Mayo and Tomato

In this Issue:

• Residential progression through our communities
• Update on University Parkway entrance road closure
• Message from the Office of Residence Life and Housing
• Message from Information Systems
• The quintessential Southern Sandwich: mayo and tomato

Happy Thursday, Deac families! We continue to be very warm and humid. Today would be a great day for a tall lemonade (or an Arnold Palmer, of course).

Residential progression through our communities

Many years ago, I was at a meeting and one of the topics was the intentionality of our campus design and the fact that our residence hall plan correlates closely with students’ developmental stages. Here’s how my colleagues from the Office of Residence Life and Housing explained it:

First-year students all live together on the South part of campus so they can bond as a class. Most of the first-year communities feature long hallways with many students per hall, shared bathrooms, common lounges. The intent is to have students learn to live together: lots of people, shared spaces, let everyone begin to feel at home.

Sophomore year, students can choose their own roommate, and they have the opportunity to move to a residential community of their choosing, typically on the main Quad (Hearn Plaza). Those are suite-style communities where they live with 6-12 other people on one hall and share a bathroom. Developmentally, students are at the point where they have typically found their niche on campus and have elected to live with other friends who share their values, living styles, and/or are part of their ‘core group’ on campus. The smaller living space helps them form closer bonds.

Juniors and seniors have the option of moving into more apartment-style communities. Their living choices mimic what they will find once they graduate and move into the real world. Student Apartments on campus and some of the upperclass communities like Polo or Deacon Place feature separate bedrooms, expanded kitchenettes, etc. This helps our students begin to transition into post-graduate style living conditions and prepare to live more independently.

I had never thought much about the intentionality of how we move students through the residential communities, but this explanation made great sense. I am glad that we’re able to help nurture the development of our students in such intentional ways.

Update on University Parkway entrance road closure

I saw this on our faculty- and staff-facing website, Inside WFU, and thought it might be helpful for any families whose students are here for Summer Session II:

“Campus construction is taking longer than expected. The University Parkway entrance to campus will remain closed through August 11. Additionally, the construction fencing along Wake Forest Road will remain in place until August 11.”

Message from the Office of Residence Life and Housing

The Office of Residence Life and Housing sent a message to students today about the 2023-24 academic year dates as they relate to our residential communities, as well as other resources.

Message from Information Systems

Information Systems sent a message to students, faculty, and staff regarding a recent global cybersecurity incident involving the MOVEit Transfer Software that has affected two of Wake Forest’s third-party benefits administrators as well as other third-party vendors who provide services to the University. 

The quintessential Southern sandwich

Some of you might have seen the post lastnight on our official Wake Forest Parents and Families Facebook page about the mayo and tomato sandwich. The New York Times had an article about this revered summer sandwich – and some of the strongly-held beliefs about which brand of mayo is correct, or the question of whether to toast or not toast the bread. It is a great article and worth a read.

If you don’t have a NYT subscription yourself, your Deacs have access to it for free! Students need to go to the ZSR website and follow the instructions to activate their account, then you can read this mayo and ‘mato article from their phone/laptop.

Take a look at the pic at the end of this post and tell me that doesn’t look heavenly. And FWIW, I am a Duke’s mayo girl and I would want it toasted at least a little bit (is that heretical? are we fighting now, Southern Deac families?). And I’d take a hunk of good cheese on the side 🙂 There is a related wonderful summer dish: tomato pie. If you find yourself at Mozelle’s Southern Bistro downtown, give it a try. It’s a winner.

If you are not from the South and are interested in exploring a bit more about this part of the world, there is a great online magazine called The Bitter Southerner that has some terrific articles about Southern food, culture, and more. They also have an online store where you can get your own Mayo and Tomato shirt 🙂 For a more humorous approach to the South, I stumbled upon this Instagram account, Landon Talks, where he breaks down some of the local color and customs, for example: when you would use the phrase “might could” 🙂 (Note: I haven’t watched all of this videos, so I can’t swear there won’t be something in there some folks won’t like, so be warned.)