WakeParents & Families
E-newsletter from the Office of Family Engagement
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Spring is in full bloom, campus is in Yellow status, and there's less than a month til Commencement. This has been a year like no other — but we made it! And that is to be celebrated.
Speaking of celebrations, we have shared details about our plans for Commencement 2021: all undergraduate Commencement activities will take place on Sunday, May 16. Students will participate in one of four Diploma Ceremonies that will take place in Joel Coliseum, then a Commencement Celebration will begin at 8:30 p.m. at our football stadium, Truist Field. Full details are at the Commencement website.
We are also eager to welcome the incoming Class of 2025. The New Students website will go live on May 1st and that will be the primary source of information for incoming '25 students and their P'25 parents and families until move-in.
We sent out a message this past Friday about changes to gate access, visitor guidelines, asymptomatic testing, vaccines, and more. Read it here.
Wishing our students a strong finish to the academic year - and wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, and happy Spring!
Go Deacs!
Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. ('92, MA '94)
Executive Director of Family Communications
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Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
April 19
Last day to withdraw from a second part of term course
April 19-30
Academic advising for fall classes (for '21-'24 students)
May 1
New Students website goes live for '25s and P'25s
May 8-15
Final exams
May 16
Undergraduate Commencement activities
May 16
Residence Halls close @ 2 p.m. for non-seniors (unless approved for Interim Housing)
May 17
Residence Halls close @ 2 p.m. for seniors (unless approved for Interim Housing)
May 27
Deadline to register for summer school
June 1-4
Fall course registration (for '21-'24 students)
Please check here for more parent and family dates: parents.wfu.edu
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Incoming Families of the Class of 2025
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The New Students website will go live on May 1st with details for the Class of 2025. (Note: the current information on that site is for last year's Class of 2024; the site is currently being updated for the Class of 2025). Also a reminder that the due dates and action items in all other sections of this e-newsletter are for current students ('21-24s), not your incoming students.
After a pandemic pause, select University faculty members will once again serve as Faculty Fellows teams in first-year residence halls in 2021-22. The Faculty Fellows program increases faculty-student engagement by promoting informal, regular interactions between students and faculty in the residence halls for first-year students. The program fosters exceptional faculty-student engagement and helps to educate the whole person through enriching the intellectual, cultural, and social lives of the first-year students. Faculty Fellows work closely with first-year residents throughout the academic year, creating programs, hosting dinners and interacting with students in and out of their assigned residence halls.
Many families may be considering purchasing a laptop for their incoming first-year student. Before you buy a computer, we want to make you aware of WakeWare, the student laptop program, which allows you to purchase a laptop guaranteed to work with all academic software, at educational-based and negotiated pricing, provides a loaner laptop in case repairs are needed, and has built-in accidental damage protection. Students who receive institutional aid from Wake Forest (athletic, merit, or need-based) may be eligible for a Technology Grant and will be emailed in mid-May. If taking advantage of potential back-to-school promotions or midsummer hardware announcements is important to you, we encourage you to wait until July to order your laptop. Contact the WakeWare Program Manager with any questions you may have at WakeWare@wfu.edu
We use email to communicate with families. Please be sure you have completed your Family Record Form, and consider subscribing to the Daily Deac blog. We also ask you to read our Family Communications Guidelines and Philosophy.
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Academics
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From the Office of Academic Advising (OAA):
- The advising period for lower-division, undeclared students will begin April 19 and end April 30. Students should plan to meet with their assigned lower-division adviser during this time to discuss plans for Fall 2021 courses and to receive the PIN that they will need to register for classes. Students who do not meet with their advisers to get their PIN number will not be able to register for Fall 2021 classes. Registration Rounds 1 and 2 will take place June 1-4.
- Students will be able to register for summer classes through May 27. More information about summer school can be found here.
- Classes end on May 6. Final exams begin on May 8 and last until May 15 with Reading Days scheduled for May 7, May 9 and May 13.
- It ’s not too early to be approved for part-time status for the fall! If your student plans to take less than 12 credit hours during the Fall 2021 semester, they need to visit the part-time status webpage on our website and fill out the part-time status petition form. This can be done at any time prior to the fall add deadline (Sept. 6), but it is financially advantageous to do so before the first day of class (Aug. 23)!
- Commencement activities for the Class of 2021 will take place on Sunday, May 16. More information about Commencement can be found here.
- If your student wishes to take more than 17 hours for the Fall 2021 semester, they will need to discuss their request with their faculty adviser. The adviser should then email undergraduateadvising@wfu.edu with their approval of the student ’s request noting the exact hours the student is requesting. Note if their request is approved, they cannot add more than 17 hours until both rounds of registration are completed on June 4.
Summer Session offers a wide variety of classes for students seeking to get ahead or catch up on needed credit hours. We are offering courses in all modalities so your student can stay connected with Wake Forest regardless of where they are living during the summer. The Summer Session website is your one stop shop for all undergraduate summer information. Registration will run until May 27. We also accept incoming Wake first year students, visiting college students from other universities, and high school juniors and seniors, so spread the word to your family and friends! For all inquiries regarding undergraduate summer classes at Wake Forest, contact us here.
Attention, families of graduating seniors: the Liberal Arts Studies Master ’s degree is your student's chance to strengthen their leadership, organizational, and communication skills. Applications for Summer and Fall 2021 enrollment are being accepted. We hope you’ll check us out on our website and see more in this letter to parents and families.
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Events
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The Office of Alumni Engagement is hosting International Organizations and Careers in Global Affairs: Perspectives from Recent WFU Alumni on Thursday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m. EST. Join the Wake Forest Global Deacs alumni network and a panel of three dynamic recent alumni speakers who have worked within international organizations, including the UN and USAID and its various private sector contractors, to make the world a more verdant, equitable, and just place. Through this one-hour session, aspiring students and young WFU alumni will learn more about the organizations, partnerships, and programs that move the global community towards its sustainable development goals. Register here.
From Wake The Arts: Wake the Arts is a movement to infuse the arts into every aspect of the Wake Forest experience. Through this shared connection we will elevate Pro Humanitate to develop Wake Forest graduates who are empathetic, curious, and interdisciplinary problem solvers. Subscribe to join the movement and hear the latest developments, or join us for upcoming events: 2021 Student Art Exhibition (April 23 – May 17); Student Union Art Acquisition Committee Reveal of 2021's Acquisitions (April 28, 6:00 p.m.); or The Role of the Arts in a Post-Pandemic World (April 27, 6:30 - 7:45 p.m.).
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Resources
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The Learning Assistance Center & Disability Services encourages students to use our Wake Forest academic resources! Wake Forest has a multitude of academic resources to help students along their academic journey including individualized academic coaching and one-on-one peer tutoring. Services are free and open to all students. Coaches and tutors can make a big difference - encourage your students to meet with an academic coach and peer tutors from their first semester on campus all the way to graduation!
From Residence Life and Housing: We continue to enjoy sunshine and blooms around campus this spring — it ’s hard to believe we ’ve already begun to prepare for move-out in just a few weeks. This month, we are bringing you updates around Move-Out as you and your student begin to plan and providing you with additional details and key dates for the upcoming Housing Selection process. Read more here.
From the Office of Sustainability: Deacs Donate is a donation program that happens every year during move-out. It provides an easy way for students to donate gently-used, unwanted items to Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity. All bins will be placed on Monday, May 3rd. Deacs Donate will collect donations between May 3rd - May 17th. Please remind students to consider donating before throwing away reusable items. See donation guidelines and the Deacs Donate FAQ.
From the Office of Personal and Career Development:
From Student Financial Services:
- A second notice regarding the $500 non-refundable tuition deposit required for all returning undergraduate students was sent on April 1 and it was due April 15. You can learn more about the non-refundable tuition deposit on our website.
- For our May degree candidates, congratulations on your upcoming graduation! Everyone at the University is so proud of your accomplishments. To prepare for Commencement, you will need to have student clearance; this means that you have no outstanding charges or holds on your student account. Students with Federal Perkins Loans and/or Institutional Loans need to have an online exit interview to be cleared to graduate. We also encourage you to register for your WFU Alumni Gmail account.
The Office of Wellbeing is pleased to announce a new offering, DeacsThrive TXT, which supports the wellbeing and academic success of our students. Subscribers receive helpful text messages on topics such as mental health and resilience, affirmations, physical activity, social connection, nutrition, sleep, alcohol and other drugs harm reduction, and other general wellbeing tips. Current students may text “Thrive” to 833-230-8900 to join the DeacsThrive TXT community and receive three text messages each week with tips to aid in your wellbeing practice. Reply STOP at any time to opt-out of the program. Message and data rates may apply. Families are welcome to subscribe to this service so that they can encourage their students to utilize the tips and resources provided.
Campus Recreation is hiring! We are looking for passionate and hard working student employees for various positions within the Wellbeing Center! Visit our website for more information and to see our open positions! Campus Recreation provides financial assistance to Wake Forest students through employment opportunities. We strive to foster substantive employment opportunities, transferable life skills, and personal and career development of student employees. Questions? Email us at campusrec@wfu.edu.
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Campus Safety
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Wake Forest University Police: Parents and families can sign up to receive crime alerts on the Wake Ready website, in addition to downloading the LiveSafe app. While crime alerts are sent in real time to students, faculty and staff, they are not for others. For those registered through Wake Ready, crime alerts are emailed daily at noon, but only if new alerts have been posted in the previous 24 hours.
Any emails that are sent to students, faculty, and staff are archived on the Family News website.
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Parents & Families Page
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Parents and Families Page is your portal to news and information specifically for Wake Forest families.
Want the Daily Deac parent blog to be sent automatically to your email every day? Subscribe on the main Daily Deac page by typing your email address in the Subscribe box and following the instructions. The Daily Deac is our blog for parents and families. It’s a great way to get a snapshot of life at Wake Forest.
A message about how we disseminate campus news to parents and families: Any emails that are sent to students, faculty, and staff will be posted on the Family News page. Those are not routinely emailed to all families. If you wish to check for family news items often, you may wish to bookmark that page so it is easily available.
See a list of campus resources and our FAQ page.
Contact the Office of Family Engagement at parents@wfu.edu or 336.758.4237.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Some staff members are working remotely, and some offices are working a reduced schedule. However, if you have an urgent need to reach someone at the university because you have a concern that must be addressed quickly, we have designated the University Police as our 24/7 contact. They can assess the situation and determine who best to address your concern. The 24-hour contact number for University Police is 336.758.5591 (non emergency) or 336.758.5911 (for the kinds of emergencies where you would normally call 911). University Police can get in touch with on-call duty staff 24-hours/day.
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Wake Forest University
The Office of Family Engagement
1834 Wake Forest Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27109
1.800.752.8568
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