Tuesday Thoughts

In this Issue:

• Housing selection notes
• Building Healthy Habits workshop from CLASS
• Deac for a Día at Wake Biz
• Letters So Dear for ’27s

Happy Tuesday, Deac families! Housing selection is coming up, so we will devote most of today’s Daily Deac to that.

Housing selection notes

Housing selection is next week, and I know this can be a high stress time for students. I checked in with one of my key partners about any advice I should offer families during this process. Here’s what I have for you.

If you read nothing else, read this: if your student is having any difficulty with Housing Selection, the best advice I can give them is to visit the Housing Selection Help Desk in the Office of Residence Life and Housing in Angelou Hall. The team there is best situated to assist with all types of problems, be they technical, interpersonal, or expectation based.

The Office of Residence Life and Housing works very hard to maintain as equitable a process as possible for the continuing students who need to select on-campus housing for the academic year. This Friday, they will release the availability list for students to use as they finalize their approach for next week.

A few things to note: Martin Hall will be offline this summer but will be open for the 2024-25 academic year. Polo Hall, on the other hand, will be offline throughout the summer and fall and will reopen for students returning from abroad in January 2025. Students hoping to select Polo Hall will need to make alternative plans, considering Student Apartments or North Campus Apartments if they had hoped to live on North Campus. 

The approach to selection times has shifted this year to weight a roommate group based on their seniority. Students should keep this in mind when making changes to their roommate group and again are encouraged to consult with the Office of Residence Life and Housing if they have any questions. 

Finally, I always encourage students to do the following:

• Roommate groups need to have honest conversations with each other about what they would do if someone suddently finds themself in a position to get a single, or pulled in to another group, etc. There is a domino effect when roommate groups change, so everyone ought to be on the same page about how they would handle that sort of thing.
• Know what is most important to you: is it living with this particular roommate? or do you want to be in a particular building (even if you are rooming with people you don’t know as well?)
• Have a plan A, B, C, and D in case there are no more blocks of rooms with your roommate group size when it comes time to select. In other words, if you had planned on a block of 11 and there are no 11s left, could you divide into a group of 5 and a group of 6, etc.?
• Understand that you might not get your first choice (or even second). We can’t all be first in line to choose rooms, and the one you wanted may not be open. That’s the luck of the draw, and sometimes we don’t get what we want. It isn’t personal. However, students can still make your room situation work if you are flexible and open to possibilities. (And sometimes NOT getting what you want is a blessing).
• Honor your word and your commitments to your roommate group. If you tell your roommate group you won’t bail on them, don’t do it.

As parents and family members supporting your students during this process, your best posture is to listen with empathy and be supportive, but let your students work their housing out on their own. This will build skills they need (problem solving, resilience, imagining different possibilities, etc.)

Building Healthy Habits workshop from CLASS

One of my very favorite Wake Forester administrators used to talk about how when finals/major crunch times approach, students tend to stay up late, eat too much fast/easy food, and don’t exercise. And getting enough sleep, eating some good/healthy foods, and moving your body are exactly the things you most need to bring your best self to your work.

CLASS is hosting a Building Healthy Habits session tomorrow as part of their OWLS series, and I would encourage all students to go if they can. Students will be entered into a draw to win the Ultimate Study Experience during finals – which means a private room to study in (a major deal if they are the winner!)

Deac for a Día at Wake Biz

I got some intel from a well placed source at our Business School about an event that might interest your Deacs: Deac for a Día:

“During ‘Deac for a Día’, attendees will engage with members of the Wake Forest community including staff, financial aid, student services, and career services. Students will also have the opportunity to learn more about the MS in Accountancy, MS in Management, and MS in Business Analytics programs, and have the opportunity to connect with current students! 

Additionally, this event provides a comprehensive overview of graduate student life and the opportunity to learn about the Hispanic/Latinx student experience on campus.

The event is this Friday, 3/22 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm in Farrell Hall. Registration closes tomorrow, 3/20, and students can register here.”

Letters So Dear for ’27s

Yesterday our ’27 students got their weekly edition of Letters So Dear. You can read it here.