What’s it like at to live at Wake Forest? One way to find out is to look at the many ways students, faculty and staff build community. Its people are committed to making the world a better place on campus, within the community and beyond.

Faculty house calls

The year began with more than 40 faculty members representing 13 academic disciplines welcoming first-year students to their residence halls. Each faculty pair, along with a residence life and housing staffer, met an average of 60 students in the Class of 2016 through a program called Faculty House Calls. The door-to-door meet and greet is the first of many opportunities for students and faculty to get to know one another outside the classroom.

A roadmap to success

First-year students attended a mandatory (Yes, mandatory!) orientation program to be introduced to the Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD). All 1,357 students gathered in Wait Chapel. To keep their attention, the OPCD program included games, live polling using text messaging, music, videos and even paper airplanes. From their very first days on campus, Wake Forest students begin thinking about post-graduation life.

Wake Forest has been at the forefront of transforming the traditional, outdated concept of “career services” into a holistic, four-year approach to personal and career development. The success of the college-to-career initiative shows in the results: 95% of survey respondents from the Class of 2012 report being employed or attending graduate school. News of Wake Forest’s nationally recognized strategy for personal and career development appeared in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today (via The Hechinger Report) As grads seek jobs, universities cut career services and Inside Higher Ed.

Polishing a campus jewel

Wake Forest’s public spaces, particularly Hearn Plaza, are known for beautiful grounds and views. But students and administrators noticed much of the community was traveling from residence hall to classroom building and back again without pausing to enjoy their surroundings. As part of the University’s commitment to increasing overall well being in body, mind and spirit, a new initiative brought additional tables and chairs, along with board games, fitness equipment and a solar-powered piano to campus to remind our community to seek balance in our lives. For taking the lead in addressing the anxiety that can come in an over-scheduled, high-stress academic environment, Wake Forest was featured in Inside Higher Ed’s story “All Work and No play? No More.”

Suite new residence halls

North campus will have a whole new look when students return this fall with residence halls opening in August 2013. “I’ve been on many other campuses, and I believe Wake Forest has the best-designed and intentional residential experience for students,” said Donna McGalliard, dean of residence life and housing. A new dining facility, opening later in the year, will offer a variety of service options, from sit-down meals to short order menus and a convenience store.

The student-athlete balance

Established in 2005, the Dean’s Cup recognizes the Wake Forest athletic team with the highest grade point average each academic year. In 2012-13, men’s track and field/cross country and women’s golf celebrated a three-peat. Each team has captured three consecutive titles.

Wake Forest marching band performs with Rascal Flatts
The Spirit of the Old Gold and Black, Wake Forest University’s marching band, performed live on stage with Grammy Award winning artists Rascal Flatts at the Greensboro Coliseum. Approximately 50 students (about half the marching band) had the opportunity play along during the trio’s popular song “Life is a Highway,” a tune the Wake Forest band routinely performs at halftime of home football games. Check out the video.

Faces of Courage:  A Yearlong Celebration of Diverisity and Inclusion at Wake Forest

From marking milestones in Wake Forest’s history to celebrating the current cultural diversity on campus, Faces of Courage provided a framework during the 2012-2013 academic year for showing Wake Forest’s ongoing commitment to diversity. Read more about diversity and inclusion in the Wake Forest community here.

Wake Forest lives its motto: Pro Humanitate

Named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the Wake Forest was one of 28 schools in North Carolina to be recognized for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieved measurable results. Below are some of the ways Wake Forest lives Pro Humantiate.

• Students “Hit the Bricks” for cancer research: Ten years ago, students at Wake Forest started a new tradition, “Hit the Bricks,” to raise money for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive. To honor the former Chicago Bears running back who attended the University in the 1960s and whose story is featured in the 1971 movie “Brian’s Song,” they started an eight-hour relay race along the brick pathways on campus. Hit the Bricks pits students against faculty and staff to see who can run the most laps around Hearn Plaza and raise the most money. This year 93 teams completed 25,396 laps around the plaza raising nearly $30,000. All proceeds support cancer research at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Check out the Flickr gallery.
• An enchanted Halloween: The 24th annual Project Pumpkin brought more than 1,400 Winston-Salem area children to campus for an afternoon of fall celebrations. Sponsored by the Volunteer Service Corps, Project Pumpkin is one of Wake Forest’s largest community events. Relive it through some of our favorite photos.
• Turkeypalooza feeds the hungry: The sixth annual Turkeypalooza brought student and faculty volunteers together during the week of November 13 to prepare and deliver more than 400 Thanksgiving meals to local organizations.
• Wake ‘N Shake breaks records: This year’s Wake ‘N Shake event, a student-run 12-hour dance marathon to benefit the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive, raised a record $125,722.57. More than 1,300 students, faculty and staff “danced for a difference” in memory of someone they have loved who has been affected by cancer.
• One Day Without Shoes: Members of the Wake Forest community walked around Hearn Plaza barefoot for One Day Without Shoes — a student-organized event to raise awareness and funds for the charity, Be Like Brit. The Winston-Salem Chronicle covered the story: Students Take a Stand with their Bare Feet
• Painting desks for local children: Rows of brightly colored desks lined the Magnolia Quad as Wake Forest students painted more than 60 of them for Old Town Elementary School students. Some children even grabbed a brush to help.

A second successful TEDxWakeForestU

A successful second TEDxWakeForestU turned an experiment into a spring semester tradition. What did attendees think of the event? Read their ideas captured through social media.

A traditional holiday celebration

Each December, more than 2,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members gather in Wait Chapel for the University’s annual Christmas Lovefeast and Candlelight Service. Wake Forest’s first Lovefeast was organized in 1965. The European custom originated in 1747 and was introduced to North Carolina by early Moravian settlers at Bethabara in 1753. Volunteers serve more than 100 dozen traditional Moravian sweet buns and 90 gallons of Moravian blend coffee, and each attendee receives a traditional beeswax candle decorated with red paper bows. It is one of the most beloved events on campus.

Intimate connections

Wake Forest stands on 300 acres of property once owned by R.J. and Katharine Reynolds. Who were these two powerful players? Kahle Family Professor of History Michele Gillespie’s new book, reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, is the first official biography of the couple and their influence on Winston-Salem. Find out more about the turn-of-the-century twosome who are so intimately connected with Wake Forest University. For those interested in Wake Forest College history pre-Winston-Salem, read Pilgrim’s Progress and take a virtual Trek to Old Campus. For more Wake Forest history, try Seven Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Your Mother, So Dear.

From Columbia, S.C., to San Diego, Calif., Wake Forest alumni joined forces with their local communities May 31-June 3 to restore parks, plant fruits and vegetables, and collect food for the hungry.

The national push to give back to the various places Demon Deacons call home was part of the second annual Pro Humanitate Days or 4Good.

For example, in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest alumni and University Advancement staff prepared the Campus Garden to grow produce to help feed the community, prepared and packaged meals in the University’s Campus Kitchen and sorted food at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. In Raleigh, N.C., volunteers prepared 2,592 meals at Stop Hunger Now. Palm Beach and Treasure Coast Club (Fla.) volunteers washed windows, did touch-up painting on doors and parking lot markings, and helped lanscape the entrance to the food pantry area at the House of Hope in Stuart, Fla.

See a photo gallery of 4 Good highlights on Flickr »

A senator, a humanitarian and a banker received the University’s 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of their extraordinary service to Wake Forest, their field, humanity or society.  Richard Burr (’78), Jane Cage (’78) and Graham Denton Jr. (’67) were honored.  Read their individual stories and watch videos presented at the awards ceremony April 19.

This year’s Wake ‘N Shake (WNS) event, a student-run 12-hour dance marathon to benefit the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive, raised a record $125,722.57 and is still in the process of collecting funds donated after the event. More than 1,300 students, faculty and staff “danced for a difference” in memory of someone they have loved who has been affected by cancer.

“Wake ‘N Shake is a product of the entire Wake Forest community coming together,” said sophomore Lucas Swenson, who chaired the event with seniors Emily Burniston and Laura Trollinger. “We dance for a loved one who has fought, or is currently fighting, cancer and think of them throughout the entire day.”

“I am proud to say this weekend was an incredible success,” said Burniston, who has been active in Wake ‘N Shake throughout her four years at Wake Forest. “I love Wake ‘N Shake for its ability to unite and bring out the best in our student body.”

This year, the WNS executive committee, made up of 20 Wake Forest students, developed new and innovative ways to broaden the event’s reach. The team implemented a mobile giving option where donors could text ‘PIC’ to 80077 and immediately contribute $10 to the cause. Through these efforts, mobile giving collected more than $3,000 for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund.

The team also created a Google+ Hangout, which was viewed by more than 380 people, and live-streamed the event on the Wake ‘N Shake website. This gave donors and community members a chance to be a part of the event.

In addition to raising money for cancer research, Wake ‘N Shake’s mission is to bring campus and community awareness to the disease and inspire students to make a difference.

For the past three years, Wake ‘N Shake has brought “Team Champions” to the event, community members who have fought or are currently fighting cancer. The six champions gave moving testimonials about their experiences with the disease.

“It really hits home, because you realize cancer is all around you,” said Trollinger.

The funds raised will go to Wake Forest Baptist’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, where many of the Team Champions have undergone treatment.

Students started the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund in 1980 in memory of the Wake Forest All-American football player, who passed away at age 26 from cancer during his career with the Chicago Bears. In the 33 years since it began, the fund has raised more than $1 million for cancer research.

Wake Forest has been named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.  The University is one of 28 schools in North Carolina to be recognized for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.

The Honor Roll is announced by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency that leads President Barack Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve.

From classes that incorporate service learning to projects outside the classroom, Wake Forest, whose motto is Pro Humanitate, encourages students to cultivate responsibility and civic-mindedness. More than half of undergraduates make volunteerism a priority in their educational experience. Many volunteer regularly at local service agencies, while others travel around the country or abroad to participate in projects.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 690 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.

Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

“The Honor Roll schools should be proud of their work to elevate the role of service-learning on their campuses,” said Eduardo Ochoa, the U.S. Department of Education’s assistant secretary for post-secondary education. “Galvanizing their students to become involved in projects that address pressing concerns and enrich their academic experience has a lasting impact – both in the communities in which they work and on their own sense of purpose as citizens of the world.”

Danielle Gallant, a senior sociology major, traveled to India during the winter break to lead a group of 10 students volunteering in the University’s City of Joy program. Below, Gallant shares her reasons for returning to India for a second time and what she learned from working with the late Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata (also known as Calcutta):

Words often fail me when I try to tell others about my experiences in Kolkata because the City of Joy is about love – a love that is too challenging and too deep to adequately articulate. I was initially drawn to the program for two main reasons. I have always been fascinated by Indian culture – the colors, the tastes, the smells, the sounds, the dances, the history, the beautiful way that chaos and peace harmonize in everyday life. Secondly, my mother’s deep compassion has inspired me to be a service-oriented person.

Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity consist of a series of homes throughout Kolkata. Linking them all is Mother’s Hour, where the sisters live and work just as Mother Teresa did. Volunteers are invited to Mass with the sisters every morning at 6 a.m Then,the sisters welcome everyone into Mother’s House volunteer room for morning announcements, prayer and breakfast. Each home houses residents of varying ages and physical abilities. Volunteering is split into morning and afternoon shifts where you work alongside sisters, local workers and volunteers from around the world. At each home the work consists of a combination of general housekeeping, resident care and resident stimulation.

In 2012, I worked in Prem Dan, meaning “a gift of love,” the home for sick and disabled adults and Kalighat, the home for the sick and dying. On this trip I found myself thoroughly overwhelmed by the entire experience. The grinding poverty throughout the city coupled with the most challenging service I had ever done were more than I thought I could handle. For the first few days I was miserable, but one morning at Prem Dan changed my whole experience. Beyond the language barrier, I saw the unmistakable look of humiliation on the face of a woman I had become quite fond of. She was very sick and had lost control of her bowels. Through this moment of realization when I clearly understood how she was feeling, I lost my fear of the unknown and fell in love with the people of the missionaries and all of Kolkata. I was finally able to see past the barriers of culture, ability, and illness to understand the devotion of Mother Teresa and her sisters. I learned that even in the midst of chaos some things are universal like kindness, that laughter bonds people, and the power of human touch.

Back at Wake Forest I felt called return to Kolkata, and was fortunately granted that opportunity.

As a student leader for the 2013 group, I worked in the morning in Shanti Dan, meaning “gift of peace,” a home for disabled women and girls. In the afternoon I worked in Daya Dan, meaning “gift of mercy,” a home for disabled children. This year, I traveled to India full of love rather than fear, ready to serve in the motto of Pro Humanitate. The City of Joy program showed me the beauty in uncertainty. I may not know where life will take me, but wherever I go, I will go with passion and whatever I do, I will do with love.

Most Wake Foresters are familiar with the major autumn traditions on campus – Hit the Bricks, the Homecoming bonfire, and Project Pumpkin. These events take place every year, and each is closely connected with the seasonal spirit. While these traditions are cherished, some new activities are gaining traction, bringing a combination of fun and service to a new generation of Demon Deacons.

“There’s a tradition for everyone at Wake Forest,” says Nikki Villanueva (‘14). “It’s really about finding a healthy balance between the young and the old; the fun and the service-oriented.”

Humans vs. Zombies

An offshoot of the childhood game tag, Humans vs. Zombies came to Wake Forest in 2011.

“It’s an event that welcomes the entire Wake Forest community in a night of fright and fun,” said John Walsh (’14). “It feels great to put the laptop to sleep for an hour or two and run around the library.”

During the events in the fall and spring semesters, the library extends its hours to become the battleground between humans with Nerf dart blasters and zombies, armed only with their outstretched arms. Just as you’d expect, zombies touch human players to turn them into the walking dead.  The game ends when there is only one human left for the zombies to “eat.”

“This time we had the drama department come in to apply zombie makeup,” said Director of Access Services Mary Beth Lock. “It made the game even more fun and little bit more eerie when you were surrounded by zombies.” Lock said about 125 students came out for the fun, nearly two dozen more than last time. Even ZSR’s Dean Lynn Sutton got into the spirit, donning a little zombie makeup.

The Unpredictable

“I don’t want to give away too much about the event,” said Ryan Coll (‘14), “but it certainly lives up to its name.”

The Unpredictable began in 2009, and is rapidly gaining a following. This year, more than 75 two-person teams participated in a race/scavenger hunt sponsored by Campus Recreation and Residence Life and Housing. It’s like ‘The Amazing Race’ meets Halloween.  Teams test their mental and physical strength at challenges that bring them to stations all over campus. Challenges include everything from the stressful – finding two matching tennis balls on a court chock full of them – to the disgusting – jumping into murky, sulfur-ridden water while singing a love song. But this isn’t just an ordinary race – everyone who runs is dressed in costumes.

“It rewards having fun in the moment and not just necessarily finishing first,” said Matt Imboden, who helped create the event as a Residence Life & Housing staffer. “Plus, it is just a lot of healthy and stress-free fun, and that is important too.”

Rake Forest

Wake Forest traditions aren’t just fun and games. “Rake Forest”, now in its third year, is about as Pro Humanitate as they come. Residence Life and Housing staff members Matt Imboden and Ashley Jones developed the idea as a chance to exercise “Pro Humanitate at home.”

“We see Rake Forest as an important accompaniment to the popular international and domestic travel service trips,” said Imboden.

Wake Foresters give up a Saturday to clean yards and rake leaves for the elderly or disabled who are physically unable to perform these tasks. The WFU Facilities and Campus Services department lends its rakes for the event each year. Participants cover neighborhoods near campus like Faculty Drive, Rosedale Circle, Crepe Myrtle Circle, Macon Drive, Harmon Drive, Waycross Drive and Friendship Circle. What seems like a menial chore is actually a meaningful gesture.

Residence Life & Housing hopes Rake Forest continues to grow so even more impact can be made in the surrounding community. Jones said she already considers Rake Forest to be a big success because so many positive connections have been made between the campus and surrounding community.

This year’s Rake Forest will be held Saturday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. as volunteers meet on Davis Field for project assignments and then fan out into their designated neighborhoods. A volunteer signup form helps both individuals and student groups plan for this autumn tradition.

While the impact these new traditions have on campus life is growing with each passing year, they fit into the framework of existing autumn traditions. And when the calendar page turns to a new season, they pave the way for winter traditions. Lighting of the Quad and Lovefeast both draw students and community members for their beautiful sights and significant meaning. Each new season brings forth a combination of old memories and new innovations in the traditions of Wake Forest.

Mt. Tabor High School students arrived at school on October 24 to find a large, colorful tent in one of the school’s courtyards. Under the “Big Tent,” they found Wake Forest student artwork, selected specifically to engage these teenagers in challenging conversations about race and stereotypes.

The “Big Tent,” a public art project conceived by Wake Forest art professor David Finn, provides a safe space to talk openly about ethnic and cultural differences.

One piece, “Ambiguity in Race” by senior De’Noia Woods, shows full-size photos of three young adults in white undershirts and briefs. The high school students were asked to describe the ethnic background of the people in the photos and talk about the expressions on their faces.

“How do you think these people in the photos feel about being looked at in their underwear,” Finn asked the students. “Do you feel vulnerable, like you’re undressed, when people look at and make judgments about you?”

Mary Cecilia Conte, a junior health and exercise science major was one of the student leaders who guided small groups of high schoolers through discussions about the art on display. Conte says she joined the “Big Tent” project because she grew up with racial stereotypes that are often strongly upheld in small towns without much diversity, and would like to dispel them. Conte is of Irish, Scottish, English and Italian descent.

“It’s important to open students’ minds to how much they actually hold on to stereotypes, whether they are aware of it or not. As each group of students came to look at the artwork and learn, I felt myself become surer about the importance of what I was doing,” said Conte.

Artwork under the Big Tent spurred discussions about female body image issues, religious and cultural stereotypes, and the appearance versus the reality of our feelings and behavior towards others. While several students mentioned that they enjoy the diversity of students at Mt. Tabor, others commented on how students do tend to separate into racial and ethnic groups when it’s time to eat lunch.

“I can’t judge because I, too, stereotype and classify people,” Conte said. “The ‘Big Tent’ is a wonderful and creative way to explore our true feelings, to become aware of that which we might not necessarily want to be aware of, and to learn what it is to be a part of a growing multicultural American society.”

Not only did these high school students experience the “Big Tent” through visits and discussions – some also submitted the designs that cover the 25’ diameter tent itself.

The tent is both a work of art and a physical area to encourage community discussion. It is part of the Transforming Race project — a collaboration between Finn and the Winston-Salem Department of Human Relations and was funded by The Kenan Institute for the Arts. The Big Tent project is also funded by Wake Forest University’s Institute for Public Engagement

The tent will continue to travel to local schools and be on display at Wake Forest on Hearn Plaza in March as part of a “Faces of Courage: 50 Years of Integration” celebration.

Bentrice Jusu, a senior studio arts major, not only creates socially and economically conscious documentaries, but she also runs her own nonprofit organization to benefit underprivileged teenagers and the arts in her hometown of Trenton, N.J.

Cowboys and fairytale princesses were common sights on Wake Forest University’s campus as this year’s Project Pumpkin festival turned Hearn Plaza into a world full of Halloween fun.

The 24^th annual event brought more than 1,400 Winston-Salem area children from local agencies and organizations to campus for an afternoon of fall celebrations.

Sponsored by the Volunteer Service Corps, Project Pumpkin is one of Wake Forest’s largest community events. Nearly 1,000 student volunteers dressed as their favorite Disney characters and accompanied children around the festival. Children from area schools and organizations enjoyed snacks, carnival games, trick-or-treating, and live entertainment. The Lion King’s “Pride Rock” and a spooky haunted house were popular attractions.

“Project Pumpkin is special because it grants local children an opportunity to experience something different from their everyday routine,” said Anne Mason, a senior on the steering committee of the event. “Their excited faces show how much they enjoy the opportunity to experience something new and fun. Those smiles are what make all the long hours of planning and funding the event worth it.”

Started by a Wake Forest student in 1988, Project Pumpkin is organized by students who recruit volunteers to sell T-shirts, schedule entertainment, organize carnival game booths and make creative decorations to transform Hearn Plaza into another world for the children.