I am back from vacation and we are hitting the ground running. Move-in for new students is just 3.5 weeks away, and FDOC (First Day of Classes) is just less than a month away! Today I want to catch you up on some news and make sure you aren’t missing anything critical.

Today a message went out to those students who have still not provided COVID documentation, as well as to their families. Please, please be sure to check with your student and ensure they have checked their Student Health Portal that their COVID documentation is present (or they have an approved religious or medical exemption, which is visible on the My Profile > Immunization History tab, or have indicated they need an International Student Vaccine Extension) and are in compliance with our policy. The stakes are high here: students who are not in compliance by August 1 are in danger of being removed from their housing assignment and course schedule. Even if you think your student has done it, please check anyway to be safe. Also, please ask your student NOT to send in duplicate records; only have your student submit a record if they are not in compliance.

Family Weekend registration: just a reminder, Family Weekend will take place October 1-3, and registration will go live on August 2 at 10 am Eastern. Mark your calendars and make a plan to register when it opens, as some tickets are limited and can sell out.

Parking registration: will begin in early August. See this page to find the information that corresponds to your Deac’s situation. You may have seen this on Family News last week, but we recently added information about Deacon Station parking. In addition, I had gotten a couple of questions about the change in parking fees from last year to this year. Transportation and Parking Services that we are returning to our pre-COVID parking fee structure; the $79 fee last year was temporary to encourage students to drive to campus since shuttle bus capacities were reduced.

For our P’25s:

We have uploaded the first of our parent and family Orientation videos: Just for Parents and Families Part I: What to Do Before School Starts. This video offers some tips on conversations your family might want to have before school begins, and some other transition tips. We hope you enjoy it. (Note that you can toggle on the Close Caption button if needed.)

A number of emails were sent to your students last week; see this page for an archive. You might be especially interested in the New Deac Welcome Week app and the move-in and Mail Services info.

I am told residence hall assignments are going out today. This can sometimes be an anxious moment for students or families, so here are my best thoughts on how to think about/process it.

We also had some big news in a new hire for Wake: Joshuah Brian Campbell will be director of music and arts at the School of Divinity and director of the University Gospel Choir. He will collaborate with choral groups from across the university on both worship music and concert experiences. Here’s a bit of background on Joshuah: “A native of Cheraw, South Carolina, Campbell captured the world’s attention as an undergraduate at Harvard University when his original song “Sing Out/March On,” written and performed for the late civil rights icon John Lewis, went viral.  The widespread acclaim of his performance caught the attention of Hollywood. Campbell’s original composition, “Stand Up,” for the biopic “Harriet,” co-written with the film’s lead Cynthia Erivo, earned Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice nominations. Campbell and Erivo won the World Soundtrack Award.”

August is almost here! Can you believe it?

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

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