Many thanks to all in the Daily Deacdom for your patience as we work on part II of our Move Out Webinar. A LOT of questions came in about the process and it has taken some time to cull those responses. There are also a number of really complex processes related to move out (what do we do with textbooks? ZSR library books? Campus Rec equipment?) that we had to work through before communicating the process. Remember when I said working on COVID is like the Hydra (for every head you cut off, two spring back in its place)? Still true.

We hope to film part II of the webinar this evening and will post it on the Residence Life and Housing move out site and I will also link to it from our Family News page. It is important to note that students with move-out appointments will be receiving a very detailed email with information 24 hours before their appointment time; this email is packed with info about all the critical move-out processes.

I had a parent email me some questions the other day about what things are like in Winston right now, to help them prepare for moving their Deac out. My answers are below, and I should stipulate that these are my anecdotal observations, not borne of official data or coming from the health department. I hope they might be helpful.

Are people wearing masks everywhere?
I have been surprised/dismayed that I have not seen more people in masks in public. As I wait for my groceries to be loaded in my car (I do online shopping and pick up), my impression is that maybe 60% of people have been masked. That said, we have a Mask the City initiative to get masks out to people, and I think the hope is that number increases now that masks are being made widely available. People out on exercise walks/runs are rarely masking – maybe 10% (I’ve driven by two park type areas in a week and was shocked that there were not more masks).

Are masks required? 
When you come to campus for move out, cloth face coverings are required. For the city proper, I do not believe the mayor has required masks. My sense is strongly recommended.

Are restaurants open?
We are still in a stay-at-home until Friday afternoon. Then there will be a slow and gradual opening of things. If you have favorite restaurants, I would call ahead to ask if they are doing in-house meals.

Can you get take out food? 
Yes. There are a lot of restaurants that let you call ahead and do curbside pick up. Again, I would call ahead to make sure your favorite places are open/you know what is available. Fast food drive throughs have been open the whole time.

Are grocery stores stocked?
I have not been in the store in probably a month. But when I order groceries online, I generally get what I want (though odd shortages of some things – who would have thought brown sugar would be in short supply?). My grocery store at least will restrict how much milk you can buy, and I believe they limit you on toilet paper and lysol-type products so no one hoards. However, I saw a picture on Facebook the other day that the toilet paper aisle was bare, and some of my colleagues confirmed that toilet paper is hard to find (legit gone in many grocery stores, but there was some at other places). So TP could be an issue.

Can you mail packages home from the student mail room? 
No. Benson is closed. Students will not be able to get in to check their mail. There is a process for forwarding.

Can you purchase boxes/packing supplies on campus?
Also no. Bring with you what supplies you need. [more details will be in the student email.]

Would also point out that all faculty and staff received an email today about an update on campus operations, which said (in part) “As both North Carolina and Winston-Salem prepare to gradually lift stay-at-home restrictions and begin a phased return to normal, Wake Forest will continue our current operating status until further notice. Access to campus remains limited to essential employees and those students currently living on campus.” Read more.

For students (and their move out helpers) who have an official appointment to move out, you will of course be allowed to come to campus. But we are still carefully controlling the number of people on campus, so if you do not have an official appointment for move-out, campus is not open for general visiting. That time will come again, just not right now.

Again, we will post the second part of the webinar as soon as it is ready. Thank you for your patience, and stay safe.

 

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

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