WFU in the news: May 30-June 5

FEATURED NEWS

How you can use anticipation to enjoy life more
By Holly Burns | The New York Times
The accumulation of mini-thrills means you’ll still reap the benefits of looking forward to something, even if it’s not a big-ticket reward, said psychology professor Christian E. Waugh, who studies anticipation. “Plus, with the nearer stuff, there’s more of a sense it’s going to happen for sure. You’ve got more control over a small gathering this evening than a vacation in six months.” – 5/31/2022

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

The Buffalo and Uvalde mass shootings have put some gun raffles on pause, for now
By Scott Neuman | NPR
“We really live in some distinctly different worlds with respect to guns,” said sociology professor and gun expert David Yamane. “Some people live in a world in which they only think of guns in connection with…inner-city violence or random mass shootings. Others live in situations where guns are a very normal part of their everyday life.” – 6/03/2022

U.S. extremist violence rooted in social inequality, polarizing politics
By Sumaira FH | UrduPoint
Communication professor and terrorism expert Randall Rogan said politicians and lawmakers share some responsibility in creating a division that can spark violence. “Let’s dial it back a bit and the vitriol and the shaming and the canceling things that are going on in this country, dial back this aggressive behavior around everything that we’re engaged in. Let’s start listening to other people and stop talking so much.” – 6/01/2022

Detecting malarky
PBS
Psychologist John Petrocelli discusses the importance of fact- and nonsense-checking in this Open Minds PBS interview. Petrocelli is the author of The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit. “Liars need to know what the truth is to tell a lie. Not so when someone is BSing. It’s a problem because people cannot make good decisions without seeing things clearly.” – 5/16/2022

Communities in data
By Kenneth S. Berenhaut and Katherine E. Moore | SIAM News
Our experiences can inspire and inform the ways in which we process and communicate structural information in the world around us. The concept of data communities suggested through our work is derived from—and aligns with—a shared human social perspective, writes mathematics professor Ken Berenhaut and co-author and former WFU student Katherine E. Moore, visiting assistant professor at Amherst College. – 6/01/2022

What were the Stonewall Riots? How the events of 1969 shaped LGBTQ movement
By Rakim Brooks, Tom Fish, Peter Roff, Gloria Purvis | Newsweek
Law professor Marie-Amélie George, an expert in LGBTQ history, believes Stonewall has rightly entered the LGBTQ history books. After Stonewall, pride parades spread to major U.S. cities. “The parades shocked and dismayed conservative onlookers but they also made the LGBTQ community visible to large swaths of the country,” said law professor and LGBTQ history expert Marie-Amélie George. – 6/01/2022

‘Nothing new or magic.’ Harvard’s $100M pledge to redress slavery draws lukewarm response
By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf | Higher Ed Dive
Corey Walker, director of Wake Forest’s African American studies program, said he thinks Harvard should “reorganize its very foundations of knowledge.” It should entwine into its curricula how slavery informed contemporary postsecondary teachings and provided the base for American capitalism. Harvard’s lead and focus on this would help influence education elsewhere, he added. – 6/01/2022

LOCAL

Salem Academy and College hires diversity officer former WFU administrator AJ Mazaris
By John Hinton | Winston-Salem Journal
Salem Academy and College has hired AJ Mazaris as vice president for equity, diversity and inclusion. “I look forward to working with Salem’s students, faculty and staff, in the academy and the college, to fully embrace equity, diversity and inclusive excellence as core values that are intrinsically linked to Salem’s mission.” – 6/02/2022

“Out and About” in Winston-Salem with Second Harvest Food Bank – Empty Bowls
By Heather Spivey | Forsyth Family Magazine
Last year, Covid 19 pressed organizations to become more creative in their continuation of fundraising events. Second Harvest decided on a drive-thru concept for Empty Bowls that was not only safe and in keeping with healthcare guidelines, but also a huge success. So much so, that they decided to bring it back with help from sponsors and supporters, including Wake Forest University, which provided the perfect area in front of Bridger Field House. – 6/01/2022