Stories this week at WFU

DARRYL HUNT, WFU STUDENTS JOIN FOR DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM
Students at Wake Forest have organized the free public event, “Death Penalty Moratorium Symposium: The Case for a N.C. Moratorium,” at 7 p.m. April 13 in Benson University Center’s Pugh Auditorium. Darryl Hunt, a Winston-Salem resident who was recently released from prison after being cleared of the 1984 murder of Deborah Sykes, will make a presentation, along with his attorney Mark Rabil. Also presenting will be Alan Gell, who was recently released from Death Row, and one of his defense attorneys, Mary Pollard, who is also a staff attorney for the Center for Death Penalty Litigation in Durham.
Contact: Jacob McConnico, mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

HEADS VS. FEDS DEBATE
Media are invited to “Heads vs. Feds: The Great Debate” with Steven Hager, former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, and Robert Stutman, a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), April 14 at 8 p.m. The public lecture, in Benson University Center Room 401, will focus on the controversial issues surrounding marijuana legalization. Hager, who was at the helm of High Times from 1988 to 2003, is the founder of The Counterculture Hall of Fame and the Cannibus Cup, a marijuana festival. Stutman, who has been called “the foremost narc in America” by New York magazine, launched approximately 5,000 investigations that led to more than 15,000 arrests during his tenure at the DEA.
Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

JAG OFFICER TO SPEAK AT WFU
John Stevens Berry, noted U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer for Chief Defense Counsel during the Vietnam War, will present two free, public lectures at Wake Forest April 14. The first lecture, “A JAG Officer in the Vietnam War,” will be at 10:30 a.m. in the Information Systems Building, Room 162. At noon, Berry will speak on “Court Martials in Combat” at Worrell Professional Center, Room 1312. Media are invited to both lectures.
Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

THE ANTI-ATKINS
When Peter Brubaker returned in December from his semester abroad teaching in Italy, the director of Wake Forest University’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program had lost weight without trying, despite regular consumption of pasta, breads and oils. The difference, he says, was an increase in physical activity and decreases in portion size. Brubaker, associate professor of health and exercise science, says his experience may hold the key in combating America’s vascular disease epidemic. Brubaker is available for interviews on cardiovascular disease and how the Mediterranean lifestyle works to promote a healthy heart. The cardiac rehab program meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 7:30-8:30 am. Morning television shows are invited to the group sessions.
Contact: Sarah S. Mansell, manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

INCUBATING SUCCESS FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY
Four businesses that graduated from the Babcock Graduate School of Management’s Babcock Demon Incubator are thriving in Piedmont Triad Research Park. They include Algaen Corp., Triad Semiconductor, Business Integrated Solutions, and Incapita. Each of the companies involves biotechnology research and applications. Another company that graduated from the Incubator, Altadonics, a company that developed a process for creating and storing impressions of patients’ dentures, is conducting business in the nearby Winston Towers. Paul Briggs, founding director of the incubator is available for interviews on the success of the businesses. Contact information for these and other graduated companies can also be provided.
Contact: Dusty Donaldson, dusty.donaldson@mba.wfu.edu or 336-758-4454.

NEW RULES CHANGE ACCOUNTING FOR EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTIONS
Recently proposed guidelines by the Financial Accounting Standards Board will require all companies to expense the fair value of employee stock options on the date the options are granted. A Wake Forest expert in financial markets says the proposal will result in a significant increase in compensation expense during the year of adoption for companies adopting the rules for the first time. Jonathan Duchac is the Merrill Lynch Associate Professor of Accountancy in the Calloway School of Business and Accountancy. He is available for interviews on the new rules and how they will affect businesses.
Contact: Sarah S. Mansell, manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

OLD NORTH STATE WINEGROWERS COOPERATIVE
Several Babcock Graduate School of Management classes have worked to develop a comprehensive branding and marketing plan for the Old North State Winegrowers Cooperative, an organization of 38 grape growers in the Piedmont. Students are available for interviews on their business, marketing and branding plans for the organization.
Contact: Dusty Donaldson, dusty.donaldson@mba.wfu.edu or 336-758-4454.

PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN BAR TO SPEAK
Dennis W. Archer, President of the American Bar Association, will speak at Wake Forest April 13 at noon. His talk, “Challenges in the Future for the Legal Profession” will be in the Law School Courtroom.
Contact: Linda Michalski, lmichalski@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.