Day of Prayer Extraordinaire

On September 25th, Covenant had its biannual Day of Prayer. For most Covenant students, this means no school! And while this is an added bonus of Day of Prayer, it means much more than just a break from our academics. Now, I’m sure most of you are well aware of the meaning and importance of Day of Prayer, and I’m sure most of you have monk-like discipline that pushed you into prayer from dawn until dusk. However, on the off chance you need a refresher, here are a few words from some of the Covenant community to help you out. 

For our first guest, he kills animals with his car, he has hair more voluminous than you can imagine, that’s right ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about Chaplain Grant Lowe himself. Day of Prayer, affectionately known as DOP, has been around for decades, and while he hasn’t been present for them all, Chaplain Lowe can provide us with some insight into the day itself. He shared with us some of the activities and events that happen on Day of Prayer, none more well-known that the sunrise service at Rock City. Sleepy-eyed students gather together at Rock City at 7 a.m. to watch the sunrise, sing, and pray together. “The sunrise service at Rock City is a longstanding tradition that began with the Psychology Department years back,” Lowe added.

Lowe also said, “We have lately tried to be thoughtful about providing structure and content into the time at Rock City.” 

One way this is done is through the worship music provided at the service, which was led this year by the ever-talented trio of Justine Blick ‘21, Will Bryan ‘20, and Susan Anderson ‘22. When asked about picking songs for DOP, Anderson said that she and Blick worked closely with the Student Ministry Coordinators (SMCs), who have a heavy hand in orchestrating the day and the sunrise service itself. 

Anderson said, “The progression of DOP, as planned by the SMCs, was moving from lament, to gratitude, and into glory. When choosing songs, we aimed to match that progression.” Anderson also said that the main focus of music events through the Chapel Department this year have dealt with encountering Jesus through music with the entire student body, and DOP was no exception to this.

Along with the sunrise service, there are several other activities that have been put on for DOP. Throughout the years, Lowe says that, “There have also been times of guided prayer in the chapel (with live acoustic music and slides), daily prayer offices that the community can pray through no matter where they are at set times of the day, Carter Hall tower tours, and an evening time of worship.” 

This year in particular, two new elements were added to the itinerary, which included SMCs visiting staff offices to pray for and with the staff, as well as a prayer walk through campus. Prayer request cards that are in the chapel every year also get taken back to the SMC office, and over the course of the semester, each SMC prays for every request. The chapel office has accumulated and prayed for hundreds of these over the years. 

Lowe also discussed, as I’m sure many of you are aware of and involved in, that there are a whole slew of hall traditions and events throughout the day as well.

One hall that loves a good tradition is Third North, located in Carter and led by fearless leader Carly Barrett ‘21. Barrett discussed how Third North will often go to the sunrise service as a hall and then have breakfast together afterwards. This year, the hall made and ate breakfast at a house off-campus, and overall had a “good chill time,” as Barrett describes. 

DOP isn’t just about the traditions; it also has a lot to do with a time of fellowship with one another. “I feel like DOP brings us closer as a hall because it gives us a chance to slow down and spend time with each other in prayer,” Barrett says. “It’s good to be able to have conversation and encourage each other in our faith during the week, when we would normally be busy with classes.” 

All in all, discussing Day of Prayer with several different members of the Covenant community has presented the overall theme of resting from the chaos of everyday life and focusing on our relationships with Christ and his body. 

Barrett said that as an RA, DOP is important because it gives her an opportunity to “slow down and really focus on developing relationships on the hall, as well as creating spaces where other friendships within the hall can thrive.” 

Anderson discusses DOP worship by saying, “DOP music isn’t just ambience to accompany the sunrise, or a ploy to coax tears from the student body at 7 a.m., but an opportunity to dwell upon the person of Christ and our place in the story of redemption.” 

Chaplain Lowe sums up the importance of the day by saying, “I believe Day of Prayer can be a wonderful time of recalibration and remembering. We need times to slow down, to be quieter, to pray together and alone, to rest.” 

Boy, doesn’t all of that make you want a Day of Prayer every month, maybe every week? While that may not be possible, I can tell you that we do have the privilege of having one every semester. So mark your calendars, another Day of Prayer is coming to a campus near you on February 11, 2020.

Controversial 'Covenant Confessions' Instagram Page Erased

“The solution, end the page. Simple, uncomplicated.” -@cov_confessions

This month, @cov_confessions, the Instagram page that once boasted an estimated 276 followers—most of whom were Covenant students—erased all posts, leaving students with conflicting reactions. The account, which posted “confessions” written and submitted by anonymous students, gained popularity and ignited controversy for its often questionable, negative content.

The account was founded on anonymity of all parties. For this reason, the four account administrators would not provide their names, as they take responsibility for creating the platform. It gave students the opportunity to say what normally is secret or forbidden, and the creators were curious to see its results. 

After running for a time, the page was cleared by the administrators themselves to resolve an ongoing conversation that resulted from circling rumors and complaints about the direction of the page’s content by students and administration. Not only did rumors spread around campus, but complaints were expressed via direct message and anonymous submission as well.

While the page may have had negative impacts, several students praised it for its humor and authenticity. “I’ve had several students say they enjoy the page because it’s comedic, they just see it as entertainment. Beyond that, it may provide the campus with a sense of humility, that not everyone here is perfect,” an owner wrote.

As far as the administrators of the page are aware, no disciplinary actions resulted from their posts. However, certain posts did lead to “some heated discussions,” they said. “Ultimately, we decided that the page was not conducive to a positive community environment on campus, and decided to shut it down.” 

When asked for solutions, @cov_confessions suggested healthier ways to discuss these topics. One idea was the establishment of a transparent forum where students were not only challenged to confess, but encouraged to seek resolutions. Another suggestion was a student-led panel that read anonymous submissions and invited campus community members to discuss solutions.

According to Jonathan Wylie, Associate Dean of Students, Covenant College does not monitor any social media.

“One of our biggest sins as a community is gossip and using words that tear one another down.” Wylie said. He went on to differentiate between the Christian’s calling to both private or public confession, depending on the context.

Wylie explained his disinclination to squelch these sorts of conversations, as the discussion of sins allows them to be brought to light and turned from, to which we are called. “Maybe the Lord is going to use this as something that’s calling us into action.”

While Wylie, who never followed the account, believes the administrators desired to glorify God, he asked the question, “How do we love one another well? 

Olivia Mineo ’22, who did follow the account, provided some additional insight from a student’s perspective. Originally, the page claimed to publish all the stories the Bagpipe could not. “It started off really innocent,” she said, explaining that submissions would be about secret crushes and other topics just as serious. The administrators would also include their reactions within the posts’ captions.

“After a while, more and more people started to get bold, and started to confess more inappropriate stuff,” Mineo said. She found it humorous, adding that Covenant students would oftentimes not imagine such activities occurring on campus.

According to Mineo, @cov_confessions posted Instagram stories revealing followers’ requests to remove the page and complaints of it being offensive. She pointed out that the moderators weren’t the ones making “confessions,” only sharing them. While it may not be right to share certain posts, she feels contributors should take responsibility for any offensive content that was shared.

“I just thought it was funny. I liked seeing it, and it was interesting to see how each confession got worse and worse.” Mineo explained that she didn’t feel the administrators were trying to get anyone in trouble, but were simply exposing students to campus activity.  

Lastly, Mineo commented on the difficulty of healthy confessions while at Covenant, which she partly attributed to the Standards of Conduct. While in no way was she advocating their curtail, she expressed her sentiment that the more rules are enforced, the more they are broken.

“If you're upset, just unfollow and report it.”

Julia Smith ’21 followed @cov_confessions simply to be informed of its content. Smith is not trying to condemn the writers of the confessions, but rather the moderators’ decisions to publish them. “I’m not gonna hate on you or judge you for doing whatever your little confession was, whether it be stealing a loaf of bread from the great hall, or getting high in Mills. But I think the page was encouraging submissions of these confessions in a way that was more like glorifying and celebrating these little dirty acts…”

“There seems to be no signs of repentance from anyone,” said Smith, referencing people’s laughing in the comments, which trivialized unethical behavior.

Some confessions tore down certain groups and people indirectly, and several posts were also about pornography and masturbation, she said. “A confession like that should be a sign […] A lot of these confessions were cries for help, and we’re just kind of celebrating them.” If our brother or sister is struggling with porn or any other issue, we’re called to come alongside and build them up.

“It wasn’t a supportive community, or a community running towards Christ,” Smith said. Instead, it seemed to scream that students weren’t all “good” people, and failed to challenge one another in good ways. @Cov_confessions could have run in two different ways, Smith suggested. It may have published only light-hearted content, or acted as a resource for troubled students. Certain issues are not easily resolved through social media, as one’s struggles must be brought to light before he or she can receive help.  

While Smith acknowledges her own fallenness, she feels people are not convicted if they submit confessions anonymously.

“It’s more saddening than anything, I think—the whole page. Because it just shows a lot of immaturity.” The page gave the impression that more students partake in wrong activity than is the case.

Around the World in 500 Words

On September 14th, several Saudi Arabian oil facilities were attacked, leading to an increase in global oil prices. On September 23, Britain, France, and Germany placed the responsibility with Iran at the U.N. General Assembly. The Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, said to reporters in New York, “Those who make the allegations must provide the needed proof. What is your evidence?”

Britain, France, and Germany expressed their desire for Iran to engage in peaceful dialogue and to stop disrupting the Middle East. The U.S. has continued its sanctions on Iran.

“Today, the U.S. imposed new sanctions against Chinese companies that transport Iranian oil contrary to U.S. sanctions. Denying the Iran regime revenues for destabilizing conduct at the expense of the Iranian people, ” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a tweet on September 25. 

Nearby, the United Arab Emirates celebrates as its first astronaut prepares to go to space. Set to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), Hazzaa Al Mansoori, age 35, will be only the third astronaut from an Arab country to go to space. Mansoori came out of an applicant field of over 1000, according to the BBC.

“This mission is a great milestone for me personally and for the United Arab Emirates," Mansoori told reporters in July.

The former fighter pilot will work alongside other astronauts on several experiments and take part in an Arabic language broadcast on his mission to the ISS.

A UAE flag and a family picture, among other small objects, will be brought by Mansoori on his eight-day mission. The UAE space program, partially motivated by the Apollo missions, plans to send unmanned spacecraft to Mars by 2021.

On September 23, Philippine police forces arrested six individuals with suspected links to ISIS. Police believe that these individuals were involved in the Isulan market bombing on September 7th which left seven injured.

According to Benar News, one of the arrested suspects, Hassan Akgun, is a Swedish national, while the others are Filipino.

An ISIS flag, bomb making supplies, and multiple firearms were confiscated by the police during the arrests. The arrests happened in Bagumbayan, a town in the southern province of Sultan Kudarat.   

Westmincom (a division of the Philippine Military) commander Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana praised the involved intelligence agencies for their successful collaboration.

“Let us remain vigilant for there are still enemies out there who will always try to inflict havoc in the communities,” he said.

On September 24, China Tribunal, a human rights group, presented evidence to the U.N. Human Rights Council accusing the Chinese government of harvesting organs from religious minorities. Organs harvested include hearts, kidneys, lungs, and skin for medical and scientific purposes.

Business Insider noted that two groups, Uighur Muslims and adherents to the Falun Gong religious community, have been particularly targeted. 

“Victim for victim and death for death, cutting out the hearts and other organs from living, blameless, harmless, peaceable people,” said China Tribunal lawyer Hamid Sabi, “constitutes one of the worst mass atrocities of this century.”

Sabi believes that there are hundreds of thousands of victims and urged the U.N. to investigate further in China’s treatment of religious minorities.

Climate Strike in Chattanooga

On Friday, September 20th, protesters of all ages gathered in cities across the world as part of the Youth Climate Strike. The strike was catalyzed by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg. It became a part of a global movement that over 7.6 million people in 185 countries participated in, according to globalclimatestrike.net. Thunberg drew international attention when she began to protest the inaction of the Swedish government on climate change by skipping school to demonstrate in front of the Swedish parliament. Her actions have inspired responses from students all over the world, including in Chattanooga. 

On the 20th, outside of the Tennessee Aquarium in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, approximately one hundred locals assembled in order to raise awareness of the climate change crisis. Many came toting signs emblazoned with slogans such as, “Respect your mother,” “There is no planet B,” “Don’t be a fossil fool,” and “The Future is Green.” Demonstrators ranged from young children to senior citizens, but the majority were high school and college students. Eight students from Covenant participated in the strike, and one faculty member joined them. 

The strike in Chattanooga bore many similarities to the other strikes happening simultaneously across the United States and the globe. Lauren Newman, the sustainability coordinator at the University of the South and part of the local Climate Reality Chapter, headed up the event in Chattanooga which featured multiple speakers and activities. 

Two Kenyan women offered powerful testimonies about how the warming climate is affecting their homeland and the innovative solutions that their communities were being forced to employ. 

A McCallie student with the Natural Conservation Guild challenged the crowd on their complacency and called for greater action. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Graham Shults, a leader of Chattanooga Students Leading Change, also called for greater action and demanded attention from adults about the problems that the students will have to live through. 

The strike wasn’t just speeches—protesters joined in chants, danced to the rhythmic djembe and kpanlogo drums, and even participated in some aerial dancing.

Just days after people around the world joined together to strike for action on climate change, the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit was held in New York City. Thunberg made headlines by taking a specially-designed racing sailboat which offered a zero emissions option for travelling from Plymouth, England to participate in the summit. Before the United Nations, Thunberg delivered an impassioned speech to rows of world leaders. 

Now, Thunberg is travelling across North America before heading to Santiago, Chile. There, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Thunberg will continue to advocate for increased action on climate change.

International Column - Around the World in 600 words

A report indicating that ISIS has begun reconsolidating its power was released by the Department of Defense in August. The report, looking at U.S. efforts of stabilization in Iraq and Syria, implies that President Trump’s declaration of victory over ISIS in December 2018 was premature.

It states that while ISIS has lost much of the territory it once held, it still has established cells with the ability to train ISIS fighters. ISIS is also allegedly “reestablishing financial networks in both countries.”

This global unrest expands beyond the Middle East to China, where videos circulating online show Hong Kong police beating up civilians on a local metro. Pro-democracy activists have been staging protests against the Chinese government in Hong Kong.

A law giving the Chinese government the power to remove Hong Kong residents for trial on mainland China in June spurred the original protests. 

They continue to march against the socialist structure of the Chinese government and for the expansion of democracy.

Joshua Wong, leader of the pro-democracy group Demosisto, hopes to enlist help against the Chinese government from nearby Taiwan.

In a meeting with reporters, Wong pushed back against the narrative that China’s power over Hong Kong will increase and that it would soon hold Taiwan as well.

“Hong Kong can be like Taiwan,” he said, “A place for freedom and democracy.”

Democracy has also been a controversial topic in Britain as new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, hopes to ensure that Britain leaves the European Union, per the results of the Brexit election in 2016.

“The referendum results must be respected,” Johnson tweeted on August 30, “We will leave the EU on 31st October.”

He faces opposition from many members of parliament, and on September 3 the BBC reported that “Tory rebels and opposition MPs have defeated the government in the first stage of their attempt to pass a law designed to prevent a no-deal Brexit.”

Johnson has lost two bids for a snap or general election. This election could have given him enough votes to complete the Brexit process if more Conservatives were elected.

Over the months of June, July, and August, over 150 Eritrean Christians have been detained in underground tunnels by Eritrea’s government. 

According to the International Catholic News, these Christians, in order to accommodate more prisoners, are forced to expand the tunnels by digging. The imprisoned Christians come from the Faith Mission of Christ Church in Keren. 

Christian hospitals have also been targeted recently by the Eritrean government. On July 8, the latest of twenty-one Catholic-run hospitals and clinics was shut down.

Daniela Kravetz, a reporter on Human Rights in Eritrea criticized the government for its actions. 

“The seizure of these health facilities will negatively impact the right to health of the affected population,” she said, “In particular those in remote rural areas.”

Refusing to renounce Christianity at the behest of the government, six former Eritrean governmental workers also await their fate.

Uncertainty dominates international headlines. Will there be an ISIS resurgence? Will the Hong Kong protests be resolved peacefully or violently? Will Brexit procede or be blocked? Will Eritrea yield to international pressure and release the imprisoned Christians? The answers to these questions will have major ramifications for the international political and economic climate.

In Memoriam: Reflecting on the Life of Dr. Kevin Eames

On the evening of September 11th, Covenant students and faculty gathered in the chapel to celebrate the life of Dr. Kevin Eames, the late chair of the Psychology Department at Covenant. Welcomed by a soft hymn medley played by Dr. Finch, they sat in quiet reflection as Chaplain Lowe took the stage.

“A memorial is oftentimes something to help preserve remembrance,” Lowe said, “but our memorial tonight is not about capturing life, but instead about celebrating life. For the next hour or so we will slow down and be reminded of God’s love, which Kevin lived out in our midst, and the reality that death has been conquered by Jesus, whom Kevin humbly clung to.”

Hannah Bloomquist, Resident Director of Andreas Residence Hall, was first to speak. For her, Eames faithfully modeled the Christian life at Covenant, both as a professor and a friend.

“Kevin Eames was never afraid of a hard question,” Bloomquist said. “He wasn’t scared that a difficult or uncomfortable question would undo his theology. But rather, his theology and his firm trust in the Lord and God, the Creator of the universe, would hold in the midst of the most difficult question. In his absence, we do grieve, but we also celebrate the work that he did. Because of his absence, we here at Covenant are challenged even more to stand in the gap.”

Echoing these words, Dr. Mike Rulon, Katie Kelley, and Dr. Jeff Hall also shared their reflections and anecdotes on Dr. Eames. They reiterated the Christian love he displayed towards others and the firm faith he held in God despite hardship. 

“I was profoundly and deeply influenced by Kevin’s teaching, but more importantly by his friendship,” remarked Katie Kelley, a Covenant alumna and former student of Dr. Eames. “Not only was Dr. Eames a delight to know, to study under, and to work with, but he expressed delight in all areas of his life. His joy was a rebellious joy, one that knew darkness and suffering and refused to let it win. Through this vulnerability, he invited me into that rebellious joy, to defiantly declare in the face of grief, ‘Where, O death, is your sting?’”

After a clip from Dr. Eames’s commencement speech, the service concluded with an excerpt from Handel’s Messiah, which Dr. Eames specifically requested before he died. The words from this selection echoed the promises found in 1 Corinthians 15, read earlier in the service by Dr. Jay Green: “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

Though it has been several months since he passed on, the Covenant community continues to be blessed by the life and work of Dr. Kevin Eames. In his wake lie memories of his laughter and friendship, his joy and vulnerability, and his faith and love for Christ. To use the words of Dr. Mike Rulon, a friend and former colleague of Dr. Eames, “Kevin will be surely missed—really, really missed.”

Chaos Across the Pond - Brexit and Boris

Currently, the United Kingdom (UK) hurtles towards separation from the European Union (EU).  Back in 2016, the former Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron, called for a national vote. The people of the UK elected to exit the EU, beginning Brexit. 

The following three years have seen a tremendous amount of upheaval in Parliament. Cameron supported a “Remain” position and resigned immediately following the election. 

His replacement, Theresa May, had the task of guiding the UK to a calm and frictionless separation. In January of 2019, May’s first withdrawal agreement was defeated, as were her second and third plans in March. 

At the end of March, shortly before the UK was due to leave the EU, both the EU and the UK agreed to extend the leave date until October 31, 2019. In May of this year, Theresa May put forward a fourth and final plan. She resigned after its defeat. 

This led to a series of elections within the Conservative party, which still holds a majority in Parliament. After a gauntlet of votes, on July 23rd, Boris Johnson was elected as the new Prime Minister. He has long campaigned for a “hard” Brexit. He wants the UK to leave quickly and decisively with as little involvement with Europe as possible. 

After his election Boris immediately reinforced his plans for a definitive leave date of October 31. This conviction is not shared by his entire party. Many of the other Members of Parliament (MPs) including Johnson’s own Conservatives are anxious about the prospects of a no-deal Brexit. A no-deal Brexit would mean that there would be no signed agreements between the EU and the UK. This would leave all trade and immigration between the UK and continent to be regulated by international trade law. 

The economic ramifications of a no-deal Brexit will be significant but cannot be clearly anticipated. However, for many in the UK, the more pressing issue is that of the Irish border. Following the Troubles, or the Northern Ireland conflict from the 1960s to 1990s, the UK and the Republic of Ireland (a member of the EU) signed the Belfast Agreement. This kept Northern Ireland a part of the UK, but with strong links to the Republic of Ireland. 

Many in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the UK as a whole are strongly opposed to any hard border being set up between the Irelands out of fear of the possibility of reigniting the Troubles once again.

This brings us to where we are today. At the beginning of September, Johnson made good on his threats to call Parliament into recess, officially called “proroguing” Parliament, for the rest of September and much of October, all but guaranteeing that October 31st will be the no-deal Brexit. While many in Parliament are opposed to a no-deal Brexit, no agreement has been signed. 

Angel of Death: American Missionary Sued Over Deaths of Ugandan Children

In 2009, 19-year-old American Renee Bach moved to Uganda to found Serving His Children, a faith-based nonprofit organization. Bach, who has no medical training or college degree, was sued earlier this year in the High Court of Uganda by the parents of two children who allegedly died in her care. She is also accused of causing the deaths of 105 Ugandan children by misrepresenting herself as a medical professional and denying her patients access to the local hospital system. 

Her case calls into question the system of international medical charity and the role of Westerners in the medical systems of African countries.

Although Bach was formally sued in January of 2019, her case did not gain international media attention until this summer. In July, multiple news organizations including NPR, ABC, and The Root began reporting accounts by former patients and employees which paint a disturbing picture of Bach’s clinic in Jinja. 

According to sources, she administered blood transfusions, oversaw sensitive feeding regimens for severely malnourished patients, inserted IV catheters, diagnosed conditions like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria, and regularly wore a white coat and stethoscope.

In 2011, Bach wrote on the Serving His Children blog about a 9-month-old baby named Patricia. Writing in the first person, she recounted that “I hooked the baby up to oxygen and got to work… As I took her temperature, started an IV, checked her blood sugar, tested for malaria, and looked at her HB [hemoglobin] count… I was attempting to diagnose the many problems that could potentially be at hand… After doing a search for blood around Jinja town, we found her type and it was a match! We started the transfusion…” 

However, there were major complications which Bach glossed over in the blog post. 

According to Jackie Kramlich, an American nurse who was volunteering at Serving His Children at the time, Bach called her into the room a few minutes later as the infant began wheezing. The wrong blood type had been administered. Bach told Kramlich that she wasn’t sure if it was an allergic reaction, because her Google search said that allergic reactions often came with a rash. Kramlich convinced Bach to take the baby to a local hospital, where the child recovered. Kramlich resigned from Serving His Children several months later, citing ethical concerns. 

Bach’s story was brought to light by several Ugandan advocacy organizations. These include the Women’s Probono Initiative, a legal organization sponsoring the court case against her, and No White Saviors, a controversial online campaign against prideful “white saviorism” in missionary and charity work in African countries. 

The court case against Bach alleges that, of the approximately 900 children with severe malnutrition who were treated at Serving His Children, 105 died at the clinic. 

According to accusations by No White Saviors, many more children may have died within a few days of leaving the clinic, as the clinic kept no official death records and frequently discharged extremely ill patients.

Bach denies that she ever represented herself as a doctor or medical professional, and she says that the accounts from former staff accusing her of misconduct come from individuals with whom she had personal disagreements. 

She left Uganda in 2015, amid growing questions from local health officials and “threats” from local people. Serving His Children agreed to partner with the Health Ministry of Uganda in further activities treating medically fragile patients. 

Bach has retained U.S. legal counsel from David Gibbs III of the National Center for Life and Liberty, who has referred to the social media advocacy campaign against her as “reputational terrorism.” Bach does not plan to return to Uganda to respond to the lawsuit in court. Serving His Children points out that their reported case fatality rate for severe malnutrition is in line with the rates at other health centers.

The Bagpipe spoke with Henry Hooks, a Covenant sophomore who spent his summer shadowing Dr. Timothy Ssemakula, a Ugandan physician working in a rural area outside Kampala. Reflecting on the Bach case, Hooks encouraged nuance between the prideful attitudes of some charity workers and the real medical needs that many people still have. 

On the one hand, Hooks noted that, “As an American, it's easy to get in the mindset of, ‘I have all these resources. So anything that I do is going to be helpful no matter if it saves lives.’ …It’s just so prideful and ridiculous because there are doctors there, there are lots of resources for people to get real medical help… It was just really frustrating and bothered me a lot that she was assuming a role of, ‘I can do this, and it's not really that bad if anything happens, because they're gonna die anyway.’” 

On the other hand, Hooks emphasized that real medical needs exist, and can be met: “[Bach] could have done a lot in the way of providing resources for people to get to a medical clinic. Like, if she wanted to run a nutrition center that's just feeding people, not doing any medical work, fantastic. That's such a good way for her to connect with people and be invested in their lives. And if somebody comes who's medically malnourished, then she could say, ‘Okay, we have couriers that can take you to the hospital in central Jinja, and they're going to take care of you there.’”

According to advocacy groups like No White Saviors, the Bach case shows a weakness in the attitudes and objectives of independent Western missionaries providing “aid” in African nations. 

Reflecting on how to navigate this conversation, Hooks said, “Go with an attitude of, ‘I'm entering somebody else's country and all I want to do is learn from them and try to understand their culture better.’ Not trying to be a savior and feel good about myself. Because Christ went in humility, and we should go in humility.”

Where are they Now - Admissions Update

Have you been looking around campus this new school year and wondering, “Who are these people? I’ve never seen them before. Am I losing it? Is this the end?” You’re not alone, and there’s a good reason for all the unfamiliar faces. That reason? New students! As a new year begins to take shape, let’s take a step back into the past to remember last year. And by last year, I’m specifically talking about admissions. 

For new kids out there or those who somehow completely missed it, admissions was a hot topic on Covenant’s campus due to some changes made in the department and the turnover of staff. But what about admissions now? What has admissions been doing over the summer? 

For starters, let’s talk facts. Brad Tomas, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management, said that Covenant’s goal for this school year was 250 new students. “We were on target leading up to move-in day and O-Week, however fell just shy of that goal with an incoming class of 246,” said Tomas. 

Those 246 new students are broken up into 223 freshman, 21 transfer students, and 2 re-admit students. Tomas also mentioned that missing the mark on this goal was not due to lack of effort.

In fact, Anne Fuller, an admissions counselor and Covenant College alumna (’18), agrees that effort was that not the issue. Fuller said that enrollment numbers have been downtrending since 2014 due to “turnover, vacant positions, and negligence.” 

She mentioned, however, that higher education across the US has taken a blow as well, creating low enrollment across the country. 

“Due to downtrending numbers,” Fuller said, “our 2019 goals were adjusted based on predicted enrollment outcomes. Despite predictions, we aimed high and I’m glad to say we came just 4 students shy of our goal.” Pretty good, admissions, pretty good.

So let’s go back a little. Tomas said, “As the campus is well aware, there have been some difficult years in the admissions office,” (hence admissions being a hot topic on Covenant’s campus last year). Because of this, tremendous strides were taken to better improve the admissions department and process as a whole. 

For starters, several new staff have been added this summer. Tomas said that Alana Clinksclae was hired as an admissions counselor, focusing on recruiting students from Atlanta and central Georgia. Henry Paris (’18) was hired as a part-time admission representative to help represent Covenant at more places this fall during what Tomas calls the “busiest travel season.” Along with these new members to the staff, this summer Erik Vitolins was also promoted to Assistant Director of Admissions. Exciting stuff for our admissions friends!

Along with these changes in staff, Fuller explained that those in the office have been making a huge effort as well to better the admissions department as a whole. 

She said that Claire Hirte, Associate Director of Admissions, “rallied the office by equipping us with new digital tools, better training, direction, and care.”

Fuller also mentioned that Tomas added Covenant to the Common Application, a non-profit organization that allows applicants to more easily apply to the colleges and universities that sign up with the company, over 800 schools currently. 

Admissions counselors have also been working hard to raise numbers, as they have “literally made strides all over the US, striving to cover more ground,” as Fuller puts it.

Jennifer Thompson, Coordinator of Admissions Operations, has also played a vital role in trying to elevate the admissions department. Thompson explained that this year she has been working on implementing Covenant’s new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software called Slate. Slate is said to help improve modern admissions and advancement by allowing admissions departments to deal with things like applications, test scores, and other materials in one comprehensive area. 

“[Slate] is a pretty powerful admissions recruitment tool,” she said. “After just four months of working with the new CRM, I can already see advances in our office where slower, outdated processes have been streamlined and brought up to industry standards.”

Bottom line: admissions is making big moves everyday to combat some of the low numbers that have presented themselves in the past. Whether it’s implementing new software, figuring out how to make the admissions process more accessible, or traveling across the country to present what Covenant has to offer, everyone in admissions has kicked it into high gear. Along with admissions themselves, there are more people who can help the department reach their goals. That’s right, those people are students! 

“I believe that all students are ambassadors and recruiters for the college,” Tomas explains. “All the students who contribute, whether by leading tours, making phone calls, hosting students overnight, or other ways, are essential to helping prospective students understand what life at Covenant is truly like.” Students play no small role in the admissions and decision making process for prospective students.

Fuller mentioned that there are ways for students themselves to be involved in the admissions process, and she even goes so far as to say that if there is anything that a student enjoys about Covenant, get involved in admissions. 

“Host a student, talk to your high school friends about Covenant, interview to be a student caller next year. Or just be a super cool person and attract super cool people to campus. Simple as that.” 

Since everyone knows we’re all super cool people here, sounds like we’ve got it covered. You hear that, admissions enrollment goal? We’re coming for you.