Top of page

Last Official Monday until Commencement

by Betsy Chapman

In this Issue:

  • P’27s: the New Students website is live
  • A few tidbits about Commencement
  • Letters So Dear for ’26s
  • Final reminder about move-out

It’s the last official Monday (as in, with school or exams) before Commencement (which is on 5/15) and it is a busy time for everyone. Let’s get right to it.

P’27s: the New Students website is live

To all new families: we launched the New Students website today! A few key points to note:

  • Your students will need to be working through the First-Year Checklist or Transfer Checklist, depending on their classification.
  • We also have a main page for parents and families with lots of info, as well as a New Families Checklist.
  • We sent out a message to the P’27s in our system this afternoon. All of those messages will be archived on this page, because we know there can be a lag time between your student’s enrollment being processed and your family record being uploaded to Wake Network so you can verify it. (Please don’t panic if you didn’t get the email today. Check your spam/junk to make sure it didn’t roll there, and if you have not verified your family record, please do so as soon as is convenient so you can get in next week’s email.)
  • Students’ logins and passwords should not be shared with anyone, including their parents/family members. While that may have been the norm at the high school level, it is not the norm in college. Please help us keep our information systems safe (and your students on the right side of our IS guidelines!) and do not ask for or use their login and password.
  • Allow your students to do most of the work on the New Students website (filling out forms, signing up for Pre-Orientation, etc.) The more responsibility you give them now in completing these tasks, the better prepared they will be for self-management in August.

I’m the mom of an incoming college student myself, and I know how tempted I have been to try and fill out forms, sign him up for things, and get ahead of the to-do list. But the reality is, our students are better served if they take care of those tasks themselves: they have more skin in the game when they take ownership, and they will get used to our processes (which builds muscle memory for future tasks) faster.

There are many other parts of the New Students website, which I encourage you to go through at your leisure. And I will be emailing P’27s weekly with information and action items for families, so you won’t miss anything critical.

A few tidbits about Commencement

I was in a meeting this morning about Commencement and a few things came out that I will share for our P’23s’ awareness:

  • Please do not bring dogs/pets unless they are actively working service animals. In recent years, there seems to be an influx of people wanting to bring their dogs to the Quad for Commencement. We ask you not to bring pets, only actively working service animals. I am the biggest dog lover you are going to find, but we do need to make sure we don’t have dogs barking, pooping where people might walk, being aggressive with others, or who will get overheated (as it can get quite hot on the Quad). If you have a dog – even one that fits in your purse – please leave them with a reputable boarder or dog sitter, but do not bring them to Commencement.
  • Please use the executive restroom trailers. There are wonderful executive restroom trailers that are clean and spacious and can be a lot faster than waiting in line in a building. These are my restrooms of choice – shockingly nice, honestly. They will be in designated parking lots near the Quad and should be your first choice.
  • Don’t bring a bag if you can help it. Because there will be bag checks, it will help move everyone on to the Quad faster if you don’t have a bag.
  • Food and beverage purchases on the Quad are cash ONLY. If you think you want to purchase food or drink, have some cash on your person, or you can use the ATM on the Quad near Subway (with whatever bank/transfer fees may apply).
  • Watch the weather and bring the right clothing/outerwear. If the weather calls for rain, bring your rainwear or a poncho for all your guests. Small umbrellas are allowed, but no golf umbrellas is my understanding; we reserve the right to remove anything that hinders views and/or the experience. So you might want to have hooded raingear or a poncho if it looks like rain is likely.

Letters So Dear for ’26s

Today’s issue of Letters So Dear went out to our ’26 students.

Final reminder about move-out

The Office of Residence Life and Housing sent a final reminder to students about move-out.

Pardon the choppyness of today’s post – so much going on right now. Wishing your Deacs continued best on their finals, and safe travels as they leave campus!

Recent Posts

Archives