Stories this week at WFU

WFU HOSTS NATION’S LARGEST DEBATE TOURNAMENT – Nearly 200 college and university debate teams from across the country will converge on Winston-Salem this weekend for the Franklin R. Shirley Dixie Classic Debate Tournament hosted by Wake Forest. The tournament has been named best tournament of the decade for the past two decades and Wake Forest’s debate teams have earned a top ten ranking in compiled national tournament results since 1988, the longest streak in the nation. Debaters will discuss the advisability of the United States ratification of international treaties in the realm of environment, nuclear arms, international criminal court and the death penalty. The title debates will be Nov. 18 at the Adams Mark hotel in downtown Winston-Salem. Allan Louden, associate professor of communication and director of Wake Forest debate, is a recognized expert on debate rhetoric and political debates. He served as a debate coach for senator-elect Elizabeth Dole during the recent North Carolina senate race. To arrange coverage, contact the News Service at 336-758-5237.

STUDENTS TAKE THE SHOW WITH NEW PLAY – The Anthony Aston Players, a Wake Forest student theater group, will present “Wisdom Teeth” Nov. 14 – 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ring Theatre of the Scales Fine Arts Center. “Wisdom Teeth” was written by Wake Forest sophomore J.M. Picard and will be directed by senior M. Alan English II. The play is about a couple who humorously tries to avoid divorce as they each unearth the other’s infidelities. This will be the first time in its history that a student-written play will be performed by the group. Picard and English are available for interviews about the production and will have a question-and-answer session following the Nov. 14 performance. To arrange an interview, contact Rachel Cook at cookrj@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

DON’T LET WINTER WINDS STOP YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE – Even though chilly winds and bitter cold may give an initial shudder, there is an advantage to exercising in the cold, says Don Bergey, an exercise instructor for the Wake Forest Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. “Exercise generates its own body heat, which helps keep you warm,” he says. Bergey works with the nearly 200 patients in the cardiac rehab program on maintaining their exercise routines when the weather turns cold. He suggests wearing layers so as not to overheat, covering extremities with gloves or mittens and a hat, and head out into the wind so it is at your back on the return. For more cold weather exercise tips from Bergey, contact Sarah Mansell at manselss@wfu.edu 336-758-5237.

HOW POTS, BONES AND DIRT TELL ABOUT THE MAYA PAST – Stephen L. Whittington, director of the Wake Forest Museum of Anthropology, will give a public lecture titled “Pots, Bones, and Dirt: Searching for the Maya Past” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in the museum. The talk is given in conjunction with a museum exhibit, “Worldviews: Maya Ceramics from the Palmer Collection,” and will focus on the reconstruction of ancient Maya everyday life. The Palmer collection, on loan from the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine, is on display at the museum through January. Whittington is an expert on ancient Maya culture. He is available for interview in conjunction with the exhibit and the lecture. Images of the ceramics are also available by e-mail. To arrange coverage or an interview with Whittington, contact the News Service at 758-5237.

WHY DO ISRAEL AND PALESTINE FIGHT? – Bernard Wasserstein, professor of modern history at the University of Glasgow, will discuss whether Israel and Palestine can ever stop fighting during a lecture at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 in the law auditorium of Wake Forest’s Worrell Professional Center. The lecture, titled “Israel and Palestine: Why They Fight and Can They Stop?,” is part of the year-long series “Living with the Legacy of Sept. 11.” The events, sponsored by the Wake Forest political science department, have been popular with students and members of the local community. Wasserstein, an internationally recognized expert on Israel and the Middle East, is currently a visiting fellow at the National Humanities Center in Raleigh’s Research Triangle Park. He is the author of more than five books about Jews, Israel or Palestine, and the lecture is taken from his forthcoming book of the same name. To arrange coverage of the lecture, contact Jacob McConnico at mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

WAKE FOREST STUDENT TO MEET WITH NATO LEADERS IN PRAGUE— As NATO leaders meet next week to discuss future security challenges, young people who will live with the legacy of those decisions will hold their own summit in Prague. Wake Forest junior Jennifer Harris will be among a handful of U.S. college students selected to attend the Prague Atlantic Student Summit (PASS) on Nov. 20-23. She will join undergraduate and graduate students from more than 35 NATO and partner countries to discuss the future of NATO and the new security challenges it faces. The students will meet with Czech President Vaclav Havel, Georgia President Eduard Shevardnadze and the heads of state of various former Soviet Republics as well as U.S. officials. Harris has worked in both Latvia and Croatia to develop refugee programs. Harris will be available for interviews on Nov. 25, and Nov. 26. To arrange an interview, contact Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

Categories: Arts & Culture, Community, Events, Research, Speakers