New experiences

In this Issue:

• Peer Education Course
• Storage Scholars
• My thoughts on Ramadan Fast-A-Thon

It is another one of those near-perfect North Carolina days, with the bluest of skies. I say it is near perfect because it is still just a tad chilly – today’s temp is supposed to be 61.

Because today has been a busy one for me, I will share just three main topics today, two news items, and one in the spirit of new experiences.

Peer Education Course

I got an update from the Office of Wellbeing about the second installment of the academic course CNS 253: Peer Education. The course is taught through the Department of Counseling and will be offered this fall on Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m. 

The course description is “Investigation into the creation, implementation, and evaluation of a peer education program. Covers general peer education competencies including programming strategies, behavior change models, and assisting distressed peers.” The course is a partnership between the University Counseling Center, Safe Office, and Office of Wellbeing to continue to build a sustainable peer education structure at Wake Forest.

If this is something your students are interested in, or if they are considering post-graduate plans in the health professions, counseling, coaching, public health, etc., this class might be a natural fit for them. I suspect the course will also give students some valuable competencies that might help them stand out to future employers for jobs or internships. You can click on the graphic below to enlarge.

Storage Scholars

The Office of Residence Life and Housing sent a message to resident students today about summer storage. Here’s a snippet, or you can read the full message here.

“As we approach move-out in the weeks ahead, we’ve been receiving inquiries about summer storage options. For those looking for a full-service moving, storage & shipping solution, our partners Storage Scholars could be a great option for you!

See their “how it works video” to see if Storage Scholars is a good fit for you. Sign-up online before registration closes in the weeks ahead!”

My thoughts on Ramadan Fast-A-Thon

Finally today, I (along with fellow colleagues and students) am taking place in the Ramadan Fast-A-Thon. This is an opportunity for non-Muslims at Wake Forest to experience fasting for a day with the Wake Forest Muslim community, and join together for a meal in the evening.

People who are participating were able to eat and drink up until 6:02 a.m. when the sun rose, and then we will not be able to eat or drink until 7:40 p.m. when the sun sets. I ate a pretty enormous breakfast and drank a lot of liquids (see pic below – not pictured were the almonds I threw down at 5:55 because I was afraid of being hungry). I was actually unpleasantly full for a couple of hours.

Around 11:30 a.m., when I would normally think about what I might want for lunch, I began to be a little hungry. My coping strategy has been to stay very busy and get into a flow at work so I didn’t have time to think about eating or drinking. (I did not realize even water is not allowed during the daylight hours, so I definitely learned something new as well).

Throughout the day, I have been commiserating on social media with some of my colleagues who are also doing the Fast-A-Thon, and consensus is that fasting is a hard thing to do – and we are only doing it for a day, not for the whole month of Ramadan as our Muslim community will do. I drink a lot in a normal day, so not having a cup of coffee or my beloved Diet Pepsi at hand has been tough.

At 2:40 p.m., my Class of ’27 son came home and plunked his lunch down (I am working from home) and all I can smell is his strawberry lemonade and the delicious grilled cheese he just bought. I am hyperaware of the smell of this food, and I have a new sense of appreciation, empathy, and respect for our Muslim students, faculty, and staff, for carrying on with their classes, work, and studies during their period of fasting. I’m deeply grateful to Naijla Faizi, our excellent Associate Chaplain for Muslim Life (and any others who helped organize this experience!) and I am looking forward to food, fellowship, and discussion tonight at the communal breaking-of-the-fast meal, called Iftaar.

Sundown at 7:40 p.m. will be a good feeling.