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End of the First Week

by Betsy Chapman

In this Issue:

  • Fire alarm info
  • Important mold and mildew info
  • Wellbeing coaching
  • Mindfulness course: Intro to Meditation
  • Dining Hours of Operation on Monday

We are at the end of the first week of classes! Hope your Deacs will give themselves a pat on the back; the first week is always busy with a lot of adjustments. Here’s today’s news for you:

Fire alarm info

I have heard from a couple of families with questions about our fire alarms. I talked to my trusted colleagues in the Office of Residence Life and Housing to see if they had info they could share. Here it is:

“At the beginning of each semester, we tend to receive messages of concern after increased fire alarms and as students (re)adjust to their on-campus communities. Student safety is our highest priority, and we want to balance that with their ability to rest and feel comfortable in your community. 

Please note that our systems are working as intended, and each alarm is reported and reviewed by various staff members to ensure they are functioning correctly. Our detectors are set to the lowest sensitivity allowed by the fire code. 

HOW OUR SENSORS WORK

Our rooms use photo particle sensors, meaning they look for particles in the air that could be smoke. Unfortunately, those sensors can’t distinguish smoke from steam, hair spray, etc., which often triggers what students will refer to as false alarms. 

To avoid setting off the alarms:

  • Avoid allowing excessive shower steam to build up and then be released where a detector is located. 
  • Do not smoke or vape in the buildings.
    • All cigarettes, including e-cigarettes, must be smoked at least 50 feet away from any campus building.
  • Only cook food for the recommended amount of time at the appropriate temperature.
    • Do not leave cooking unattended for any length of time.
  • Do not spray any aerosol cans close to the detectors.
  • Take care when curling or straightening hair not to be close to any detectors.”

I hope that provides some context to the situation. To the degree that you want to stress to your students the importance of adhering to the guidelines above, we would be most grateful.

Important mold and mildew info

At the start of each semester, the Office of Residence Life and Housing sends a message about mold and mildew prevention to all resident students. I hope your students will read the whole message, paying special attention to the following:

  • Do not open windows while heating or cooling units are operating. This will cause condensation and may contribute to mold growth. 
  • Do not place furniture or other items in front of heating and cooling units that can obstruct airflow. 
  • Do not place potted plants or any other source of moisture on or around heating and cooling units.
  • Set thermostats no lower than 70 degrees when cooling and no higher than 74 degrees when heating your room; fans should be set on low speed. 
  • Do not leave wet or damp clothes, towels, or shoes in closets. Set them out on a drying rack until completely dry. 
  • Please empty your room and bathroom trash on a regular basis; do not let it accumulate in your room. 
  • Do not use foam mattress pads on your bed; they do not allow air circulation between the pad and our waterproof mattresses.

Wellbeing coaching

I learned yesterday that the Office of Wellbeing is enrolling for our Wellbeing Coaching program, which is free for students (as well as staff and faculty).  Clients will work one-on-one with a certified coach to identify their individual health and wellbeing goals, and then co-create a plan to achieve those goals and make them stick. 

Sessions are bi-weekly for the semester, or on a drop-in basis, and a variety of times are available. Goals can vary widely and can include anything from increasing sleep or managing stress, to developing a mindfulness practice or pursuing financial goals.

Your students can find out more and register at go.wfu.edu/wellbeingcoaching.

Mindfulness course: Intro to Meditation

MindfulWake’s Intro to Meditation class is a 4-week course where participants learn mindfulness and meditation skills. Through this curriculum, you may experience less stress, better sleep, increased focus and less self-judgement. Your students can find out more and register at go.wfu.edu/mindful.

Just a personal plug for mindfulness: I am a Generalized Anxiety Disorder kinda girl, and mindfulness has been so so helpful in my management of anxiety. Highly recommend.

Dining Hours of Operation on Monday

There will be no classes on Monday, January 20 – and administrative offices are also closed – in observance of the MLK Holiday. I got a message this morning notifying of dining hours of operation:

  • “The Table at Reynolda (The Pit) | 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
  • Hilltop Market (NDH) | 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | 4:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
  • Chick-fil-A | 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
  • Smith’s Cafe | 11:00 a.m. – midnight

You can find the complete dining hours of service here.”

That same message also noted the following about our Shuttle service:

“Normal shuttle routes will be paused in observance of MLK Day.

  • The Student On-Call Shuttle will operate from 8:00 a.m. – midnight. To request a ride students should call 336.283.1091
  • Freshman Line/First Year Shuttle originally scheduled for Sunday from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. will now operate on Monday during the same time frame.”

The Daily Deac will be dark on Monday in honor of the MLK holiday. Have a great long weekend, and we’ll see you Tuesday!

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