Mental Health | 5
Opinion | 6
Religion | 6
Lifestyle | 7
In a hectic world, hike your way to happiness
Coffee and Adventism: Two opposing views
Will I ever change? Questions for spiritual strugglers
Slow living: Is it a trend or a revolution?
February 7, 2024 Collegedale, Tennessee
Southern Accent
Vol. 79 Issue 16
The student voice since 1926
A unique perspective: Students who grew up outside the church share what it's like attending an Adventist university Southern to host inaugural conference illuminating art-faith connections Emma Boughman Reporter
Kelsey Bright, a new Adventist, has sometimes felt out of place at Southern Adventist University due to her unfamiliarity with Adventist doctrines. However, she loves being surrounded by like-minded individuals who love Jesus. (Photo courtesy of source)
Marian Polanco Reporter While many Southern Adventist University students adhere to the Seventh-day Adventist faith, not all come from the same religious background. A unique group exists at Southern — students who did not grow up in the Adventist tradition yet chose to make this university their academic home. For senior social work major Adam Bellis, family dynamics shaped his path to Southern. His mother’s remarriage to an Adventist pastor introduced him to the Adventist faith, eventually leading him to convert to Adventism and choose Southern for his higher education. Since he grew up Baptist, his transition to the Adventist lifestyle proved a substantial change. “I grew up Baptist, heavily involved in the Salvation Army.
“When he heard something he didn’t agree with as a Baptist,
Southern Adventist University will host a new arts and faith conference, Illuminate, from April 4-5. According to the university’s website, nearly 30 different speakers, performers and hands-on workshop leaders will be featured at the inaugural event, including accomplished authors, a Christian rapper, filmmakers and many more. “We can’t wait to explore the intersections of art and faith together with you through presentations, performances, workshops and conversations over meals,” the website states. In an email to the Accent, Lucas Patterson, associate director for strategic partnerships and the event coordinator, wrote that people see and respond differently when looking at it through faith-filtered lenses. “We often compartmentalize these two areas, but upon closer inspection, they frequently overlap and inform one another,” Patterson stated. Patterson believes the creative process of making something from nothing, and thus having a deep care and understanding for that creation, provides a glimpse into the
See PERSPECTIVE on page 2
See CONFERENCE on page 2
Adam Bellis was introduced to Adventism when his mom married an Adventist pastor. His life became drastically different after he chose to accept the Adventist faith for himself. Interactions with Southern students and staff have helped him gain a sense of belonging on campus. (Photo courtesy of source)
Life was very different. All weekend I was in sports, Friday to Sunday,” Bellis said. “Hearing people’s stories of how they grew up Adventist was drastically different.”
“All weekend I was in sports, Friday to Sunday. Hearing people's stories of how they grew up Adventist was drastically different.” Upon arriving at Southern, Bellis faced the challenge of adapting to a new religious environment. As a freshman, he grappled with gaps in his knowledge about Adventist doctrines, since he had grown up in a religion with entirely different beliefs. Despite these initial hurdles, Bellis said his interactions with Adventist
students, teachers and staff have positively contributed to his sense of belonging within the Southern community. When asked in what ways, if any, his perspective has been broadened or challenged by interacting with Adventist students, he answered, “Honestly, how people interpret the lifestyle of Adventists. I love my [Adventist] home church; it is more liberal than traditional Adventism. Meanwhile, Southern, in some ways, is more conservative; students are more liberal, while the institution is stricter.” Sophomore industrial/organizational psychology major Kelsey Bright is a new Adventist who was formerly a Baptist for most of her life. “Once I became more certain about my Adventist beliefs, I knew my other college options would not fit me well,” she said. “I became friends with some-
one at my new church who was going to Southern and heard great things about it. I had a good experience when I visited campus with my parents and stayed a night in the dorms with a girl who is now my roommate. After receiving a scholarship that made it affordable, I fully committed to Southern.” Bright said she came into contact with Adventism when her dad began listening to a Christian radio station without knowing it was Adventist.
"I loved the church I grew up in, and leaving brought deep challenges."
Lights Volunteers revived, community members Part time, full impact: Exploring serve as pseudo-patients for nursing students
the roles of adjunct professors
Eliana Morales Staff Writer
Htet Myint Reporter
On Feb. 1, participants from Southern’s Lights Volunteers program helped train nursing students in the lab by becoming practice patients. This opportunity allowed students of Health Assessment II to put their skills to the test while connecting with the community, according to Elani Dodd, assistant professor in the School of Nursing.
“Lights Volunteers is a way for people in the community to get involved on campus,” said John Boone, assistant director of Alumni Relations. “These are sometimes alumni, sometimes former employees or professors. Sometimes they are people who don’t have a connection to the university but want to get involved with the ministries that go on here.” According to Southern’s website, Lights Volunteers began in 2005 when Chris Carey, who was
the vice president for Advancement, and Alumni Relations director Cheryl Torres, who was then a student worker, had the idea of starting an organized volunteer program on campus. Today, many of the program’s volunteers are retirees. “In retirement years, we want to still be of service, ” said Lester Merklin, who participated in the practice-patient lab. “That’s why we chose to move somewhere near Southern, so that we could do things with college students. …[It] keeps me young.”
Adjunct faculty play a vital role in shaping the academic experience for Southern Adventist University students, both on and off campus. According to the university’s Adjunct Faculty Handbook, the role of part-time faculty encompasses a wide array of responsibilities, including selecting textbooks, developing a course
syllabus, teaching, grading and supervising labs, among other things. Adjunct faculty, however, are not expected to attend staff meetings, attend regular school/ departmental functions, serve on campus committees or schedule regular office hours, according to the handbook. The Accent interviewed multiple adjunct faculty members See ADJUNCT on page 3
“In retirement years, we want to still be of service. That’s why we chose to move somewhere near Southern, so that we could do things with college students. …[It] keeps me young.”
Nursing student Leilani Darnell checks the pulse of a Lights Volunteer. Thursday, February 1, 2024. (Photo by Eliana Morales)
Lights Volunteers often collaborates with academic departments on campus. “Pre-COVID, the School of Nursing had a vibrant relationship with Lights Volunteers,” said Dodd in a phone interview with The Accent. “That relationSee LIGHTS on page 3
Miro Manestar, an adjunct in the School of Computing, helps a student with a complex problem. Wednesday, January 31, 2024. (Photo by Preston Waters)