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Friday Feelings

by Betsy Chapman

In this Issue:

  • Orientation slide shows
  • Leadership and Character fall discussion groups
  • How students know what activities are going on each week
  • Meet the Parents: profiles of staff members who are also Wake parents
  • Reminder to select optional tuition insurance by deadline of 8/24
  • Reminder on after hours help

Orientation for P’29s has concluded, and presumably our P’29 families have already headed home or will do so soon, as our new and transfer students still have a variety of activities that will keep them busy all weekend. And we are thrilled that our continuing students (i.e., ’26s-’28s) are continuing to move back in through this weekend. It just feels better when all our students are back with us.

I have been thinking a lot about our P’29s, knowing that they are likely feeling all the emotions as they return home. Yesterday when I was driving to and from campus for my various family Orientation programs, the first song that came on my Spotify shuffle that morning was Revolution by the Beatles. I love the song – that opening guitar riff alone is fab – and I found myself hitting the Repeat button so that was what I listened to the whole time. And it hit me late in the day why I might have wanted to keep that one song going all day; it was the chorus:

Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright?

Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright?

Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright?

And that’s my parting wish for you as we start the weekend, Daily Deacdom: that you know it’s gonna be alright. The start of college (or start of a new semester for our continuing students) is a huge transition, and it will take time. But its gonna be alright.

Orientation slide shows

Many of our P’29s have asked me if they will have access to all the Orientation slide shows. We will do our best to get those online sometime next week. I will publish them here, and also on our page for First Year Families. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Leadership and Character fall discussion groups

I am very excited to share this opportunity for the Program for Leadership and Character:

“This semester, we’re leading a discussion group called What is College For? In it, we’ll think about the nature of the good life and how we can live such lives in college and beyond. All are welcome as we consider topics such as friendship, gratitude, and justice. 

Discussion groups will start on Monday, September 8 and will meet four times over the following weeks, once per week for one hour each time. Prior to each meeting, group leaders will send out short pieces to frame the discussion. Those readings will come from a range of perspectives and genres and should take no more than 15–30 minutes to complete.” 

This might be an especially attractive opportunity for new students who are eager to find ways to meet others, students who enjoy deep and meaningful conversations, etc. This could be the kind of opportunity that leads students to deeper and ongoing engagement with the Program for Leadership and Character, which might lead to meaningful connections with likeminded students, staff, and faculty. I highly recommend it!

Your students can sign up by filling out this form. The deadline to sign up for a group is Wednesday, September 3.

How students know what activities are going on each week

Some of our P’29 families asked me during Orientation how their students will be aware of all the activities taking place on campus. There are several answers to that. Student organizations frequently place fliers on bulletin boards across campus; major events are often advertised on lawn signs on the Quad or other campus green spaces; there is The Link, our student organizations platform where students can find groups to join and upcoming events.

But we also send all students an email each Friday entitled Next Week at Wake: Student Edition, that pulls all student events for the next week from The Link and from our Events Calendar. We don’t routinely share this with families or archive it for you; since it is meant for students, we want students to be the ones reading it and acting on it. But I wanted to let you know that it exists and to show you one example just so you can reference it with your student if needed. And pro tip: they may need to check spam/junk/promotions, lest their settings are such that the email lands there instead of their inbox.

Meet the Parents: profiles of staff members who are also Wake parents

One of my colleagues who also works in communications wrote this beautiful piece about what it is like to be a staff member and a Wake Forest parent/family member. Here’s a taste:

“Having her children close to home for college was important, but [Dahilig Starnes, Operations Manager in Human Resources] has always felt her role was that of being a parental figure to all students. ‘The same passion I had for ensuring my children were treated with dignity and respect applied to each and every other student – I have always seen these students as my own.'”…

The biggest advantage for these families isn’t just proximity or knowledge of the system. It’s the peace of mind that comes from knowing their child is in a community where the staff, faculty, and administration are invested in their wellbeing and educating the whole person. It’s a place where relationships are nurtured, and where a deep sense of belonging allows students to thrive.” Read the full story.

Reminder to select optional tuition insurance by deadline of 8/24

Last call for anyone who wants to opt in to tuition insurance: you must complete that by Sunday 8/24.

Reminder on after hours help

Since it is the first weekend where all students are back, I thought it might be helpful to remind families of what their students should do if they need help after business hours.

Most offices work on a Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. schedule. If you have an urgent need to reach someone at the University because you have a concern that must be addressed quickly during a time that our offices are not open, use the following resources:

Emergency Response (24/7, year round) – University Police – 336.758.5911 for the kinds of emergencies where you would normally call 911 (e.g., immediate life and safety concerns)

Non-Emergency Response – 336-758-CARE (2273) 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 support.

Other Resources

Note that if you contact an office after hours/on the weekend about a non-urgent situation (i.e., something that does not involve immediate life, health, or safety concerns), administrators will respond to you the next business day (or as they are available). 

FDOC (First Day of Classes) is on Monday – enjoy the weekend, all!

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