The Daily Deac blog post that you will see below the dotted line was written a couple of days ago at the request of students who wanted to get some publicity for upcoming efforts.  Occasionally I pre-write posts and schedule them to go live if it is going to be a particularly busy week or if I am out of the office; this was one such week.

But lastnight we received the horribly sad news of the passing of a student, Clayton Bruntjen.  President Hatch’s full message to the community is online, but I want to draw your attention to the following excerpt:

“Each of us is affected by loss in different ways, and there is no right way to grieve.  I encourage you to take care of yourselves and your fellow Deacs during this difficult time.  Wake Forest offers support and counseling services for all students, faculty and staff. Please visit the Counseling Center’s web site for helpful guidance.

On Friday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., professional staff from the University Counseling Center and Chaplain’s Office will be at Benson University Center, Room 410, for anyone who would like to stop by for support.

In addition, the Counseling Center may be reached at 758-5273 and Chaplain’s Office at 758-5210.  For faculty and staff, there is also the Employee Assistance Program at 716-5493.  Please do not hesitate to seek support.”

Please encourage your students to access the resources listed above should they need support as they grieve this loss.  And I hope you will join me in offering your prayers to Clayton’s family and all his friends and loved ones.

———————

It’s the end of another week, and as usual on Fridays, we encourage you to talk to your students (forget why? here you go).

For families of sophomores through seniors, you might recall that last year for Valentine’s Day, students in a Spanish class created a “Flores in the Forest” project, where their class took orders for Valentine’s Day roses and delivered them to your students.  Well, students are once again doing it this year.  So if you want to order a rose for your Deac on Valentine’s Day, here’s how:

Flores in the Forest2“Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and while you can’t package love, you can show it with a rose! Show someone special you care with a delivery from Flores in the Forest, a student run entrepreneurship venture. Let us do the footwork, all you have to do is point and click! wfu-cupid.myshopify.com

So that’s the flowers.  Let’s talk about ribbons.

Without meaning to end the week on a heavy note, next week is Tie a Yellow Ribbon Week and it is worth talking about here.  I received information about Tie a Yellow Ribbon Week from the PREPARE Executive Board; PREPARE is the student-led Policy Group on Rape Education, Prevention and Response.  The emails reads (in part):

TYRW2015“Tie A Yellow Ribbon week is a week of sexual assault awareness and survivor support on our campus. The goal of the week is not only to unite the campus against sexual assault and rape, but also to stand in solidarity with survivors. In preparation for the week, we would like to provide you with information about each day. By sharing this information ahead of time, we hope to inform campus partners of events and also provide a warning as needed to members of our community who may have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, sexual violence.

 

PREPARE’s TIE A YELLOW RIBBON WEEK 2015

All week — Selling t-shirts and giving out resource information and ribbons/buttons/stickers outside the Pit from 11 – 2 pm. We will also be implementing a stamp board, on which students have the option to stamp a ribbon-shaped sponge covered in yellow paint to support survivors and express solidarity in preventing sexual assault on our campus.

Monday 2/9 — Campus decorating (bows, table tents and picket signs). Signs will include statistics as well as messages of support for survivors in our community. We will be decorating the lower Quadupper Quad and Pit.

Tuesday 2/10 — Tuesday Trivia on healthy relationships, in Shorty’s, 8 pm

Wednesday 2/11 — Sing Out with student A Capella groups in Shorty’s, 7 – 9 pm

Thursday, 2/12 — Speak Out in Wait Chapel with keynote speaker Dr. Penny Rue, Vice President of Campus Life, 6 pm

**At the Speak Out, we will read anonymous testimonials of Wake Forest community members who have experienced sexual assault. We are collecting testimonials of those who feel as if sharing his/her story is part of a healing journey. Here is the information for submitting testimonials:

Have you or someone you love been affected by sexual assault? Please consider submitting an anonymous testimonial for the 23rd annual PREPARE Speak-Out to be held on Thursday, February 12th, at 6:00 pm in Wait Chapel. Please submit testimonials to Denisha Champion, University Counseling Center, 118 Reynolda Hall or champida@wfu.edu  by Tuesday, February 10th. Testimonials should be 1 – 2 pages, double spaced.”

I hope your students might participate in some of these activities – whether that is to show support for others, to learn more about the issue of sexual assault, or to promote a healthy campus climate for all.

— by Betsy Chapman

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