Happy Monday!

In this Issue:

• Steamy week ahead
• For P27 families: Faculty Fellows
• WFU In the News
• Reminder: tuition due 8/1

Happy Monday, Deac families! Here’s a few things to know as we start the week.

Steamy week ahead

If you have Deacs here for Summer Session II, they will tell you we got a huge rainstorm last night; my rain gauge says it was 5 inches of rain. It provided a momentary cooldown this morning, but temps are going to be pretty spicy for the rest of this week. It doesn’t look like we’ll get much more rain this week, so it’s good that we got a proper soaker.

For P’27 families: Faculty Fellows

As a new college mom myself, I have been thinking about my kiddo’s start to college, hoping he makes good connections with faculty as well as his classmates. If you are having any of those same kinds of thoughts/worries, I thought I’d draw your attention to something we do here at Wake that is really special: Faculty Fellows.

I’m borrowing language from the new student email that went out on July 10th (so know your students had access to this info too!):

“What is a Faculty Fellow? What do they do?

One of our most unique programs for first year students is our Faculty Fellows program. For each of the seven first year residence halls, there is a cohort of faculty members from all different disciplines and departments on campus. Faculty Fellows are, first and foremost, connectors. They’re a listening ear when you get your first exam back and it didn’t go as expected. They want to help you build and increase the engagement between students and professors. 

Your Faculty Fellows are also empowered with a ton of campus knowledge, whether that be grade policies or campus resource offices. If you’re having an issue with anything from mental health to adding a second part of term course, your Fellows can help you get connected to the right resources. 

Here’s a story from a current student about the role their Faculty Fellows played in their first year:

“I had a really rough weekend in October of my first semester. Due to a lot of family circumstances, I did not have the time or energy to work on my paper that was due Wednesday of that next week. I had never asked for an extension before and didn’t know where to start. I didn’t want my professor to think I was making excuses to get out of work. That Monday afternoon, my Faculty Fellows were all sitting in the lobby of my residence hall. I guess they could tell I’d had a rough couple of days– they asked me how I was doing. I broke down crying, explaining the situation. They did not shame me or make me feel dumb for being overwhelmed. Instead, they helped me write an email, right then and there, to ask for an extension. I was so paralyzed by the thought of writing that email, but they helped me through every step. They also encouraged me to go to the counseling center later that week, which was really helpful. Later that spring, when my hallmate was in a main stage production, they bought tickets for anyone in my residence hall that wanted to go and support them. I am still in touch with my Faculty Fellows as a senior, and I do not know where I would be without them!”

Faculty members may seem intimidating, but we hope your Faculty Fellows can help you confidently converse with professors and other staff at Wake Forest. 

Talk to your Faculty Fellow. Take the free snacks. Build a relationship with them.” 

WFU In the News

For those of you who like to see where Wake Foresters are featured in the news, we bring you this week’s issue of WFU In the News, July 17-23. You might particularly like this story on Freedom School, which helps prevents learning loss over the summer, and this article on local students taking a leap towards stem-related careers. Here’s a taste:

“[Students] are participating in Wake Forest LEAP (Lab Experiences: Academics and Professions). It’s a six-week, paid, lab-based internship program for rising high school juniors and seniors who attend one of six Title I Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS): Carver, Glenn, Kennedy, North Forsyth, Parkland IB, Reynolds. Title I schools serve large populations of students who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

As part of the initiative, high schoolers are paired with a Wake Forest faculty member and a co-mentor, which is a Wake undergraduate or graduate student.  These mentors introduce them to the foundations of their discipline and introduce them to research.” 

These are terrific initiatives and we are proud to be a part of them.

Reminder: tuition due 8/1

Just a reminder to all families that tuition is due on August 1st. If you have not already started that process, please see the payment methods website.