Lots of news and opportunities to share today
LATE UPDATE: An email went out to students late today about expectations for fall; read it here.
Lots of quick hits today and then a request for audience participation at the end. Let’s get right to it! First, the news:
Right before the blog published yesterday, I added a late addition COVID update that went out to students. The big news there is that we are increasing gathering size limits to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, with the caveat that 6′ of distance still must be maintained. (The guest policy for residence halls is still at the +1 guest rule, and a lot of that has to do with the size of our rooms and the need to maintain that 6′ distance.)
Great news for our culinary-minded Deacs: after the initial COVID update, the Office of Residence Life and Housing sent a follow up email to resident students about the opening of the kitchens in residence halls on a modified use basis, effective April 1st.
An email went out to campus this morning about a first-come. first-served walk-up vaccine clinic for all groups.
There was a very interesting follow up story from our Character and the Professions conference that you might enjoy. Here’s a taste: “A recent Pew Research study found that just 20% of U.S. adults say they trust the government in Washington to ‘do the right thing’ just about always or most of the time. Public servants, health care professionals, lawyers and business leaders rely on mutual trust with those whom they serve in order to make a difference.” The article also touched on the Face to Face Speaker Forum discussion with former U.S. Secretaries of State, Madeleine K. Albright and General Colin L. Powell (Ret.), who discussed leadership and character in public life. Read more.
Now, the events/opportunities:
I mentioned the Virtual Easter Service in yesterday’s blog; today the campus received a message/invitation from Dean Walton to participate on April 4, 2021, at 8 a.m.; read it here.
The Office of Wellbeing is hosting a Wellbeing Day on 4/7, which is the final day that students have off from classes in lieu of Spring Break this year. Click on the picture to see the full schedule.
I saw this on the WFU Campus Life Instagram account the other day: the Office of Wellbeing also is offering a new texting service, DeacsThrive! You can swipe through the Instagram post to see how your Deacs can receive wellbeing reminders and tips directly to their phone (they have to sign up for themselves, of course).
The Wake Washington Center invites alumni, parents, and families to join fellow Wake Foresters, wine connoisseurs, and history buffs at 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 15, as we hear from The Washington Post publisher and CEO, Fred Ryan (LLD’19, P’16), and WFU Trustee Ben Sutton (’80, JD’83, P’14,’16,’19) as they discuss Fred’s book Wine and the White House: A History. The first book of its kind, it is a comprehensive journey through the history of White House hospitality that explores every president’s experience of wine, including memorable presidential toasts, menus from historic White House gatherings, a catalog of vintages served, and spectacular new photography of the White House glassware collection. Register here.
There is another section of the Test Anxiety workshop being offered; it will be on April 16th. Dr. Jackie Friedman had offered one in March and it reached capacity/had a wait list, so she is offering it again! If your Deac missed it the first time, urge them to jump on this new opportunity.
Finally, the audience participation:
We are hard at work on the New Students website for our incoming Class of 2025 and their families; it will go live on May 3rd. The New Students website will have all sorts of information that students need, covering everything from academics/planning for course registration, campus operations/departments, and more. It’s important to let the faculty and staff who are subject matter experts on those topics provide the official guidance and advice for our students.
Where you can help me is to offer some thoughts for our incoming families. I’m looking for your suggestions on things families can be doing right now to help their ’25 get ready for college, how to support your students from a distance, what to expect the first semester, logistics advice, etc. So we’d love to get your thoughts on what you think P’25s need to know, tips and tricks (e.g., is that blue IKEA bag really the best thing for packing their clothes? etc.). If you want to help, please take a moment and share your thoughts here for consideration for our Advice for Families page on the New Students website.
Phew! That was a lot to cover. Thanks for hanging with me for all those updates, Daily Deacdom!