Stories this week at WFU

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

STUDENTS ‘SPEAK OUT’ ABOUT RAPE — Wake Forest University students will speak out about rape and sexual assault at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 in Wait Chapel. The PREPARE Speakout event, sponsored by the Policy Group on Rape Education, Prevention and Response (PREPARE), features anonymous testimonials of Wake Forest students as well as student and faculty speakers. It is part of the annual “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Week,” a week designed to educate the Wake Forest community about issues of rape and sexual assault on campus.

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

CIVIL WAR HISTORIAN TO VISIT, SIGN BOOKS AT WFU — Charles Bracelen Flood, author of the recently published book “Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War,” will give a brief talk followed by a booksigning at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in the Wake Forest University Bookstore. The event, sponsored by the history department, is free and open to the public. A well-known historian, Flood is also the author of “Lee: The Last Years,” “Hitler: The Path to Power,” “Love is a Bridge,” and “Rise and Fight Again: Perilous Times along the Road to Independence,” which won an American Revolution Round Table Award. Flood was a freelance journalist during the Vietnam War. For additional information, call (336) 758-5501.

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

WFU WOMEN TO RAISE FUNDS FOR BATTERED WOMEN SHELTERS — As part of the V-Day global movement to stop violence against women and girls, the women of Wake Forest and Salem College have partnered to present “The Vagina Monologues.” All proceeds from the performances will be donated to local battered women shelters. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20-22 at the Ring Theatre in Scales Fine Arts Center on the campus of Wake Forest and at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27-March 1 in Bryant Hall at Salem College. Tickets are $14; $12 for students. To order tickets, call Nadja Mummery at (336) 917-5110. Sponsorships are also available; contact Kelly Chauvin at (336) 473-1200 or chauk4@wfu.edu.

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

MEDIA INVITED TO CONVOCATION FEATURING SEN. RICHARD BURR — Members of the media are invited to attend Wake Forest’s Founders’ Day Convocation, featuring Sen. Richard Burr, a Wake Forest graduate, at 11 a.m. Feb. 21 in the university’s Wait Chapel. The event is free and open to the public. Immediately following the ceremony, Burr will be available to answer media questions in Room 344 F in Benson University Center. The press conference will last approximately 15 minutes. Burr served five terms representing the 5th Congressional District of North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. During the ceremony, Wake Forest will present the Medallion of Merit, its highest award for service to the university. This year, the award will go to Thomas K. Hearn Jr., Wake Forest president emeritus, and T. Eugene Worrell, Wake Forest alumnus and benefactor. Media seating for convocation is reserved in the first and second rows on the far left side of Wait Chapel. Cameras may set up along the stairways and balcony. Media needing audio of the event should arrive at the chapel no later than 10:45 a.m.

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

BISHOP OF EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF NC TO DELIVER CONVOCATION PRAYER — The invocation portion of the Founders’ Day Convocation ceremony will be delivered by Bishop Michael B. Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Convocation will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 21 in the university’s Wait Chapel. Curry, the eleventh bishop of the diocese, is the first black person to be elected to the position. Curry has been featured on “Day 1,” formerly “The Protestant Hour,” a nationally-syndicated radio show. Curry began his ministry as deacon-in-charge at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem.

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

WHY ‘BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN’ IS PLAYING WELL ACROSS AMERICA — It might come as some surprise that Ang Lee’s highly acclaimed film is playing well not only around New York and Los Angeles, but also throughout the United States. Mary Dalton, Wake Forest assistant professor of communication and expert on Hollywood cinema, says the film continues to crowd movie theaters because it is both unconventional and conventional at the same time. “The film takes on this iconic western macho man figure and gives him depth, turning him into a character we have not seen before,” Dalton said. “The result is a ripple effect into mainstream culture, including but not limited to parodies such as those on ‘The Tonight Show.’ This builds more public attention and curiosity and drives more people to go see the film. At the same time, it is a classic love story, which remains a popular genre in film.”

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

COOKING UP CREATIVITY AT WAKE FOREST — During February and March, Wake Forest is hosting “COOK IT UP — A Creativity Forum,” an interactive series of events designed to inspire participants to think about creativity and what it means to be creative. The series, which is free and open to the public, consists of events featuring open discussions centered on the nature of creativity led by Wake Forest faculty. As part of their coursework, students taking a class in creativity and innovation plan and execute each event, deciding what food to serve and how to serve it, as well as what kind of decorations and furnishings should be used to create the setting. The next event, which will focus on the creative process and how mistakes and chance play into it, takes place at 6 p.m. Feb. 23 in the common area of Luter Residence Hall. Other events will take place at the same time and location March 2 and 16. For more information on “COOK IT UP,” call (336) 758-3383.

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

SOCIOLOGISTS TO DISCUSS SOCIAL INEQUALITIES IN DEEP SOUTH — In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, much attention has been given to socioeconomics in Louisiana, Mississippi and other parts of the Deep South. Two Wake Forest sociology professors, Angela Hattery and Earl Smith, will lead a discussion of “Social Stratification in the American South” at 3 p.m. Feb. 23 in Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Room 204. Hattery and Smith have twice led a summer course on the topic. In 2003 and 2005, they and their students traveled by bus from Atlanta to the Mississippi Delta through cities, towns and rural areas in five southern states and explored social and economic issues in the Deep South. The lecture is free and open to the public. Two Wake Forest students in the class, Josh Gattis and Kristen De La Cruz, will also take part in the discussion. Hattery is an associate professor of sociology. Smith is a professor of sociology and Rubin Professor of American Ethnic Studies.

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

WAKE FOREST TO HOST CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE — More than 75 academic technology professionals from across the country are expected to gather at Wake Forest to discuss best practices in campus technology at Technology Consortium 2006. The conference will be held Feb. 23-24 on campus. The program will focus on mobility and convergence issues, two hot topics in campus computing. A panel discussion of Wake Forest’s MobileU pilot program will highlight the conference. MobileU is the nation’s first pilot program to test combination mobile phone/PocketPC devices on a college campus. Igor Jablokov, program director of IBM’s Websphere Multimodal and Voice Products, will present the keynote address, “Technology Convergence: A Look into the Future” at 10 a.m. Feb. 23. The conference is not open to the public, but media are invited to attend. For a complete schedule, visit http://technologyconsortium.wfu.edu/.

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

STUDENTS REALIZE DREAMS BY COMBINING THEATRE AND MAGIC — Wake Forest senior Ben Whiting became enthralled with magic at age five. Senior Matt Gutschick always wanted to be in theatre. Both had a dream, but it wasn’t until Gutschick saw Whiting perform street magic in Europe that the two ever imagined how combining their dreams could blend both their art forms into a new social entrepreneurial theater concept that could make a profound impact on young people. Whiting and Gutschick, the creators of MagicMouth Productions, an educational, non-profit theatre company, will debut “Awakening,” the first drama production to ever incorporate magic and illusion, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Wake Forest University’s MainStage Theatre in Scales Fine Arts Center. Performances will also be held at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 26. Suitable for families, the semi-autobiographical show depicts Whiting’s life and uses magic tricks and David Copperfield-style grand illusions to convey the message that one should never let go of his dreams. Tickets are $20; $10 for students and children 12 and under and are available at www.magicmouthproductions.com. Group discounts are also available. Interviews and morning show segments can be arranged. Television crews can tape the first five minutes of the production.

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

ARTWORK EXPLORES RESPONSES TO SOCIO-POLITICAL WORLD — The work of artists Edith Isaac-Rose, Elyse Defoor and DUZA (the artist’s working name) is as varied as the mediums they employ, but their messages are similar: how do we respond to the socio-political pressures the world imposes on us? The exhibit, which will be featured in Wake Forest’s Charlotte and Philip Hanes Art Gallery, runs from Feb. 8 to March 19. DUZA will discuss her work at 3 p.m. Feb. 28. The exhibit and discussion are free and open to the public.

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

WAKE FOREST, OTHER BIG FOUR SCHOOLS WORK TO CAN HUNGER — From Feb. 1 to March 1, Wake Forest will participate with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and North Carolina State University to collect canned food and money in an effort to eliminate hunger. Money and food collected by Wake Forest will benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. Donations of food or cash will be collected at Wake Forest basketball games on Feb. 8, 11, 19 and 22. Monetary donations can be made at http://www.hungernwnc.org/donate-funds/donate-online.html. Each canned item or $1 donated earns the donor 1 point. For every 25 points accumulated, the donor’s name will be entered in a drawing for two season tickets to the 2006 Wake Forest Football season. The drawing will take place March 4. Entrants do not need to be present to win. The university with the highest amount of donations will be announced March 4 at the Wake Forest vs. N.C. State and the Carolina vs. Duke men’s basketball games. The student organizer for the event at Wake Forest is Richard L. Cox Jr., chief of staff for Wake Forest Student Government and chairman of the Screamin’ Demons student fan club. He is available for interviews.

Contact: Jake McConnico, mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.