Finals continue here at Wake.  We’re about halfway through them, and every day you see the parking lots a little more empty as students finish up and head for home.

I spent some time in the Food Court of the Benson University Center yesterday, waiting for a meeting and peoplewatching.  Here are some observations:

– Nearly everyone I saw was in tshirts and casual shorts, or workout clothes.  The outlier was one girl in a really cute coral summer dress made out of a lightweight material.  Everyone else looked like they had just rolled out of bed.

– Normally the Food Court is pretty packed, but yesterday was sparse.  There were a handful of people at the salad station, a couple of students buying items at the Sundry shop, and only a few of the tables were occupied with people eating and studying.

– Almost all the tables had only one person at them.  Only maybe one table had two people.

– I noticed one tall young man with big headphones on – he had his laptop open and there was a PowerPoint slide show on the screen, but he was playing Candy Crush on his phone instead.  (It’s OK, man, we all have to take a break from time to time!)

– I was struck by how QUIET it was.  In mid-semester, the room is pretty loud with the sounds of table after table of people talking, ordering food, etc.  But there was almost no sound.  It was like everyone was respecting the fact that people were studying and were appropriately hushed.  Even the folks who work at Moe’s (who normally yell “Welcome to Moe’s!” as you walk up to order) were quiet.

– A female student I was talking to in Benson about finals told me that the ZSR has been widely-used as a study space and that students have been loving the free-food-at-midnight part of Wake the Library.

That’s it for observations from Benson.  Here are a few parting thoughts:

In case your student have not seen them, Residence Life and Housing has posted closing procedures.  They will want to make sure they follow all the appropriate rules and regulations.

Mail Services has some extended hours this week, as well as shipping supplies for purchase, for any students who need them.  Students can go to the ground floor of the Benson Center for more information.

And a very special thank you to all of the parents and families who read the Daily Deac.  It is a joy to bring you news from campus every day (or nearly every day).  We’ll still continue to run over the summer, though it will be some lighter news with most of the students gone.  We look forward to continuing to connect you to life on campus while your Deacs are home with you.

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