Stories this week at WFU

WFU INVITES COMMUNITY TO BENEFIT CONCERT — Wake Forest will host a Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in Wait Chapel. The concert, sponsored by the university’s Hurricane Katrina Relief Committee (HKRC), is one of several events the university has initiated to encourage participation in disaster relief. The concert will feature performances by both campus and community groups, including the a cappella group Plead the Fifth, gospel music from Chi Rho, a guitar/violin duo from Carrot and Stick, a Mexican Ballet Folklorico and rock music from Hot Sauce. Admission is $5. Tickets can be purchased Sept. 15-16 at the Benson University Center Ticket Office, (336)758-4265, or at the door (cash only). Donations will also be accepted. All proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross. For a list of other relief efforts, visit the News Service website at www.wfu.edu/wfunews or the HKRC Web site at www.wfu.edu/katrina.

Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

 

CONSTITUTION DAY: FREE SPEECH VS. NATIONAL SECURITY — Throughout U.S. history, national crises have raised profound questions about civil liberties, including freedom of expression and association. In observance of Constitution Day, the Wake Forest School of Law will address these questions in a panel discussion titled, “First Amendment Freedoms During Times of Crisis.” The university-wide event will be held at noon Sept. 21 in the Worrell Professional Center, Room 1312. Panel members include Wake Forest professors Michael Kent Curtis, Robert Chesney and Wilson Parker. The event is free and open to the public. Media are welcome to attend.

Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

 

TOP 10 HIGH SCHOOL DEBATE TOURNAMENT AT WFU THIS WEEK — More than 13 high school debate and speech squads represented by nearly 1,200 contestants and judges from across the nation will participate in the National Earlybird Forensics Tournament at Wake Forest Sept. 16-18. One of the top 10 tournaments of its kind in the nation, the tournament is hosted by the Wake Forest University Debate team, North Forsyth High School and Mount Tabor High School. Team debate competition will be held at Wake Forest’s Reynolda Campus and at Mount Tabor. Other events, including individual competition, will be held at North Forsyth. All competitions are free and open to the public. Information about the tournament can be found online at http://groups.wfu.edu/debate/earlybird/BirdEntryInformation/EARLYBIRDInvit.html. Wake Forest has a tradition in collegiate debate that dates back to the late 1800s and has held tournaments and workshops for high school debate since 1917.

Contact: Maggie Barrett, barretmb@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

 

COUNSELORS OFFER MENTAL HEALTH HELP TO HURRICANE VICTIMS — Two Wake Forest counseling professors will volunteer as mental health counselors for the American Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Donna Henderson, professor of counseling, left last week for Montgomery, Ala. She will spend two weeks counseling hurricane victims and relief workers. After 9/11, she completed the Red Cross’ Mental Health Disaster training and this is her first time volunteering in this capacity. Laura Veach, assistant professor of counseling, will leave for Shreveport, La., Sept. 16 to counsel hurricane victims in the four evacuation centers there. She lived in New Orleans for three years and would like to contribute what she can to hurricane relief efforts. Students in one of Henderson’s classes made kits for children, including small toys, crayons and notebooks for the two to take with them. Veach is available for interviews before her departure. Henderson is available for a phone interview only.

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

 

WFU STUDENTS FROM GULF COAST AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS — David Coons, one of a few dozen Wake Forest students from the Gulf Coast area, is a native of New Orleans. His family left their home before Katrina came ashore and are safe with relatives in Arkansas. “A lot of professors who knew I was from New Orleans contacted me,” Coons said. He and the other students were also contacted by the University Chaplain’s office to find out if they needed assistance. Coons helped with the orientation for hurricane-displaced students yesterday. A senior economics major, he plans to return to New Orleans for law school and to practice law. The News Service can arrange interviews with Coons or other Wake Forest students from the Gulf Coast.

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

 

WHAT IS A ‘JACKSON SANDWICH’ ANYWAY? — Jack Lucido, a lecturer in communication at Wake Forest University, won’t say. “You’ll have to see it to get it,” Lucido said about his film chronicling the diagnosis and treatment of his son, Jackson, with an autism spectrum disorder. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 in the university’s Carswell Hall, Room 111. A panel discussion and reception will follow the film. The event is free and open to the public. Lucido produced the film to advocate the importance of early diagnosis and treatment for children with developmental disorders such as autism. He plans to submit the film to various film festivals in the near future.

Contact: Maggie Barrett, barretmb@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

 

CAN A TABLE REALLY WALK ACROSS A STAGE? — Renowned international entertainer and mentalist Craig Karges is known for not only “walking” a table across a stage, but also making it fly into the air. He will perform at Wake Forest at 8 p.m. Sept. 22 in Wait Chapel. Doors will open at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Benson University Center Ticket Office or at the door. For tickets, call (336)758-4265. Karges is available for advance interviews.

Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

 

‘HAYFEVER’ AND HURRICANE RELIEF — The Wake Forest University Theatre’s 2005-2006 season will open with the 1925 comedy classic “Hayfever” by Noel Coward. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23-24 and Sept. 28-Oct. 1. A Hurricane Katrina relief fundraiser will close the run of the production after the matinee performance at 2 p.m. Oct. 2. All shows will be held in the MainStage Theatre of Scales Fine Arts Center. The fundraiser will be held in the lobby of Scales Fine Arts Center. Theatre tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for students, and are available at the Theatre Box Office, (336)758-5295, weekdays, noon to 5 p.m. All proceeds from matinee tickets and donations from the fundraiser will be donated to the American Red Cross.

Contact: Pam Barrett, barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

Categories: Media Advisory