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Monday, October 19, 2020
 
Dear <<First Name>>,

Happy Monday, Deacs! A few short months ago, you were starting your WFU journey. Now, many of you have completed your first set of college midterms and will soon see those grades reflected on your Academic Transcript. There will be lots of achievements to celebrate, but this time in the semester can also provoke concern and worry, especially if your midterm grades don’t seem to reflect all of your hard work. It may be easy to feel discouraged, but take a moment to pause and remember that perfection is not the end goal. This academic environment is going to challenge you, and as a result, you may need to adjust how you approach your classes. There are plenty of resources available to help you, and you shouldn’t think twice about using them or reaching out to the Office of Academic Advising via walk-in hours.

We have some programmatic announcements about “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” (DVAM) to share:

  • Ongoing throughout the month: Follow this link to read and sign the DVAM Pledge that was developed collaboratively with representatives from multiple W-S colleges (Wake Forest Safe Office, Forsyth Tech, WSSU, Salem College, UNCSA), as well as Family Services. Please share with all who may be interested in signing and showing their support for survivors of relationship violence.

  • "We Pledge" will take place on Monday, October 19th at 5:00pm - 5:30pm. This event will include a pledge sharing, a video montage of individuals sharing why they believe in the pledge, and an advocate from each school (including from Wake!) speaking about survivor support. Click here to sign-up for this experience.

  • "Boos, Besties, & Boundaries: Exploring Healthy Relationships in the COVID-19 Era" will take place on Thursday, October 22nd at 7:00pm - 8:00pm. We will be conversing about setting and communicating boundaries with family, friends, partners, roommates, etc., and discussing how COVID 19 has impacted relationships and boundaries. Our panelists include Nora Kane (WFU graduate student), Gaby de la Vega (WFU undergraduate student), Shannon Ashford (WFU Intercultural Center), and Shane Taylor (WFU Office of Student Engagement). This event will be facilitated by Meredith Harrison (WFU Counseling Center Predoctoral Intern). Click here to sign-up for this experience.

  • Ongoing throughout the month: If you are on campus, stop by the ZSR library exhibit (located by the Camino Coffee entrance) in honor of both DVAM and Queer History month featuring books that focus on Queer experiences in the context of interpersonal violence and survivorship. (This exhibit contains content that may be triggering).

Before we jump into today’s Letters So Dear, we have some important announcements to share:

  • Important Academic Advising Dates: 

    • Monday, October 19th: Midterm grades are due by Noon 

    • Tuesday, October 20th is the last day to add second part-of-term courses

    • Monday, October 26th is the last day to drop a course with a grade of “W” 

    • Friday, October 30th is the last day to drop second part-of-term courses AND change from a letter grade to pass/fail in an approved second part-of-term course

    • Friday, October 30th: Spring 2021 course schedule available in the Registration Portal

  • Growing Stronger: Understanding Race and The Christian Calling is a series of monthly “town hall” meetings for college students. CBFNC Campus Ministers and representatives from several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will gather virtually with students to talk about the events that this summer has brought to a broader audience about racial inequality. The goals of the “town hall” meetings are to raise awareness, promote engagement, and formulate actions. For more information and Zoom access details, please contact Dr. Chris Towles.

  • Announcement from Residence Life and Housing: At WFU, the Resident Adviser (RA) position is the premier position on campus and the ultimate internship for your student. The RA position offers high-level experience, critical thinking, and references for every resume whether you are a Pre-Med student or on the Business Track! Being a RA is truly transformational both personally and professionally! Take the leap and dRAft Your Future with us; we promise it will be worth it. The application is now available and closes on Thursday, December 10th. Click here for more information.  Be sure to follow us on instagram @WFURLH.

Today, our “Letters So Dear” series continues with a message from sophomore, Armon White:

To anyone who is reading this, Congratulations! I'm so happy you made your way to Wake Forest, and there may be no better place for you to be. You're here for a reason. It's where you're meant to be! Reflecting back on my first year at Wake, this is how I currently feel. And some things you may want to be aware of is that it can all be very exciting, but for some it can also be very overwhelming.

This overwhelming feeling, stress, or anxiety about being around new people, having to put yourself "out there" to make friends, or overall not enjoying your first few weeks is not uncommon. If this happens to you, I promise you are not the only one feeling this way. But I can also promise that you are going to find friends. There is someone and/or something for everyone at Wake, and eventually you will become familiar with who and what those people and things are.

Your time at Wake will be something you have never experienced before, something amazing. During this journey, I urge you to stay open-minded and indulge in all of the information you can, because you don't know what you don't know. Go out and find things you are interested in, whether it's involvement in a club or campus center. Network with students, professors, and advisers, on campus and off campus if you can. Escape the bubble of campus and explore what downtown Winston has to offer you. Trust me, you will find an interest you would have never thought about. I also urge you to take care of yourself, because friends are going to come and go, ideas, thought processes, and maybe even beliefs will shift, and you are going to have some bad days. In fact, you may feel like you have nowhere to release your frustration, anger, or tears. When these days come around, find a private or special place on campus that you can enjoy, or put in your airpods and go for a walk down Reynolda Trail. There are plenty of things you can do to take care of yourself, but ultimately you have to find what works for you.

Wake Forest University has so much to offer you, and I am so glad that we all get to have this experience together! You will be given a lot of information that's going to flow in and out of your brain. So the simplest takeaway I have for you is to take care of yourself and make it a priority to know what you don't.

 

Welcome to Wake!

Armon White

GET CONNECTED and STAY CONNECTED

If you have not done so already, be sure to follow @WFUOrientation on Twitter.  Be sure to follow @WFUOrientation, @WFUStuAdvising, and @WFU.OAA on Twitter.  @WFUStudentAdvising on Instagram is another great resource; members of the Student Advising Leadership Council are sharing great advice and are happy to answer any questions you may have!

The Office of Academic Advising
Location: 125 Reynolda Hall
Phone: 336.758.3320
Fax: 336.758.4548
Email: undergraduateadvising@wfu.edu
The Office of Academic Advising
Location: 125 Reynolda Hall
Phone: 336.758.3320
Fax: 336.758.4548
Email: undergraduateadvising@wfu.edu






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Wake Forest University - Orientation · 1834 Wake Forest Rd Unit 7225 · Winston Salem, NC 27109-6050 · USA