Mental Health | 7
Sports | 7
Religion | 8
Lifestyle | 9
Facing anxieties that come with life after graduation
The impact of Asian American and Pacific Islander athletes
Q&A with student missionaries to Laos and Hong Kong
Reflections on identity as a Chinese adoptee
April 17, 2024 Collegedale, Tennessee
Southern Accent
Vol. 79 Issue 23
The student voice since 1926
Chattanooga theater pre-premieres ‘The Hopeful’: Southern faces Sharing Adventism’s story with a modern audience enrollment and housing
uncertainties Gabriella Grundy Staff Writer Htet Myint Reporter
Jitesh Ram, a Hope Channel International employee who acted as a host at the advanced screening of "The Hopeful," speaks with Southern Adventist University student Dawson Stephens. Several Southern students and staff attended the event. Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (Photo by Andre Ottati)
Amy Mejias Reporter On the evening of April 10, Regal Cinema Theatre at Hamilton Place was full of enthusiastic attendees for the Chattanooga preview screening of the movie, “The Hopeful.” The film tells the story of the Seventh-day Adventist church’s beginnings, starting with the preachings of William Miller and then depicting the story of Ellen G. White and the spread of Adventism overseas by John N. Andrews.
The film’s preview included a red carpet, photographers, Southern students and staff, representatives from Hope Studios, the film’s investors and its Emmy Award-winning director, Kyle Portbury. The pre-premiere was held in Chattanooga due to the majority of investors being from this area. While describing his motivation for creating “The Hopeful,” Portbury, himself a Seventh-day Adventist, said he wanted to share stories about the 19th-century pioneers of Adventism in a way that brought them to life and made them relat-
able, even to those watching in the 21st century. “People always try to say, ‘We don’t want to get stuck in the past,’” he said. “Well, it’s not about getting stuck in the past. It’s about understanding that the things they were grappling with, the stuff that they doubted and the arguments they had with their spouses are all the same arguments that we’re having today. “I think the value of art is to provoke us and challenge us to assess ‘Who am I in this story? Would I be the person who
gives up? Would I be the person who stays the course? Who am I in this?’” he added. “That’s the whole point of cinema. You’re not trying to convince people of anything. All you’re doing is trying to provoke thought and reflection and create a conversation, which is the best part about cinema.” For audience members who had seen “Tell the World,” a 2016 series about the beginnings of the Adventist Church, several aspects of “The Hopeful” seemed See ‘THE HOPEFUL’ on page 2
Southern Adventist University’s continued growth has raised questions about how the university will adapt its campus to accommodate an influx of new students expected to join the student body. While discussing enrollment projections at the Feb. 29 faculty town hall meeting, University President Ken Shaw said Southern anticipates a freshman enrollment for Fall 2024 that is higher than originally budgeted. The university budgeted for 730 freshmen and will have beds available for 750, but projected enrollment is now closer to 800. However, according to Ryan Harrell, website and analytics See HOUSING on page 2
Collegedale News on page 5 Apison Pike expansion continues What to do in Collegedale this summer
Beloved sushi chef for VM passes away EYA choir grows Gabriella Grundy Staff Writer Naw Lawn Dumhpya, a man known for crafting the sushi offered at the Village Market at Southern Adventist University, passed away in his home on April 3 at the age of 62. Born in Njang Yang, Myanmar, Dumphya immigrated to the United States and has lived in Ooltewah since 2006, according to his obituary posted on Heritage Funeral Home’s website. He was a member of the Tennessee Kachin Baptist Church in Nashville. Since 2010, Dumhpya had been an independent contractor for the Village Market, operating his business, Lawn Village Market, which offered Southern students and community members a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan sushi, according to Nick Johnson, assistant store manager of the Village Market. Several staff from the Village Market took time off from work April 8 to attend the memorial service for Dumhpya, held at Heritage Funeral Home in Chattanooga, according to Johnson. He said Dumphya will be deeply missed by the Village Market family. “We all loved him here; he was a very hard-working Christian man,” said Johnson. “He had a really positive attitude and energy about him and was always smiling, laughing and joking around with us.” Jehlyssa Kennedy, senior nursing major, would frequently pur-
chase Dumhpya’s sushi from the Village Market when she was on a meal plan. She noted that Dumhpya was very accommodating to students. “I’m allergic to sesame seeds and got to meet him and tell him about my allergy, and from then on he would make special orders for me without sesame seeds,” said Kennedy. “I used to call him ahead to pick up my order, and he always knew it was me calling, and he’d specifically bring it out to me when I got there.” Kennedy also said that Dumhpya was “a very sweet man and so joyful and intentional about the food he made.” Dominick Cheers, junior public relations major, worked for Dumhpya during the 2022-2023 school year. “I worked at the Village Market three days a week during my sophomore year, and on one of those days, I would help [Dumhpya] make sushi,” said Cheers. “He taught me how to properly roll, cut and package the sushi and would tell me about how he was using his business to support his family.” According to Cheers, Dumhpya wanted to make his sushi as affordable as possible for Southern students. “He knew saving money is important for college students, so he charged as low as he could while still making a profit,” said Cheers. “He was the nicest guy and always had a smile on his face.”
into active ministry Eliana Morales Staff Writer
Naw Lawn Dumhpya. (Photo courtesy of source)
Editor’s Note: Dumhpya’s name was spelled differently in two separate obituaries. The Accent elected to use the spelling “Dumhpya” because that was the spelling used by his family in an obituary posted at the Village Market. Furthermore, two obituaries listed different ages for Dumhpya at the time of his passing. The Accent elected to use the age listed on Heritage Funeral Home’s website because that obituary included the year of Dumhpya’s birth. Writer’s Note: Although some of Dumhpya’s family members were named in his obituary, I was unable to find any leads on their contact information. Out of respect for those grieving and due to the time restraint for this article, I have personally refrained from pushing to locate more sources, and instead focused on writing this feature to inform the Collegedale community of Dumhpya’s passing.
The EYA choir, which began as a spontaneous suggestion within Jhoan Ogando’s friend group his freshman year, has blossomed into an active ministry on campus. Ogando, sophomore graphic design major, said that EYA stands for “esperanza y amistad,” the Spanish words for hope and friendship. He decided to create a choir that embodied those two ideals. “I wanted to make a different community, where I welcomed everyone,” he said. “I realized there wasn’t a Latino choir [on campus] where we sing in Spanish.” Auditions are not required. To those who want to join but are worried because they don’t speak Spanish, Ogando says, “I don’t care. Come.” Although many of the songs contain parts sung in English, Ogando takes time during practice to review the pronunciation of parts sung in Spanish with everyone, without separating fluent speakers from non-Spanish speakers. Carlie Alvarez, a recent EYA choir member and freshman vegetarian culinary arts major, said, “I enjoy how we are not limited to one language but are able to worship God through many.” Sophomore computer science major Erika Peralta loves music
and also found a community when she joined the choir last semester. “It was pretty cool to see people from different Hispanic backgrounds, and even non-Hispanic backgrounds, join together to share a language and a God we love to praise,” she said. Ogando and his friends were the original members of the group, but today the choir has grown to 70 individuals. Although the EYA choir is not an official Southern choir, Ogando believes that more students have become aware of it. The choir's first performance took place a year ago at Lawn Vespers, and the group performs mainly for worship services, such as those at Merge Worship and Iglesia Adventista Hispana de la Comunidad. To Ogando, the EYA choir is unique because it is not heavily structured. “I go with the flow,” he said. “I just let God tell me how everything should go.” The group practices once a week on Fridays, and its performances are spread throughout the semester at various locations. Those who attend do so out of their free will and not because they will receive worship credit. See CHOIR on page 3