I am out of the office today, so today’s issue is sharing a message Dr. Wente sent to students today, “Election Week and Beyond”
Dear students,
The final ballots in this year’s elections will be cast tomorrow, but it may be several weeks before all votes are tallied and outcomes are announced. During this time, I appreciate your continued commitment to practicing empathy and embracing patience. Both take courage, engagement and the support of our greater university community.
I am proud of the many ways our community fostered opportunities for learning and engagement during this election season. Our student-led campus political engagement project, Deacs Decide, has had incredible success this year in its voter education and turnout efforts, including:
engaging with 15 classes, 100 student organizations, and every fraternity and sorority chapter to share voter information, leading to 915 students registering to vote in North Carolina, up from 387 in 2020;
creating a shuttle stop at the Polo Park Community Center for early voting in partnership with Transportation and Parking Services;
presenting a series of panel discussions featuring different views and perspectives on the 2024 election in collaboration with the departments of Economics, History, and Politics and International Affairs.
Tomorrow, university offices and student organizations around campus will provide snacks, encouragement and information about voting. The Office of Wellbeing will also co-host spaces for processing and reflection. These efforts will continue informally throughout the remainder of the week (see the schedule of opportunities).
As we look together toward the future, I trust that our Wake Forest community will be known for how we seek common ground through respectful dialogue and thoughtful listening.
