Stories this week at WFU
CREW BOAT TO BE NAMED IN HONOR OF OUTGOING WFU PRESIDENT — The Wake Forest Club Crew team will honor the university’s outgoing president by naming a newly acquired boat the “Thomas K. Hearn” at 4:30 p.m. March 31. Hearn and his wife Laura will formally christen the boat on the university’s Magnolia Quad by pouring water from Belews Creek, the team’s practice location, and champagne over its bow. “The naming of a boat is, perhaps, the highest honor that a rowing club can bestow on an individual,” said Wake Forest crew President James Dean. “Reserved for those whose contributions to the team have placed them in the highest regard, it is clear to our crew that there is no more appropriate individual to receive this honor than Wake Forest President Dr. Thomas K. Hearn Jr.”
Contact: Jacob McConnico, mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
‘PUTIN’S SECOND TERM: A SCORECARD FOR RUSSIA’ — Helga Welsh, associate professor of political science at Wake Forest, will discuss the consequences of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s economic and political reforms, particularly the challenges of terrorism, arrested democratic development and Russia’s struggling economy at 7 p.m. March 31 in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room M306. The talk is free and open to the public. This is the third lecture in Winston Salem’s Great Decisions 2005, a six-week citizens forum on current foreign policy issues. The series is sponsored by Wake Forest’s Center for International Studies.
Contact: Jacob McConnico, mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
COMEDIAN LEWIS BLACK TO PERFORM AT WFU — Actor, playwright and stand-up comedian Lewis Black will perform at 8 p.m. March 31 in Wake Forest’s Wait Chapel. The university’s student comedy troupe The Lilting Banshees and stand-up comedian John Bowman will open for Black beginning at 7 p.m. Black, who is known for his caustic social and political comedy, is a weekly political commentator on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” He has starred in two half-hour comedy specials for the network, was a regular contributor to Comedy Central’s “Indecision 2000” election coverage and has performed extensively as a stand-up comedian. In 2001, he was awarded “Best Male Stand Up” by The American Comedy Awards. Tickets are $20 general admission; $15 for Wake Forest students. Tickets are available at the Benson University Center Ticket Office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or may be purchased over the phone with a Mastercard or Visa by calling 336-758-4265. Media are permitted to photograph or videotape during the first three minutes of the event.
Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
USING TELEVISION TO FIGHT CHILDHOOD OBESITY — Television has often been cited as one of the main factors contributing to the increase in childhood obesity. But, children’s programming on traditional favorites like “Sesame Street” and new shows like “Lazy Town” are trying to change that trend. Gary Miller, associate professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest, says this approach might work. “It’s a good idea because although kids may be sedentary while watching these shows, they are made aware of healthy decisions they can make at other times,” Miller says. He adds that using characters that appeal to children to promote healthy habits is similar to the marketing tactics traditionally used to promote fatty, sugary foods to children. Miller, a nutrition expert, teaches exercise physiology and nutrition and weight control. His research interests include the effects of exercise and dietary intervention on weight loss and weight maintenance.
Contact: Maggie Barrett, barretmb@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
WFU BIG BROTHERS AND BIG SISTERS HOST ‘KICKBALL FOR KIDS’ — Student volunteers from various Wake Forest organizations will host “Kickball for Kids,” an on-campus field day event for 75 to 100 children from Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Forsyth Country, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 2 on Davis Field. The event is not open to the public. The field day provides the opportunity for current Big Brothers and Big Sisters and their “Littles” to enjoy a day of fun and pairs up children on the waiting list with a college student for the day. During the event, student organizers hope to recruit more students to become Big Brothers or Big Sisters for the nearly 100 children on the BBBS waiting list. Activities will include a series of kickball games, relay events, face painting, beauty workshops, a cookout and performances by various Wake Forest groups. Interviews with Kickball for Kids organizers and BBBS representatives can be arranged. Media are invited to attend the event.
Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
TALK FOCUSES ON AIDS ORPHANS IN KENYA — Wake Forest’s Student Global AIDS Campaign will sponsor a talk “Taking on the Global AIDS Crisis One Baby at a Time” at 7 p.m. April 4 in Carswell Hall’s Annenberg Forum. The speakers, Clive and Mary Beckenham, are founders of New Life Homes, an organization in Kenya that has rescued more than 600 abandoned AIDS infants. Wake Forest senior and Rhodes Scholar Rebecca Cook helped organize the event. Cook grew up in Kenya and has spent time volunteering at New Life Homes. The Student Global AIDS Campaign is also working with a local nonprofit group, the Amani Children’s Foundation, to present the Children’s Harambee April 9 at the YWCA on Glade Street. The free public event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature activities for children such as block printing and batik, storytelling, dressing up in African clothes and jewelry making. Participants can also shop in an African market and listen to master drummer Bill Scheidt and the Living Rhythms drum circle. The Amani Children’s Foundation contact is Katie Holland at 336-831-1901.
Contact: Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
COACHTALK: THE HIDDEN MESSAGE OF POST-GAME COMMENTS — Ever notice that whether they win or lose, coaches seem to say the same things? Wake Forest associate professor of communication John Llewellyn says you are not imagining things. “After a while if you listen to enough coaches, you begin to think you’ve heard it all,” Llewellyn says. “The odds are you have.” For nearly two decades, Llewellyn has researched the professional vocabulary of NCAA Division I men’s college basketball coaches for “Coachtalk,” a chapter in the book “Case Studies in Sport Communication.” He says there is a pattern in what winning and losing coaches say after each game that reveals respect for each other and the world of athletics. An expert on rhetoric, Llewellyn is accustomed to interacting with broadcast and print media. He is available for interviews about his research and to analyze coaches’ comments during March Madness. Contact Llewellyn directly at llewelly@wfu.edu or 336-758-4511.
Contact: Maggie Barrett, barretmb@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
MUSIC PROFESSOR TO PRESENT WORLD PREMIERE OF 19TH CENTURY OPERA — The music department at Wake Forest will present the world premiere of “L’isola disabitata,” a salon opera by Manuel del Pópulo Vicente García (1775-1832) at 8 p.m. April 7-8 in Brendle Recital Hall. The performances are free and open to the public. Composed in 1831, the opera was never published or performed. Teresa Radomski, professor of music at Wake Forest and singing director of the production, transcribed the original manuscript. “After countless hours spent deciphering García’s manuscript, it is tremendously exciting to finally hear his music come to life,” Radomski said. “And, it is especially gratifying to me that the very first public performance of this delightful opera will be given by my voice students, and directed by James Dodding.” “L’isola disabitata” (The Uninhabited Island) is one of five salon operas that García composed for his voice students in Paris to prepare them for operatic careers. Salon operas feature a small number of singers with piano accompaniment, making them suitable for a chamber setting.
Contact: Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
EXPERTS TO EXPLORE RELIGION AND DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA — Fifty-eight percent of Americans say it’s necessary to believe in God in order to be a moral person. Only 13 percent of the French, 25 percent of the British and 27 percent of Italians agree. Why do Americans and Europeans view religion so differently? How does this impact international relations? How do we also explain the division among Americans over religion’s public role? These and other questions will be addressed at the forum “Faith-Based Nation: Religion and Democracy in America and the World” at 10 a.m. April 9 in Wingate Hall, Lower Auditorium. Sponsored by the Wake Forest University Divinity School, the forum will include a lecture by journalist Alfonso Armada and a roundtable discussion featuring James Dunn, professor of Christianity and public policy at Wake Forest Divinity School; Katy Harriger, professor of political science at Wake Forest; and Sir Walter Mack, pastor of Union Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. Admission is free.
Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.
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