Wednesday Thoughts

Today is a glorious day – one my late P’92 mom would have called “warm with gentle breezes.” It’s sunny and 70 degrees as I write this, but it is supposed to hit 80 by the end of the day. We had a big rain yesterday afternoon and evening, which I hope has flushed a lot of the pollen out of the trees.

Normally at this time of year, there are a lot of students coughing, sniffing, and sneezing. Seasonal allergies are a real thing – particularly for students who come from different parts of the country and are not used to our pollen. And while our rates of COVID are thankfully very low, your Deacs should be in touch with the Student Health Service if they have symptoms so that SHS can provide guidance as needed.

A program note for your Deacs: the Office of Sustainability will be presenting Earth Talks tomorrow evening (Thursday April 7 at 6 pm in Pugh Auditorium). Earth Talks feature nine unique presentations from undergraduate students, Masters students, and a PhD candidate: “Wake Forest students share their knowledge, research, experiences, and passions on a variety of sustainability topics. Each brief session will be student-led and presented in the style of a TED Talk, with opportunities for Q&A and interaction to follow. Refreshments will be provided.” See more details.

For families in the Washington, DC area, there is an upcoming Brunch and Learn program that might be of interest: Looking Beyond the Chaotic End: The War in Afghanistan and What Comes Next. This will be held on Saturday, April 23rd at 10:00 a.m. in the Wake Washington Center, and will feature remarks from Politics & International Affairs Professor Will Walldorf, who is our resident Wake Washington faculty this semester, teaching classes in Foreign Policy and U.S. Grand Strategy. Registration is required; you can register here.

Student Union’s Spring Concert is back! On Saturday, April 9th from 3-6 pm, Daya will be the featured performer: “Come out this Saturday, April 9th, to see Daya perform live on Manchester Plaza. There will also be a featured student performance, Jay Kartel. Doors open at 3:00 pm for Wake Forest students only. RSVP through The Link. Can’t wait to see you there!”

— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)