Long Holiday Break

by Betsy Chapman

In this Issue:

  • NPHC and UGC recruitment
  • Reflection over break
  • Wake Forest offices will be closed Dec. 23-Jan. 3

I am back – briefly – before I leave for my own Winter Break. Just a few items to share with you today. Let’s go!

NPHC and UGC recruitment

There are two other Greek councils to discuss: NPHC, or the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and United Greek Council (UGC). 

The National Pan-Hellenic Council is home to six of the nine historically Black Greek Letter Organizations represented on campus, including three sororities and three fraternities.

Our newest council, the United Greek Council (UGC), was established in December 2024. The UGC serves as the governing body for culturally-based, religious, and special-interest sororities and fraternities. Its mission is to unify organizations with similar goals and purposes while celebrating their distinct membership experiences. Currently, the UGC includes two sororities: Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority and Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority.

Intake is the process where men and women who are interested in joining one of our NPHC or UGC organizations can explore their options. Intake takes place at various times throughout the year, depending on when a chapter is able to accept new members.

Because the process is so varied, it is nearly impossible to describe here. If your student is interested in an NPHC or UGC organization, they should fill out the interest form on the NPHC website.

Reflection over break

Reflection is a very important – and oft neglected – exercise. Often our students are so busy doing things in the moment (and moving on to the next task), they don’t take time to think about how they feel about what they have done, what they have learned, etc.

I found some great reflection prompts via colleagues from our Mentoring Resource Center (which, by the way, has an excellent suite of resources your students might want to explore). The questions could be starting points to help your student reflect on their semester, and I have augmented with a few questions of my own.

Your Deac may – or many not – want to share their answers with you, but it might be good to ask some of these questions rhetorically, in a moment when they seem open to it. Even if they don’t want to share their answers with you, encourage them to think about their answers privately, in their own time.

  • “If you were starting Wake Forest all over, what would you do differently and why?”
  • “In the past semester, what is the biggest challenge you have had to overcome, and what did you learn?”
  • “How do you want to be different six months from now than you are right now?”
  • “What were the differences between the best and worst decisions you have made?”
  • “If you were not afraid of failing, what would you do?”
  • “When were you happiest this semester? What made that experience so good for you?”
  • “What did you do this semester that made you the most proud?”
  • “What have you learned about yourself this semester?”

You can also ask some reflection questions of your own:

  • “Where was I most helpful to you during this semester?”
  • “What do you wish I had done differently?”

Hopefully these questions might help your Deac reflect on their fall semester, and on where and how you were most supportive, so you know what they need from you going forward.

Wake Forest offices will be closed Dec. 23-Jan. 3

Wake Forest will be closed for Winter Break beginning Monday, Dec. 23 through Friday, Jan. 3. So if you or your students try to contact administrative offices or faculty during the closure, please be aware you will likely not receive a response until after we reopen on Jan. 6.

In the event you have an emergency situation with your student that cannot wait until Jan. 6, there are two options:

  • University Police is open 24/7/365. You can call 336.758.5911 for the kinds of emergencies where you would normally call 911 (e.g., immediate life and safety concerns).
  • We Are Wake is a service that ensures someone will always be available (i.e., 24/7 M-F, weekends and university holidays) to provide caring and thoughtful consultation services for Wake Forest students in need of mental health assistance or other support. You can call 336-758-CARE (2273) or submit a referral online.

Because there is very little news to share during Winter Break, this is the last scheduled Daily Deac post for 2024. The Daily Deac will resume Jan. 6, 2025.

I wish you all the best for the holiday(s) your family will be celebrating, be that Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and/or the New Year. See you in 2025, XO!

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