Consent Conversation Guide

In this Issue:

• Important ’28 student Workday Onboarding information and P’28 Weekly Update
• We ask all families to have a conversation with their student about consent before school begins
• Mark your calendar for Family Weekend event registration, July 10 at 10 a.m. (Wednesday)

Editor’s note: I am out of the office all week, so this is a pre-post

Important ’28 student Workday Onboarding information and P’28 Weekly Update

This urgent message, was sent yesterday from the Office of the University Registrar to all new students who have not completed Workday Onboarding. P’28s, please ask your students to check their WFU email to see if they received it – and if yes, take quick action.

NOTE: they should check spam/junk/quarantine/promotions folders, just in case it landed there in error.

Our Weekly Update for P’28s was also sent today.

Have a conversation with your student about consent before school begins

Consent is a very important topic on college campuses. Students are living independently and making their own behavioral choices. We want to ensure our students are making well-thought out, safe choices, and this would include consent.

Some of my colleagues on campus have created a Consent Conversation Guide to help families – of all years – talk to their students’ about consent:

“Wake Forest is committed to a safe environment for all students. While we have a duty to provide education to students, we recognize that as a parent or caregiver, you are and will continue to be the primary influence in your student’s life. 

College is a time for your student to gain new experiences, build new friendships, and make new memories that will last a lifetime. This resource will provide you with tools to help you prepare for an open dialogue with your student about consent. It includes important information on University policies and procedures, the importance of discussing consent, and how consent is affected by substance use.”

It’s important to stress that having a conversation about consent does not mean we are asking your student to be sexually active! Consent can be about a kiss or other activity short of actual sex. And we know that every student and family has their own values where matters of sexuality are concerned. What we want is to help students understand what consent looks like, how to give it, and how to be sure that when the time comes (whenever that may be) that both parties are consenting.

You as parents, family members, and loved ones can help reinforce those concepts through this conversation guide. Find a good time to have this discussion with your student, certainly before move-in this fall.

Mark your calendar for Family Weekend event registration, July 10 at 10 a.m. (Wednesday)

Family Weekend event registration will open Wednesday, July 10th at 10 a.m. Here is the tentative schedule for the weekend:

• Registration (i.e., packet pick up) for Family Weekend will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday morning, September 27th. We will host our annual Deacon Family Festival that afternoon, have dinner options around campus, and special dining discounts at select Winston-Salem eateries (no advance registration needed). We will end Friday with the Night of Student Entertainment in Wait Chapel. 
• Saturday the 28th will feature a variety of activities, which include access to the student tailgate area before the Wake Forest vs. Louisiana football game. 
• On Sunday the 29th, we conclude the weekend with a farewell brunch (tickets required; purchase during registration) and Club Sports Jamboree. 

Other activities and experiences such as tours, lectures, presentations and the like are in the works and will be added to family weekend.wfu.edu.

For those still looking for hotel accommodations, please peruse the Visit Winston Salem website for current hotel listings in the area; also consider Airbnb, VRBO, etc. in the Piedmont Triad area (i.e., Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem). We will be updating the list of activities and Winston-Salem dining discounts on Friday, September 20th, when we receive notice of kickoff time. 

We look forward to having you with us in September!