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Author: Amanda Blake

Amanda Blake

Amanda Blake

Amanda Blake is editor-in-chief of the Southern Accent. She is a senior journalism major who has been published in the student newspaper over 60 times, a record she began as a reporter her freshman year. She has also served as news editor and managing editor. Passionate about storytelling and in-depth reporting, Amanda strives to use her writing talents to help others. Writing and publishing a book is a pinned ambition on her bucket list.

Written by: Amanda Blake Southern Adventist University students can expect to see the student shuttle much less this semester. The shuttle service, started by the university last semester to combat an anticipated parking problem on campus, will no longer operate during the afternoon hours. Furthermore, only one shuttle vehicle instead of two will run in …

Written by: Amanda Blake Contributing Writers: Elise Deschamps, Alexis Dewey, Hannah Johnson, Jacob Nevis When McKee Foods Security Manager Steve Littell heard the train sound its horn as a 135-foot-long concrete beam stopped over the railway, he knew it would be no ordinary lunch break. Prior to that fateful moment on Dec. 20, 2022, Southern …

Written by: Amanda Blake and Marian Polanco Editor’s Note: This article is part two of a two-part series. The number of freshmen coming to Southern Adventist University from west coast states — California, Oregon and Washington — has increased by approximately 150 percent in ten years, based on numbers recorded in the university’s official Factbooks.  …

Collegedale government officials remain divided over the city’s decision to increase its property tax rate by 12% this year. For the last two years, the city’s rate stood at 1.3897 per $100 of a property’s assessed value. When three of Collegedale’s five commissioners passed the city’s budget during a tense commission meeting in the spring, …

Written by: Amanda Blake and Matthew Orquia Editor’s Note: The Accent published the first version of this article online on Oct. 7. The following version adds additional perspectives to the story. Ron Halvorsen Jr., senior pastor of North Cascade Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Burlington, Washington, will be the next senior pastor of Collegedale Church …

Ron Halvorsen Jr., senior pastor of North Cascade Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Burlington, Washington, will be the next senior pastor of Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists. Gary Rustad, president of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, announced the decision Saturday morning during worship services, emphasizing Halvorsen’s background as a praying leader who has already …

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 …

Norfolk Southern, the railroad company with trains running through Collegedale day and night, granted the city approval to restart repairs of the Wolftever Creek Greenway, which was damaged by a train derailment last December. Collegedale Public Works Director Eric Sines said damage to the popular walking trail disrupted easy access between the trail, the Thatcher …

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 with 758 students, according to an email sent by University President Ken Shaw to faculty members on Tuesday. The university is also experiencing its second largest undergraduate class …

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 …

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The Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient monument for Corporal Desmond T. Doss at the Veteran's Memorial Park of Collegedale. Monday, October 26, 2026. (Photo by Melea Hwang).

Collegedale’s annual Veterans Day celebration will include the unveiling of a star-shaped monument honoring the U.S. Space Force at Collegedale Veterans Memorial Park. Hosted by American Legion Desmond T. Doss Post 257, the Nov. 11 ceremony will feature the Collegedale Academy band and is expected to draw local and state officials. In addition to the …

Valeishka Cruz, who is a junior majoring in Liberal Arts Education, shares her experience going on a vision trip. October 30, 2026 (Photo Taken by Christine Lee)

After 25 years of Southern Adventist University students sharing their testimonies through local and global mission work, ERC Missions is turning those experiences into a book. Directed by Alex Castillejos, the project organizes student stories around themes such as forgiveness, miracles and personal transformation. Featuring experiences from students like Johnny Rojas, Celeste Mandujano and Jacob …

Students in Professor Christie Wilder's policy class pose for a picture with Congressmen Chuck Fleischmann. Tuesday, October 13, 2026. (Photo courtesy of source).

Southern Adventist University social work students traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for continued funding for the Federal TRIO Programs, which support low-income, first-generation and disabled students pursuing higher education. Through meetings with congressional staffers and a follow-up classroom visit from Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, students helped secure his commitment to join the nonpartisan TRIO Caucus. …

Headshot of Dennis Negrón. (Photo sourced from Southern Adventist University Website)

Dennis Negrón, Southern Adventist University’s vice president of Student Development and Title IX coordinator, will leave the university on Nov. 18 after 33 years of service. His resignation follows concerns about an inappropriate social media repost on his personal Instagram account. University administration stated that an investigation found no wrongdoing and that Negrón made the …

Brian Dickinson at Camp 1 on Mount Everest in May of 2011. (Photo courtesy of source)

After reaching the summit of Mt. Everest in 2011, mountaineer Brian Dickinson became nearly blind from snow blindness during his descent. At Southern Adventist University’s Florence Oliver Anderson lecture, Dickinson and his wife, JoAnna, shared how prayer, faith and perseverance helped them navigate the life-threatening experience and its aftermath. They also encouraged nursing students to …

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