Stories this week at WFU

STUDENTS HIT THE BRICKS FOR BRIAN PICCOLO – Teams of students representing fraternities, sororities, student organizations and freshman halls are competing in a long-distance run around the Quad today. The students will relay a baton around the new brick oval surrounding the Quad throughout the day until 7 p.m. The event will conclude with a symbolic final lap to fight cancer. Prizes will be awarded to the winning teams for the most laps and the most money raised as well as a raffle drawing of additional prizes from the Wake Forest College Book Store. To arrange coverage, contact the News Service.

EXPERT AVAILABLE TO COMMENT ON RJR DOWNSIZING – Aneil Mishra, associate professor of management in the Babcock Graduate School of Management, is available for comment on the many issues raised by the recent layoff announcement by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. He has written numerous journal articles on downsizing and the importance of maintaining employee morale and trust during change. To arrange an interview, contact Dusty Donaldson at dusty.donaldson@mba.wfu.edu or 336-758-4454.

PROFESSOR CAN DISCUSS HISTORY OF RJR IN WINSTON-SALEM – J. Edwin Hendricks, professor of history and expert on Winston-Salem, can comment on the importance of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in Winston-Salem’s history. Hendricks recently taught a course on the history of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. To arrange an interview, contact Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

TIME MAGAZINE’S “WHAT’S NEXT” LIST MAKER HIP-HOPS AT WAKE FOREST – The Roots, one of the hottest hip-hop acts on tour this summer, will be performing at Wait Chapel tonight at 9 p.m. More of a band than a hip-hop group, these accomplished musicians uniquely blend their eclectic style with a poetic-urban message that reinvents the rock-rap sound. Their current album, “Phrenology” has received critical acclaim. Tickets for the Sept. 19 show will be honored Sept. 25. Tickets will also be available at the door for $27.50. To arrange coverage, contact the News Service at 336-758-5237.

SUGAR SKULLS AND MARIGOLDS: CELEBRATING THE DEAD AT WFU – Wake Forest’s Museum of Anthropology will open its next exhibit “Dias de los Muertos” (“Days of the Dead”) on Oct. 1. The exhibit will run through Nov. 1. Celebrating the ancient religious tradition of honoring the dead and the continuity of life, the museum will feature an interpretation of a traditional Mexican “ofrenda” or home altar and host a gallery talk from a Mexico native Oct. 30. Admission to the museum is free. To arrange coverage, contact Pam Barrett at barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA’ CONTINUES THEME YEAR AT WFU – Wake Forest University Theatre opens its season with Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26. This performance offers the first part of Kushner’s original two-part, seven-hour, Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes” and is presented as part of the university’s 2003-2004 celebration of the theme “Fostering Dialogue: Civil Discourse in an Academic Community.” The University Theatre production continues Sept. 27 and Oct. 1-5. The 1993 play is set in the mid-1980s when the AIDS epidemic was being uncovered and reflects the uncertainty and fear of the nation’s conscience. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Scales Fine Arts Center’s MainStage Theater, except a 2 p.m. matinee Oct. 5. Call the University Box Office at 336-758-5295 for ticket information. The box office is open weekdays, noon-5:30 p.m. To arrange an interview with the director of the play or student actors, contact Jacob McConnico at mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

“FUNNY HAS NO COLOR; FUNNY IS JUST FUNNY” – So says comedienne Cocoa Brown, who will be performing at Wake Forest along with Jeremiah (JJ) Williamson, at the ColorBlind Comedy Tour Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at Wait Chapel. Both popular stars who have performed on television and with comedy giants, Brown and JJ are part of a vast network of comedians that ColorBlind Comedy Tours creator, Michael (Red Bone) Alcott, operates. Red Bone, a white comedian who performs black comedy, established the tour to provide opportunities for black comedians like those that afforded him acceptance across cultural lines. The Wake Forest Student Union and the Unified Rhythms Hip-Hop Dance Squad are sponsoring the event to reinforce their goal of balancing cultural diversity on campus. Tickets are available at the Benson University Ticket Office for $10, general admission, and $5 for students; call 336-758-4265 to order. To arrange coverage of the event or an interview with the comedians or organizers, contact Pam Barrett at barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

Categories: Arts & Culture, Campus Life, Community, Events, Speakers, Student