News reports from Andrews University, The Northern Australian Conference, Southern Adventist University and an announcement regarding Adventist World War II hero, Desmond Doss.

The Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) Clinical Year program at Andrews University has been successfully reaccredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).

Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the NAACLS is a premier international agency for accreditation and approval of education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences and related health-care professions.

The Andrews University program for Medical Laboratory Science, offered by the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, is a 3+1 program composed of three years of undergraduate pre-clinical studies and one clinical year (three semesters).

The clinical year portion of the MLS program received 10 years of continuous accreditation from NAACLS, the maximum number of years that can be awarded for continuing accreditation of an MLS program. The report presented by the accreditation team stated that all standards were met and there were no areas of concern.

The Northern Australian Conference (NAC) office in Townsville has been temporarily closed due to the flood crisis affecting northern Queensland.

While the office has not experienced any flood damage, road closures are restricting travel to the site, which is also home to Aitkenvale Adventist Church, Riverside Adventist Christian School and the Church’s campground—Riverside Convention Centre. Despite the riverside setting, the buildings are set high on the grounds above the swollen Ross River.

Speaking to the Record magazine, conference president Darren Slade said he had not received any reports of damage to Adventist churches, the school and campground.

Slade said the homes of some of the school families have been affected by floodwaters while there are unconfirmed reports that several church members’ homes may also have been impacted.

Roads to the north, south and west of the city have been cut by the floodwaters. Local Adventist churches were closed on Sabbath due to flash flooding making road movements too risky. The Queensland Government has described it as the worst flooding in the region for decades, declaring it a disaster situation.

At least 500 homes in low-lying areas of Townsville have been inundated, and several emergency evacuation centers have been established. Schools and childcare centers remained closed.

Southern Adventist University’s School of Journalism and Communication announced on its Facebook page that it has added five new classrooms and a photography studio on the first floor of Southerns’s Brock Hall. The additions come after 12 months of designing and five months of construction, as the space that used to belong to the radio station Classical 90.5 WSMC was repurposed after the station moved across the street.

Andrews University issues a statement condemning “crude and cruel comments from an unknown source were posted to a public social media forum” during the school’s Newmyer Classic basketball series. The statement said that the discriminatory comments “were directed at both the students playing in the tournament and those who objected to the comments.” The institution vowed to “continue to explore any and all options available to respond to this incident.”

The 100th birthday of Desmond T. Doss was remembered this week by many Adventists. He is the Adventist young man in World War II who served as an unarmed medic and won a Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor given by the U.S. government.

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