Big news and a request about alcohol and Family Weekend
by Betsy Chapman
I go out today for hand surgery and I may not be working for a few days or a week, so this is a pre-post.
In this Issue:
Late breaking news yesterday: undergraduates from North Carolina with annual family incomes less than $200,000 per year will attend tuition-free, beginning for students admitted for the 2026 fall semester
A request about alcohol and Family Weekend
Late breaking news yesterday: undergraduates from North Carolina with annual family incomes less than $200,000 per year will attend tuition-free, beginning for students admitted for the 2026 fall semester
After the Daily Deac was published last night, a new initiative was announced: North Carolina Gateway to Wake Forest University, which “aims to create more opportunities for talented, high-achieving North Carolina students to attend Wake Forest regardless of family income.”
Here’s what that means:
“Admitted students from North Carolina with an annual family income of $100,000 or less will receive financial aid covering tuition and standard living expenses.
Admitted students from North Carolina with an annual family income between $100,000 and $200,000 will receive financial aid covering tuition — only paying standard living expenses and applicable fees.
Admitted students from North Carolina with an annual family income between $200,000 and $300,000 will receive financial aid covering 50% of tuition. “
I forgot to mention this in yesterday’s Daily Deac about Family Weekend, so sharing it today.
In advance of Family Weekend, my colleagues have asked me to share this request to all families: please do not provide your underage student with alcohol, either at Family Weekend or any other time you’re on campus.
Providing minors with alcohol is againststate law, but it is also important to be aware of risk, liability, and student safety. If you provide alcohol to your underage student, once you leave campus you have no control over how that alcohol will be consumed, with whom it will be shared, or what the consequences of use may be.
If you are planning your own tailgate at Family Weekend, be aware that NC Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) has historically been present at tailgates and they can issue citations to students for underage consumption and/or possession of a fake ID. I know that in some families’ home states, the consumption of alcohol by a child is allowed when the alcohol is provided by their parent, but that is not the case in NC.
Finally, we want to highlight the Sober Tailgate hosted by the Office of Wellbeing, which provides free pizza and water and provides a space for tailgating without the presence of alcohol and a space to support Deacs and their family members who are in recovery.
