Thursday Thoughts

In this Issue:

• Face to Face with Magic Johnson – student sign up
• Parking reminder for football game on Friday
• Tips from IS for students re: technology, cybersecurity and more
• Study on boosting brain health in older adults

Happy Thursday, Daily Deacdom. I have a handful of things to share today, but before I do, I wanted to make mention of one thing. Some of our WFU emails to parents, families, and students seem to be landing in people’s spam/junk folders. That is not an unusual thing if we send a mass email out to large numbers of people at once, but it seems like sometimes it is also happening on a reply to an email you sent a particular staff member or office.

So if you have sent something to me or any other staffer or office and have not heard back, please check your junk/spam folders, as the reply might be there. It might not be a bad idea to do a periodic search for any @wfu.edu emails in your mail folder, just in case.

Now to today’s news…

Face to Face with Magic Johnson – student sign up

Families, please encourage your students to register for their FREE Earvin “Magic” Johnson Face to Face ticket! He will be in conversation with Tracy Wolfson on Tuesday, September 16 at LJVM at 7:30 p.m. Students can register at go.wfu.edu/f2f-student.

Families, if you want to attend, you can purchase tickets here.

Parking reminder for football game on Friday

Deacon Boulevard will be open on Friday ahead of Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium. Students and fans driving to the game are encouraged to visit GoDeacs.com/Parking2025 for more information on traffic routes and parking for the game. Read more about the gameday experience.

Tips from IS for students re: technology, cybersecurity and more

My friends in Information Systems wanted to be sure that families were aware of all of the supports available to your students for tech support, cybersecurity and more. Here is what they shared with me:

“Information Systems is here to help every student succeed with the tech support and resources they need. Without further ado, here are our top tech tips for students at Wake Forest:

Support at The Bridge: For tech help, students can visit our IT support desk at The Bridge, located on the main level of ZSR Library, right by the beautiful atrium. Our friendly team can help with devices and software. For support after hours, students can use our chatbot, Deacbot, or get live chat support at help.wfu.edu.

Network: For almost everything, students should use our official Wake Forest network, eduroam. It’s the preferred network for laptops, mobile devices, and tablets because it provides a faster, more secure experience. Other networks, like WFUMyDevices and WFUGuest, offer a reduced experience and are not recommended.

Software: Before students purchase any software, they should visit software.wfu.edu to find student licensing for Microsoft 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, and more.

Avoid a Lockout: Students should be sure to set up two-step verification for their WFU account by going to their WFU account settings at myaccount.google.com.

Cybersecurity Basics: Always remember: students should never share their account information, including their password or any codes, with anyone (including parents/family members!). Information Systems will never ask students to provide Google account codes. To learn more, see our Wake Forest Cybersecurity Checklist.

Prioritizing Online Safety and Data Privacy: In a world with increasing online risks like phishing, it’s crucial to have a conversation with your student about cybersecurity best practices. A great way to boost their online security is by encouraging them to use passkeys, a modern, phishing-resistant alternative to traditional logins. Passkeys are like digital keys on a student’s trusted device. They are superior to other methods like SMS codes because they can’t be learned or discovered by hackers and only work when your student is in close proximity to their login device. Encourage your student to set up a Passkey on their trusted devices today!

Additional Cybersecurity Protections: Students can also sign in to use Google’s Security Checkup to strengthen their online security for their WFU accounts.

See our Move-in tech guide.”

Study on boosting brain health in older adults

One of my colleagues who works with Wake Forest news shared a LinkedIn post from Executive Mental Health about a study about supporting brain health in older adults:

“A new study from Wake Forest University, highlighted by The Associated Press, shows it’s never too late to support brain health. In adults aged 60–79, simple lifestyle changes including regular exercise, the MIND diet, brain games, and social engagement, helped participants perform 1–2 years younger on cognitive tests in just two years.

That’s a powerful reminder that healthy aging isn’t about one habit, but a holistic approach. Read more here on how movement, nutrition, social connection, and cognitive activities can build resilience and help the brain stay sharper, longer.”

As a woman who is a few years away from 60 myself :) this study was welcome news, and I wanted to dig in to the whole story to learn what I can.