Stories this week at WFU

NEW BRICK WALKWAY TO OPEN ON MAIN QUAD AT WFU – Invited members of the Wake Forest community and the craftsmen who have spent the past two summers laying bricks for the Young Student Walk on University Plaza (main Quad) will gather in the main lounge of Reynolda Hall at 3 p.m. July 31 for an ice cream and lemonade social. The event will signal the official opening of the Young Student Walk, which is named in memory of the late J. Smith Young, a 1939 graduate of Wake Forest and a life trustee. One of J. Smith Young’s sons, Jeff Young, a trustee and 1972 graduate of Wake Forest, will attend the ceremony. The Young family provided funding for the construction and an endowment for long-term maintenance of the Quad. The walkway project began last summer with the Wait Chapel portion of the Quad and continued this summer on the portion in front of Reynolda Hall. Approximately 200,000 bricks were used for the project, and crews have installed new planters, railings, expanded seating areas and improved drainage as part of the project. An approximately 600-pound, bronze rendering of the university’s seal is set in the brick in front of Reynolda Hall. For more information, contact the News Service at 336-758-5237.

HOMEWORK BATTLES: HOW TO REACH A TRUCE – With many students heading back to school, the homework battle between parents and children may soon begin. How can parents and kids reach a truce? The first thing is to develop a good system for bringing assignments home, says Drew Edwards, adjunct professor of psychology at Wake Forest and author of “How to a Handle Hard-to-Handle Kid.” Edwards offers other suggestions to make homework less stressful for children and parents. To arrange an interview with Edwards, contact Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT MIXES WITH RESIDENCE HALL LIFE – The third floor of Luter Residence Hall opens its doors this fall to first-year students who are interested in learning about computers and are willing to help the university test new technology being considered for use on campus. Technology Quarters, the most recent addition to the list of innovative theme housing at Wake Forest, is the brainchild of experts in the university’s Information Systems (IS) department. “Technology Quarters is designed to bring together students who desire to learn more about technology and want to share their knowledge with other students,” said Andrea Ellis, manager of student programs for the IS Department. “No previous computer knowledge is required. We want to give students a chance to network and reside close to others with common interests.” Throughout the upcoming year, the IS department will ask the group living in Technology Quarters for feedback about technology issues on campus. In addition, the students will be given opportunities to test and comment on new technology coming to campus, Ellis said. To arrange interviews, please contact Jacob McConnico at mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

A LIFETIME OF UNUSUAL BOOKMARKS – It’s not surprising that over the years patrons have left behind items in books they borrowed from the Z. Smith Reynolds Library. What may be surprising is the variety of such items — items that have been collected, saved and some of which are on display in the library’s entry display case. “Treasures” discovered amid the pages of returned books include shopping lists, handwritten musical notation, letters/postcards, photos, foreign and domestic business cards, dried leaves and flowers, a calendar from 1892, bookmarks, receipts, a child’s drawing, a New York phone bill from 1939, airline and theatre tickets, and directions. Craig Fansler, who works in the library’s preservation department and is also an artist, arranged the items randomly in a collage that makes the items appear as if they are falling out of a book. To arrange an interview with Fansler or view the collage, contact Jacob McConnico at mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL STORY IDEAS – Higher education and K-12 story ideas relating to back-to-school issues can be found here.