Happy Monday, Deac families! Our students are back – yay! – and it is FDOC (First Day of Class). So the semester is about to start rockin. For our P’23s, the first edition of Letters So Dear for the spring semester can be found here.

Late last week, I learned of a couple of wonderful opportunities for students to engage in meaningful projects this spring. Here goes:

Wake Alternative Break (WAB) – this program seeks to facilitate service in the community, build community amongst participants, encourage experiential learning around a social issue, and inspire participants to return back to campus motivated to positively impact their university, local, national, and international communities. WAB trips are unique because they are led by students for students.

Due: January 24th: WAB Leadership Application

Due: February 8th: WAB Participant Applications

If your student has any questions, please have them reach out to Deb Marke at marked@wfu.edu.

Civil Rights Tour – The Office of Civic and Community Engagement, in partnership with the Intercultural Center and Global Programs and Services, will host a week long Civil Rights Tour. Participants will have the opportunity to travel to cities in the United States integral in shaping the civil rights movement. During the week, students learn about civil rights leaders; engage in readings, reflections, and blogging; and participate in direct service.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are due January 31st. Your student can apply for the Civil Rights Tour here. 

If your student has any questions, they can reach out to Marianne Magjuka at magjukmg@wfu.edu.

These kinds of activities provide amazing opportunities to learn outside the classroom and to learn from deep engagement with peers. For any Deacs interested in these areas, or who are still trying to find their niche on campus (as many students are), encourage them to consider these programs.

Also learned that all students will receive an email today inviting them to take the National College Health Assessment (NCHA). The survey will be open January 13 – 31. All undergraduate students who complete the survey will receive 400 Link Loot points (the Link is a student engagement/student organization platform). It’s really important to get a high response rate for surveys, because that ensures you have good, representative, usable data. Please encourage your Deacs to complete this survey. For more information and to see a full list of prizes that students can win for taking the survey, visit this page.

Finally, a word about the conclusion of sorority recruitment (bids went out yesterday). While there are many women who were happy about their choices or where they landed, there were also women who were disappointed with the chapter(s) that invited them back, and some women chose to withdraw from recruitment. The Offices of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Student Engagement are here to support these women and help them find other ways to get involved on campus and find their niche. Encourage your daughters to use those resources as needed.

— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)

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