Southern Accent Bear mascot officially approved

Robert Benge to retire after 25 years at Southern Adventist University

“Lord, if you really want me to get a doctorate, you’ve gotta give me a sign,” Robert Benge prayed as he prepared to cross the border between Texas and New Mexico.

Amanda Blake Managing Editor

The President’s Cabinet at Southern Adventist University officially approved Student Association’s (SA) proposed bear mascot on March 27, according to President Ken Shaw.

SA President Kenneth Bautista, senior management major, wrote in an email to the Accent that SA plans to soft launch the mascot this semester. Bautista also shared an image of the official mascot logo (shown above).

Students can vote for the mascot’s name on a Google form survey available now by selecting one of four names: Baker, Gruff, Dave and Berry. SA plans to promote the survey on Instagram.

“We have four names with a rich history in Southern culture and need your help in deciding the name of our school mascot,” Bautista wrote, addressing students. The history associated with each name is explained in the survey.

Bautista said the mascot committee, composed of Bautista and SA Senate members Wilson Hannawi, junior biology major, and Anna Mihaescu, junior accounting major, presented the mascot to the Student Development Committee, Faculty Senate and the Board of Trustees after discussing the proposal with more than 300 students through voting forms and focus groups.

“This was a student-led effort that was valued,” Shaw wrote to the Accent. “With the mascot being an important decision for the university, it was important to obtain broad input, which was done in meetings such as University Senate, University Assembly, and our Board of Trustees.”

The President’s Cabinet reviewed the School of Health and Kinesiology’s letter of concern about the implementation of an official mascot. The letter was discussed in a previous Accent article.

See BEAR MASCOT on page 2

His wife, Debbie, and their two sons were back in Collegedale, where Debbie taught at Collegedale Academy Elementary School, known then as Spalding. Benge said he could not ignore the call to pursue a career as a college professor. Yet, he struggled with the thought of 14 months away from his family while studying at the University of New Mexico.

He promised himself that when he crossed the state line, when the terrain turned rocky and fell “like dropping off an escarpment,” he’d

See BENGE RETIRING on page 3