Media Advisory: Wake Forest prepares to welcome class of 2017

Orientation events continue through Aug. 26.  Here’s the complete schedule. Classes begin Aug. 27.

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Students Promoting Action and Responsibility in the Community (SPARC) – Before orientation starts, more than 70 first-year students will spend four days (Aug. 18-22) volunteering in the Winston-Salem community. Fifty first-year students and about 20 mentors will get to know their new community through service, learning about the issues our community faces, and meeting community partners that work regularly with Wake Forest students. They will take on pre-orientation service projects in three areas: environmental conservation, hunger and homelessness, and youth empowerment. SPARC is a program designed to show students first-hand the important role community service plays in the life of the university. For a schedule, contact the Wake Forest news office.

Student athletes to help first-year students move-in – Football players, volleyball players and student athletes from several other Wake Forest athletic teams will help move heavy boxes and suitcases for first-year students during move-in day (Aug. 22). Each team will be assigned a specific residence hall where they will help new students move-in. For the residence hall team assignments, contact the Wake Forest news office.

College-to-career planning from day one – Wake Forest guides and inspires students to take charge of their personal and career development from their first days on campus. In fact, it is one of the only schools in the country to incorporate personal and career development into its orientation for first-year students. On Friday, Aug. 23, new students will launch their college-to-career journey at 1:30 p.m. in Wait Chapel. The one-hour program ends with students throwing paper airplanes to signify the beginning of their four-year flight plan.

Suite new residence halls – Two state-of-the-art residence halls will open their doors to upper class students Aug. 24 on Wake Forest University’s Reynolda campus. Built to qualify for the U.S. Green Building Council’s prestigious Silver LEED certification, Dogwood and Magnolia Halls will collectively house 480 upper class students during the 2013-14 school year. Mirror images of each other, both north campus dorms feature innovative designs that include abundant natural lighting, real-time monitoring of water and electricity use, and communal recreation and eating areas to facilitate peer interaction.

Faculty Fellows are “moving-in” – The professors participating in Wake Forest’s new Faculty Fellows program have been matched with first-year residence halls. They will work closely with the residents throughout the year, creating programs, hosting dinners, and hanging out in the building. Their goal is to help with the adjustment to college life and strengthen the connection between students and faculty beyond the classroom.

First-year students focus on access to healthy food – Joel Salatin is America’s most celebrated pioneer of chemical-free farming. An author, lecturer and advocate for all things grown and sold locally, Salatin’s work has been featured in The New York Times and in documentaries like “Food Inc.” The self-described “Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic” will be speaking Aug. 25 at 3:30 p.m. in Wait Chapel. His presentation “How Can we Afford It?” will be the culmination of incoming first-year students’ Summer Academic Project focused on issues of food justice.

Just for parents: helping with the college transition – When students leave home for the first time to attend college, both they and their parents often need help making the transition a successful one. Dr. James Raper, associate director of the University Counseling Center and Dr. Joanne Clinch, clinical director with the Student Health Service, lead a special orientation session for parents. They help parents understand common issues during the college years, when to be concerned, and when to give their children space to learn for themselves. Raper and Clinch are available for interviews.

Where are you from? – Did you know that North Carolina has one of the fastest growing immigration populations? Wake Forest’s Where Are You From? Project (WAYF) collects video interviews from students, faculty and staff who have migrated or experienced mobility in their life. The video booth will be available for SPARC students on Sunday, Aug. 18 and on Wednesday, Aug. 21, for incoming international students. To schedule an interview with the project leaders, contact the Wake Forest news office.

About Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University combines the best traditions of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a large research university. Founded in 1834, the school is located in Winston-Salem, N.C. The University’s graduate school of arts and sciences, divinity school, and nationally ranked schools of law, medicine and business enrich our intellectual environment. Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu.