Mental Health | 5
Opinion | 6
Religion | 6
Lifestyle | 7
Practical strategies for improved well-being
Feminism: Has the movement gone too far?
What if I want to earn my way to Heaven?
How social media aesthetics can stifle authentic living
September 13, 2023 Collegedale, Tennessee
Southern Accent
Vol. 79 Issue 2
The student voice since 1926
Freshman enrollment reaches all-time high Vespers relocates to Iles gym Erin Rouse Staff Writer
The first factor Moore mentioned was the increasing number of students from the west coast choosing Southern instead of other Seventh-day Adventist universities and colleges. “We are seeing a lot of new west coasters coming; we have 65 Loma Linda Academy seniors [this fall],” Moore said. “Sixty-five are here. That’s huge.” Loma Linda Academy had 101 seniors in its 2023 graduating
Southern Adventist University’s Friday night vespers have outgrown the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists due to the arrival of hundreds of new students. Over the past three weekends, the vespers service has been held in Iles Physical Education Center to accommodate the number of people in attendance. According to Southern’s Office of Ministry and Missions, there were over 1,800 students in attendance at last Friday’s vespers service, one of the largest Southern has ever held. Joseph Khabbaz, vice president for spiritual life, said the Office of Ministry and Missions is collaborating with the church to explore opportunities for creating additional space. In the meanwhile, “vespers services will continue in Iles gym as long as there is a need for additional space for students,” he said. With the worship services now being held outside of what many consider a sacred building, some students have posed questions about levels of reverence possibly decreasing during vespers services. But some like the sanctuary for other reasons. Kaitlyn Kim, a senior psychology major, favors vespers in the church because she prefers the church’s cozier environment, and it’s what she’s used to. However, she doesn’t think the level of reverence should be impacted by a location change. “If [the level of reverence] somehow does seem to change,
See ENROLLMENT on page 3
See VESPERS on page 2
Students' cars fill up nearly every parking space in Southern Village. Sunday, September 3, 2022. (Photo by Adam De Lisser)
Freshmen gather at the Freshman Welcome Party. The event concluded the first day of orientation. Monday, August 14, 2023. (Photo courtesy of MUR)
Amanda Blake Editor-in-chief Editor’s Note: This article is part one of a two-part series. This fall’s freshman class at Southern Adventist University is the largest the institution has ever seen. Although the university has not yet released the Fall 2023 semester’s census numbers, University President Ken Shaw wrote in an email to the Accent that the university is pleased to welcome the largest freshman class in its history. Freshman class enrollment stood at 766 on Monday, Aug. 28, when the Accent spoke to Chris Hansen, director of Institutional Research and Planning. Based on how enrollment numbers have historically decreased during the first few
weeks of fall semesters, Hansen said he could confidently state that freshman enrollment would not drop by more than 10 before the university’s census date: Sept. 4. Before this fall, Southern saw its largest freshman class, consisting of 652 students, in 2011, based on Hansen’s freshman enrollment numbers, which went back to 1993. Hansen was doubtful that years before 1993 held any record numbers, meaning this fall is the first time a freshman class has not only reached but also surpassed 700 students. Both Cheryl Craven, director of Christian service, and Julie Devlin, service learning and community service coordinator, said energy was high among students during this year’s Southern Serves Day, previously known as Freshman Service Day. Southern Serves Day
is an annual event during which Southern freshmen and other new students perform community service. Craven said 632 students were marked present this year compared to 566 last year. “In the church, when [the participants] took the picture, it was just like, ‘Wow, there’s so many people,” Devlin said while describing the event’s morning meeting, during which all the participants gathered in the church. Incremental Growth Hansen’s numbers also demonstrate that Southern’s freshman and undergraduate enrollments have been increasing incrementally since the fall of 2020. To find out why Southern has seen such steady growth since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Accent interviewed First Year Experience Coordinator Renita Moore,
who believes several factors have contributed.
"We are seeing a lot of new west coasters coming; we have 65 Loma Linda seniors [this fall].”
Injured student discusses skateboarding incident, administrators explain university safety policies Amanda Blake Editor-in-chief Southern Adventist University student Ivan Piedra, a freshman social work major, suffered a laceration on his head and a fractured collarbone after crashing his cruiser skateboard on campus on Aug. 24, as reported in a previous Accent article. A week later, a driver hit a Southern student on a scooter in the Apison Pike and University Drive intersection. Collegedale police and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to both scenes, drawing the attention of multiple students who contacted the Accent. A recent poll on the Accent’s Instagram suggests that the use of skateboards, longboards and scooters on campus is becoming more prominent, as 68% of respondents indicated that they have noticed an increase in the number of students using them. The Accent contacted Southern administrators and Piedra about recommended safety precautions for skateboarders and scooterists on campus. Skateboarding Crash In an interview with the Accent, Piedra said he had crashed three times on Southern’s campus before his injury-inducing crash
Students and police congregate at the scene after Ivan Piedra was trasported into the ambulance. Thursday, August 24, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
on Aug. 24. Each time he fell during his first three crashes, he caught himself.
"It happened so quickly that I couldn't catch myself.” While skating on Aug. 24, Piedra was wearing knee pads and wrist braces but no helmet. As he was cruising down the hill beside Thatcher South, he began building more speed than he usually did on the route.
“I don’t know what happened in my mind where I got really comfortable,” Piedra said. “I became less cautious.” When he approached the entrance to Thatcher Hall’s side parking lot, he spotted a car about to turn into the lot. Beginning to panic, he signaled to the driver to wait for him to pass. He was launched off his board when the board’s wheels hit the asphalt of the lot entrance. “I was just, like, lunging forward and kind of flopping on the ground,” Piedra said. “ … I didn’t go unconscious, but
Piedra near the scene of the incident. Friday, Septemeber 8, 2023. (Photo by Amanda Blake)
it happened so quickly that I couldn’t catch myself.” Piedra said people in the area came to his aid. His fractured collarbone prevented him from getting up, and he was terrified by the pool of blood beginning to form from the cut on his head. He began to think of stories he’d heard about students suffering head injuries, leaving them unable to attend college. Other than a laceration, however, his head was fine. EMS transported Piedra to Parkridge East Hospital, and his friends picked him up and drove
him back to campus that night. Piedra said he loves skateboarding, as it’s a convenient way to get around for college students, but his recent experience has convinced him to begin wearing a helmet. “[Skating] can be pretty safe as long as you know what you’re doing,” Piedra said. “I’m going to keep skating, but not without a helmet. I’ve come to realize that skating, at least in this environment, can be very unpredictable, even in places where See SKATEBOARDING on page 2