Meet a Deac – Nancy Via

A bit of business first. Room selection takes place this week for the 2018-2019 academic year (for current students only, not incoming first-year students). Residence Life and Housing will provide a help desk with personal, one-on-one assistance for any students needing help with the process. The Help Desk will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Angelou Parlor.

Now onto the main event – Meet a Deac! There are so many great people at Wake Forest – some with names and faces that are very public, others that you might not know but who may have a profound impact on your students.  Our Meet a Deac series – I hope – will introduce you to some of the incredible folks on this campus who make a meaningful difference. Today we bring you Nancy Via.

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Your official job title is Communications Officer and Interim Management in the Police Department Communications Center.  In laymen’s terms, what do you do at WFU?
I am part of the Wake Forest University Police Department team and our main goal is to assist the students on our campus to thrive and become the best they can be. I take calls in person and by phone for police services and give them to the officers by radio. I train new employees who are hired as Communications Officers. I make sure our department is in compliance with State and Federal laws while using their computer systems during investigations. I retrieve and analyze stats for our department and perform panic alarm testing every quarter. Overall, our department assists in providing a secure and safe place in the Wake Forest community for our visitors, students, faculty and staff.

Tell me a little about your background.
I have an Associates Degree in General Education. I also hold several teaching certificates through APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials).

How would you characterize Wake Forest students? What are some common attributes they share?
Our students are great! I find that the majority of them are very respectful, caring, bright, energetic and hoping to change the world for the better. Many of them will accomplish that goal. Many who go into medicine do so because of their desire to actually help someone rather than for the money. Many of our students give up holidays and vacations to go to underdeveloped countries to help out.

What do you like best about working at Wake Forest?
I love being on the campus itself. It is beautiful – a wonderful place to walk, run, or just sit and read. Anything you would like to do, you can at Wake. The people at Wake are really great as well. Many who start out as “just co-workers” become like family. Each of us are accepted for who we are. We don’t have to pretend to be what we think we should be to work at Wake. Wake is inclusive and non-judgmental. I really like that.

What advice would you give to students?
Take the time to enjoy your college experience. Go after your dreams, you can do anything you want to do, be anyone you want to be. It is SO up to you! Do not take this time for granted, make every moment count. Be true to yourself, don’t let others influence you to make bad decisions.

What advice would you give to parents and families?
Be there for your children. Give them guidance and love, support and encouragement. Please do not put such pressure on them that they cannot enjoy their college experience. It is so sad to deal with young people who feel they have let their parents down, to the point they contemplate suicide. You have raised them to be confident and caring, give them the opportunity to show you what a good job you have done. They are not you, they may not arrive at their goal in the same way you did, but they will achieve their [and your] dreams with your love and support.

What is your favorite place on campus?
The trails from Lot S to Reynolda Village. Beautiful natural setting with a few benches in case you want to sit and relax. I also enjoy sitting at the picnic tables by Farrell and just people watching.

And now, the just-for-fun questions:

Book you’re reading now: There are several things: Dancing With Elephants, Tame Your Emotions, and Paleo Principles

What music are you listening to these days: Rock and some country 

Favorite movie: Steel Magnolias

Websites you frequent: Southern Living, WebMD, How To’s, YouTube, ebay

Guilty pleasure: When it’s really cold or rainy: laying in bed with an electric blanket and binge watching Law and Order; when it’s spring: letting house cleaning go to dig in my flower beds

Tell me something most people don’t know about you. I love target shooting and guns