ESPN College Gameday
Big news came out at the end of the week, and that is for the first time ever, ESPN’s College Gameday will be broadcasting from Truist Field, but without a crowd (because in accordance with NC Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 Phase 2.5 guidance, fans aren’t permitted to attend the show). However, the University is planning small outdoor watch parties that comply with social distancing guidelines (details still being worked out and to be announced later this week).
There will be all sorts of festivities happening this weekend around the football game (read more here). We know there will be a Truist Drive-In watch party for Wake Forest students, faculty, staff, season ticket holders, etc. There will be limited spaces for this experience; students can enter the lottery system for these spaces through the Screamin’ Demon Rewards app. Those attending will be required to decorate their cars to proudly display their Wake Forest pride on ESPN and social media using #WFGameday. (Note: There will be a limited number of vehicles available for students who do not have a car on campus.) Live cameras will show the crowd throughout the show. Again, social distancing guidelines will be in effect.
College Gameday is normally a huge deal in terms of student-created signs, and we are not letting COVID change that. So students can make signs and drop them off beginning today between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Bridger Field House adjacent to Truist Field, at the picnic shelter at Bailey Park in Innovation Quarter/Wake Downtown, or on the third floor of the Benson Student Center. All signs must be received by noon on Friday. Hopefully our Deacs will show their creativity, artistry and cleverness. Get to painting, Deacs!
In other event news, two key campus traditions are having interest meetings: Hit the Bricks (today from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Eastern) and Project Pumpkin (tomorrow from 7-8 p.m.). Students can learn more at the Office of Civic and Community Engagement website and the Corq app. Hit the Bricks and Project Pumpkin are longstanding and much-beloved campus traditions and a favorite of students, so I hope many (especially new ’24s) will get involved.
Speaking of ’24s, this week’s Weekly Message for First Year Families is out today: “At the start of every semester, we ask parents and families to help us reinforce a message we want new students to hear (read everything) and a question we want families to ask themselves before acting (“If I do X, what is my student learning?”). Read it here. Your students also got a Letters So Dear; read it here.
I also wanted to clarify something that I’d been asked over the long weekend. Some families have been asking me about our presence on Facebook. The University maintains the Wake Forest Parents and Families page on Facebook. Wake Forest does not have any official groups or message boards for parents/families or alumni. Any that are out there are privately run and not officially sponsored by the University. As such, we do not control what is posted, nor can we vouch for the content therein.
We always encourage families to use Wake Forest sponsored sources for official news, information, or questions: WFU web sites, the Daily Deac, parents@wfu.edu, the Call Center (336-758-7500 M-F 10 a.m.-3 p.m.), etc. If you want to follow Wake’s various social media accounts, you can find a listing here: https://social.wfu.edu/campus-accounts/