Parents & Families E-Newsletter
November 2022

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WakeParents & Families

E-newsletter from the Office of Family Engagement

Happy Pitsgiving to all! Pitsgiving is our annual Thanksgiving feast for students. It takes place this Thursday in the Pit from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (lunch) and again from 4-7 p.m. (dinner). This is your student’s chance to have a Thanksgiving meal with their WFU friends who are like family. It’s a favorite day on campus every year.

While many of our students will be heading home to enjoy the holiday with family and friends, campus stays open during Thanksgiving. For any students staying on campus, they will want to be aware of the Thanksgiving hours of operation for campus dining, shuttles, mail services, and university stores, and make plans accordingly.

Because this is the season of gratitude, let me say how grateful I am for

  • Our beautiful campus: it is a tremendous gift to be able to work in a place that combines gorgeous architecture with lots of green spaces to enjoy, and incredible resources.
  • Wake’s leadership, staff, and faculty: every person at Wake plays a special role in the success of the institution. I am grateful for your ingenuity, your collegial spirit, and the care you have for our students’ growth and development in all areas.
  • Your students: they bring so much energy, intelligence, and idealism to campus. I am convinced that they keep us (as administrators) young!
  • Wake Forest parents and families: though most of you did not go to Wake Forest, you are among the most engaged and involved Wake Foresters I know. Thank you for being cheerleaders, supporters, and for sharing what you love about Wake with others in your networks.

Wishing you all the best for Thanksgiving: may you have full tables, full bellies, and full hearts.


Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)
Executive Director of Family Communications


Upcoming Dates and Deadlines*

Nov. 23-27*
Thanksgiving break (no classes)

Nov. 30*
Classes end

Dec. 1
Spring 2023 tuition is due

Dec. 2
LDOC (Last Day of Class)

Dec. 5-10
Final exams

Dec. 11
Residence halls close at 2 p.m.

* From the Academic Services calendar, which lists key academic dates

Academics

From the Office of Academic Advising (OAA):

  • The Office of Academic Advising is now reviewing requests from students planning to seek permission to exceed the 17-credit hour limit for the spring semester. Students should write to their academic adviser and request a course overage by explaining the number of hours they wish to take, the class or classes they wish to add, and share their plan for academic success with the increased course load. If the adviser approves of the plan, the student should then forward the approval email to the Office of Academic Advising (undergraduateadvising@wfu.edu) along with the same details (total credit hours, class or classes, and academic plan for success).
  • Students planning to be part-time during the spring semester (less than 12 credit hours) should seek approval from the Office of Academic Advising as soon as possible. While the deadline to make this change is in mid-January, it is financially advantageous to do so prior to the first day of class. Information on part-time status, and the application form, can be found here.
  • Do you have access to your student’s midterm and final grades? If not, your student can provide you with proxy access (instructions here). Keep in mind that, while all courses must be assigned final grades, some faculty members may choose not to submit midterm grades.
  • In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, class will not be in session Wednesday through Sunday, Nov 23-27.
  • The last day of class for the Fall 2022 semester will be Friday, Dec. 2.
  • The final exam period is scheduled for Dec. 5-10. The final exam schedule may be found here.

Events

From CLASS (Center for Learning, Access, and Success): CLASS is here to help students prepare for finals and thrive as they make that final push to the end of the semester. We have a group working session and one-on-one opportunities for students — encourage your Deac to let CLASS be part of their exam prep journey!

From the OCCE (Office of Civic and Community Engagement):

  • Turkeypalooza is back! It’s time for The Campus Kitchen’s largest annual event, Turkeypalooza! We will be cooking 600 Thanksgiving meals from scratch to help our community members feel love and support during the holiday season! The WFU community, including students, faculty, and staff are welcome to help by signing up for a volunteer shift to help cook or deliver meals from Nov. 13-19. Learn more about Turkeypalooza at Wake Forest.
  • Lighting of the Quad hosts Winter Donation Drive. The OCCE, Student Union, and the Black Student Alliance are partnering to collect donations for the Shalom Project’s annual Holiday Gift Bags. The Shalom Project is a nonprofit that challenges the cycle of poverty by assisting with immediate needs of medical care, clothing, food, and long-term initiatives to reduce poverty. Donation items can include gloves, hats, scarves, socks, and blankets, as well as full-size toiletries including — toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, deodorant, tissues, hand lotion, and lip balm. Students are asked to please drop off items in Benson 506 or bring donations to the Lighting of the Quad on Nov. 28. Learn more.

From the Events Calendar:

  • The Lighting of the Quad is a formal celebration of the holiday season for students and the campus community. It serves as an antidote to end-of-the-semester/pre-finals stress, an opportunity for students to get out of their rooms and enjoy the holiday spirit in the WFU community. It is also one of Wake’s biggest festive traditions. Encourage your students to join us on Tues., Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. on the Quad (Hearn Plaza) to light up the quad and enjoy musical performances, hot drinks, pastries, and more.
  • The Lovefeast is one of our most cherished traditions. Encourage your Deacs to join us at 7 p.m. on Dec. 4. in Wait Chapel. The Lovefeast will be livestreamed, so if you wish to participate and don’t live within easy traveling distance, you can join in on the 4th; a livestream link will be on the Lovefeast website closer to the event.

Resources and News

From the Student Health Service: The Student Health Service is beginning to see cases of influenza A on campus. This is consistent with the increasing number of cases in Forsyth County as well as North Carolina. According to the CDC, the best way to prevent influenza is by getting an influenza vaccine every year. Students are encouraged to get their influenza vaccines as soon as possible. Vaccines are available at most pharmacies as well as at the Student Health Service. We also recommend that every student get the latest bivalent COVID vaccine booster to help prevent the anticipated surge of cases in January and February.

From Transportation and Parking Services:

  • Transportation and Parking Services offers airport shuttle transportation during designated break times throughout the school year. Service is provided both to and from Greensboro’s Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO-PTI) and Charlotte’s Douglas International Airport (CLT).
  • The registration window for Thanksgiving airport transportation will be open from Nov. 7-18 (noon). To register and view campus-to-airport departure and airport-to-campus return dates/times click here.

From Student Financial Services:

  • The spring 2023 charges are now on the account for students and their Authorized Payers to review. Please be sure your students have added you/anyone they want to have access to their account as an Authorized Payer in DEAC. Spring semester tuition is due on Dec. 1.
  • Prepare for the unexpected and protect your investment in education. Registration is now underway for Dewar Tuition Refund Plan. This low-cost plan helps to minimize the financial loss when a student withdraws due to accident or illness. Learn more about the University’s Withdrawal/Course Drop Refund policy and how Tuition Insurance can assure up to 75% refund throughout the term.
  • If your student has not provided their Tax Identification Number (TIN) or Social Security Number (SSN) to Wake Forest University, they would have received an email from Student Financial Services prompting them to complete and submit the provided form. Please note; the W9-S form should be delivered to the appropriate Registrar’s Office as instructed, it should not be sent in via email. WFU is required to provide all students a complete 1098-T Tuition Tax Form each tax year, and the IRS requires that the TIN/SSN be included on this form.

From Student Insurance: The Student Blue (Health Insurance) Enrollment/Waiver process is now open for Spring 2023 if you want to make changes to your coverage:

  • If you did not enroll in Student Blue for the fall and want to change that for the spring 2023 semester, enroll here.
  • If you did not submit a waiver for the fall semester but you want to submit a waiver for Spring 2023, waive here
  • The deadline to enroll or waive for Spring 2023 is Feb. 15, 2023.

In addition, please remind your student(s) to always carry either an electronic or hard copy of their insurance card. Need assistance? Email sip@wfu.edu or call 336.758.4247.

From Hospitality and Auxiliary Services: In preparation for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday, we would like to share hours of service across all Hospitality & Auxiliary Services Departments. See what dining options are available throughout the break, available shuttle services, as well as University Stores and Mail Services operational hours.

From the Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD):Although the Fall recruiting season is waning, job and internship opportunities are plentiful with over 30,000 opportunities posted on the Wake Forest Handshake system. A recent NACE survey reports that employers plan to hire 14.7% more graduates from the Class of 2023 than they did from the Class of 2022. So, encourage your student to actively use Handshake all the time, even while away on Thanksgiving and Winter break. To stay informed, your student should subscribe to any of our Career Pathways newsletters, set up a virtual search agent on Handshake, and develop a networking plan with our career coaches to identify and secure a great job or internship during the Spring semester. Visit our website to learn more.

From the Office of Wellbeing: For families of seniors, we invite you to partner with us in talking to your ’23 Deac about not participating in Senior Fifth, a dangerous, student-driven drinking event that takes place on the day of the last home football game. Read more about Senior Fifth.

From Athletics:

  • There are three easy options that parents and families can choose from if they wish to purchase men’s basketball season ticketsa full, half, or quarter season ticket membership. Meanwhile, the best way for families to see your Demon Deacons' women's basketball team this season is by purchasing season tickets with many new and exciting benefits! The quickest and most efficient way to order season tickets is to visit GoDeacs.com/tickets and purchase online or call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336.758.3322, ext. 1. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. As a reminder, students can claim their tickets through the Screamin’ Demon Rewards mobile app.
  • Following Wake Forest’s win over Boston College, the Demon Deacons have now extended the conference’s second-longest bowl streak to seven consecutive seasons. Wake Forest has experienced sustained success on and off the field as the Deacs are the only FBS program with a 990 APR, 90-plus graduation rate, and six or more bowl games under their current head coach. Deacon Nation can click here to register for bowl tickets. The destination for the bowl will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Campus Safety

Campus Safety Advisory: Harassment — On October 27, a message was shared with the Wake Forest community about an individual aggressively approaching Wake Forest students. The individual has been banned from campus. Since Oct. 27, there are no confirmed reports that the individual has returned to campus. He will be arrested by University Police if he is caught trespassing. Although rumors of multiple reported sightings have circulated, University Police have received and responded to two reports since Oct. 27 related to the individual. The first proved to be a mistaken identification, and the second proved to be a student filing a report about an incident that did not occur. Read the full message.

Wake Forest uses the Wake Alert system — voicemail, email, text message, website and web banners, and social media (Twitter, Facebook) — to notify faculty, staff and students when the University believes that members of the Wake Forest community could be at risk. Those messages are issued as soon as pertinent, vetted information is available. It may take time for authorities to investigate, verify and provide instructions or updates.

Parents & Families Page

Parents and Families Page is your portal to news and information specifically for Wake Forest families.

The Daily Deac is our blog for parents and families. It’s a great way to get a snapshot of life at Wake Forest, plus news, tips, and advice on supporting your student. Subscribe to the Daily Deac here

Any emails that are sent to all students, faculty, and staff are archived on the Family News website.

See our Who to Contact for... page if you need to contact a particular department. If you have an urgent need to reach someone at the University because you have an urgent concern that cannot wait until the next business day, please see our After Hours Help page.

Contact the Office of Family Engagement at parents@wfu.edu or 336.758.4237.


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Wake Forest University
The Office of Family Engagement
1834 Wake Forest Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27109
1.800.752.8568