern.edu.

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Week of Prayer speakers to share stories of following God Radically chosen: Rodriguez, Anderson, Bunch, Christiansen, Maier and Hairston

Bryant Rodriguez “My name is Bryant Fernando Rodriguez. I am a senior theology major set to graduate in May 2017. I have the distinct privilege of being the first in my family to graduate from an American university. I somehow lucked into a relationship with the beautiful Yaniz Seeley, and we are going to get married in August of this year. I was born in Dallas, Texas but grew up partly in Mexico and partly in Minnesota. I will share about how God taught me to be content being a misfit and why a little doubt and a little anger in your spirituality isn’t the end of the world when you’re being held by the most compassionate arms in the universe.”

Jamil Hairston

“My name is Brielle Anderson. I was born in the D.C. area and moved around a lot until settling in Tennessee. After spending two years canvassing/bible working out West, Los Angeles county feels like home. I’m a computer science major who loves sincere people, random knowledge, experiencing new places and good food. Journeying with God has been the best choice of my life. Giving up my obsession with having all the answers is the current theme of my walk. I can Google solutions to my programming homework, but spiritual answers are best learned day by day, moment by moment. Grace and peace.”

Christian Bunch “Hi! I’m Christian, and I like life. My major is business administration, my home is North Carolina, my food is Cheez-Its, and my goal is joy. I’m tall, skinny and often speak before I think (working on that one). I don’t like when people respond to “how’s it going?” with “how’s it going?” I fell in love with Jesus when I was 12, and I’ve been falling in and out of love with Him ever since. I plan to speak about the journey that God is continually leading me on, and why it is the greatest, most insanely joyful adventure of my life.”

Brielle Anderson

“My name is Jamil Rodney Hairston. I was born in El Paso, Texas. However, I’ve lived in five different states in my lifetime. I currently live in Apopka, Florida. My major is clinical psychology, yet I want to do nothing with this in the future.

Originally, I saw myself as a counselor for youth and the thought of psychology interested me. At this time I was heavily involved in gymnastics and it made up who I was. It was my identity. My senior year in high school I injured my shoulder

“Hi my name is Darcee Christiansen! I currently live in Greeneville, Tennessee, but I grew up in Northern California, allowing me to claim both coasts as home. After completing the SALT program here at Southern, I chose to study social work because Jesus has put a passion in my heart for serving those who are most vulnerable. In the past, I remember almost wishing that I had strayed away from God in some dramatic way, so that I could have a testimony to share. However, recently Jesus has been opening my eyes to how He has been leading my straying heart back to Him all along.”

Darcee Christiansen and almost couldn’t continue on in my gymnastics career. I was crushed, feeling like everything that I was had been “taken” from me. Through a series of miraculous events I ended up at Southern, and even though I was injured on Gym Masters.

Moses Maier “My name is Moses Maier. My mother says that the movie, ‘The Ten Commandments’ so inspired her as a teenager that she decided to name her first son Moses. My wonderful family and I grew up in eastern Canada, then moved to Loma Linda where I developed a love for business. I am now a senior taking business finance. I believe college is a place to learn and understand who we are on our own. This experience can lead to many difficult questions. In the Bible, Job faced many questions in his journey, tough questions about God. Like Job, we all struggle to find the answers about God. This struggle in my life is what I will share next week. Hope to see you there!”

Gymnastics continued to define me until my sophomore year, winter semester. It was then that Jesus began to radically interfere with my life because of my willingness and the fervent prayers of my now fiancé. I quit the team mid-way through and

began to become involved with Lifegroups. That led to a position on Campus Ministries, a place I never imagined I’d ever be. I now live my life to spread the love of Jesus Christ and bring glory to him.”

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A new direction: White House Trumped Dalton temple Contributor

On Jan. 20, thousands of people filed into Washington D.C. to witness the inauguration of Donald J. Trump. President Trump was sworn into office by Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts. Among the notable individuals in attendance for the inauguration were former Presidents Carter, Clinton, Bush and Obama. Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was present alongside her husband. Crowds gathered to hear Trump’s inaugural address sporting “Make America Great Again” hats in support of the new administration. President Trump’s address to the nation was filled with statements and direction for the country’s

next course of action. President Trump expressed his desire to restore American pride and heal the nation. He addressed our nation as a leader asking us not to fear. “We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is totally unstoppable,” Trump said. A promise was made to the American people. A promise that power was not being transferred from one administration to another, or from one party to another, but back to the American people, Trump said. Through strength in our families and strength in one another, we will come together ending the divide that lies between us.

Responses around Southern Audrey Fankhanel, freshmen journalism major: “As a journalism major I’m concerned about having more restrictions on my future career.” Hannah Leung, sophomore animation major: “I’m anxious for the future. Hoping for the best. I think any sort of change is intimidating.” Linda Crumley, SJC dean: “I’m glad we have a history of peaceful transitions.”

Jeffrey Brownlow, senior accounting major: “As a country history creates events. It’s good to be living during such a historical moment. I support whomever is president. I support Donald Trump.” Jordan Adams, history major: “I found the speech to be inspiring. It’s gonna be an interesting next four years. I’m gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. We’ll see what happens in the next four years.”

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Thursday, January 26, 2017

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An intimate Inaugural experience AmAndA Reed Contributor

Attending the Presidential Inauguration of Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2017 was a once in a lifetime experience. The night before the inauguration, a celebration was held at the Lincoln Memorial where Trump expressed his enthusiasm for the following day. “I don’t care frankly if it’s going to be beautiful or if it is going to rain like crazy,” Trump said. “It makes no difference to me.” Although the day was overcast with some slight showers, the spirit of the crowd was not dampened in the slightest. An electric current of excitement ran through all of us and the atmosphere was surprisingly positive. I expected so much more negativity than there was, but I was pleasantly surprised

to see that for the most part the crowd remained hopeful for this coming presidency. Protesters were present, as expected. The majority of signs I saw focused on feminism, called Trump a fascist and were against the wall that Trump plans to build across the Southern border of the United States. Although there were reports of different objects being set on fire, I was pleased to see that the majority of the protests were peaceful. During the inauguration the crowd acted respectfully for the most part, but some negativity was displayed by the crowd when both Hillary and Bill Clinton appeared on the platform. The crowd immediately started booing. This reoccurred when Bernie Sanders made an appearance. I personally thought that it

was courageous and classy for Hillary Clinton to have attended the ceremony and interesting that many people there did not appear to agree. In addition, I believe that many more people came to the inauguration than the media has portrayed because it was very difficult to navigate through the enormous audience. This election has clearly been one of the most dividing events in history regarding the political opinions of the U.S. citizens. I believe that it is important to remember that no matter which side you were on during the campaign, Trump is officially the 45th president. Citizens in every part of the nation need to come together to be supportive of the new leader. Protesting against issues we believe in is a constitutional right, but at a certain point we

Contributed by Amanda Reed Large crowd stands outside The Capitol Building for the Inauguration.

need to come together to fix our country. Being unwilling to work together will not help the country move forward. Attending the inauguration and the celebration beforehand

made me feel immensely patriotic. I am thankful to have been able to attend such a historic event and I am proud to be an American.

Diverse country unifies in Women’s March CARolitA ClAus Contributor

In an overwhelming sea of signs and people flooding the streets surrounding the Capitol, one plain and unassuming sign caught my attention. It read, “Spiritually, politically HERE for the vulnerable.” As I made the journey from the Capitol building to the White House lawn, I saw this phrase put into action. I marched next to atheists and nuns, pro-lifers and prochoicers, men and women, cisgender and transgender, babies in their mother’s arms and grandmothers who shared their stories of marching for women’s rights in the 1960s. I saw them putting aside their

differences and reaching across the divides that the hateful rhetoric of this past election cycle tried to widen. They encouraged painful, vulnerable and honest conversation. I heard rally speakers share action steps and resources to empower marchers to begin active change when they return to their home states. I cannot and will not attempt to speak for the entire crowd of 500,000 people that came together this past Sabbath to the Women’s March on Washington, but I witnessed a spirit of unity, empathy and compassion that refreshed me and left me ready to roll up my sleeves and get back to work. What good is marching if

no action is taken afterwards? What can I do to be spiritually and politically here for the vulnerable? I will leave you with three steps: 1. Find an organization, call, donate, and volunteer. (e.g. – Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association of Chattanooga (AMFA), Catholic Charities, Family Justice Center, La Paz, or Room at the Inn) 2. Get out from behind your computer screen. Find someone with a different perspective. Sit down with them. Put aside your opinions, get comfortable in their shoes, and listen. When you feel as though you are going to burst, listen some more. 3. Email, call, or write your state and local officials. Contact

Contributed by Christina Angel Thousands of women gather in Washington D.C. for peaceful protests.

Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, or use Google to find

local representatives.

news LAC offered evening of worship, delicious food

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HannaH Jobe, natalia Perez Copy Editor, Managing Editor

The Latin American Club (LAC) hosted a night of worship last Saturday night, differing from the traditional LAC Night program. A sudden change in administration left little time to plan and practice for the celebration of Latin American culture that students typically expect from LAC night. The officers requested that the date be moved to March or April, said Dennis Negron, vice president of student development, but due to scheduling conflicts, LAC was required to keep their original program date. Club members worked very hard to bring the program together and practiced as a group for three nights in the week before the event, said Abel Morrobel, theology post-grad-

Thursday, January 26, 2017

uate major and LAC president. Pedro Gonzalez, senior theology major said that Morrobel stayed up until 2 a.m. or later for many nights this past week to prepare. The program began with a prayer in both Spanish and English and illustrated the theme for the night by comparing a “checklist for an awesome night,” including lights, a rocket ship and a band, to the verse 1 Corinthians 2:2 which says, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Christ and Him crucified.” This verse, as well as Acts 4:12, encompassed the theme of focusing solely on Jesus. A band accompanied by 13 singers led four praise songs in Spanish and English including “Save Our Land” and “Por tu Gracia y Amor” (The Power of Your Love). Two spoken word pieces were performed, and a song in English and one in Spanish were

performed by soloists. Another group performed a pantomime of the Casting Crowns song: “I am yours,” in black light, illustrating the songs message with their hands placed in the shapes of the cross, flowers and people. Six painters, along with three assistants, painted small pictures placed together to form the face of Jesus. After the program, volunteers served Peruvian rice, plantains, a sweet bread and potato and cheese taquitos, the latter of which ran out quickly. Morrobel said he was pleased with the event. “I think it went great and I hope people saw the passion we have for God… I believe He was exalted tonight.” “The food was good, the people and performances were great but the best part was the spiritual atmosphere,” said Grace Johnson, freshmen public relations major. “It was a beautiful experience

Photo by Tierra Hayes Six painters, along with three assistants painted small pictures that were placed together to form the face of Jesus.

Photo by Tierra Hayes Pedro Gonzalez, left, and Abel Morrobel, right, address the crowd during LAC night on Saturday.

to be a part of and see that LAC intentionally wanted to make the point that it was all about Jesus,” said Kamille Thompson, junior clinical psychology major.

“I love how my school is so diverse. The richness of our cultures is amazing!” said Madeline Mace, sophomore fine arts major.

religion Do it without complaint Be strong and courageous

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Thursday, January 26, 2017

shanice smith-mcPherson Contributor

There is always something we would rather be doing. I often find myself daydreaming about standing by the ocean, with my feet in the sand, feeling the warmth of the sun before it sets in shades of pink and blue. Instead, I’m sitting in a two-hour lecture at 8 a.m. learning about hand hygiene and infection control, forgetting everything I had learned the day before. We are only a couple weeks into the semester and many of us are already struggling. We complain about our heavy workload, how early we have to wake up in the morning and how long we have to stay in class. I, for one, am guilty of all those things. What we often do not realize is how blessed we are to be sitting in those classrooms. When we go on and on about how hard classes are for us, we don’t notice that we insult our teachers. When we make fun of the food in the cafeteria, we insult the people who work hard to provide for us. From past experiences, I have learned that complaining, in a sense, is claiming that we know better and can do better than those who did the work.

Similarly, when we complain to God about obstacles in our lives, we claim that we know better than He does. We are not given big loads because people like to torture us. No road we choose to take is easy. The Bible tells us in Philippians 2, to do things without complaint. Our time will come when we will be free and rejoice. If you take anything from this, let it be that God has your best interest at heart. Know that you are here because you are loved. Corrections to “Questions answered, wavering spirituality restored at GYC” (1/19): GYC is an abbreviation for generation of youth for Christ, not general youth conference. In the article where it says “almost 1,800 people signed up to receive Bible studies, and several of last year’s attendees testified that they had accepted Jesus.” Clarification: this is actually referring to people who were reached during door-to-door ministries, not previous attendees. The final words from the article were cut off and should have been: “you in Phoenix 2018.”

Jessica Kovach Contributor

At the beginning of each semester, I always murmur the same words, “I don’t know how I’m going to survive.” Call me dramatic, but in my defense, I always seem to find a way to add more to my schedule than seems feasible. What could have been a walk in the park turns into a sprint, and I really do not like running. When a semester starts, there is no choice but to go forward, fears and all, and tackle every challenge that arises. The feelings of a new semester are fleeting in comparison to Joshua’s emotions when Moses died and God called him to lead the Israelites. As the rush of new responsibilities of leadership began to overtake Joshua, God

bent down to talk with him. We might imagine God telling Joshua exactly how He planned on using him, or explaining the importance of following His exact instructions if he wanted to be anything like the great man, Moses, whose shoes he was trying to fill. God mentions this, but focuses on a promise He already made to Joshia while Moses lived: “Be strong. Be courageous. Don’t fear. I Am with you.” Joshua’s peace did not come from knowing how everything was going to end; instead, it was by knowing he was not alone. Only after Joshua knew that God was with him could he move forward with the faith that caused walls to tumble.

When I learned this memory verse (Joshua 1:9) in kindergarten, some of my biggest fears consisted of snakes, the tickle monster and being forced to eat eggs (that last one has not changed). Now, I find myself worrying about balancing friends, family, God, and oh yes, school. I worry about missing everything God wants me to learn because I am so busy, and I wonder what lasting impact I will leave on this campus. My future career is uncertain. Even next semester is unclear, yet as I stand here like Joshua, I know God whispers the same thing into my ears: “Be strong. Be courageous. Don’t fear. I Am with you.”

Spiritual Spotify 1. Lower Still

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