Stories this week at WFU

WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY DUO PLAYS FOR LUNCHTIME MUSIC SERIES — Cellist Selina Carter and Violinist Monika Wilmot from the Winston-Salem Symphony will perform a free concert Sept. 24 at 11 a.m., weather permitting, in front of the College Bookstore on University Plaza (Quad). The concert, part of the Bookstore Lunchtime Music Series sponsored by University Stores, has been moved from the series’ regular Thursday time slot to Sept. 24. Tickets for the symphony’s upcoming pop and classical performances and compact discs will be available for purchase.
Contact: Pam Barrett at barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE RELAY RACE — Strapping on a loaded backpack may not be the easiest way to run a relay race, but it’s for a good cause ­ to fight cancer. The Brian Piccolo Cancer Drive and WFU College Bookstore announce “Hit the Bricks for Brian,” a relay race benefiting the Brian Piccolo Cancer Drive on Sept. 23, starting at 11 a.m. on Wake Forest University’s Reynolda Quad. One of the competition categories is the distance/ backpack combination during which teams of Wake Forest students, faculty and staff will attempt to run or walk around the Reynolda Quad as many times as possible while carrying a book-laden backpack provided by the WFU College Bookstore. The race concludes at 9 p.m. with the picturesque scene of Reynolda Quad lit with luminaries in honor of cancer victims and survivors.
Contact: Maggie Barrett at barretmb@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

MANHOOD IN AMERICAN POLITICS — Sarah Watts, professor of history and author of the book “Rough Rider in the White House: Theodore Roosevelt and the Politics of Desire,” can comment about manhood in American politics. “From the first Roosevelt to the second Bush, U.S. presidents have viewed politics as a cultural war,” Watts says. “This war has been waged primarily with images, especially images that linked the nation’s well-being to their own positioning as virile and virtuous men.” Watts can comment on parallels between Theodore Roosevelt (George W. Bush’s favorite president) and President Bush. “Roosevelt helped form and popularize the cowboy-soldier type in national and international affairs,” she says. “Roosevelt’s cowboy style of politics was helped along by Wild Bill Cody’s Wild West Show at the turn of the 20th century, and Reagan and Bush by Hollywood in our time.” Watts is teaching the freshman seminar “Manhood in American Politics” and a graduate course, “The Political Culture of the American Presidency,” this fall.
Contact: Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

TALKING WITH TEENS: TIPS FOR PARENTS — When parents try to start a conversation with their teen-agers, they often get one-word answers, says Christy Buchanan, associate professor of psychology at Wake Forest University. Although talking with adolescents can sometimes be tough, Buchanan offers suggestions for ways to improve communication. “Direct questions are sometimes not as effective,” says Buchanan, who has written numerous articles on parent/adolescent relationships. “Kids are not always ready to talk in response to a question.” Conflict between parents and children during the adolescent years is connected with negative behavior, so good communication is worth the effort, Buchanan says. She stresses the importance of overcoming awkwardness about addressing difficult subjects, so adolescents feel okay about bringing up those topics.
Contact: Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.