Gray morning

Yesterday was gray. All. Day.  And this morning is starting out the same way.  From my perch in the University Services Building on the northeast side of campus, there was so much fog early that I could not see the top of Wait Chapel, or see the orange and white flag that’s at the top of the crane that is building Farrell Hall.  The fog is starting to burn off now, and thankfully I see some sun.  At last.

Women’s sorority recruitment is beginning, and there will be laughter and excitement and tears and drama.  For parents and family members of girls going through that process, it can be a joyful and tumultuous time.  One of my very, very fine colleagues in the area of Campus Life has a vast network of women on campus that our young women can turn to in the event they are having an unhappy recruitment experience and drop out of the process, or are not successfully placed.  If your student wants to be paired up with another fine Wake Forest Woman to talk to, please email our office at parents@wfu.edu and we can connect your daughter to a sympathetic ear.  This offer is good not just for recruitment week, by the way, but for any time in the coming weeks.  So if you need us, let us know.

In other random notes from campus, here are some things I noticed yesterday as I went to and from meetings on various points of campus.

• As I mentioned in an earlier blog, many of the bigger trees on the Quad were cut down.  There are smaller trees there now.  Say a prayer they stay healthy.
• There is some digging going on near Davis residence hall on the Quad.  There is that orange mesh construction fencing in a small portion of the grass.  A similar patch of orange fencing is up on the side of the Benson University Center between the ZSR Library and Tribble.
• Speaking of the library, the library staff of the ZSR was doing a professional development retreat yesterday in the Mag Room.  There is a great deal of talent in our librarians.  We are lucky to have them.
• Starbucks is busy disassembling holiday things and getting ready for students to return.  There were lots of cardboard boxes in various states of packing and unpacking.  Signs were down, with new drink specials replacing the holiday specials for things like Eggnog Lattes.
• Starbucks has new merchandise too – I saw a mug with a red dragon on it, which makes me wonder if Starbucks is celebrating the Chinese Year of the Dragon.  (I have to admit I pretty much covet that cup.)