Dean Patterson’s Address to the First Year Students

On Saturday, August 27, New Student Convocation was held in Wait Chapel.  Perry Patterson, Associate Dean for Academic Advising, gave the following welcome address to the new students.

————-

Greetings to our new students, to their families, and to Wake Forest faculty, staff and administrators assembled here, in Brendle Recital Hall, in the Mainstage Theatre, and in Pugh Auditorium on this wonderful day of new beginnings.  I spoke earlier today with parents and before that with our faculty, staff and student orientation advisers, so my remarks now are intended primarily for our new students, whom we welcome to their new home at Wake Forest, and for whom we have a very simple message:

We – the faculty, the administration, your advisers, and your families – are here because we want you to succeed.  It’s as simple as that!  You are going to be working here perhaps harder than you have ever done, but know that we WANT each and every one of you to succeed, here at Wake Forest, and further in your life and careers (which will probably be plural)!   And yes, as they say, this moment really is “all about you,” which is why we’ve assembled you front and center.

You embark today on a wonderful journey, and our goal in the coming days is to prepare you for the joys, the discoveries, and the challenges to come.   And today, on this day of momentous change in your lives and that of your parents, please:  have no fear.   In a way, perhaps, this is not a new message to you. From Voltaire’s Candide to Dorothy’s “yellow brick road,” and even to the very current struggles that engage Kurt and Mercedes in televisions’ Glee , so much of the literature, musical theatre and film we know best has already taught us all a message I can only reinforce today.

This year, your college journey has already begun with forms and surveys and choices by the score, and with what I hope has been a most joyous arrival on campus.   We know you’ll enjoy orientation as well, especially a trip to enjoy a Dash baseball games with your friends.  These will indeed be wonderful and exciting days.  But we also know that the road you travel in school will sometimes seem long and fraught with peril:  you may not encounter Voldemort, or Darth Vader, or werewolves, or even Sue Sylvester, but you most certainly will have to confront the possible need for some drop/add activity in the first days of classes, and that first mid-term exam, and perhaps a grade lower than you’ve ever seen before, and probably even a dreaded first experience with the residence hall’s laundry equipment.

And then there’s the faculty, assembled here today before you.  Indeed, we must all look especially frightening today in these flowing robes and oddly-shaped hats!  But please, remember—we are not orcs, or goblins, or Death-Eaters.  Nor are the new friends sitting around you vampires, werewolves, or even Slytherins.

Now I must issue some cautions about the path you tread beginning today.  Your faculty members may seem  terribly intelligent—and in fact they are—and some will be quick to point out weaknesses in reasoning, in writing style, and even perhaps in your class preparation.  Even more frightening, though, is the need to begin studying on day one of classes, and NOT the day before the first midterm.  This is a crucial responsibility that only you can fulfill, and I assure you that a strong first semester is vital.  So what do the movies have to say about the moments when life gets tough?

Consider the repeated scenes in Lord of the Rings, where Frodo, surrounded by orcs or the Nazgul, is sorely tempted to put on that ring, to retreat, and to flee from the horrible reality.  Fortunately, he has a friend there, Samwise Gamgee, to tell him “Don’t do it, Mr. Frodo!”  An earlier generation would have heard the ethereal admonition to Luke Skywalker:  “Don’t go over to the dark side, Luke!”  Even Harry Potter must be reminded not to use the “stupefy” curse too often on muggles.  Clearly, the lesson being taught is that the easy way out is often truly the most perilous.  In a university setting, the scariest thing a student can do in a tough moment is to take the easy way out, and fail to communicate about fears, challenges, or problems with friends and – equally important – with faculty members and advisers.

As you already know, Wake Forest offers up not just a long list of assignments, exams, courses, computers, and laboratory tasks.  The list of opportunities for study abroad, service opportunities, and mentored research with a faculty member is equally long.   Perhaps even more, though, is that we offer you today, and every day, a vast network of caring faculty, staff and administrators who want you to develop your own skills, to conquer your own fears, and to take every advantage of the rich opportunities available on this campus and beyond.  Your faculty adviser and the staff of the Office of Academic Advising are among the many campus resources that can help you in finding your way down the path.

There is one small, but critical set of requirements for your journey, akin to taking some Lambeth Bread or an elder wand with you.  First of all, you must be aware of the rules and procedures set down in the Student Handbook, and the Undergraduate Bulletin, and on the Registrar’s website.  Second, we must require that you read your Wake Forest email at least daily for important announcements that will come from faculty and administrators—Facebook is not the official info center for Wake Forest academic matters—and that you reply promptly to faculty and advisers who e-mail you.

But the big task is to get out there, onto the real, non-virtual trail—the earlier the better—and get to know us all face-to-face.   For you have enormous support in your journey, and proper attention to these matters will bring you over time a wide universe of potential mentors and advisers  Please, take a moment to look around at the tremendous group of young people assembled around you.  They are not Slytherins.  Rather, please see each other as sources of mutual support:  think Hermione and the Weasleys,  or Chewbacca and Princess Leah, or Cunegonde, or the Tin Woodman, or Finn and Tina.  And then, please look forward, and look this faculty squarely in the eyes for a moment.  Don’t see someone here to frighten you, rather see us as guides, as people whom you need to know, face-to-face.  Do you begin to see maybe Gandalf, maybe Mr. Shoe, maybe the Lady Galadriel, or perhaps even a little bit of Dumbledore?  If so, you’re right.  You’re among friends.  We welcome you to this exciting and supportive new home, the journey of your lifetime, and to your many, many new friends and mentors!

Welcome to Wake Forest!