Naomi Overby

One year of COVID-19: life in a pandemic as college students

26Mar

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Coronavirus, Features

One year of COVID-19: life in a pandemic as college students

Just over a year ago, Trevecca’s campus cleared out for spring break; many students and faculty unaware that those classes would never resume in person. Some would never again set foot in a Trevecca classroom altogether. Students went from celebrating an extended spring break, to the harsh reality of a pandemic—an email asking them to return to campus when possible, gather their things, and transition completely online for the remainder of the semester as a precaution for a rapidly spreading virus. “I was definitely heartbroken when they officially told us we had to pack up and head home,” said Allie Tracy, an intercultural studies major who graduated last year. “I was not going to get to say goodbye to people. Not to friends, not to professors… I said goodbye to my r...

Trevecca classes move online for winter storm

15Feb

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Campus News

Trevecca classes move online for winter storm

All Trevecca classes will transition online for Monday, Feb. 15 as a safety measure for the winter storm warning in effect across middle Tennessee. The announcement arrived in an email from Tom Middendorf, university provost, on Sunday night. Trevecca employees will also move online and be remote alongside students. “Travel conditions are expected to be difficult and dangerous throughout the duration of the storm. Travel is not recommended unless absolutely necessary,” Middendorf said. According to the National Weather Service for Nashville, it is expected to see three to five inches of snow and sleet. The warning will remain in effect until 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Roads could be dangerous due to low visibility and slick asphalt. Expected snow and ice forec...

6Apr

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Campus News, Coronavirus, Events

Student government elections will be held online

Election process to change amidst classes moving off campus. Beginning April 6 and ending on April 9, SGA executive elections will be taking place online via SurveyMonkey, an online survey software, which students will be able to access from an email sent on Monday. The necessity to change from the original plan of students voting using Google Forms at on-campus locations came after students were asked to leave campus as a safety plan amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. “We wanted to find the perfect balance between vote security but also something that’s still relatively accessible. Something that will result in high voter turnout,” said Zack Church, apartments resident director currently overseeing SGA. Campaign speeches have been uploaded through Panopto, a video platform used ...

Trevecca departments team up to encourage students to vote

18Feb

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Campus News, Features

Trevecca departments team up to encourage students to vote

Gabby Jasso, a junior social justice and history major, has been registered to vote since she turned 18 and knows that her vote matters. “I am a child of Mexican immigrants, and most of the people that I love and surround myself with are undocumented, so when I vote, I don’t just vote for myself. I vote for so many people that do not have the opportunity to do so,” said Jasso. Moving into a presidential election year on campus, it’s never too early to register to vote— but if students are unaware of deadlines for registration and absentee ballots, they can miss the chance to vote on Nov. 3. As a solution, the communication department, pre-law society, and SGA are partnering to host a week-long voter registration drive on campus, where students from not just Tennessee, but out o...

9Oct

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Campus News, Faculty, Spiritual Life

Space for prayer and discussion offered by faculty to students during chapel

Around 20 students and faculty and staff gathered in the Fireside Room in Bud Robinson to talk and pray during chapel on Tuesday. The event was hosted by a few faculty members who had heard from students that they were uncomfortable attending chapel if Gov. Bill Lee was speaking. Some students on campus expressed concern about Lee’s views on issues like immigration and tuition for DACA students. “When the chapel schedule came out…we just started listening to students, having conversations with each other. There were faculty that were being curious about how to be a part of charitable discourse but also how to support students,” said Elizabeth Nunley, assistant professor of social work. Twelve students and 10 faculty and staff members attended the meeti...

9Oct

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Campus News, Events, Spiritual Life

Gov. Lee’s visit sparks discussion on campus; officials hope experience will help prepare campus for civil discourse before next election

By Maria Monteros, Kayla Williamson, Kallie Sohm and Naomi Overby Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's visit to campus generated multiple conversations and meetings in the weeks leading up to his appearance in chapel. As word spread that the governor would be speaking in chapel it garnered mixed reactions from students and faculty on campus. Some said they were looking forward to having the Republican governor on campus and others questioned why he would have a platform in chapel. Some students and faculty expressed concern about how the governor's visit impacted students of color or students with DACA status. Earlier this year, Lee signed the proclamation establishing July 13 as Nathan Bedford Forrest Day. Nathan Bedford Forest was a Confederate Army gener...

Trevecca welcomes new dining services director

26Sep

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Campus News, Faculty, Features

Trevecca welcomes new dining services director

Matt Highley’s journey to the culinary world received its motivation to start at age 15 after he was told he wouldn’t make it. At 19 years old, he was named the executive chef of Appleby’s Cafe & Wine Cellar. “I love to cook. Love the chef life,” Highley said. “When I was 15, I worked at Sonic Drive-In. I remember saying ‘I want to try to be a chef one day’, and my manager told me ‘You’ll never be a chef.’ So, I left Sonic, got into a real restaurant and stayed there until I went to culinary school. All it took was someone telling me I wasn’t going to do it.” Today, Highley is working to transform a new setting: Trevecca’s. Just last month, Highley began working as the new director of dining services under Chartwells, Trevecca’s first new food service provider in 45 years. ...

9Apr

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Campus News, Features

What’s your number? Enneagram popularity rising among students

Ellie Schut, a sophomore at Trevecca, has a permanent display of her love for the Enneagram—a tattoo of the three-part figure that sits just below the crook of her arm, and it matches a tattoo on her mother. “My mom is actually certified to type people,” Schut said. “We were trying to come up with all these ideas for a tattoo, and she pulled out the book that had that symbol on it and I was like ‘We should definitely get that’. The whole family is all kind of nuts about this.” (more…)

22Feb

By Naomi OverbyNo Comments

Campus News, Features, Mental Health

Counseling center works to keep up with increase in requests

Madison Bowers, a freshman at Trevecca, applied for an appointment at the counseling center after experiencing major anxiety at the beginning of November and waited for a response. When an email came in three days later, she opened it to find she’d been waitlisted and provided with self-care tips until they could find a place for her, which didn’t happen until the last day of the month. (more…)