Stories this week at WFU

CARDINAL ARINZE GAVE 1999 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT WFU — Cardinal Francis Arinze, often mentioned in news reports as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, delivered the May 17, 1999, commencement address at Wake Forest. Arinze spoke at Wake Forest when his nephew, Niki Arinze, was a Wake Forest student and member of the men’s basketball team. Wake Forest President Thomas K. Hearn Jr. extended the invitation to speak at Wake Forest during a personal audience with Arinze in Rome.

Contact: Cheryl Walker, walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

 

‘OUTSOURCING JOBS: U.S. DILEMMA’ — Outsourcing has been characterized by some as a threat to American jobs and companies, while others claim it is necessary to stimulate overall economic growth. Robert Whaples, associate professor of economics at Wake Forest, will discuss the potential threats and effects of outsourcing in the context of contemporary globalization during a 7 p.m. lecture April 7 in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room M306. The talk is free and open to the public. This is the fourth 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.

 

FUTURE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH — David Yamane, assistant professor of sociology, can comment about the future of the Catholic Church in America. He can discuss divisions in the church and how those may shape the post-John Paul II church. Yamane is the author of an upcoming book, “The Role of Catholic Bishops in State Politics.” He wrote the introduction to the 2002 book “Goodbye Father: The Celibate Male Priesthood and the Future of the Catholic Church.”

Contact: Cheryl Walker, walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

 

WFU STUDENTS HONOR POPE JOHN PAUL II — A Mass of Remembrance for Pope John Paul II will be held at 4 p.m. April 8 in Davis Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

Contact: Jacob McConnico, mcconnjn@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.

 

WFU STUDENTS PAINT DESKS FOR AT-RISK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS — Wake Forest students will paint desks from 4 to 7 p.m. April 13 on the Magnolia Courtyard to give to at-risk students at Old Town Elementary School. Each of the approximately 40 elementary school students will get a colorful, custom-decorated desk. The project, D.E.S.K or Discovering Education through Student Knowledge, was started last spring by two Wake Forest students who, while tutoring at local schools, discovered that many students did not have a good place to do homework. In addition to desks, the Wake Forest students will provide chairs, school supplies and tutoring help to the Old Town students. In its second year, D.E.S.K. is co-chaired by Wake Forest juniors Parissa Jahromi and Innes Gamble. Each elementary school student will be matched up with a team, and the team will decorate the desk based on the child’s interests. The teams represent more than 30 student organizations ranging from fraternities and sororities to the field hockey team and the marching band. The outdoor event will include live music, games, a moonwalk, raffle prizes and food. The Old Town students getting the desks will attend the event.

Contact: Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

 

WRONGFULLY CONVICTED GET HELP FROM WFU CLASS — The Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice, a local non-profit organization assisting those who have been wrongfully imprisoned, is getting help from a group of Wake Forest students. The students, enrolled in a first-year seminar called “Gender, Power and Violence,” are processing letters from inmates to help Hunt’s organization identify prisoners who are good candidates for assistance. The class is taught by Angela Hattery, associate professor of sociology, and Earl Smith, Rubin Professor of American Ethnic Studies and chair of the sociology department. “This gives the students a good education about the criminal justice system,” Hattery said. “They get this real experience. They are the first to read these letters.” Hunt was released from prison in 2004 after spending 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Contact: Cheryl Walker, walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

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