Southern Accent Vol. 78, Issue 13

Southern Accent

How does Southern use your money? A quick glance at the university’s budget

Amanda Blake Managing Editor

Southern Adventist University received $35.2 million in net tuition and fees and $13.4 million in room and board in the 2022 fiscal year. But where does that money go?

In an interview with the Accent, Doug Frood, vice president for Financial Administration, explained how Southern uses students’ money.

First, he said money included in a high-level university budget such as Southern’s is fungible, meaning it’s all part of the same pot. It’s impossible to create a line from revenue drawn from specific student expenses to specific operating expenses.

Additionally, student expenses are not the university’s only source of revenue.

“One of the big things students should grasp is your tuition and

room and board, especially directly, do not pay the entire cost of this institution,” Frood said. “Fortunately, we have a church that’s supporting us; we have other things going on that help fill in the gap. Otherwise, tuition would be a lot more expensive.”

For example, in 2022’s fiscal year, beginning June 1, 2021, and ending May 30, federal grants contributed $8.2 million and church appropriations $7 million to the university’s total revenue.

“The church appropriations, the Southern Union’s support of us, for a lot of students, they wouldn’t even grasp that. It’s 7 million bucks — that’s a lot,” Frood said. “ … This group of states has made a commitment … to help defray the cost of this institution, hopefully making it more affordable for those who are coming.”

At the end of the fiscal year, the university barely broke even, with

total revenue from current operations equaling $77.2 million and total operating expenses equaling $77.1 million, according to Frood. At the end of 2021’s fiscal year, the university had a nice gain, with total revenue from current operations equaling $72.4 million and total operating expenses equaling $71.3 million.

“People may wonder, ‘Well, what do you have to make a gain for?’” Frood said. “Well, stuff goes wrong. Fortunately, we’ve had positive years. This year, we’ll probably be a little bit in the hole. So, those years will make up for the fact that this year may be a little negative. All companies, for-profit or not forprofit, have to make a little bit of, quote-on-quote, ‘bottom-line profit’ in order to cover things that come up that you don’t see coming.”

This bottom-line profit is what allowed the university to share a significant amount of COVID-19

government relief funding with students during the pandemic.

“A lot of what you got to see during COVID and our response to it was because we knew that we had been blessed essentially for the seven years and that it was for such a time as this,” Frood said.

Frood emphasized that most of Southern’s operating expenses benefit people through four expense categories: salaries, benefits, non-student wages and student wages. Last fiscal year, those four expenses together equaled $45.7 million, very close to 60% of the university’s total operating expenses.

Frood continued to address specific fees students pay and what they look like on the budget. Parking citation fees go into a general, departmental budget and not Campus Safety’s budget.

Recently the curfew hours for Southern Village residents changed from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, according to an email sent by Administrative Dean Lisa Patterson to Southern Village residents and their deans.

The email also stated what has not changed, including the time that mixed company needs to be out of the apartments and the times room check occurs. Friday curfew will also remain the same, and residents at Southern Village are still expected to sign in after 11 p.m. if they return to their apartments after room check has commenced.

Another change mentioned in the email is the leave approval process. According to the email sent out by Patterson, all leaves for Southern Village will now automatically be approved, but the guidelines for approved leave locations and age of host stay the same.

“Even though your leave is automatically approved,” stated the email to Southern Village students, “it is your responsibility to make sure it still falls within

Adventist Colleges Abroad visits Southern's Campus

Génesis Ventura

Reporter Amanda Blake Managing Editor

The director of Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA) and four program coordinators, representing schools from France, Italy, Spain and Lebanon, visited Southern Adventist University last week.

Southern was the group’s first stop on a promotional tour to several Adventist universities in the United States.

On Thursday, the directors promoted their schools to students and parents in Lynn Wood Chapel.

Sandra Esteves, director of ACA, began the event by explaining the benefits of studying abroad and how students can initiate the application process. She emphasized the value of being bilingual in the United States but also listed benefits like developing power skills, immersing oneself in another culture, deepening one’s spiritual life and meeting the love of one’s life.

“ACA is better than eHarmony,” Esteves said to a laughing audience. “ACA has existed for over 60 years, and I can assure you that many happy couples have been made.”

She added that studying abroad through ACA is not financially stressful.

“When you go abroad, we don’t want finances to be a source of stress,” Esteves said. “ … [Studying through ACA] is even cheaper than if you were to spend a year here [at Southern].”

Juan Antonio López, ACA program coordinator for Escuela Superior de Español de Sagunto in Spain, explained that due to the euro decreasing in value and U.S. currency increasing in value,

studying through ACA is cheaper than ever.

The most expensive ACA year session is in Italy and will cost $17,735, according to ACA’s 20232024 student magazine. The cheapest is in Spain and will cost $15,850.

The group’s next stop is Oakwood University, as can be seen on ACA’s website. The promotional tour circles the country and ends on March 6 at Washington Adventist University in Maryland.

Some Southern students who have studied through ACA spoke with the Accent about their experiences.

Lizbeth Rodriguez-Diep, junior public relations major, attended the ACA school in Italy for a summer session.

“I really loved it,” Rodriguez-Diep said. “I loved eating fresh Italian food every day and seeing beautiful sights. I really enjoyed our Italian classes and getting to know students from other parts of the world. It was a really rich experience.”

Lesieli Savelio, junior public relations major, is currently studying in Argentina.

“ACA has been an amazing experience. I have been able to learn so much, meet wonderful people, practice Spanish, and travel and see new places,” Savelio said. “I am so glad I took this year to try a new experience and go out of my comfort zone. I would recommend it to any student, truly.”

Meg Ermer, senior computer science and Spanish major, spent a year in Spain.

“Studying abroad was the best decision I’ve made. The opportunity to learn a new language while being immersed in a different culture pushed me to grow in ways I never had before,” Ermer wrote via text to the Accent. “I would definitely encourage everyone to consider going abroad — college is short, and now is the best time to travel [and] experience life in a new culture.”

Percentage

(Graphic by: Anton Kannenberg )

Antonietta Riviello, Italy’s ACA program director, enlists the help of an ACA Italy alum to promote her school and country.

Thursday, January 19, 2023. (Photo by: Amanda Blake)

Elsie Pak Collegedale News Editor

“I want to be clear. Campus Safety does not end up with a better-looking budget because they went out and gave out more parking tickets,” Frood said. “And we did that on purpose for exactly that reason.”

Parking permit fees, however, do go towards Campus Safety’s budget. Unfulfilled enrichment credit fees help offset the $70,000 to $80,000 Student Development pays each year to bring in speakers for Convocations. Official transcript and add/drop fees help offset the costs of running the Records and Advisement office.

The general fee charged to fulltime students is hooked to certain expenses, meaning specific percentages of the total revenue received from students’ general

fees are allocated toward specific institutional expenses.

“There are certain fees because of your more full-time status,” Frood said, explaining the reasoning and history behind the fee.

“So, as a part-time student taking maybe three or six credits, you may not be using certain things at the same level. So, what happened is, schools started [charging general fees].”

Each semester, almost 20% of the general fee revenue is allocated toward Student Association.

About 15% is allocated toward technology, including the cost of Wi-Fi, upgrading licenses (like free Windows accounts) and upgrading computer labs. About 10% is allocated toward wellness, regularly used to buy new gym equipment. About 8% is allocated toward student accident insurance.

Southern used to charge a $40

graduation fee, which would appear on students’ finance accounts after graduating. This was inconvenient for graduates, Frood said, because most paid off their accounts a couple of months before graduating. Now, almost 2% of the general fee revenue is allocated toward the cost of graduation, eliminating the former graduation fee entirely.

Other specific allocations from the general fee go toward LifeGroups and men’s, women’s and married clubs.

Close to 57% of the general fee revenue is specifically allocated. The remaining percentage could be explained as going toward Student Support Services, student health, McKee Library and the Writing Center. Although this remaining percentage is not specifically allocated, Frood described those areas as making the most sense considering the purpose of the fee.

How professors use anonymous course evaluations

Editor

Southern Adventist University offers students the option to fill out course elevations near the end of the semester for all of their classes, and all submittals are anonymous, according to Bob Young, senior vice president for Academic Administration.

“When a student completes an evaluation the system records that an evaluation was received for that particular course by the particular student; however, the data submitted by the student is not linked to the student,” Young wrote in an email to the Accent. “This maintains student response anonymity.”

Professors are able to review students’ course evaluations for their classes after grades are submitted. The evaluations can also be viewed by deans and chairs for each department as well as university administrators, according to Young.

Southern does not have guidelines for implementing course evaluation feedback, but professors should still pay attention to their course evaluations, wrote Young in the email.

“Faculty are expected to identify patterns and trends within course evaluations and respond to those patterns and trends in portfolios submitted for promotion in academic rank or level,” Young stated.

He added that inability to adjust

to patterns found in course evaluations could prevent professors from being promoted.

Holly Gadd, dean of the School of Nursing, said faculty should keep an open mind when reading student feedback.

“I think most faculty probably have a love-hate relationship with course evaluations,” she said.

“There’s a lot of good feedback that one gets from course evaluations that are done appropriately and professionally.”

Gadd said she reads every evaluation submitted to her department and spends time in faculty meetings reviewing positive evaluations and common feedback.

It is important to consider the impact of a proposed change on the whole classroom and to consider how your students are performing, she explained.

“If I change this, how would it impact learning overall?” she said, regarding implementing changes suggested through evaluations.

Gadd said sometimes students can become frustrated with different teachers because of their expectations going into the classroom. She said professors should be open with their students about their teaching styles and why they choose to use those methods.

“I think that it just requires a nurturing spirit on the part of the faculty to say, ‘Here’s why I’m doing

this,’” Gadd said. “Providing rationale and encouraging the students to give it a try and to try something different [is important].”

Students should also be considerate when submitting course evaluations, according to Gadd.

“I believe that God blessed me with a talent for teaching, and it's reflected in what students say to me,” she said. “But when you get an evaluation that is so contrary to everything, it can be pretty hurtful and damaging to one’s confidence in the classroom and teaching.”

Gadd stressed the importance of thinking about the impact a suggestion would have on the class and considering the learning styles of others.

“The most helpful way that students can do an evaluation is to be thoughtful about it,” she said, “not nitpicky about every little thing that bothered them, but to really try to focus on a big picture, not just a self-centered thing.”

Gadd advised students to try adapting to different teaching styles and learning to use different resources that are available.

“And when there’s not a teaching style that meets your needs really well, find ways to just learn a little bit alternately,” Gadd said. “And so, if the lecture is boring, boring, boring, then see if you can Youtube something that’s on the same topic and that maybe is more interesting

and helps you learn. … There [are] so many resources that students [can use].”

For professors, Gadd said it is important to pray and think seriously about the evaluations they receive.

“The good comments warm our hearts; the good scores warm our hearts,” Gadd said. “The things that aren’t so good can be even hurtful, but those ones [you] need to pray over.”

She advises professors to always seek to learn and grow and to ask themselves: “Is there a way for me to be more organized or to communicate more clearly — to pres-

ent a concept in a way that’s more fun, more engaging or interactive for the students as opposed to just lecturing?”

“I think faculty need to realize that what we know about teaching, how to use technology and other kinds of things, and the way our students have grown, what our students bring to classrooms and what their needs are, are different,” Gadd said. “And so, we have to change over time. I think faculty should always have an open mind to that. It makes for the best teachers on campus when they are open to those kinds of things."

"For professors, Gadd said it is important to pray and think seriously about the evaluations they receive."

Expanded parking plan for Southern's campus

Editor

Several new parking lots are being planned at Southern Adventist University to help improve parking on campus, according to Marty Hamilton, senior vice president for Financial Administration.

A 13-spot expansion of Southern Village parking has already been approved by administration and will be added this summer.

adding parking spots by SuCasa Spanish-American Church on Colcord Drive. That location would provide convenient access to the promenade and other nearby buildings.

“So you get the Bietz Center, you get the library, you get Hickman science,” Hamilton said. “We're thinking that this is probably one of our better locations to add additional parking.”

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 the editor at acrosby@southern.edu For all advertising inquiries, email studentadmgr@southern.edu.

“

… We need to take some pressure off of [Southern Village],” Hamilton said.

The land for another 54-spot addition between the Hulsey Wellness Center and the Village Market is being surveyed, but has not yet been approved by administration. Hamilton said that lot would probably be one of the first to be added.

Administration has also looked at expanding parking near the WSMC building to create more parking near Brock Hall, according to Hamilton. He said the university is also considering

To help alleviate parking pressure, Hamilton explained, students should try walking to different locations on campus instead of driving.

“ … You walk when you go to a campus,” Hamilton said. “… We’re too small for people not to walk.”

Administration has tried to be forward-thinking in regard to parking, according to Hamilton.

“It’s like, ‘Okay, we [have] a problem now, but what’s it gonna take to take a little of that pressure off?’” he asked. “ … So we’re having those conversations. They’re active conversations.”

Editor-in-Chief

Matthew Orquia News

Matthew Orquia News

Campus Safety Officer John Barker writes in a log book. Thursday, January 17, 2023 (Illustration by: Ronnell Cabacungan)

(Photo by: Julia Cameron)

"Close to 57% of the general fee revenue is specifically allocated."

(Photo by: Alexander Mils)

EXTENDED CURFEW

continued from page 1

Southern’s leave policy.”

“Living up at Southern Village is based on trust,” said Dean Donene Braithwaite about the reason for the recent curfew and leave changes. “We [the deans] want to trust you [students] with responsibility as we recognize that students are beginning the transition out of college.”

Two deans are in charge of Southern Village: Braithwaite and John Willis. This is Braithwaite’s first year as an associate dean at Southern and, according to her, the new policies surrounding curfew and the leave process were discussions that began in the fall of last semester.

“Dean Willis and I wanted to see if there were any changes we could make that would positively impact our residents,” said Braithwaite, “and how we compared to other Adventist Universities’ policies. We as deans are regularly looking at our pol-

icies and the way we do things, and asking what we could do differently. Our goal is to help students grow, and when they

leave here they will likely be living on their own and making their own choices. These decisions emerged out of a desire to help students in that transitional process and strengthen the trust factor of being an upperclassman living at Southern Village or older students living in the dorms.”

Though these changes currently apply to only Southern Village students, these policies will eventually be extended to seniors and students over the age of 22 who are living in the residence halls. According to Braithwaite, the deans are currently addressing technical issues with the abode housing

management system that handles leaves and marks room check, but once those are figured out, these changes can also be expected to take place.

According to Braithwaite, the deans will still be checking the approved leave forms, but she hopes that students understand the trust that is being afforded to them and will follow the policies already set.

“There’s now a little box at the bottom that you check acknowledging the approval leave policies and what they entail,” Braithwaite said.

“Overall, we see this as a positive change that will strengthen trust, encourage responsibility among students and assist in their transition from college life to eventual independence,” Braithwaite said.

If students have any questions she encourages them to approach their deans or RAs for more information. She is always happy to meet with students and get to talk with them.

'These are our daughters': Harvard psychiatry professor Eve Valera speaks at Southern about intimate partner violence

Kathy Zelidon Reporter

On Jan. 18, Eve Valera, a psychiatry professor at Harvard University, came to Southern Adventist University to speak to students about intimate partner violence. She was one of many guests invited to Southern on behalf of the Title IX office for Sexual Integrity Week. This year’s theme for Sexual Integrity Week was “When Sexual Integrity is Absent.”

Dennis Negrón, vice president for Student Development and Title IX coordinator, and the Title IX team organized events throughout the week, such as a panel that responded to “student questions on how sexual violence and harass-

ment is handled on this campus,” held Jan. 17. For Thursday convocation, Susan Norris, founder and executive director of Rescuing Hope Inc., discussed how pornography leads to sex trafficking.

Valera’s presentation focused on brain injuries caused by intimate partner violence and their long-lasting effects on victims. Her two main points focused on Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and how strangulation can lead to Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI).

Valera explained that women who experience TBIs and ABIs report high rates of cognitive, physical and emotional problems. These injuries are caused by continuous trauma to the head as a

result of blunt trauma from a partner or strangulation that causes irregular blood flow to the brain.

Due to these cognitive, physical and emotional problems, Valera said women who have suffered TBIs and ABIs have a harder time being taken seriously by law enforcement when they seek support. Problems that arise after experiencing an ABI or TBI include memory problems, impaired judgment, aggressive and inappropriate behavior and dizziness.

Valera told the audience at Ackerman Auditorium that intimate partner violence can happen to anybody, regardless of gender, race and socioeconomic class. However, she also said people of color are

more likely to experience it.

“It’s absolutely true that some people experience more,” Valera said. “The people who are disproportionately impacted are people of color. But it does not matter if you're rich or poor.

It is a global public health epidemic, and it affects every country, every nation and every social stratum.”

It’s important for both men and women to educate themselves on intimate partner violence issues, especially since the numbers for partner violence have been rising during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Valera.

“The likelihood of violence or murder [is] increasing,” Valera said.

“

… So, just be more aware of the fact that this is not getting better for women, unfortunately. I think women are going to be in an even worse situation this year and in the years to come, based on some Supreme Court rulings.”

Valera acknowledged the wall that can exist when someone wants to help a victim but does not know if they should. She encouraged individuals to seek help and assistance.

“These are our daughters, our sisters, our colleagues, our friends and people we know; it's all around us. And it's stigmatizing,” Valera said. “Often, we'll never know about it, especially when we don't ask.”

COLLEGEDALE NEWS

A change in leadership: Collegedale Commission votes in new mayor

Charlene Arnold Reporter Amanda Blake Managing Editor

After eight years in the position, Katie Lamb is no longer mayor of Collegedale, although she will continue to serve as a commissioner. The new mayor is Morty Lloyd, who joined the commission last month.

Lloyd was sworn in as a commissioner during the Dec. 5 Collegedale Commission meeting, which can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel. He was then nominated for mayor by Vice Mayor Tim Johnson and voted in. Johnson was also voted in again as vice mayor.

The city commission now consists of Lloyd; Johnson; Lamb; Debbie Baker, who joined the board the same time as Lamb in 2009; and the newest member, Tonya Sadler.

“I just want to say thank you for the commission allowing me the opportunity to be mayor the last eight years, but I look forward to continuing working up here on the bench with everybody else as a regular commissioner,” Lamb said at the end of the meeting. “I have met so many wonderful people across the state as your mayor, but I’m looking forward to just sitting back and letting Morty do it all.”

Lloyd responded to Lamb’s statement by thanking the commissioners for their confidence in him.

“Well, now former Mayor Lamb and Vice Mayor Johnson, I’m going to be leaning on the two of you,” Lloyd added. “ … We’ve got a whole lot of work to do. I look forward to serving the people of Collegedale.”

The change in leadership was not in response to Lamb’s mayoral performance, Baker wrote in an email to the Accent.

“Lamb still is an excellent commissioner and leader of the community,” she stated.

Baker wrote that she voted for Lloyd because no one else was nominated, and she was not going to nominate herself. She believes Lloyd is a capable candidate and will perform well.

In an email to the Accent, Sadler wrote that she did not choose to nominate anyone for mayor as she was interested in the position herself. She ran for commission on a platform to protect the people’s right

because it appeared to me that the other commissioners were already in agreement on their selection,” Sadler wrote regarding her choice. “I feel like he has the means to do great things, but I am slightly disappointed that for the first time in Collegedale’s history we have a female majority commission but not one of us was nominated for a mayor or vice mayor seat.”

Sadler wrote that although Lloyd is new to the practices of Collegedale administration, she feels his heart is in the right place.

Lloyd wrote in an email to the Accent that he is happy to serve as the city’s mayor, although he became a commissioner without any expectations of attaining the position. He did, however, inform the commissioners after he joined the delegation that he was willing to serve as needed.

He described his experience thus far as “good, but challenging.” He mentioned the train derailment that occurred two weeks after he took office and the multiple meetings he had with Norfolk Southern as a result, as well as the Chinese New Year celebration at the Commons where he spoke.

ular. I admire her tenacity and dedication to the cause. Because of her, we are a better city.”

In an interview with the Accent, Lamb said had she been nominated for mayor, she would have removed her name from consideration.

She said she will not seek commission re-election due to her age, and she hopes younger individuals will take office.

When asked to describe the past couple years of her time in office, Lamb expressed that there was tension within the city’s leadership. The past few years felt like hitting a bump, she said, as the city began experiencing an increasing amount of conflict.

“There had been some uncomfortable relationships among the commissioners and some of the staff and so forth, which made things a little more difficult,” she said. “ … There had been a change in city manager, change in the police department as far as the chief was concerned.

“Stepping down from mayor came about because another commissioner was nominated,” she said. “I was aware that the name was going to be put in [the] nomination. This was ok with me, as I felt eight years was long enough for one person to hold a position.”

… We try to keep Collegedale off the front page of the newspaper, and that wasn’t happening, you know, so that put a little bit more tension in there, too — some of the lawsuits, some of what the police department was accused of. You don’t like to see that in your city.”

However, Lamb also shared her best memories as mayor and what she will miss most about the job.

to participate in politics and have their voices heard, Sadler wrote, which is why she would have been a strong mayor for the people of Collegedale. However, her campaign “challenged the ideas and practices of the other three commissioners.”

“I voted for Lloyd to be mayor

“While I look forward to serving as mayor for the next four years, I must first thank Katie Lamb for all that she has done,” he wrote in the email. “During her tenure, Collegedale grew and developed into the city that we now enjoy. Getting there didn't come easy. There were many hard decisions she had to make that [weren’t] always pop-

Lamb said she has always had an interest in politics and wanted to give something back to the city where she has lived since 1972. So, she decided to run for office and was elected in 2009. Currently in the middle of her four-year term as commissioner, Lamb will have served a total of 16 years in Collegedale’s city government by the end of her term in 2024.

“Being acquainted with other city officials enabled me to ‘pick their brain’ on various issues and get ideas of grants, standards, etc., that might enhance Collegedale,” Lamb said.

She remains a part of the Tennessee Municipal Bond Fund, she added, and will enjoy working with other city officials and mayors statewide.

Former Mayor Katie Lamb (Photo courtesy of source)

“There’s now a little box at the bottom that you check acknowledging the approval leave policies and what they entail."

Mayor Morty Lloyd (Photo courtesy of source)

3v3

Volleyball Tournament

Jamil Perez hits a spike on the volleyball while Aiden Kroll attempts to block.

Saturday, January 21, 2023. (Photo by: Adam De Lisser)

Emil Alav, player for Spiked Punch, goes up for another ace.

Saturday, January 21, 2023. (Photo by: Ronnell Cabacungan )

The annual 3-v-3 volleyball tournament took place on Saturday with over forty teams competing against each other. Saturday, January 21, 2023. (Photo by: Adam De Lisser)

The As Pombas team celebrates winning their match against the Elyise team. Saturday, January 21, 2023. (Photo by: Adam De Lisser)

The crowd cheers on as the Bad Bunnies team scores a point.

Saturday, January 21, 2023. (Photo by: Adam De Lisser)

Reducing your stress through mindful breathing

Kiana Oliver Graduate Assistant

Right now, your brain is most likely nagging you about the mountain of homework assignments you have yet to finish. Did you study for that test, or did you fall behind on making those Quizlet flashcards? Are you getting those 180 minutes of exercise per week? How about your worship credits? Don’t you also have a group presentation this week? It is easy to feel like a stereotypical college student who’s running on zero sleep and a lot of stress.

During these chaotic times, I’m

sure you’ve heard your friends or professors tell you to breathe. But when you feel like you’re getting crushed by your insane workload or other life problems, what does breathing really mean? Although it may seem like a cliché piece of advice, there are benefits to breathing through life.

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. We’re constantly breathing, whether we’re asleep or awake, which accounts for the estimated 20,000 breaths we take per day. But we’re not focusing on that kind of breathing (sorry lungs). Instead, let’s talk about deep breathing and the vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve, also known as the pneumogastric nerve, is a

pretty big deal in your autonomic nervous system. It’s responsible for internal organ functions such as digestion, heart rate, reflex actions, cardiovascular activity and, yes, breathing.

Now that you know about the vagus nerve, let’s explore how you can use it to fight against stress. There are numerous online articles, apps and YouTube videos about deep breathing. Explore what techniques and durations work best for you.

But remember: To stimulate your all-powerful vagus nerve, the Harvard Health Blog recommends breathing through your belly and not your chest. What does that mean? To feel what belly

breathing feels like, Dr. Katherine Rosa of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine recommends sitting in a chair, leaning forward and placing your elbows on your knees. Then start breathing naturally. Feel how the air fills your belly and not your chest. That’s how you stimulate your vagus nerve!

If you’re still not convinced about the benefits of deep breathing, consider this 2019 study by Marijke Couck and others, which examined heart rate variability (HRV) and decision-making. Using 56 students, the experimental group was asked to perform two minutes of skewed vagal breathing (exhalation longer than inha-

lation) while the control group had to wait for two minutes. Both groups had to then perform a challenging decision-making business task. Unlike the control group, the experimental group did not report elevations in their stress levels. The researchers concluded that brief vagal breathing patterns can increase HRV and improve decision-making.

In conclusion, the next time you’re faced with a stressful situation, remember your vagus nerve and those deep belly breaths. Pretty soon, you’ll be breathing through life.

Follow @saucounseling on Instagram!

NFL championship games are set for Sunday

Jacob Nevis Sports Editor

With the Super Bowl on the horizon, football fans know they’ll soon have to wait for September to get to watch their team play again. The 103rd NFL season is coming to a close. It’s always a sad feeling when the season ends, but this year has been very exciting.

The season concluded on Jan. 8, and the playoffs have already been in full motion. In the Wild Card Round in the AFC, fans saw the Buffalo Bills barely defeat the Miami Dolphins, the Jacksonville Jaguars make an all-time comeback against the Los Angeles

Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens get defeated by last year’s AFC representative in the Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Bengals.

Over in the NFC Wild Card Round, fans saw the San Francisco 49ers handily defeat the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Giants slip past the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This past weekend, the Divisional Round was played. In the AFC, Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a high ankle sprain, came back in the game in the second

half to help lead the Kansas City Chiefs past the Jaguars. The Bengals ended the Bills’ hope of finally winning a Super Bowl by defeating them fairly easily.

This year will see a repeat of last year’s AFC championship game, with the Bengals traveling to Kansas City to try and earn back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. Mahomes has struggled against the Joe Burrow-led Bengals, with a record of 0-3. He and the Chiefs will look to end that streak on Sunday.

The NFC’s Divisional Round was in full swing as well. The

Philadelphia Eagles demolished the Giants, ending the hopes of a team that was able to quickly turn their luck around thanks to the help of first-year head coach Brian Daboll. The Cowboys continued their playoff struggles by losing to the 49ers. The Cowboys haven’t been able to reach a championship game since the 1995 season.

The 49ers will be playing in their second straight NFC championship game. Last year, they were barely defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, who went on to win the Super Bowl. The 49ers will be trav-

eling to Philadelphia to face Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.

The NFC championship will be played at 3 p.m. on Sunday on FOX, while the AFC championship will be played at 6:30 p.m. on CBS.

Editor’s end-of-season award picks:

MVP: Patrick Mahomes

OPOY: Tyreek Hill

DPOY: Nick Bosa

CPOY: Geno Smith

OROY: Brock Purdy DROY: Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner Coach of the Year: Brian Daboll

Editor’s note: The following article is written in partnership with Counseling Services and the Southern Accent.

“Researchers concluded that brief vagal breathing patterns can increase HRV and improve decision-making.”

(Photo by: Spencer Selover)

Washington Commanders play the Philadelphia Eagles.

Postmodern Adventists: Maximizing the present

Christina Cannon Lifestyle Editor

I’m sitting in a religion class, trying not to tear my hair out or hold my head in pain, or both, one after the other. We’re talking about the grisly evils of postmodernism, how the slovenly postmodernists (pfft) believe objective truth isn’t a thing and are tearing at our shiny pillars of veracity (all 28) with their dirty postmodernist fingernails.

Adventism is like a global country in a way. We citizens (lay people) elect presidents and have congresspeople in our districts to deliver weekly speeches and represent us in governmental meetings. Like many countries, we do not escape without a touch of corruption or nepotism (see also: recent General Conference presidential elections), but, for the most part, we function smoothly, and our needs are met. For many of us, our Adventist citizenship takes higher priority than our American or other national cit-

izenship; SDA is our homeland.

But I have a confession to make. Along with my Adventist and national heritage, I have another identity: I am a postmodern. I cannot change the fact that I was born into a postmodern paradigm. (I can try, but this is clinically referred to as “confabulation,” typically resulting from an injury to the anterior communicating artery.) I can change what I think about things, but I will always be in some ways dust in the parched wind of this despicable era — I am from a certain place in history. My church, however, was born in a different place than I was: Modernism.

Modernism in a super small snail shell: A central tenet is Descartes’ famous “I think, therefore I am.” Thinking is the primary mode of consciousness and of being a human. There are many universal, eternal truths that are independent of the literal historical people who discerned

them; real truth is objective and can be proven. This movement trailed in on the coattails of the Enlightenment and insists that undeniable certainty is possible.

Postmodernism in a super small snail shell: Humans are more than brains on a stick, “thinking things.” Institutions are often met with more suspicion, particularly religious ones; individualized, freeform worship and spirituality are more naturally adopted. Postmodernists tend to like juxtaposition: mixed styles of art and architecture, old elements reframed in new settings, augmented reality. This frame takes history very, very seriously. People cannot be divorced from their times and places; this does not mean what they say is now inapplicable to us, but the whole picture must be considered as thoroughly as possible.

Interestingly, Adventism seems

to have the capacity to fit into the current postmodern paradigm more easily than other evangelical denominations, and it would be greatly improved by leaning into this unique ability. Ancient practices such as Sabbath-keeping and Levitical food laws are seated in a 20th/21st century lifestyle.

We have a prophetess, a fact that is more aligned with postmodern relational reasoning than “scientific,” “logical” systems. A church that speaks a different language (such as Modernism) from those it tries to serve is undercutting its capability to love. We have nearly mastered the structured system that Adventists appreciated and advocated for in the first half of the 20th century. We would do well to expand also into the more postmodern appreciation of God being found everywhere, of watching His Spirit work even outside our jasper walls.

For postmodernists, it is very important to keep in mind the historical contexts of our founding fathers and mothers, such as prophetess Ellen G. White. They take into account the context of her 1894 bike races as satanic idolatry, “each trying to excel the other in the swift running of their bicycles.” They allow her room to be both inspired by God and a human of her time — not merely an emotionless, context-less conduit.

It kind of hurts when parts of my church insist on dwelling in an era of thought that does not reach my brothers and sisters around me; when they long so much for the bygone days of an era that ended before most of them were born that they miss the opportunity to live and breathe their faith in new ways. No philosophical era is better than another. But we miss so much when we, as a church, refuse to live in the present.

Scared of God: How to reconcile the Creator’s power with His love

Madison Wilcox Religion Editor

I have a confession to make: Sometimes God scares me. As a child, I would often think of the Second Coming. I would imagine seeing the little cloud appearing in the sky, the sign that the God of the universe was finally returning to Earth in power and great glory to judge all people, both small and great. More often than not, the thought scared me. How could I be sure I’d be okay?

Reading stories in the Bible about God’s judgment, I would feel the same fear. Here was a Being, whose presence is “a consuming fire” and would mean instant death (Hebrews 12:29). He was that strong, that powerful, that holy — I wouldn’t stand a chance.

I’m guessing many of you have read the same passages, felt the same feelings and asked the same questions: How should we respond to stories where God sends fire from heaven to burn up a wicked city or sentences a man to death by stoning for disobeying one command? And how could we ever reconcile these expressions of God’s justice and power with His love, which is also emphasized throughout the Bible?

I think part of the problem lies in our understanding of these two qualities. Often, we see God as simply a stronger, more powerful version of ourselves. The word “power” brings to mind people in our lives who have abused the power they held. It brings to

mind pictures of leaders gone sour: parents, presidents and dictators. And with these pictures often come disturbing themes; indifference, pride and control find their way into many people’s conceptions of power.

It is understandable, then, that God’s power sparks fear. Power is very dangerous to the wicked. It gives freedom of movement and breadth of influence, removes obstacles and wins arguments. In the hands of a sinner, power is to be feared.

But God is no sinner. As 1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.”

We hear this statement so frequently that many of us have lost sight of its meaning. Even when we do recognize God’s love, we struggle to connect it to our work-

ing understanding of God’s character. We don’t relate to Him as if He is really loving. We forget that love can be powerful and still be love.

But, as the Bible says in 1 John 4:18, “Perfect love casts out fear.” When paired with love, power need not breed fear. Instead, power calls for worship, something Solomon referred to as the “fear of the Lord.” This stance before God recognizes both aspects of God’s character equally. Unlike fear, which dwells upon His power alone, or presumption, which appeals to His love as license for sin, the person who fears the Lord bows before God in awe, amazed that such a powerful Being could be at the same time such a loving One.

The devil would have us view God in any number of ways, so long as we do not understand this one point: that with God, power and love are not incompatible as they often seem on earth. Instead, they are synonymous. God’s love is all-powerful and His power all-loving. Nothing could divorce the two from each other, and nothing ever will.

I pray that as you think about these things, your understanding of God would continue to grow, and that one day you will be able to think of the power of God and tremble — not for fear, but for joy — that Someone like Him exists, Someone with limitless strength, strength that rushes towards you in love, ever ready to bless, delight and deliver.

“People cannot be divorced from their times and places; this does not what they say is now applicable to us, but the whole picture must be considered as thoroughly as possible.” (Photo by: Nikko Tan)

Canoeing in Wekiwa: A lesson on relationships

Josh Kim Contributor Ashley Blake Contributor

Last week on the first-ever Steel Band tour, my longtime friend Ashley Blake and I went canoeing together. We began to work our way up the Wekiwa River in a wildly wobbling manner. For the first five minutes, we essentially went in circles because we were sitting backwards in the canoe. After fixing our mistake, with Ashley at the helm, we continued, weaving into (not through) various obstacles, such as logs and other canoes. Eventually we arrived at the freshwater springs, far behind the rest of the group.

Convinced that I could do better (I was convinced, and she acquiesced), we decided to switch roles on the way back. Not wanting to come in last, we decided to leave before the others. Somehow we still ended up in the back once again, even after the rest of the group took a detour to see another spring. To be fair, though, we did frequently stop to see alligators, turtles and birds.

What I learned from the experience: Compatibility can change. Back in middle school, Ashley and I took a team to the national level of Pathfinder Bible Experience. Our most recent team effort was significantly less successful. Just because it worked yesterday doesn’t mean that it works today.

I have a new appreciation for the term “unequally yoked.” I thought that this only applied to people who were wildly different. Apparently this also applies to people who are too similar. In my assessment, Ashley and I both assume leadership roles when we perceive a power void to be present. We also tend to solo group projects because we don’t trust others to perform satisfactorily. On the way up the river, when our canoe began careening off course, we would

both simultaneously dip our paddles on the same side, thinking that the other person was too dense to notice the deviation. This resulted in frequent overcorrections and subsequently slower progress.

Soft quitting can be good or bad. We had peace and quiet for approximately 40% of the ride back (at the cost of my arms) as Ashley self-assigned an observer role. Because neither of us were fighting for control anymore, we did make some progress. However, she also placidly sat as we directly plowed into multiple river obstacles. Just like the Titanic, by the time I was made aware of the issue, a collision was inevitable.

Communication is important. My telepathic paddling instructions only worked 10% of the time. It seems like people perceive things differently than I do (or perhaps to a lesser degree of acuity). Also, you apparently can’t AirDrop knowledge. When I gave verbal instructions, though, we did much better.

Appearances matter. Although I paddled for the majority of the trip back, Ashley just so happened to paddle at the very moment when I took a short break, and we passed a large group of onlookers. Heckled, I tried to explain in vain that I had done much of the work that got us this far. Apparently, she should dump me and find someone better.

Canoeing tells you a lot about someone. Ashley suggested that marriage counseling should include a canoeing trip. I am inclined to agree. Afterwards, we decided that a separation was in our mutual best interest. Unfortunately, we had to ride the same bus back to Southern last night. The Hallmark estranged-to-reunited trope did not occur.

Last Friday, I asked my long time friend Joshua Kim if he wanted to be my canoeing buddy for the afternoon. Little did I know that, apparently, I would learn all sorts of life lessons from this seemingly innocent excursion.

I do not have to be the leader. I allowed Josh to steer our vessel most of the time because, frankly, I did not really care if his canoeing skills had us zigzagging around the river; I was tanning. However, as Josh challenged me to think more deeply about our journey, I realized that I gave up leadership of our vessel so

easily because I will almost always defer leadership to someone who wants it more than me. All good leaders need followers. By deciding to be a follower, I had a much more relaxing canoe ride, especially because Josh forgot that I could not read his mind and continued to try to AirDrop me paddling instructions instead of verbally telling me what to do.

Appearances are important. When we passed a restaurant on the side of the river, I realized that I automatically began to paddle because I did not want to look lazy to the innocent

bystanders. Since I began paddling, Josh took a break. This was brilliant because it made it appear like I, the female, was pulling all the weight in the relationship. The restaurant crowd began yelling out relationship advice such as “dump him.” Poor Josh. He did so much behind the scenes that was not recognized.

I would suggest that anyone thinking about marriage should take a canoeing trip together. It will reveal a lot. Josh and I have never had a relationship like that, but I can say with great certainty after this experience that we never will.

Dear health-minded hustler: The World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobics for adults aged 18 to 64. Most people break that down into 30 minutes, five days a week. Others, like myself, prefer to swim 100 laps in the pond on Sundays and be done with it. (I’ve been told it’s healthier to spread it out, though, so don’t copy me.)

It’s not easy prioritizing habitual exercise when you’ve got a lot going on, but here are a few tips that might help:

Walk to class. I know it’s not always easy when it takes five minutes to drive and 15 to walk, but it’s worth it. You not only get exercise, but also fresh air and, if your class is early, a nice, brisk addition to your wakeup routine.

Exercise first thing in the morning. If you’re like me, the last thing you want to do in the

morning is hop out of the pond and go for a waddle, but if you exercise in the morning, then you’re set. You’re done. You can focus on the rest of your day without worrying about exercise.

Exercise during your downtime. You might be wondering: Is it really downtime if I’m exercising? Yes, it can be. Instead of relaxing by watching an episode of TV or listening to music on the couch, put down a yoga mat on the floor and do some pilates. Do some tough stretches, some pushups or a plank. You don’t have to do 50 burpees. Exercise to make your body feel good.

Find a workout buddy. Working out with someone combines physical and social wellness, keeps you accountable and can be a lot of fun.

Don’t think of exercise as a chore. Do workouts that you enjoy, and remember that routine exercise will make you a more productive person in other areas of your life.

Dear Kevin: How can I fit exercise into my very busy schedule?

“I would suggest that anyone thinking about marriage should take a canoeing trip together.” (Photo by: Mika Korhonen)

prize at the Student Development Office.

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8:00 p.m. Student Week of Prayer, Collegedale Church

Payday: Hourly/Student 6:04 p.m. Sunset 6:30 p.m. StarWatch, Hickman Parking Lot 7:30 p.m. Ministerial Trainee Induction, Jason Vyhmeister, Thatcher Chapel 7:30 p.m. Vespers: Student Week of Prayer, Collegedale Church 8:45 p.m. Afterglow, South Atrium of Collegedale Church

SA Election Petitions/Media Applications due 11:00 a.m. Convocation: Student Week of Prayer, Collegedale Church 8:00 p.m. Student Week of Prayer, Collegedale Church 9:00 a.m. Adoration Worship, Collegedale Church 9:00 a.m. Connect Worship, CA Elementary School Gym 9:30 & 11:00 a.m. Ministerial Trainee Induction, Jason Vyhmeister, Thatcher Chapel 11:45 a.m. Renewal Worship, Collegedale Church 11:45 a.m. Merge Worship, Lynn Wood Chapel 6:00 p.m. Evensong, Collegedale Church 7:30 p.m. 16th Annual Cardboard Boat Event, Iles Gym

Weekly Birthdays

TODAY |25 Cheyenne Hyde William Kern Andrew Kim

Sophia Martin Htet Myint Hayley Ro Helen Silvestre

Thursday |26 Brian Bates

Amber Douglas Nathan Farley

Bryan Geach Jessica Ing

Valeria Izaguirre Gabriela Mantiri

Julio Reyes Matthew Ross Genesis Sanchez Priscilla Shirsat

David Sul Friday |27 Isaac Abugan Tamara Cardenas Lauren Chung

Katerina Kozyarevskaya Ethan Musick

Taylor Musick David Oh Roy Yoon

Saturday |28

Melissa Boyd Aidyn Edwards Tracii Hauck Kelli Holliday Emmanuel Izquierdo April Patterson Erla Trevedan Kp Zulu Sunday |29

Rintei Chawngthu Kelly Jennings Nic Johnson Marcus Kim Kearra Morales Stephany Munoz Deicy Sanchez Dana Smith

SA Announcements

Monday |30

Marlyn Antwan Jacob Brown

Andrea Galindo

Yzabelle General Wilson Hannawi Michaela Hounslow Micah Leonor Coby Lowman Isaac Rivas Wanda Sanchez Acevedo

Tuesday |31

Nic Baumbach Katie Castillo-Perez Josias Dominguez Hannah Mortenson

Reglindis Parker Kamryn Perez Katie Radovenchuk Samuel L. Schmidt Alaina Schultz Matthew Smith Karla A. Vargas Sara Ward

Did you enjoy the SA Game Show or are really looking forward to the SA banquet? If you would like to be a part of the team that plans all of these events, apply now! Applications are now open for the 2023-24 school year. Go to southern.edu/studentassociation to submit your application by February 2!

Tickets for SA Banquet will be available for purchase starting January 30 in the SA office on the 3rd floor of Bietz!

Do you have a hidden talent that you would like to share? SA Talent Show auditions will be taking place on February 23. The top three winners will receive big prizes!

Payday: Salary Student Teaching Applications due online for F23 6:50 p.m. E.A. Anderson Lecture Series, Brock 3205

If you would like to run a booth for 423 Night, make sure to stay on the lookout for more details later in the semester!

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