Mental Health | 5
Opinion | 6
Religion | 6
Lifestyle | 7
Exploring the dangers of bed-rotting
The holidays and the problem of overconsumption
Breaking free from pretty-good Christianity
Lessons from a silly concert: Finding the joy in my major
December 04, 2024 Collegedale, Tennessee
Southern Accent
Vol. 80 Issue 10
The student voice since 1926
Thatcher Farm’s closure brings students to Red Clay Farm
An aerial view of Red Clay Farm showcases the farm's barns, fields and countryside. (Photo courtesy of Seth Shaffer)
Alissa Flores Reporter In 2023, Southern Adventist University’s Thatcher Farm, a space for hands-on learning in sustainable farming, closed its doors. Seth Shaffer, a history and political studies adjunct professor at Southern, ran the farm as a vital part of his sustainable agriculture class from 2015 until the closure. Michael Weismeyer, professor and chair of the History and Political Studies Department, explained that Thatcher Farm, in addition to serving as a hands-on lab, provided students with service credit and employment opportunities. According to Shaffer, the
farm began in 2012 under the management of Mindhi Rahn, a professor in the history department, as a way for students majoring in international development to understand the rudimentary basics of agricultural growth. The department believed it would be valuable for students who might work overseas to develop the skills needed to grow their own food, preparing them for situations where grocery stores might not be available. “The farm was always Southern’s best-kept secret,” Shaffer said. Administration initially gave Rahn a quarter of an acre to farm on campus, complete
with a hoop house, a high tunnel and a small field for students to tend once a week and apply what they learned in class, according to Shaffer. The arrangement continued until 2015, when Rahn and her husband moved away. Shaffer, who had taken the class from Rahn before graduating in 2013, learned of the job opening from the history department. “I had been chomping at the bit to do this ever since I had graduated,” Shaffer said. “I have my own farm up in Cleveland, Tennessee —a vegetable operation — so I was like, ‘Sure, I know how to do this, and now I have the educational credentials to teach at Southern.’ So I accepted.”
Shaffer said prior to his takeover, the farm had been run minimally, producing and being maintained only during the semester when the agriculture class was taught. He aimed to enhance its production. “I told them, ‘I'm not going to do that. I’m going to run this as a business, commercially, because that’s what I know. I’m not just going to sit here and let land be vacant,’” he said. In January of 2015, Shaffer started his role as teacher and manager of Thatcher Farm. Under his management, the farm began selling the produce at local farmers markets and even to some restaurants in Chattanooga and Cleveland, he said. This continued until 2017,
when Shaffer decided to request more space due to substantial growth at Thatcher Farm. Shaffer was given a temporary five-acre plot on Sunkist Terrace, where later, Collegedale Academy was planning on building ball fields for both the elementary and middle school. Until then, Shaffer was free to work the land. “They eventually got it cleared, and I was able, with the income that I was generating off of the farm, to purchase another high tunnel, a tractor and a couple of implements [machinery used for agricultural tasks],” Shaffer said. During his initial time as See FARM on page 2
Kiddie Kampus daycare plans Southern’s orchestra visits Andrews University expansion to meet demands Eva Resz Reporter Kiddie Kampus, located at the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists, has been a daycare option for local families since it opened in July 1991. Now, the center is set to undergo an expansion to accommodate the growing number of families seeking its services, according to Jay Cole, church administrator.
“We have a waitlist because people trust us.” To meet the growing demand, Kiddie Kampus is planning to renovate an additional room within its facility, Cole said. The goal is to accommodate more children, especially from the daycare waitlist, which includes many families from Southern Adventist University and the surrounding community. “We're really happy that we've been making progress in the last year and a half,” Cole said. The expansion will help ensure that more families can benefit from the daycare’s services, according to center director Mae Watson. However, the center can’t accommodate
Kiddie Kampus playground outside the Collegedale church.
Anaya Parker Reporter
actually gotten to perform up there; it's been a long time.”
Southern’s Symphony Orchestra went on tour to Andrews University last month. Laurie Redmer Cadwallader, associate professor at the School of Music, said the orchestra, which has been busy visiting locations around the globe, had not been to the Michigan campus in two decades. “We haven't been up there since 2003, which was just before their Howard Performing Arts Center was open,” Cadwallader said. “So we [had] never
“So we [had] never actually gotten to perform up there; it's been a long time.” The approximately 75 students performed in a total of five concerts over the four-day tour, which occurred Nov. 14-17. The orchestra also performed on campus with the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra at Howard Performing Arts Center on Saturday night. Much of the student’s time in Michigan
(Photo by Malachi Cushion)
everyone, and the waitlist continues to grow. “We don’t need advertising,” Watson said. “ ... We have a waitlist because people trust us.”
“We’re very thankful that God’s been blessing us here, and we’d love to be able to bless more people." Watson has worked at the daycare since its inception, and over the years, she has seen it steadily evolve from its beginning in the church’s older Sabbath School rooms. The day-
care was previously located in a room that required frequent resets to accommodate weekly Sabbath services, which was a challenge for the daycare. According to Watson, in 2019, as part of the church’s expansion, a new facility was built specifically for Kiddie Kampus. The development included a playground, kitchen and classrooms tailored for children of different ages. The move helped alleviate space constraints and increased the daycare's capacity. Currently, Kiddie Kampus is serving 39 children, with a staff of four full-time employees, See DAYCARE on page 2
Jasiel Castro packs away a cello case on the tour bus.
(Photo by Hannah Johnson)
See ORCHESTRA on page 3