See BLM on

Task Force

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of Student Development Dennis Negron, the task force will review all the feedback, make a final decision within the next week, and release an official document with new procedures and changes, which is expected to be released on June 10.

The official document will list new policies, safety and health regulations and describe what the Fall 2020 semester will look like in terms of campus life and social distancing rules.

“For academics, we’re asking ourselves what we have to do to make sure that classes can be held safely,” Negron said. “... In residence halls, we’re looking at what we need to do to make sure that students living in the residence hall are safe. We’re looking at how we’re going to run Saturday night student association programs, intramurals, and Gym Masters.”

Additional considerations the task force is evaluating include things such as enrollment numbers, handling legalities, hosting convocations, earning worship credits and the possibility of making classes a hybrid between online and in-person. According to Negron, an example of managing large classes to practice social distancing could be having students attend in-person class once a week by signing-up for which session they will be attending, and then meeting online for the rest of the week.

In regards to enrollment and the legalities of returning to a changed campus amidst the coronavirus, Negron says there is a task force designated to look into all the legalities, as well as one that is focused on enrollment management and the financial implications that could result.

“We have a group that’s looking into the legalities. If a student comes to school here and gets the coronavirus on our campus, what are the legalities of that? We’re looking at everything,” Negron said.

The enrollment management task force is taking into consideration the current enrollment numbers, the projected enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year and what those numbers might mean for areas such as residence life and finances. Numbers for incoming freshmen are currently better than last year’s numbers, according to Negron. However, transfer student numbers are lagging.

“If there is a silver lining here, last year our transfer student numbers lagged from the previous year, yet still turned out okay once the semester began,” Negron said. “Retention of former students, though, will be key; but those numbers I have not received yet.”

Students, parents and faculty can expect to receive a document via email on June 10 that will entail new policies and procedures, as well as the plan for what the 2020 fall semester will look like.

Family

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coughing.

“When the baby got sick, that's when my fear really tightened up,” Fuentes said. “When my mother-in-law and my husband got sick, I was scared, and I was worried. But I didn't cry. But when my son got sick, I cried.”

The family went to the hospital. Doctors tested them for the flu and strep throat, but Fuentes knew that it was something else. On March 27, their results arrived and confirmed Fuentes’ fear: It was COVID-19; and all of this happened in less than a week.

Once the first symptoms began showing, the family started social distancing among themselves. They all wore masks inside the house and kept a distance from each other. Fuentes’ mother-in-law stayed inside her room, only coming out to pick up the food Fuentes would leave by her door. When Fuentes’ husband started feeling ill, he pitched a tent behind their house and remained there for the following weeks.

Though Fuentes tried to isolate as much as possible and disinfect everything she touched, she could not leave her five sons alone.

“That was hard because, for the most part, I felt like I was by myself,” Fuentes said. “Having to take care of my mother-inlaw, having to take care of my husband, having to take care of the kids— all on top of me not feeling well, either — it was definitely a struggle.”

A few days after receiving their test results, her second oldest got sick, too. From that moment, the 11-year-old spent all day in the backyard, only coming inside the house to shower and sleep.

Friends in the area helped Fuentes buy and deliver groceries to her door. But even then, she and her family remained strictly at home, avoiding contact with anyone outside to refrain from contaminating others.

It's not about me or you. It's much bigger than that.

In the following days, symptoms would come and go, until mid-April when they completely stopped. Fevers left, coughing ceased and Fuente’s fatigue disappeared. Her husband took down the tent and moved back into the house. Her children were finally able to play together again, and her mother-in-law joined them for dinner once more.

It had been a bit over three weeks since the family received the positive results, and finally things were feeling normal again.

Still, Fuentes says her family is still following stay-at-home orders and only going out when necessary. To her, such precautions are the best solution right now. “I know that nothing lasts forever, whether it's good or bad. But [COVID-19] is very real, and I want people to take it seriously,” Fuentes said. “It's not about me or you. It's much bigger than that. It's about others. How would you feel if your carelessness was the reason someone else got sick?”

Senate Leadership Scholarship Committee to choose from top candidates

Bailey DuBose

Staff Writer

The application process for the Student Association (SA) Senate Leadership Scholarship opened up to eligible student leaders across the Southern Adventist University campus earlier this year.

At a Senate meeting on March 4, 2020, Natasya Panjaitan and Rodny Aquino presented a proposal for additional funding for the scholarship, according to the Senate minutes.

According to Panjaitan and Aquino’s presentation, there are three steps included in selecting two recipients. First, the SA Scholarship Board reviews all the applications. Next, the Financial Appeals Committee verifies the eligibility of the candidates. And, lastly, the recipients are awarded.

The SA Scholarship Board

Paola Mora Zepeda

Editor-in-Chief

For the third year in a row, the Southern Enactus team has placed second in itsl eague of the Enactus United States National Exposition. Unlike previous times, this year’s competition took place online due to COVID-19.

The Enactus United States National Exposition took place from May 6 to May 14. More than 40 chapters from various universities across the country joined the competition, which was originally supposed to take place in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the new online format, is made up of Kenny Turpen, Mark Galvez, Luis Moreno, Dennis Negron, Kari Shultz, Xenia Figueroa and Natasya Panjaitan.

According to the presentation, the scholarship had $1,000 from an endowment fund, and leaders were seeking a matching donation of $1,000 from the Senate to provide two $1,000 scholarships.

The committee that was responsible for the voting of this scholarship has met and is awaiting for Student Finance to verify the eligibility of the candidates that we have suggested

“This scholarship was created a few years back by SA through Advancement. The funds are each team had to present a 12-minute video showcasing the progress of its projects as well as an annual report documenting the total expenses, revenues, reach number and more.

The Southern Enactus team had been working on four different projects this school year: Now Eye See, Higher TechMinded Ladies (HTML), Grow Create Share, Integrate Chattanooga and Bring It.

Enactus president and recent accounting graduate, James Brown, said transitioning online meant having to refocus some projects and strategies. actually from an endowment fund that was established through different businesses donating towards this fund, one of the largest contributors being Papa John’s,” Panjaitan said. “The funds in the endowment fund are invested in different avenues and have a profit. That amount is what's going towards the scholarship fund. Essentially, the scholarship fund is sustainable year by year.”

With the $1,000 Senate donation passed for the Leadership Scholarship at the March 4 meeting, two recipients were chosen based on certain criteria.

According to the scholarship flyer that was posted on social media and sent to students via email, there were several requirements for those who applied. Those requirements included holding junior or

“We continued to have our weekly discussions through Zoom,” Brown said. “We tried to focus on wrapping up our projects and mainly finding ways to help local businesses in the area, or even individuals who might be struggling because of the coronavirus.”

Besides preparing for the competition, the Enactus team also started laying groundwork for the next school year, according to Brown.

“Everyone [on the team] stayed really engaged in the work,” said Michelle Doucoumos, Enactus advisor. “We didn't senior class standing, having a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above, occupying a leadership position (excluding SA officers) and submitting a onepage essay answering the question, “How has your leadership experience at Southern shaped you into the person you are today?”

The original due date for applying was March 23 but was extended to March 30 due to COVID-19, according to Senator Abby Hansen.

“We do have top candidates for the scholarship recipients,” Panjaitan said. “The committee who was responsible for the voting of this scholarship has met and is awaiting for Student Finance to verify the eligibility of the candidates that we have

Southern’s Enactus team places second in national competition

suggested.” lose anyone after the break. Everyone still did their part and put in the time to prepare for the competition and next year.”

Incoming Enactus president Ashley Blake says the new team will be focusing on COVID-19 relief efforts.

“Enactus has started a summer intern position, ... which will help us to further advance our planning and get a head start on the school year,” Blake said. “We have a lot of investigative work to do. We want Enactus to be at the forefront of helping our community next school year!”

Southern Accent The Accent encourages readers to write articles and voice their opinions. However, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Accent, Southern Adventist University, or the Seventh-day Adventist Church. For any questions, comments, and article submission information email us at accent@southern.edu For all advertising inquiries, email accent@southern.edu

Protester blocks traffic at a Louisville intersections. Photo by Xavier Snyder.

Statue of King Louis XVI, in Louisville, vandalized by protesters.

Photo by Xavier Snyder. BLM scared about most police inter actions.” continued from page 1 Snyder, who was especially

María José Morán

Staff Writer

Due to the financial impact of COVID-19, many students received money from Southern and even the government.

According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Southern is one of the institutions in eastern Tennessee that received government funds as a response to COVID-19 and the financial effects to the university. The university received $2.44 million of which $1.21 million is designated to help students who qualify for emergency financial grants.

Administration created a formula that took into consideration housing, food, travel, Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and general supply, said Doug Frood, executive director of upset by the death of Taylor,

Of the remaining money granted by the government, $1.2 million was designated by the university to further help students who need it most and to make required adjustments to campus in order for students to return in the fall.

Snyder left the scene at 11 p.m., says the protests are helping but came back the following bring attention to the racial day. issues in America.

On Saturday, the National “We’re making tiptoe, babyGuard arrived to aid police, steps progress,” Snyder said. he said. Louisville Mayor Greg “It’s better than nothing, but I Fischer implemented a curfew don’t think it’s doing as much as from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. The it should. There will be no peace curfew has since been extended in the streets because there is every night until June 8, accordno justice.” ing to the [Louisville] CouriHowever, most students have er-Journal. not attended any demonstra

“I never thought in my life tions. An Instagram poll conthat I would see my city that ducted by the Accent found that way,” Snyder said. “It looked like out of the 214 respondents, an aftermath of a warzone.” only 20 have actively joined a

According to the Associated protest. Instead, most responPress, as of June 2, more than dents have used social media to 40 arrests had taken place in speak for the Black Lives Matter the Louisville protests. One man movement. was fatally shot. An example of this is English

Joey Rocha, a nursing alumsophomore Paula Macena. She nus, also joined the protests, made a spoken word video but throughout New York City. called “I Pledge Allegiance,” He said protesters flooded which highlighted the injustices Times Square, filling the streets people of color face every day. with noise. He also witnessed Within three days, the video cops and protesters taking a received more than 4,000 views. knee - a famous symbol against “I've seen a lot of people the systemic oppression of Afribeing against the protests and can-American people in the the rise going on,” Macena said. United States. “But for me, it makes complete

“I decided to protest because sense because this country has the night before I had a really never been in favor of people of good conversation with my color. [So] my main goal right friends of color about rioting now is just to spread awareness versus protesting,” Rocha said. about what's going on.” “... I realized that, yes, violence Though Macena has not isn’t good, but when change joined a protest, she has taken doesn’t happen quickly this supplies, such as masks and tends to be the result. … So I milk, to the demonstrations. went out because I want my Additional students have also friends to experience the same actively spoken out via their life I do — where I don’t feel social media platforms, posting

Kentucky State Police officer in an armored vehicle with a gun to shoot pepper pellets at approaching pro

testers in Louisville. Photo by Xavier Snyder.

educational resources, donation links and updates. On Tuesday, many shared the #BlackOutTuesday hashtag, which aimed to show solidarity and support to the black community.

Besides advocacy from individual students, Southern’s ethnic clubs have also spoken up through their social media accounts. On Sunday, the Black Christian Union Club (BCU), through Instagram, called for its members to stand against injustice.

We’re making tiptoe, baby-steps progress. It’s better than nothing, but I don’t think it’s doing as much as it should. There will be no peace in the streets because there is no justice.

“As an organization that supports and centers itself around uplifting and celebrating black culture and history amongst the body, we are saddened and we acknowledge the racism and injustices that have been in our society,” the post read. “Please let’s stand together during this fight of injustice by speaking up and supporting our black brothers and sisters.”

On the same day, the Asian Club posted a picture on its Instagram stating, “Asian for Black Lives Matter.” Similarly, the following day, the Latin American Club (LAC) shared a post that which helped the university determine how much money each individual would get.

According to Paula Walters, director of student finance, this money was “automatically granted to 1,300 students who automatically qualified” according to the formula and their FAFSA applications.

Of the remaining money granted by the government, $1.2 million was designated by the university to further help students who need it most and to make required adjustments to campus in order for students to return in the fall.

“We are probably going to use some of that money to purchase things in order to [reopen the university],” Frood said. read, “Tu lucha es mi lucha.” (Your fight is my fight.).

The School of Journalism and Communication also joined the social movement by writing an open letter to its students. The letter, which was a response to the death of Floyd and the ongoing injustices of the American system, was shared on all of their social media platforms

“We recognize racism is a sin issue—a problem of the human heart,” the letter read. “For this reason, we also pray for our country and the chasm that divides us. We stand in solidarity with our black family, friends, and neighbors; and as advocates of constructive communication in our society, we are committed to speaking up and taking action to dismantle systemic racism and injustice against black and brown bodies in the United States of America.”

On Tuesday, Southern also released a letter from President David Smith sharing his response to the recent events.

“We stand with those speaking out against the heartless indifference that both sheds innocent blood and turns a blind eye to ongoing pain,” Smith wrote. “Through His power and strength, we are called to do our part, to lift up our hurting brothers and sisters, to embrace them, and to unite together as the family of God.”

Senior Advisor for Diversity Stephanie Guster, Vice President for Spiritual Life Joseph Khabbaz and Associate Chaplain Anna Bennett also joined the president with words of con

Such funds were sent to students who qualified but also applied to receive money from the university. The amount of money received varied depending on the need reflected in each application apart from the grants they had already received.

However, none of the money granted was given to students who did not fill out a FAFSA application.

According to the government, “this money was only usable for students who are U.S. citizens,” Frood said. “So there is a disadvantage for DACA students and international students.”

The university, however, is trying to find a way to help these students through its own funds and donor dollars. dolences and encouragement.

Theology sophomore Austin Bates says that simply expressing one's anger on social media without taking any positive action, proves ineffective. On the contrary, he says the most effective form of raising awareness is peaceful protesting and donating to organizations that promote policies that keep police just.

“The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has encouraged me that there is always recourse for the racism I’ve faced,” Bates said. “As a mixed person of color (POC) and as a Christian, it’s my duty to stand for others. The most important thing we can do to support the BLM movement is to seek justice and love those who have been hurt by standing up for them.”

Organizations that are receiving donations include the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The American Civil Liberties Union, Fair Fights and Know Your Rights Camp.

According to Bates, it is time to take responsibility as Christians, especially Adventists, in fighting for the rights of the oppressed and changing the way injustices are treated.

“As a new generation of leaders steps in, we have the chance to finally change the way our church has turned a blind eye to injustice in the world for far too long,” Bates said. “We have to stand up without wavering and not give in. And above all, we need to surrender our egos, prejudices and preferences to

Students receive financial help from Southern, government

God and follow His will.”

Although it might not be much, I hope this makes a difference for [the students].

Although the university has also been impacted by COVID19, it is making efforts to help its students as much as possible.

“Although it might not be much, I hope this makes a difference for [the students],” Frood said.

DACA students and international students can email their applications to the Director of Student Finance in order to be considered.

'I do not have answers, but I know the One who does': I still choose to bless him

Anna Bennett Contributor

Can I confess something? Lately, I’ve had a hard time connecting with God like I usually do. One of the things I often speak passionately about is creating a rhythm of communion with God – a regular time and physical space and way of connecting with God that’s predictable and comfortable – something you look forward to each day. But over the last few weeks, the Bible I often pick up each morning with eagerness feels oddly heavy; the pen I use for journaling feels more like a burden than a tool of freedom; the blank page full of opportunity for creativity stares back at me with emptiness.

Why? Why has it been so difficult to connect with God? As I have reflected over this past weekend, I’ve discovered that for me it’s been difficult because I have no words. I have no words to adequately describe my grief, my pain, my fears, my hopes. Every attempt of mine to formulate a sentence to communicate with my God feels like a mountain too great to climb because I just do not have words to express what I’m feeling.

I worry about you. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, however you’re navigating through COVID-19. I know so many of you have been affected in ways I can’t begin to wrap my mind around. Even if you haven’t been affected, I’ve heard from your stories how fear still has its grip on you. I grieve for you – those of you who have been directly impacted by the tornado that swept through our community – and for you, graduate, who didn’t get the graduation celebration you deserved and now face the future with an anxiety I cannot know.

But greater still, I weep with you.

Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Christian Cooper. George Floyd.

Their names etched into my mind and on my heart. Experiences I cannot fully understand, try as I might. My husband and I personally wrestle together with the questions “what if?” and “when?” I do not have words for this pain or for this grief.

Jeremiah knew something about this. The book of Lamentations is composed of five poems, or songs, each an expression of grief over the fall of Jerusalem. Similar to a eulogy at a funeral, lamenting is a form of mourning a loss. Jeremiah’s sorrow and despair was intended to produce hope in God: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness,” (Jeremiah 3:23).

Sources argue that the most important influence on 20th-century music in America was the musical culture of African Americans – music developed within the bonds of slavery – in slave spirituals, work calls and chants. Born out of lived experiences, came the songs that would offer hope. Thomas Andrew Dorsey wrote the infamous gospel hymn, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” in 1932 after the sudden death of his wife and newborn son during childbirth. In his grief he clung to the hope of Isaiah 41:13, “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’”

My Bible tells me, in 1 Corinthians 12:26, that if one member of the body of Christ suffers, all suffer together. Sitting in my husband’s pain; sitting with friends and family members, co-workers and pastors, students and employees, and hearing your pain, I cry out with you. I acknowledge that I do not have the luxury of turning away from it all, or tuning it out, or shying away from it as painful as it might be for me, because my privilege demands that I find a voice, lift up my voice, and speak on behalf of your pain and your experience.

My Bible tells me that the purpose of my life, and your life, is to “Love mercy. Act justly. Walk humbly with our God,” (Micah 6:8). Sometimes walking humbly with God looks like a peaceful march around the walls of racial separation with shouts of lament until those walls come tumbling down in the powerful name of Jesus Christ.

Maverick City Music, Vol. 3, has been on repeat in our home over the last few weeks. The song, titled “Promises”, captures what my heart does not have the words to describe otherwise: “Yes, I’ll still bless You. In the middle of the storm, in the middle of my trial, I’ll still bless You. Great is your faithfulness to me. From the rising sun to the setting same, I will praise your name. Great is your faithfulness to me.”

I do not have answers, but I know the One who does – the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Even when it is hard to feel deeply connected with Him, His faithfulness is the same, His presence is with us. Today, though I lament and I still choose to bless Him, I’m also asking Him for my marching orders. What about you? What is your song of lament? How are you using your voice to proclaim His goodness and cry for justice?

SOCIAL MEDIA

#BLM

Black Christian Union

Latin American Club School of Journalism and Comm.

Asian Club