Tuesday News and Notes
In this Issue:
- Wake wins 2023 National Debate Tournament
- Debbie Allen named WFU’s first ‘Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence’
- Question from an incoming P’27 family about our foreign language requirement
- Asian Heritage Month Calendar
- A message to off-campus students
- Letters So Dear
Wake wins 2023 National Debate Tournament
We’ll start off today with news from the Wake Forest Debate Facebook page:
“The exciting news from the wee hours of Monday morning is that Wake Forest debaters Iyana Trotman and Tajaih Robinson won the 2023 National Debate Tournament!
Iyana and Tajaih defeated the University of Michigan on a 4-1 decision in the championship debate. They defeated Dartmouth College in the semifinals, the University of Kansas in the elite eight, and Michigan State University in the sweet sixteen.”
You can read the full post here. Congratulations to Iyana and Tajaih and to all the debate team coaches and debaters!
Debbie Allen named WFU’s first ‘Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence’
Emmy award-winning director and producer Debbie Allen has been named the inaugural recipient of Wake Forest University’s Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence Award.
The Award honors world-renowned artists who reflect Maya Angelou’s passions for creating, performing and teaching and celebrates exceptional artists for combining achievement in the arts and a commitment to improving the human condition.
Ms. Allen will visit Wake Forest to educate and engage both the University and Winston-Salem communities on November 13-14, 2023.
“On behalf of an elated and grateful Wake Forest community, we celebrate the opportunity to welcome Ms. Allen to Wake Forest. Her monumental contributions as a visionary artist and educator are an inspiration for our faculty, staff and students,” said Vice Provost for the Arts and Interdisciplinary Initiatives at Wake Forest University.
Read more on the Wake Forest News website.
Question from an incoming P’27 family about our foreign language requirement
I received a very good question from an incoming parent recently, and thought it might be worth posting here because there are likely other new families who have the same question.
“My student has taken a foreign language for four years in high school. He is thinking about switching to a new language in college. What are your thoughts?”
As an academic adviser, here’s how I would answer that question:
Before he decides to study a brand new language, he should ask himself how much he loves to learn new languages. Starting a new language typically means 4 semesters (2 solid years) of the new language: verb conjugation, vocab flash cards, extensive classes, etc.
If he really loves learning languages and doesn’t mind starting over, terrific! Or if he knows he wants to learn a new language because he wants to study abroad in a country speaking that language and he’s motivated, it can also be a good reason to switch.
If, on the other hand, he does not love grammar and vocabulary and intensive language classes, he might prefer to finish the language he studied in high school.
In the summer, students will take a Foreign Language Placement Test in the language they took in high school (details will come after the New Students website goes live May 1). Your son should take the FLPT in the language that he studied in high school, because he needs to get a placement in the language he studied.
By taking the foreign language placement in the language he already studied, he will at least be assigned a course level in the language he knows. Depending on how he places on his language exam, he could have anywhere between 1-4 semesters to finish his language requirement at WFU. For a student who places such that he is only 1 or 2 semesters away from finishing, it can be a powerful incentive to stay the course.
So my advice in this situation is for the student to take the placement test and see where he places, then examine his motivations and strengths before making a decision.
Asian Heritage Month Calendar
From the Intercultural Center: “Join the intercultural Center and various campus partners as we celebrate Asian Heritage Month! Below is the calendar that contains a variety of events happening around campus.” (Click to enlarge).
A message to off-campus students
The Office of Residence Life and Housing and the Office of Student Conduct sent this message to off-campus resident students to ask them to be mindful of their responsibility to be good neighbors to those who live in the same residential areas.
Letters So Dear
Last but not least today, for our P’26 families, you can read your ’26 students weekly Letters So Dear.