A few words about social life
In this Issue:
- The Graylyn Estate, named #4 ‘Best Boutique Hotel’ by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
- Social life and off campus parties
- Important alcohol information for our families
Yesterday was move-in for our ’27 at NC State. It was a long, tiring, sweaty day, but I am happy to report that it was 1000x easier than first-year drop off last August. I didn’t even cry! So for any of our ’27s out there, my hope is that your move-in was like mine: all sweet and no bitter 🙂 (And ditto for families of all years, of course!)
The Graylyn Estate, named #4 ‘Best Boutique Hotel’ by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
I saw this message yesterday and wanted to share it: great news for Graylyn!
“The Graylyn Estate was named #4 Best Boutique Hotel by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. After the nomination by a team of travel experts and weeks of voting, USA TODAY announced the results yesterday, naming The Graylyn Estate as one of the two NC Hotels recognized in the Top 5. Graylyn climbed up the ranking in 2024, being named #5 Best Boutique Hotel in 2024.”
Graylyn “features 85 historic and modern guest rooms nestled throughout the pristine 55-acre estate. Originally constructed in 1932, the estate was once the private residence of Mr. and Mrs. Bowman Gray. In 1972, the property was donated to Wake Forest University, restored to its original splendor, and transformed into a boutique hotel and conference center. Graylyn’s legendary hospitality includes serving guests Mrs. Gray’s Butterscotch cookies every afternoon and offering overnight guests unlimited ice cream in honor of Mr. Gray’s favorite treat.
Graylyn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the second-largest historic home in North Carolina, and is a member of Historic Hotels of America.”
And not to push your buttons in ways that you aren’t ready for yet, but I will add that Graylyn was named a Top 29 Romantic, Regency-inspired Wedding Venue by Here Comes The Guide. So file that away if your Deac makes what we like to call an “advantageous marriage” (i.e., to another Deac!) and they want to get married in Winston-Salem 🙂
Social life and off-campus parties
This is a topic I run every August before the start of school, and our P’28s have seen this once in their Weekly Messages each Tuesday, but I wanted to share it here for all families: it’s about underage drinking.
There is not a college town anywhere whose local law enforcement isn’t aware of when school starts. With new students comes a potential crop of underage drinkers who could run afoul of the “21 and over” law to drink.
There are a number of residential neighborhoods near campus that house many of our off-campus seniors who have fulfilled their 6-semester residency requirement. Those homes can be hubs for informal parties and other social events. As those students are typically 21 or older, they can legally drink alcohol. But there are things families (and underage students) should know about underage drinking and the start of school.
Hopefully your family has had conversations about your values and expectations surrounding alcohol and drugs. If you have not, please talk to your Deacs. It’s likely that your student will encounter alcohol during their time at Wake Forest and it’s important to have an open and honest discussion; they care about what you think. My advice to students is always to be careful – both physically careful with what they put in their bodies, and careful in terms of potentially risky situations.
In most of my years at Wake, I could set my watch to the fact that soon after school started, I would get a late night text telling me that there is a large group of students who are being cited for underage drinking at an off-campus location.
A good rule of thumb is if a student is at at a house where there are lots of students standing around in the front yard/back yard with red solo cups in hand, or there are a lot of parked cars, or if it is loud or unruly, neighbors will call the police.
When the police come, students could be cited for underage possession. Off-campus citations are issued by the City of Winston-Salem or Alcohol Law Enforcement (state police). The Dean of Students will also meet with students who are cited off-campus. Both may have implications for students’ academic pursuits.
So remind your students – particularly our new Deacs – that they will have PLENTY of time after the semester begins to meet upperclassmen and go to parties or tailgates. They might do better to ease in gently from a social standpoint, because ALE (Alcohol Law Enforcement) can be more active the first few weeks.
If they want to go to a party and want to be careful of consequences, they could always bring a bottle of water. That allows them to visit and socialize, but won’t run the risk of being cited if they aren’t drinking/in possession of alcohol.
Important alcohol information for our families
My colleagues have asked me to share this request to our new families: please do not provide your underage student with alcohol, either at move-in or any other time you’re on campus.
Providing minors with alcohol is of course against state law, but it is also important for many other reasons, including risk, liability, safety, community, and more.
Wake Forest students are living in community — sharing their physical living space, classrooms, and the larger campus. Living in community means everyone needs to follow the rules that have been set out for the good of the whole, because that’s what makes the community function in harmony.
If you provide alcohol to your underaged student, you and your student are risking the safety of our campus and other students. Once you leave campus, you have no control over how the alcohol will be consumed, with whom it will be shared, or what the consequences of use may be.
Something to consider if you are coming for football games: NC Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) has been present at tailgates and have issued citations to students for underage consumption. In some families’ home states, the consumption of alcohol by a child, when the alcohol is provided by the parent, is allowed, but that is not the case in NC.
Please know that I share all this not to alarm families, but to offer guidance. College is a new situation, with nuances and rules your new students (and you!) may not be aware of, and you want to help them think before they act so that they have the best outcomes possible. And every year I write about underage drinking and the start of school, I get at least one parent/family member who emails me and says “I wish my Deac had listened to this!”