Midweek Mentions

In this Issue:

• Yesterday’s weather
• Upcoming events: ZSR Cozy Fest, Spring Involvement Fair
• Hanes Gallery to feature works by Picasso, de Kooning

We are getting closer and closer to the arrival of our students back on campus. Most resident students will be eligible to return to their communities on Saturday; students approved for earlier arrivals have received information on their return date.

And now to today’s news!

Yesterday’s weather

Families with the Wake Safe app would have received a few notices yesterday about the weather. The east coast was getting hit by a terrible storm, and I hope all of you are OK.

I live about 3 miles from campus and for us it was mostly a TON of rain (my neighbor two houses down had what looked like a river running through her yard) and some strong wind, but nothing too scary.

As your Deacs prepare to return to school, having waterproof shoes, raingear, and an umbrella (if they will use one – many students don’t for reasons I don’t understand) will be a good idea. Spring typically gets its fair share of rain, so they will want to be prepared.

Upcoming events: ZSR Cozy Fest, Spring Involvement Fair

As students prepare to return, families might be wondering what is happening on campus in the coming days. The Link is the place where students can find out about campus events. I’ll highlight two that might be of particular interest:

ZSR Cozy Fest (Jan. 26):

“Join the ZSR Library, WakerSpace and the World Tea Association on Friday, January 26th from 7-9pm for crafts, tea, a reading salon, s’mores bar, and more!”

Maybe it is just me being a weapons-grade Snow Crab (i.e., a winter hater), but January can be tough. Having an evening dedicated to being cozy sounds like a dream to me – and maybe some of our students too!

Spring Involvement Fair (Feb. 1):

“Looking for something new to start your year off right? Join us at the Spring Involvement Fair to meet our newly chartered student organizations, and some old favorites too!”

Let me add a little extra color to the Spring Involvement Fair. We know that many of our first-year students will be going through fraternity and sorority recruitment/intake this spring. In the event your Deac doesn’t land in the chapter they hoped for (or if they are a student who wasn’t interested in Greek life in the first place), it can be incredibly helpful to have some extracurricular activities to be involved in this spring.

Having activities and a group to do things with has a lot of influence on students’ sense of belonging. So encourage your Deacs to branch out and join some new groups this spring. (Even if your student successfully matches with a chapter, I’d still encourage them to find a new group or two to join!)

There will be lots of other events that pop up on The Link once our students get back and the semester gets into full swing. Encourage your Deacs to check the site regularly.

Hanes Gallery to feature works by Picasso, de Kooning

And speaking of events…art lover families, there is an upcoming exhibit and opening reception that might be of interest to you (and your Deacs):

“Thirty-seven student-acquired artworks spanning six decades will be displayed in Hanes Gallery this spring. The exhibit, “Of the Times,” opens Jan. 19 and runs through March 31. A linoleum cut by Picasso and a painting by Elaine de Kooning will be on display. Other artists represented include Alex Katz, Louise Nevelson, Keith Haring and Jasper Johns. Faculty, staff and students are invited to the opening reception on Friday, Jan. 19, from 5-8 p.m.”

Read more in New Gallery Exhibit Highlights Six Decades of Art ‘Of the Times’