Collegedale News | 5
Opinion | 8
Religion | 8
Lifestyle | 9
Vision to revive and refurbish Four Corners
Birds aren't real: Inspiration to creatively spread the gospel
Doubt: Where God meets us at the foot of the cross
Break-away guilt as a first-generation Latinx student
October 4, 2023 Collegedale, Tennessee
Southern Accent
Vol. 79 Issue 5
The student voice since 1926
Seven Southern to receive $3 million grant to serve Hispanic students Village
RAs fired Amanda Blake Editor-in-chief
“The U.S. Department of Education invites applications and schools then have approximately two months before they need to submit a 50+ page proposal narrative explaining how they would like to spend the funds and what the measurable outcomes will be that they plan to track and use for project evaluation,” Patterson wrote. Part of Southern’s plan for the grant money is to create a STEM success program for Hispanic, low-income and other
Southern Adventist University’s Residence Life department fired seven Southern Village resident assistants (RAs) last month because they were not consistently entering their residents’ apartments to conduct proper night checks, according to two of the RAs who were fired. Logan Cooper, senior finance major, is one of the individuals fired. He and another former RA, who requested anonymity to avoid attention as they move on from the situation, told the Accent that each of the Village’s six male RAs were let go, along with one female RA. Another female RA was suspended, they said. Associate Deans Donene Braithwaite and John Willis confirmed that seven Village RA positions opened in mid-September. Cooper told the Accent that all the RAs who were terminated had to leave Southern Village and move into campus dormitories. He said he and two other former RAs appealed to the deans and Dennis Negrón, vice president for Student Development, to stay in Village, but their appeal was denied.
See GRANT on page 2
See RAs on page 2
Participants in the Latin American Club's cultural night pose for a photo. Saturday, October 1, 2022. (Photo sourced from Accent archives)
Lesieli Savelio News Editor Southern Adventist University is set to receive a $3 million federal grant over the span of five years because it is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), wrote Bob Young, senior vice president for Academic Administration, in an email to the Accent. According to a Southern Tidings article, this is the largest grant Southern has ever received. The article also stated that Southern is the only HSI in Tennessee.
The U.S. Department of Education’s website says the federal Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program offers grants to aid HSIs to enhance academic opportunities for Hispanic students. According to Young, Lucas Patterson, associate director of strategic partnerships, was the main author of the grant proposal. In an email to the Accent, Patterson wrote that in order to be considered an HSI, a university’s enrollment must be 25% Hispanic. Southern has been an HSI since 2018, according to Patterson.
“Currently, Southern’s Hispanic enrollment is 27%,” Patterson wrote. Southern is not the only Seventh-day Adventist university that has HSI status. According to 2021 figures from the National Center for Education Statistics, five other Adventist Universities qualify to be considered HSIs: AdventHealth University, Southwestern Adventist University, La Sierra University, Loma Linda University and Pacific Union College. Patterson wrote that the process to receive the grant was a competitive one.
IT to upgrade campus door access with smartphone keys
University breaks ground on Ruth McKee School of Business building
Tenci Reid Staff Writer
Amy Mejias Reporter
Southern Adventist University is working on integrating smartphones as keys to unlock doors on campus, aiming to make the access process more convenient for students, according to Gary Sewell, associate vice president for Information Technology. ID cards will not be discontinued; instead, smartphones will be a second key option. Currently, Southern utilizes three types of locks across campus, Sewell explained in an interview with the Accent. The first is the Onity dip lock system, where you push and pull the card out. The second is the SALTO contactless lock, where you place the card near or on the pad to unlock the door. Lastly, the third system – the card key – involves a swipe back and forth. The SALTO contactless lock is the only system that will be compatible with smartphones. The driving force behind this change stems from the challenges students face using traditional ID cards, according to Sewell. He said it is easy for students to lose track of cards, and, sometimes, the cards become so damaged they are no longer usable. There is a $15 charge to replace an ID card. "What we are trying to do is make it convenient,” said Sewell. “We have students who fre-
quently lose their cards at inconvenient times when the campus card desk isn't open. There's a bit of confusion about where to go to get a card. We never want to put a student in a situation where they're unable to eat because they don't have their card, they've forgotten it or it's been stolen." Without a card in hand, students lack access to their assigned rooms or other designated rooms on campus and must wait for a resident assistant or faculty member to assist them in gaining access. Furthermore, lacking proper identification, students might be unable to charge meals to their accounts. Sewell emphasized that students are not obliged to purchase new phones if they don't have access to a smartphone. Traditional ID cards will remain an option on campus. “Under no circumstance will anybody be left without a way to eat or get into their room,” Sewell said. According to Sewell, the university aims to become a “cardless campus” in the future, meaning ID cards will not be necessary to unlock any doors. However, ID cards will continue to be available. Sewell said there's still much to be done before achieving a cardless campus.
On Friday, the School of Business held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Ruth McKee School of Business in front of Mabel Wood Hall on the lawn adjacent to University Drive. The new building will be approximately 42,000 square feet in area. The ceremony began with the official groundbreaking, shovel signing and group photos, as well as an appearance by Southern’s new bear mascot. Photos
were followed by prayer and remarks from Southern University President Ken Shaw; Brittany McKee East, great-granddaughter of the building’s eponym; Stephanie Sheehan, dean of the School of Business, and students. Guests of the ceremony signed the golden shovel and took home School of Business memorabilia. Students Roman Johnson, a senior management major, and Kate Savino, a junior accounting major, spoke during the cere-
mony, sharing their perspectives on the new building and its potential impact. “For the students, this ceremony is a symbol of what lies ahead,” Johnson said. “It is a commitment from our university to provide us with an exceptional learning environment. [It is] a space where we can gain knowledge, cultivate creativity and prepare ourselves for the competitive business world.” See BUSINESS on page 2
University leaders officially break ground on the site of the Ruth McKee School of Business. Friday, September 29, 2023. (Photo by Preston Waters)