Stories this week at Wake Forest

Freshmen Arrive on Campus

Toting milk crates, posters and desk lamps, freshmen will move into residence halls Wednesday, Aug. 20, beginning at 8 a.m. Wake Forest faculty and staff will help students carry belongings to their new rooms. Students will move in all day long, but most arrive in the morning between 8 and 11 a.m. Vendors will set up tents between Bostwick and Johnson residence halls. Sophomores, juniors and seniors will return Sunday, Aug. 24.

Laptop Computer Distribution Planned

The fall semester marks the first time that Wake Forest will distribute notebook computers to two classes-freshmen and juniors. The freshmen will pick up their new IBM ThinkPads (model 380XD) on Monday morning, Aug. 24, in Reynolds Gymnasium. The distribution runs from 8 a.m. to noon. Throughout the afternoon, juniors will visit the gym to trade in the computers they received as freshmen for the new ThinkPads. Wake Forest students use their computers for two years before getting updated models.

Once the Computer is Out of the Box

After picking up their computers, freshmen will go to classrooms in Carswell and Calloway halls to learn the basics about their new laptops. Computer orientation is scheduled for 12:30 to 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, and 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25. All freshmen are expected to attend a two-hour session designed to give information on sending e-mail, using the Internet for research, printing and much more. (For details about computer distribution or to arrange coverage of a training session, call the News Service.)

Orientation Means Opportunity to Serve

Before they register for their first classes at Wake Forest, a group of 40 freshmen will experience volunteering in the Winston-Salem community. S.P.A.R.C. (Students Promoting Responsibility and Action to the Community) is a program designed by the Office of Volunteer Services to show students firsthand the important role that community service plays in the life of the university. On Aug. 17-18, students will work in agencies such as the Special Children’s School, Amos Cottage, Prodigals Community, the Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and several others. (For a detailed schedule or to make arrangements for coverage at one of the agencies, call the News Service.)

Year of Globalization and Diversity Begins

Wake Forest will kick off the Year of Globalization and Diversity with an Opening Convocation address by Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, on Sept. 17 in Wait Chapel. Events during the year will focus on the challenges of an increasingly global community while celebrating the world’s diversity. Highlights this fall include an Ethnic Heritage Festival (Oct. 17), a performance by Chilean music group Inti-illimani (Oct. 30), and a panel discussion about the media’s influence on cultural perceptions (Nov. 9). (For more information about the year’s events, contact Kimberly Griffing in the News Service.)

Summer No Break for Construction

Students will return to find the newly completed Polo Residence Hall, a townhouse-style residence for 194 upperclassmen on the north campus. Other projects completed during the summer months include the new Information Systems Building, home to the university’s technology and computer operations. The building also houses a food court with Chick-Fil-A, Boar’s Head Deli, Pan Geo’s, Starbuck’s Coffee and Krispy Kreme. Major sections of Wingate Road were repaved and renovations to Wait Chapel, Wingate Hall and several residence halls were completed. Meanwhile, work continues on the five-level, 80,000-square-foot classroom building between Calloway and Carswell halls. The $10 million building will open in fall 1999 and house the psychology and Romance languages departments.

Transition for Parents

During freshman orientation, Wake Forest offers a program called “Marriage and Family Relationships in Transition: A Program for the Parents of College Freshmen.” Johnne Armentrout, assistant director of Wake Forest’s Counseling Center, leads the program, covering such topics as “The Emptying Nest” and “Improving Communication Skills.” Last year, Armentrout presented the model for the program at a meeting of the North Carolina Association of College Counselors. She hopes other colleges will develop similar programs.

Undergraduate Classes Begin Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Categories: Campus Life, Community, For Parents, Student